The Central Hockey League today announced Wichita Thunder forward and Coquitlam Express alum Brett Hemingway as the first Oakley CHL Player of the Week award winner.
Hemingway was instrumental in both Thunder shootout victories this weekend. On Friday, The 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward scored the first Thunder goal of the season and then capped the night with the game-winning shootout goal in the sixth round of a 3-2 victory over the Rapid City Rush.
Hemingway had another huge night on Saturday, helping fuel the Thunder comeback. Trailing 3-0 in the third period, the Thunder scored three goals in just over four minutes, with Hemingway assisting on the final two goals (one of which was a goal by his brother Colin, a Surrey Eagles graduate). With the Thunder needing a goal to keep the game alive, Hemingway scored a sixth round shootout goal to prolong the affair. The Thunder eventually defeated the Allen Americans 4-3 in the ninth round of the shootout.
The former University of New Hampshire star and Colorado Avalanche draft selection (2003) is playing in his fifth professional season and first in the CHL. Last year, Hemingway played with the Belfast Giants (EIHL) where he averaged nearly a point a game (55 points in 56 games).
With the Express, Hemingway played the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons and never missed a game. He tallied 87 goals and 89 assists in 120 BCHL games.
