NAHL Alumni Update

Former NAHL goaltender Mareks Mitens was named the WCHA Goaltender of the Week.

Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week: Brendon Michaelian, Robert Morris (Amarillo Bulls)

Brendon Michaelian helped anchor a Robert Morris defense that allowed a single goal over two wins against LIU and chipped in three points during the sweep. He had a goal and two assists and blocked two shots in the two games. Michaelian had an assist in Thursday’s 4-1 win then added a goal and an assist in Friday’s 4-0 victory.

Atlantic Hockey Goalie of the Week: Josh Benson, Sacred Heart (Fairbanks Ice Dogs)

Josh Benson got Sacred Heart back in the win column after their extended layoff with a home-and-home sweep of Bentley. The junior allowed two goals in the two games with 52 total saves. Benson opened the series with a 31-save shutout in Thursday, then came back with 21 saves in a 4-2 win on Friday.

Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week: Brian Kramer, Robert Morris (Corpus Christi IceRays)

Brian Kramer matched teammate Michaelian with three points in a pair of wins over LIU. He had three assists, with two coming in Thursday’s 4-1 win and one coming the following day in a 4-0 victory. Thursday’s two-assist game was his third multi-assist game of the season and he enters the week with a three-game point streak intact.

B1G First Star: Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota (Janesville Jets)

LaFontaine posted back-to-back shutouts at Notre Dame over the weekend as No. 5/5 Minnesota reclaimed first place in the Big Ten behind a pair of 3-0 wins. He stopped all 52 shots faced on the weekend and left the series with an NCAA-best 15 wins on the season and five shutouts. He also added his second assist of the season to set up the game winner on Friday, tied for the NCAA lead in goaltender scoring this season. He earns his fourth career weekly award and his third of the season.

NCHC Goalie of the Week: Alex Aslanidis, Western Michigan (Minnesota Magicians)

Aslanidis was lights out in WMU's sweep of then-No. 4 Minnesota Duluth, allowing one goal all weekend. On Friday, he made 24 saves to earn his first collegiate shutout. Aslanidis made eight of his 24 saves on the penalty kill, including three during a two-minute 5-on-3 advantage for the Bulldogs. On Saturday, he made 22 more stops in a 4-1 victory to give the Broncos their second straight home sweep. UMD’s goal came with only two minutes remaining in regulation to prevent a second straight whitewash. Aslanidis finished the weekend 2-0-0 with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .979 save percentage, totaling 46 saves on 47 shots faced. He upped his season save percentage to .882 and lowered his goals-against average to 3.03, while improving to 5-3-1 on the season.

WCHA Goaltender of the Week Mareks Mitens, Lake Superior State (Aston Rebels)

Lake Superior State's Mareks Mitens led the Lakers to a weekend road sweep over then-No. 12/12 Bowling Green with back-to-back wins. The senior netminder totaled 120:17 minutes in goal for the Lakers in the series as he stopped 61 of the 64 shots he faced. The 61 saves ranked second among all WCHA netminders this week while Mitens recorded a 1.50 goals against average and a .953 save percentage in the series. With the pair of wins, Mitens' record this season improved to 6-3-3. The Ventspils, Latvia native has compiled a 1.85 GAA and a .936 save percentage in 14 appearances in the Laker net this season. This is Mitens' fifth career WCHA weekly honor and third this season.

WCHA Rookie of the Week: Rico DiMatteo, Northern Michigan (Lone Star Brahmas)

Northern Michigan's Rico DiMatteo finished fourth in league netminding for the weekend and first among rookies with a .940 save percentage. The Brasher Falls, N.Y., native was fourth in goals against average and first among freshman class with 1.46 GAA. His 47 saves ranked third in the league and second among rookies. He finished 12th in the NCAA on the weekend in saves and fifth among rookies. His goals against average ranked fifth nationally among rookie goaltenders while he was seventh among Division I rookies in save percentage. This is DiMatteo's first career WCHA weekly honor.