Alberni Valley Bulldogs goaltender John Hawthorne has been named the BCHL Player of the Week for the week ending Jan. 27, the league announced Monday.
Hawthorne started twice and came on in relief in a third game this week, stopping 91 of the 93 shots he faced. The 20-year-old finished the week with a 1-1 record, one shutout, a .978 save percentage and a 0.78 goals-against average.
Hawthorne started his week with a 43-save shutout performance in a 4-0 win on Wednesday over the Cowichan Valley Capitals. He was busy from puck-drop in this game as he faced 19 shots in the opening frame alone and went on to earn the game’s first star. On Friday, the Chemainus, B.C. native came on in relief as his team went down 4-0 in the first period against the Penticton Vees. Hawthorne shut the door the rest of the way, stopping all 25 shots he faced in just over 45 minutes of work as the Bulldogs comeback fell just short and they eventually lost 4-3. He was named the FortisBC Energy Player of the Game. He finished off his week by turning in another solid performance on Saturday night, stopping 23 of 25 shots in a losing effort as his team lost 3-1 to the Surrey Eagles in a game he was named second star.
After this weekend’s games, Hawthorne is now tied for the third-best save percentage in the league at .916 and is tied for fourth in the BCHL with three shutouts. He’s also played the third-most minutes of any goaltender.
This Player of the Week award caps off a memorable two weeks for Hawthorne as he recently announced his commitment to Northern Michigan University. This is also the second time this year he has earned Player of the Week honours.
Honourable mentions:
Trail Smoke Eaters D Trevor Zins: 2GP, 1G, 4A, 1st star
Prince George Spruce Kings F Dustin Manz: 2GP, 4G, 1st star twice
Prince George Spruce Kings D Nick Bochen: 2GP, 4A, SOGWG, 3rd star
Penticton Vees F Lukas Sillinger: 3GP, 4G, 1A, GWG, 1st star
Victoria Grizzlies G Zachary Rose: 2GP, 1W, 72 saves/76 shots, .947 SV%, 2.00 GAA
