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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MINNESOTA STATE’S RIESE ZMOLEK AND LUCAS SOWDER, ’S STEVEN JANDRIC AND BEMIDJI STATE’S ZACH DRISCOLL EARN WCHA PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS Quartet earns league recognition for games of Jan. 17-18

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Jan. 20, 2020 – The Men’s League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association is proud to recognize four student-athletes as its Players of the Week for games of Jan. 17-18. Minnesota State junior Riese Zmolek (Defenseman) and freshman forward Lucas Sowder (Rookie), Alaska junior Steven Jandric (Forward) and Bemidji State junior Zach Driscoll (Goaltender) earn this week’s honors.

WCHA Forward of the Week Steven Jandric, Jr., Alaska (Prince George, B.C.) Alaska junior Steven Jandric put up four points in Alaska’s sweep of Ferris State over the weekend to lead all WCHA skaters in scoring. The Prince George, B.C., native posted the game-winning goal for the Nanooks in Friday’s victory before contributing with three points on a goal and a pair of helpers as Alaska rolled to a 6-3 win over the Bulldogs on Saturday. Jandric leads the Nanooks in scoring with 18 points on seven goals and 11 assists this season with a pair of game-winning goals. This is Jandric’s second career WCHA weekly award. He was previously recognized as the league’s Rookie of the Week on Oct. 23, 2017.

Honorable Mention: Adam Brady, Sr., Bemidji State: Helped lead the Beavers to a series victory over Michigan Tech with a goal in Friday’s win as well as potting a goal in the 3-on-3 overtime period Saturday to clinch the extra league point for BSU. Adam Conquest, Fr., Bowling Green: Recorded his first career multi-goal games with a pair of scores in Friday night’s contest with No. 3/3 Minnesota State. Julian Napravnik, So., Minnesota State: Posted a game-winning goal and a pair of assists, including a helper on Saturday’s overtime game-winner in the Mavericks’ sweep of No. 15/15 Bowling Green.

WCHA Defenseman of the Week Riese Zmolek, Jr., Minnesota State (Rochester, Minn.) Minnesota State’s Riese Zmolek registered two points on a goal and an assist in No. 3/3 Minnesota State’s two-game road sweep at No. 15/15 Bowling Green over the weekend. The Rochester, Minn., native picked up his second goal of the season to cap off the Mavericks’ four-goal second-period outburst on Friday evening then assisted on the game-tying goal late in the third period on Saturday as MSU rallied from a 2-0 deficit to skate off with a 3-2 overtime win to complete the sweep. This is Zmolek’s second career Defenseman of the Week nod. He was previously recognized on Oc.t 15, 2018.

Honorable Mention: Brad Johnson, Jr., Bemidji State: Assisted on the Beavers’ game-winning goal on against Michigan Tech on Friday and recorded a helper on Saturday’s game-tying goal against the Huskies. Tim Theocharidis, So., Bowling Green: Contributed a pair of assists to the Falcon attack in BGSU’s series with No. 3/3 Minnesota State. Blake Evenou, Fr., Ferris State: Tallied a career-high three points on three assists on Saturday to lead all WCHA blueliners in scoring on the weekend. Ben Newhouse, Jr., Northern Michigan: Scored the Wildcats’ initial goal in NMU’s 2-2 tie at No. T-1/1 Cornell on Friday evening and finished the weekend with six blocked shots.

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WCHA Goaltender of the Week Zach Driscoll, Jr., Bemidji State (Apple Valley, Minn.) Bemidji State junior Zach Driscoll turned aside 46 of the 48 shots he faced against Michigan Tech on the weekend. The Apple Valley, Minn., native led BSU to a 4-1 victory Friday and a 1-1 overtime draw Saturday as BSU went on to score in the 3-on-3 overtime period to win the series by taking five-of-six points from the Huskies. Driscoll backstopped a penalty-kill unit that was 7-for-8 on the weekend. He finished the weekend 1-0-1 with a 0.96 GAA and .958 save percentage to lead the league in GAA and rank second in save percentage. This is Driscoll’s fourth career WCHA Goaltender of the Week nod.

Honorable Mention: Anton Martinsson, Sr., Alaska.: Stopped a WCHA weekend-high 68-of-71 shots and picked up his fifth career shutout on Friday, to lead the Nanooks to a road sweep of Ferris State. Nolan Kent, So., Northern Michigan: Recorded his first career tie as the Wildcats skated to a 2-2 draw with No. T-1/1 Cornell on Friday, stopping 57-of-62 shots in the series.

WCHA Rookie of the Week Lucas Sowder, Fr., F, Minnesota State (Trinity, Fla.) Minnesota State forward Lucas Sowder registered three points on three assists as No. 3/3 Minnesota State claimed a two-game league road sweep at No. 15/15 Bowling Green over the weekend. The Trinity, Fla., native had the third three- point game of his freshman season with three assists in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Falcons. One of his assists came on the game-winning goal. This is Sowder’s third WCHA Rookie of the Week honor of the 2019-20 season.

Honorable Mention: Zach Nazzarett, Fr., F, Alaska Anchorage: Tallied two goals in the Seawolves’ 5-1 win over visiting Alabama Huntsville on Friday. Adam Conquest, Fr., F, Bowling Green: Posted his first two career goals in Bowling Green’s series with Minnesota State. Blake Evenou, Fr., D, Ferris State: Assisted on all three of the Bulldogs’ goals in Saturday’s contest with Alaska.

About the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Men’s League The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, among the most historic, tradition-rich and successful conferences in all of collegiate athletics, is marking its 68th season of men’s competition in 2019-20. The 10-team NCAA Division I conference consists of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (Chargers), the University of Alaska Anchorage (Seawolves), the University of Alaska (Nanooks), (Beavers), Bowling Green State University (Falcons), (Bulldogs), Lake Superior State University (Lakers), Michigan Technological University (Huskies), Minnesota State University (Mavericks) and Northern Michigan University (Wildcats). For more information, visit wcha.com.

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