Marian’s Chernichko and Adrian’s Gray Pick Up
Initial NCHA Men’s Hockey Weekly Honors
Marian University sophomore Yuri Chernichko (F - Calgary, Alta.) is the NCHA Men’s Offensive Player of the Week and Adrian College junior Cameron Gray (G - Austin, Texas) is the NCHA Men’s Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday.
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Chernichko earns NCHA Offensive Player of the Week honors after opening his second season as a Sabre with a multi-goal game to lead Marian past UW-Stout 5-4. Chernichko had the third Marian goal as part of a four-goal opening period. He then netted what eventually proved to be the game-winner in the second period.
Gray is the NCHA Defensive Player of the Week after backstopping Adrian to the 2019 Buffalo State Bengals Classic championship. He made 26 saves in his Bulldogs debut during a 5-1 win over Nichols (which was receiving national rankings votes in the poll) and then 19 more stops in a 3-3 overtime tie with No. 14 Manhattanville. In the championship game against the Valiants, he preserved the tie down the stretch by making four saves after MC tied it 3-all and he stopped two shots in the shootout which Adrian won 1-0 to claim the title. He finished with a 1.92 goals-against average and .918 save percentage and was selected to the All-Classic Tournament Team.
2019-20 NCHA WEEKLY TOP PERFORMERS
Jake Drinkard, Lawrence
Drinkard scored two goals and handed out a pair of assists as Lawrence dropped a pair of games to Gustavus Adolphus. Drinkard scored a goal against the Gusties on Friday night and then scored and assisted on Lawrence?s two other goals in a 4-3 overtime loss on Saturday. Drinkard scored a short-handed goal Saturday in the third period to force the OT.
Garrett Hallford, Trine
Hallford started off the 2019-20 season involved in all three of the team’s goals on Friday against Hamline. Hallford scored the first two goals of the contest to give the Thunder a 2-0 lead and then added an assist as the team mounted a comeback attempt in the final minutes of the contest. He then added another goal on Saturday as the team rolled to a 5-1 victory over Hamline.
Blake Robertson, Trine
Robertson recorded an assist in the first contest of the weekend as the team scored three goals in a loss to Hamline. On Saturday he contributed the game-winning goal, his first of the season, as the team defeated Hamline 5-1.
Sam Ruffin, Adrian
Ruffin led Adrian with two goals and three points as the Bulldogs captured the 2019 Buffalo State Bengals Classic championship. He was credited with the game-winning goal in a 5-1 victory over Nichols (receiving national rankings votes) and scored a shorthanded goal to help the Bulldogs forge a 3-3 tie with Manhattanville. He was named to the All-Classic Tournament Team.