Photo credits: Rob Rasmussen (Tufto), LSSU Athletics (Calder), BSU Photo Services (Driscoll)
This week’s roundup looks back on the final week of the NCAA’s regular season and features two familiar faces who have won numerous weekly and monthly awards this year, as well as a junior forward making his first appearance in 2020-21.
ECAC Player of the Week
Odeen Tufto – Senior – Quinnipiac University (Vernon Vipers)
Tufto earns yet another ECAC Hockey honor after a week in which he recorded four points on a goal and three assists. He was outstanding in Friday’s 4-2 win over Colgate, scoring the game-winning goal and adding two assists. With his first assist of the weekend, he set the Quinnipiac program record career assists with 126.
The Chaska, Minn. native played the 2015-16 season in Vernon where he led the team in goals (25), assists (40) and points (65).
This is his fifth ECAC Hockey award this season.
WCHA Forward of the Week
Ashton Calder – Junior – Lake Superior State University (Surrey Eagles)
Calder led the offence for the Lakers in the final week of the regular season, posting three goals and two assists in three games as the team played a midweek series at Bemidji State and a single game against Ferris State. The Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., native had at least one point in each of the three games, beginning with an assist on the Lakers lone goal in a 2-1 overtime loss on Tuesday night. The forward responded with his first career hat trick in Wednesday’s 5-2 win over the Beavers and notched an impressive nine shots on goal in the game. He tallied the primary assist on the Lakers first goal in the team’s 2-1 win against Ferris State on Saturday night as LSSU clinched the second seed in the WCHA playoffs with the victory.
Calder’s lone BCHL season came in 2016-17 where he had 42 points in 49 games for the Eagles.
WCHA Goaltender of the Week
Zach Driscoll – Senior – Bemidji State University (Penticton Vees)
Driscoll recorded his first and second shutouts of the season in a sweep of Alabama-Huntsville over the weekend. The Apple Valley, Minn., native moved into a tie for third on BSU’s all-time shutouts list with nine. Driscoll led league netminders in games played (four), minutes (238:42), saves (77), GAA (1.26), wins (three) and recorded the only two shutouts by a WCHA goaltender during the week.
The 24-year-old played the 2015-16 season in Penticton and led the BCHL in both save percentage (.933) and goals-against average (1.90), while recording five shutouts and finishing the year with a record of 21-4-0. His save percentage that year is tied for the fifth-best mark all-time for a single season, while his goals-against average is the seventh-lowest in BCHL history. Driscoll finished his tenure with the Vees by winning the BCHL’s Top Goaltender award.
This is Driscoll’s 10th career WCHA weekly honor and his fourth this season.
