Six former BCHL players were recognized with weekly awards in five of the six Division I conferences last week. Get caught up in this week’s NCAA Roundup, presented by CWENCH Hydration.
Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week
Ajeet Gundarah – Freshman – Sacred Heart University (Langley/Surrey)
On Friday, Gundarah made a career-high 40 saves on 41 shots in 65 minutes of play in a 1-1 tie against Cornell. Then on Saturday in the rematch, the first-year netminder turned aside 27 of 29 shots in Sacred Heart’s 4-2 win. In total, Gundarah stopped 67 of 70 shots on the weekend, good for a save percentage of .957 and goals-against average of 1.44. The Richmond, B.C. native owns a 10-3-2 record on the season and his .932 save percentage and 1.92 goals-against average are both tops in Atlantic Hockey.
The 2003-born netminder played three seasons in the BCHL from 2021 to 2024, the first two with the Langley Rivermen and the third with the Surrey Eagles. In his final season, Gundarah led the league with a .931 save percentage, had the second-best goals-against average at 2.14 and helped guide the Eagles to their first Fred Page Cup championship since 2013. He was rewarded with the Michael Garteig Trophy as the league’s Top Goaltender.
Hockey East co-Player of the Week
Hudson Schandor – Graduate – University of Connecticut
Schandor helped UConn sweep New Hampshire with two goals and three assists for five points last week. In addition, Schandor surpassed the 100 point mark in his college career, boosting his total to 103 with the Huskies.
Schandor played three seasons in the BCHL, the first two for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and his final year with the Surrey Eagles. Over his junior career, he totaled 114 points in 147 regular-season games. He finished as the BCHL’s seventh leading scorer his final year in the league with 61 points in 56 contests.
ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week
Aaron Schwartz – Freshman – Quinnipiac University (Surrey Eagles)
Schwartz recorded two goals and three assists last week, and notched the game-winning goal against Princeton on Friday night. The freshman forward has been a key contributor in his first season at Quinnipiac with the third-most Bobcats goals with seven.
Schwartz enjoyed two highly successful years with the Surrey Eagles from 2022 to 2024. After putting up over a point per game in his rookie campaign, Schwartz was the league’s second leading scorer in 2023-24, finishing with 81 points in 51 contests and was named a First-Team All-Star. He put up another 20 points in 24 postseason contests and helped guide the Eagles to the Fred Page Cup championship.
CCHA Goaltender of the Week
Rorke Applebee – Freshman – Lake Superior State University (West Kelowna Warriors)
Applebee paced all CCHA netminders (minimum two starts) in goals-against average (1.51), save percentage (.957) and total saves (67) last weekend, helping Lake Superior State to a road split against Michigan Tech. On Friday, he made 37 saves in a 4-2 Lakers win, before turning away 30 of 31 shots in a 1-0 loss on Saturday.
Applebee played the 2023-24 campaign with the West Kelowna Warriors and logged the most minutes among any BCHL netminder. He posted a 24-6-8 record with a 2.63 goals-against average (fifth in the league) and three shutouts.
CCHA Forward of the Week
Liam Malmquist – Senior – University of St. Thomas (Penticton Vees)
Malmquist recorded four goals and one assist for five points last week, leading St. Thomas to a home sweep of Ferris State. He had two power-play goals and 10 shots in the series. On Friday, he recorded the second hat trick in Tommies Division I history, en route to a 9-6 victory, then had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 come-from-behind win on Saturday night.
The Edina, Minn. native played two BCHL seasons with the Penticton Vees from 2019 to 2021, totaling 64 points in 78 games.
Big Ten 3rd Star of the Week
Liam Souliere (G) – Graduate – University of Minnesota (Victoria Grizzlies)
Souliere was nearly perfect on the road for the Golden Gophers as he stopped 38 of 39 shots faced in two games at Ohio State for a 0.78 goals-against average and a .974 save percentage. The graduate student played 16 minutes in relief during Friday night’s loss and made six saves before getting the start on Saturday. In the series finale, he held off the Buckeyes for the first 57:45 until a late power-play goal snapped his shutout bid. He turned away a season-high 32 shots.
Souliere played the 2019-20 season with the Victoria Grizzlies, getting into 15 regular-season games and finishing with a 9-6-0 record and a save percentage of .917.
