Since missing four games in early- and mid-January, including a conference weekend at Western Michigan, Liam Finlay has returned to the Denver Pioneers lineup as a difference maker. His efforts this past weekend earned him the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) offensive player of the week honours.
The Kelowna native and former Vernon Vipers standout has six points in four games since returning to the lineup and was key in his team’s home sweep of Nebraska-Omaha last weekend.
Finlay scored the game-winner in the series-opening 5-3 win on Friday and then set up three goals, including another game-winner, the next night in a 5-0 victory. His four-point weekend represents half his season total of 3-5-8 to date.
For the weekend, the 5-foot-7, 155-pound forward finished with five shots on goal and a +2 rating.
In two BCHL seasons, mainly with Vernon after starting out with the Penticton Vees, Finlay recorded 40 goals and 74 assists for 114 points in 109 games. The 19-year-old was part of the gold-medal-winning Team Canada West squad at the 2015 World Junior A Challenge.
