WCHA Players of the Week
November 30, 1998
WCHA Offensive Player of the Week
Lee Goren/RW/UND
Lee Goren, a right wing on the #1-ranked University of North Dakota
hockey team, has been selected as the WCHA Offensive Player of the
Week for November 30 as a result of his outstanding performances in a
weekend sweep over St. Cloud State.
A 6-2, 190-pound sophomore, Goren led the way offensively for the
Fighting Sioux against the Huskies, scoring four goals and one assist
in the two-game series as North Dakota improved its 1998-99 record to
8-1-1.
Last Friday evening at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.,
Goren was instrumental in a comeback 4-3 win, scoring the game-tying
goal at 4:37 of the third period and assisting on teammate Adam
Calder's winner at 14:27.
Then on Saturday (Nov. 28) night, Goren came back to record his first
collegiate three-goal hat trick, scoring the game-opening tally just
:39 into the first period as well as the eventual game-winning goal at
14:20 of the third, as the Fighting Sioux skated to a 7-4 win and a
sweep of the series.
A draftee of the NHL's Boston Bruins, Goren is in the midst of a
four-game goal-scoring streak and is second among WCHA players with 10
goals in 10 games.
Other nominees for the offensive player of the week award were: Matt
Mathias, RW, Alaska Anchorage.
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WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Brad Williamson/D/UND
University of North Dakota defenseman Brad Williamson, who earned a +3
plus/minus rating and contributed four assists in a Nov. 27-28 series
sweep over St. Cloud State, has been honored as the WCHA Defensive
Player of the Week for Nov. 30.
A 5-10, 180-pound senior from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Williamson played
a key role at both ends of the ice for the top-ranked Fighting Sioux,
who improved to 8-1-1 overall with the 4-3 and 7-4 road wins over the
Huskies.
Williamson was a defensive anchor on the North Dakota penalty-kill
that blanked St. Cloud State on all nine power-play chances in the
series, including seven last Saturday.
In addition to his strong defensive efforts, he also set up two goals
each night, including the game-winner on Saturday evening.
Through 10 games this season, Williamson is the top-scoring defenseman
in league play, averaging one point per game with one goal and nine
assists. He was a member of the 1998-99 WCHA All-Star Team that played
in the Kolin Cup tournament in Switzerland this past August.
North Dakota next heads west to take on WCHA-rival Denver on Dec.5-6.
Also nominated for the weekly defensive player honor was: Eric Lawson,
D, Alaska Anchorage.
WCHA Rookie of the Week
Gregg Naumenko/G/UAA
The University of Alaska Anchorage's Gregg Naumenko, who backstopped
the Seawolves to three points in a 3-1 win and 1-1 tie at
Minnesota-Duluth last Friday and Saturday, has been honored as the
WCHA Rookie of the Week for Nov. 30.
A 6-2, 195-pound freshman from Chicago, Ill., Naumenko turned back 58
of the 60 shots on goal he faced in the two-game series, including 37
in the 1-1 draw last Saturday (Nov. 28) night. Over 125:00 of action,
he allowed just two goals and recorded a .967 saves percentage.
Naumenko has started eight of the last nine games in goal for Alaska
Anchorage, including five straight. In WCHA play, he is currently the
league's third-ranked goaltender with a 3-3-2 record, 2.41
goals-against average, and .920 saves percentage. Overall on the
season, he has a 2.71 GAA and a .908 SV% over 509:22 of game time.
Naumenko and his UAA teammates, sporting a 2-1-2 record over their
last five games, play host to Air Force Academy next weekend (Dec.
4-5) in a non-conference series at Sullivan Arena.
Other nominees for this week's WCHA Rookie of the Week award were:
Andy Kollar, G, North Dakota.
Mike Welvaert, UND '90
GO SIOUX!! ONE MORE TIME IN '99!!
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