With college hockey now in full swing, we have a number of BCHL alums to recognize, as six different players received weekly awards in their conference this week.
Big Ten 1st Star of the Week
Jack LaFontaine – Senior – University of Minnesota (Penticton Vees)
LaFontaine backstopped the Golden Gophers to their fourth series sweep of the season, picking up a pair of wins on the road at Michigan and extending his personal winning streak to 10 games. The Mississauga, Ont. native recorded his second shutout of the season on Wednesday after tying his season high with 34 saves. He stopped 67 of 68 shots throughout the entirety of the series. LaFontaine led all of college hockey last weekend in save percentage (.985) and goals-against average (0.50) among goalies with more than one appearance
LaFontaine played one season with Penticton in 2018-19 during his transfer year when he transferred from the University of Michigan to Minnesota. That season, he finished second in the BCHL in both save percentage (.923) and goals-against average (2.19) and was named the league’s Top Goaltender.
This is his second weekly conference honour this season, to go along with his national recognition when he won the Hockey Commissioner’s Association Goaltender of the Month for November.
ECAC 1st Star of the Week
Alexander Campbell – Freshman – Clarkson University (Victoria Grizzlies)
Campbell led the Golden Knights in scoring over the course of last week, recording six points on two goals and four assists. His biggest performance came in Sunday’s 6-2 win over Mercyhurst when he scored twice and added a pair of assists. He also assisted in the Golden Knights other two games this week and blocked three shots.
The 19-year-old from Chateauguay, Que. played one season with the Grizzlies in 2018-19, finishing with 67 points in 53 games. He won the Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy as BCHL Rookie of the Year.
Following his season in Victoria, Campbell was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators.
ECAC 2nd Star of the Week
Mathieu Gosselin – Sophomore – Clarkson University (Merritt Centennials)
Gosselin recorded five points last weekend in Clarkson’s sweep of Mercyhurst. He scored a key goal in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win, before breaking out for a four-point night on Sunday (2G, 2A) en route to a 6-2 victory. The 21-year-old was extremely efficient, scoring goals on three of the four shots he took.
The Quebec City, Que. native played two seasons with the Centennials, finishing second in team scoring his second year with 60 points in 53 games.
Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week
Will Calverley – Junior – Rochester Institute of Technology (Chilliwack Chiefs)
Calverley led Atlantic Hockey in scoring last week, notching four points as RIT split with visiting Long Island University. He tallied a goal and an assist in each game, with his score in Saturday’s game ending up as the game-winner. Calverley now has points in all but one contest this season and is riding a three-game multi-point streak.
Calverley played two seasons in Chilliwack, notching 96 points in 111 regular-season games. He capped off his BCHL career with a National Championship as the Chiefs captured the RBC Cup on home ice in 2018. Calverley was named the MVP of the tournament and led all players with six goals in six games.
This is his second conference Player of the Week award this season.
Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Matt Slick – Junior – College of the Holy Cross (Chilliwack Chiefs)
Slick found his way into the box score in multiple ways as Holy Cross came back to beat Bentley in overtime in their lone game last week. He had an assist on the overtime game-winner and had four blocked shots, tying for second in the league for the week.
The Anover, N.H. native played the 2017-18 season with the Chiefs and put up 12 points while playing in all 58 regular-season games. He went on to win a National Championship that May when the Chiefs hosted and won the 2018 RBC Cup.
Atlantic Hockey Goalie of the Week
Michael Corson – Junior – Niagara University (Cowichan Valley Capitals)
In his first start for the Purple Eagles since transferring from Denver, Corson led Niagara to a win over Clarkson last Wednesday. He stopped 23 of 24 shots faced, including 11 in the second period alone.
The 21-year-old appeared in 18 games for the Capitals in the 2017-18 season and had a .909 save percentage.