COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – It may have been a light weekend in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), but there were still plenty of bright performances, with Western Michigan picking up three of four KJ Branding NCHC Players of the Week for the week of Feb. 5-11, 2024. Earning KJ Branding NCHC honors for Week 17 are:

• Forward – Sam Colangelo, Western Michigan, Sr.
• Defenseman – Dylan Anhorn, St. Cloud State, 5th Yr.
• Goaltender – Cameron Rowe, Western Michigan, Sr.
• Rookie – Alex Bump, Western Michigan, Forward

Colangelo collects his third NCHC Forward of the Week nod this season, which leads all NCHC forwards in 2023-24. Anhorn snagged his second Defenseman of the Week award this year and third of his NCHC career. Rowe gloved his second Goaltender of the Week honor this season, as well, and seventh of his NCHC career. This is Bump’s first career NCHC weekly award.
 
FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Sam Colangelo, Western Michigan
Senior Forward
Stoneham, Mass.
 
Colangelo tied for the NCHC lead with both two goals and four points last weekend, helping the Broncos earn four conference points in a split with then-No. 19 Omaha. The Anaheim Ducks draft pick tallied both of his goals in the series in Friday’s 6-1 victory to earn Second Star of the Game. Colangelo made it a 3-0 game midway through the second period, then sealed the victory with an empty-netter. On Saturday, he handed out an assist on both of WMU’s goals in a 3-2, overtime loss, including the primary helper to put the Broncos up, 2-1.
 
Colangelo finished the weekend with two goals and two assists, to go with a +2 plus/minus. He also fired 10 shots on goal, including six in Friday’s win. Colangelo is now on a three-game point streak with multiple points in all three games (4g/3a). The Northeastern transfer has 19 goals on the season, which is second on the team and fourth in the NCHC, and has tallied 35 points in 28 games.
 
DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Dylan Anhorn, St. Cloud State
Fifth-Year Defenseman
Calgary, Alta.
 
Anhorn was a force at both ends of the ice in St. Cloud State’s sweep at Miami last weekend. He scored both game-winning goals, while helping limit the RedHawks to only three goals all series. On Friday, the Huskies captain scored their third goal to make it a 3-1 game in the second period of an eventual 5-2 win. The next night, Anhorn broke a 1-1 tie midway through the third period with a rocket of a shot, as SCSU prevailed, 3-1. He was named the game’s Third Star on Saturday.
 
Anhorn ended the weekend with two goals, giving him six on the season, while the game-winners were his first two of the year. He also posted a +1 plus/minus in the series, blocked a shot and fired three shots on goal. Anhorn now has 26 points on the season, which is second among NCHC defensemen and ninth among NCAA blueliners, while his 20 assists are sixth among all NCHC skaters.
 
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Cameron Rowe, Western Michigan
Senior Goaltender
Wilmette, Ill.
 
Rowe backstopped the Broncos to a four-point weekend in the NCHC with a win and overtime loss to then-No. 19 Omaha. In Friday’s opener, Rowe made 23 saves, including 13 in the first period, while giving up only one goal in a 6-1 victory. He was named Third Star of the Game on Friday, while earning his 50th career win in net. On Saturday, Rowe turned aside 22 more shots in a 3-2 overtime defeat. He helped the Broncos finish 8-for-10 on the penalty kill against Omaha, making a combined 12 short-handed saves over the weekend.
 
Rowe finished the series with 45 saves on 49 shots faced for a .918 save percentage and a 1.97 goals-against average, both of which ranked second in the NCHC on the weekend and first among goalies who played two games. Rowe improved to 17-10-1 on the season and leads the NCHC with a 2.28 GAA, while he upped his save percentage to .912, which is second in the NCHC. His 28 starts on the year are tops in the conference.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Alex Bump, Western Michigan
Freshman Forward
Burnsville, Minn.
 
Bump had a monster, four-point weekend to power Western Michigan to a four-point split with Omaha. The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick tied a career high with three points in Friday’s 6-1 win. Bump dished out the primary assist on WMU’s second goal, which served as the game-winner, then scored the Broncos fourth and sixth goals in the third period to seal the victory. He was named First Star of the Game on Friday. The next night, Bump handed out another primary assist on the game’s first goal in an eventual, 3-2, overtime loss.
 
Bump tallied two goals and two assists in the series, while firing an NCHC-high 14 shots on goal on the weekend, including seven shots each night. He also posted a +3 plus/minus against Omaha, tying for the NCHC lead. With points in both games, Bump is now riding a seven-game point streak with nine points (4g/5a) in that span. On the season, he has nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points, which ties for fourth on the Broncos team and is second among NCHC rookies.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
Brock Bremer, Omaha, Sr.
Zach Okabe, St. Cloud State, 5th
 
Defenseman of the Week
None
 
Goaltender of the Week
Isak Posch, St. Cloud State, Fr.
 
Rookie of the Week
Tanner Ludtke, Omaha, Forward
Isak Posch, St. Cloud State, Goaltender