Look back over former West Kelowna Warriors captain Matt Anholt’s hockey career and you’ll see his offensive numbers always mushroom in his second season at every level.
That’s been the case again this season, his sophomore campaign at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, and he still has two more years to go.
This week, the native of Prince Albert, Sask. snagged a major feather for his cap by earning the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) offensive player of the week honour. His three goals and one assist last weekend in conference games against Lake Superior State give him 7-14-21 on the season, good enough for second on the team. He registered 2-7-9 last season as a freshman in 34 games.
Anholt’s most recent output helped the Seawolves earn a split with LSSU. Centering the second line, he was in on both UAA markers, with a goal and an assist, in a 3-2 loss Friday and followed that with two goals in a 5-2 win the next night. For the weekend, the 5-foot-10, 188-pound pivot posted a +4 rating and won 13 faceoffs.
The win Saturday kept UAA two points up on Alaska-Fairbanks for the final WCHA playoff spot.
In two seasons with West Kelowna, Anholt became a fan favourite while scoring 26-53-79 in 113 games.