COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After leading their squads to sweeps over top-15 teams, a pair of North Dakota Fighting Hawks and a pair of Denver Pioneers procured KJ Branding NCHC Players of the Week for the penultimate weekend of the regular season (Feb. 26-March 3, 2024), the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced Monday. Earning KJ Branding NCHC honors for Week 20, which are the NCHC’s penultimate weekly awards of the season, are:

• Forward – Owen McLaughlin, North Dakota, So.
• Defenseman – Zeev Buium, Denver, Fr.
• Goaltender – Ludvig Persson, North Dakota, Sr.
• Rookie – Sam Harris, Denver, Forward

These are the first career NCHC weekly awards for both McLaughlin and Harris, with Harris the fifth different Pioneer freshman to earn Rookie of the Week this year. Buium bagged his third Defenseman of the Week nod and fourth NCHC weekly honor of the season. Persson picked up his fourth Goaltender of the Week award this season and 11th of his NCHC career.
 
FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Owen McLaughlin, North Dakota
Sophomore Forward
Spring City, Pa.
 
McLaughlin tallied three points to help North Dakota lock up the Penrose Cup with a sweep of then-No. 12 Western Michigan. The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick scored two goals in the series to tie for the NCHC goal-scoring lead on the weekend, tallying one each night. In Friday’s opener, McLaughlin notched the game’s opening goal only 1:50 into the contest in an eventual 5-3 victory. A night later, he tallied two points in a 3-0 shutout to clinch the NCHC regular-season title. McLaughlin handed out the primary assist on UND’s second goal, then sealed the win with a breakaway goal midway through the third period.
 
McLaughlin finished the weekend with two goals, an assist, a +2 plus/minus and three shots on goal. In doing so, he stretched his point streak to four games, with three goals and two assists in that span. The sophomore is tied for second on the team with 34 points (12g/22a) in 33 games, with his 22 assists also second on UND.
 
DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Zeev Buium, Denver
Freshman Defenseman
San Diego, Calif.
 
Buium tied for the NCHC defenseman scoring lead over the weekend with three points to help boost the Pioneers to a sweep at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State. The 18-year-old handed out a trio of assists, with one on Friday and two on Saturday. In Friday’s 6-2 victory, Buium doled out an apple on DU’s fifth goal. The next night in a 7-2 win, he assisted on the Pioneers’ third goal, which served as the game-winner, and had the primary helper on Denver’s fifth goal. Saturday was his 10th multi-point game of the season.
 
Defensively, Buium posted an NCHC-best +7 plus/minus on the weekend, including +4 on Saturday. He helped limit the Huskies to four goals all weekend and played on a penalty kill that finished 4-for-5. Buium also blocked two shots in the series to go with his three assists. He’s now on a five-game point streak (2g/5a) and has 41 points (9g/32a) on the season, which leads all NCHC defensemen and ranks fifth among all NCHC skaters.
 
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Ludvig Persson, North Dakota
Senior Goaltender
Hindas, Sweden
 
Persson backstopped North Dakota to a sweep of then-No. 12 Western Michigan, including shining on Saturday’s Senior Night with a shutout to secure the Penrose Cup. The Swede made more than 30 saves both nights, starting with 34 stops in Friday’s 5-3 victory. The next night, his final regular-season home game, Persson turned aside all 35 shots he faced, including 13 in the final frame, in a 3-0 whitewash for his fifth shutout of the season and second in four games. The 35 saves marked a season high and his 10th career shutout, while earning him First Star of the Game honors.
 
Persson finished the sweep with 69 total saves and a .958 save percentage, both of which led the NCHC on the weekend. He also compiled a 1.50 goals-against average, which was second in the NCHC, in the two wins. Persson is now second nationally with five shutouts on the year and fourth in the NCAA with 21 wins, posting a 21-8-2 record in net. On the season, he now has a .908 save percentage and a 2.44 GAA, both ranking in the top three in the NCHC.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sam Harris, Denver
Freshman Forward
San Diego, Calif.
 
Harris continued his hot pace of late, tallying a pair of goals in Denver’s sweep at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State. The Montreal Canadiens draft pick scored twice in Friday’s 6-2 victory, tallying the opening goal only 3:33 into the contest on the power play, while scoring the eventual game-winner seven minutes later even strength. It was his second career multi-goal game and extended his goal-scoring streak to four games and point streak to five games. Harris was named Second Star of the Game on Friday. His streaks came to an end Saturday, despite DU’s 7-2 win, when he was +1.
 
Harris was one of only five NCHC players with two goals on the weekend, scoring on two of his three shots on goal. He also finished with a +2 plus/minus in the series. Harris now has 11 goals and 14 points in 32 games this season, with the 11 goals sixth on the team.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
Noah Laba, Colorado College So.
Aidan Thompson, Denver, So.
 
Defenseman of the Week
Chase Foley, Colorado College, Sr.
Griffin Ludtke, Omaha, So.
Abram Wiebe, North Dakota, Fr.

Goaltender of the Week
Matt Davis, Denver, Jr.
Simon Latkoczy, Omaha, So.
Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College, So.
 
Rookie of the Week
Max Burkholder, Colorado College, Defenseman
Tanner Ludtke, Omaha, Forward
Abram Wiebe, North Dakota, Defenseman