Two Alaska skaters garner CCHA player of the week honors

Submitted by Jamie Schanback
Phone: 907-474-6807
02/04/08

Two Alaska Nanook seniors were recognized with weekly honors Monday by the Central Collegiate Hockey Association after helping the Blue and Gold to its first sweep of the season, bolstering its chances of hosting a first-round CCHA playoff series next month. Defenseman T.J. Campbell and goalie Wylie Rogers were recognized as the conference’s Defensive Player and Goaltender of the Week, respectively.

Campbell and Rogers were just the second and third Alaska skaters to receive a weekly honor this season and the first pair of Nanooks to win weekly awards in the same week since Nov. 6, 2006, when defenseman Tyler Eckford and forward Kyle Greentree nabbed defensive and offensive player of the week awards.

For Campbell it was his first such honor that was well deserved as the Nanook captain put together the best two-game series of his career by assisting on Friday’s overtime goal and then scoring and setting up the game winner on Saturday as the Nanooks swept Western Michigan. He finished the weekend with a +3 rating.

Rogers was solid between the pipes over the weekend turning away 75-of-79 Bronco shots (.949 saves percentage) as the Nanooks bested the Broncos twice.

The Fairbanks native has backstopped the Nanooks to all seven of their wins this season, including December’s upset of then-ranked No.1 Miami, his fourth win against the Nations’ highest ranked team in a three-year span.

It was Rogers’ second weekly award of the season and program-best seventh career weekly honor. He was previously CCHA Goalie of the Week on Dec. 10, 2007, Feb. 5, 2007, Feb. 6, 2006, Oct. 17, 2005, Feb. 14, 2005, and Nov. 8, 2004.

The Nanooks will look to continue their two-game winning streak this weekend at Bowling Green, where they will face the Falcons for a two-game CCHA series, with both games opening face-off coming at 3:05 p.m. Alaska Time.

KFXF FOX 7 will televise the series with Friday’s broadcast beginning at 3 p.m. Alaska Time, while Saturday’s will be tape delayed starting at 7 p.m. FOX 7 has also secured part both of the recently aired Alaska segments on the CCHA All Access show that FSN aired last month. The two-part shows will air back-to-back on Saturday at 6 p.m., just prior to the Alaska/Bowling Green taped delayed broadcast.