KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) handed out its weekly awards on Monday evening, with
Samuel Sjolund and
Zach Nehring being honored for their standout performances.
Sjolund was recognized as the league's Defenseman of the Week after producing five assists, 14 shots on goal, three blocked shots and a +1 rating in four games. He led all NCHC defensemen in points on the week, producing a point in three of the four games he played in.
He had a two-assist night against Michigan Tech in the opening round of the Great Lakes Invitational, helping WMU score its second and third goals of the game. For his efforts, he was named to the GLI All-Tournament Team.
He followed that up with another assist against Alaska Anchorage in a 4-1 series-opening win on Friday. He closed out the week with two more assists on Saturday, including a primary helper on the game-winning goal.
On the season, Sjolund is up to 11 assists and 15 blocked shots. He leads all defensemen on the team with 11 points.
Nehring was given the NCHC's Rookie of the Week award, thanks to a five-point week. He scored two goals and had three assists in four games to lead all NCHC freshmen.
The Minot, N.D. native opened the week with the primary assist on WMU's game-winning goal against Michigan Tech. He followed that up by scoring the team's lone goal against No. 1 Michigan State in the GLI Championship game.
He then opened the Alaska Anchorage series with a two-point night in a 4-1 victory. Nehring scored WMU's third goal of the game before earning the primary assist on the fourth goal. To close out the weekend, the rookie forward picked up an assist on WMU's second goal to help secure a 5-2 win.
Nehring has been one of the best freshmen in the nation, sitting with 12 points on five goals and seven assists through 18 games. He is currently riding a career-best five game point streak.
Nehring, Sjolund and the Broncos will be back in action on Jan. 17-18 at North Dakota. Puck drop for the series opener is set for 8 PM ET at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
