NFL
By Jason Gulden
Welcome back, NCHC fans. After last weekend, when 8 of the 10 teams started league play, we are back for another week of conference play featuring 8 teams. Following this weekend, all 10 teams would have played at least 2 conference games, with multiple teams playing 4. Before we get into the league games and a couple of non-conference series, we need to take care of a few things.
Players of the Week
In the Players of the Week for October 26-November 1st, we saw two Western Michigan winners: a school first and a Pioneer.
Western Michigan’s William Whitelaw earned Forward of the Week. After seeing what he did on Thursday night, I had a feeling he would win the honor this week. On Thursday night alone, he scored 4 goals and 1 assist for a career-high 5 points. Friday night, he added 2 more assists to his weekend totals. For a total of 4 goals and 3 assists against Long Island.
His teammate, Joona Väisänen, took home Defenseman of the Week. Thursday night, he also had a hat trick and 1 assist. He is the 6th NCHC defenseman to record a hat trick. Friday night, he added another assist. Joona finished the series with 3 goals and 2 assists.
The first-ever St. Thomas player to win a weekly honor is Goaltender Will Ingemann, who won the Goaltender of the Week. On Saturday, he led St. Thomas to its first-ever win in NCHC play. He stopped 67 of 70 shots over the weekend and posted a conference-best .957 save percentage.
Denver University’s Daxon Rudolph is the Rookie of the Week. This is Daxon’s second time winning Rookie of the Week, as he did the week of October 2-4. That weekend, he scored a goal and added an assist while blocking 4 shots and taking 12 shots on goal, leading all NCHC skaters.
Congrats to all 4 winners. Who wins the awards next week? Check back next weekend when we talk about the 4 winners.
Players of the Month for October
With the calendar switching to November this past Sunday, it’s time to reveal the October Players of the Month winners. If you have followed along in my articles so far this season, you might have an idea who the winners are.
Western Michigan’s William Whitelaw is the Forward of the Month. In October, William racked up 14 points in 7 games, leading all NCHC forwards. He tallied 7 goals and 7 assists. His 7 goals lead all NCHC forwards and rank 6th in the nation among forwards. He also finished 2nd among all NCHC skaters with a +11 plus/minus.
Minnesota Duluth’s Ty Hanson is the Defenseman of the Month. He led all NCHC defensemen with 3 Defenseman of the Week honors. He scored 8 goals during the month, leading all NCHC skaters and tying for 2nd nationally. His 8 goals were also the most goals ever in a month by an NCHC defenseman. He posted a +9 plus/minus for the month and committed no penalties.
Colorado College’s Jackson Unger earned Goaltender of the Month. Some would say that, through 8 games this season, Unger is Colorado College MVP. In October, he posted a 1.38 goals-against average and a 9.53 save percentage on his way to a 6-2-0 record. His 2 shutouts in the Tigers’ first 6 games of the season were the first time this has happened since 2008. He has led Colorado College to the top 20 in the USCHO hockey pool in 5 of the 6 weeks this season.
Western Michigan’s Adam Benák gets Rookie of the Month. He won Rookie of the Week twice this month. Adam scored 3 goals and added 10 assists this month. His 13 points and 10 assists led all NCAA freshmen for the month. His 10 assists were second among all NCHC skaters. He posted a +10 plus/minus and went 41-34 on faceoffs for the month.
All 4 of these players are now eligible for the Hockey Commissioner’s Association national awards. Those awards will be announced on Friday. Check back early next week to see whether any of these 4 outstanding players win National honors.
Weekends Games
Alaska Anchorage will travel to St. Thomas to take on the Tommies in a non-conference series.
Omaha will look to get its first NCHC victory of the season when they welcome St. Cloud State to Omaha for the weekend. Will Omaha get its first points this weekend or will St. Cloud extend its lead over Omaha in the standings?
After both teams split their previous series last weekend, Miami (OH) travels to #6 Minnesota Duluth to take on the Bulldogs. Which team will take the upper hand in the standings after the series?
After sweeping Omaha last weekend, #4 Denver University travels to Arizona State to try to extend its 3-point lead in the standings. This is an unusual Friday-and-Sunday series between these two teams.
#11 Colorado College will step out of conference play this weekend when they welcome Lindenwood to Ed Robson Arena. Do the Tigers continue their hot start this weekend?
The big game this weekend takes place in Grand Forks, where #5 Western Michigan travels to #10 North Dakota. Both teams play their first conference games this weekend. Both teams are the last two Penrose Cup champions: Western Michigan won in the 2024-2025 season, and North Dakota won last season. Will one team take the early step toward winning it this year?
Closing
This weekend, we’ll answer all these questions. Check back early next week to find out how these games played out and the updated standings and rankings across the NCHC.
NCHC fans, the time has come once again. It’s Time for some NCHC action. Grab your favorite snack and beverage, sit in your comfy chair, and cheer your favorite NCHC team on to victory.
I’ll talk to you all next week with multiple NCHC articles. Talk to you all then.
