Monday, March 8, 2010

McMillan named Boston Pizza WHL Player of the Week

Press Release

CALGARY, AB. - The BOSTON PIZZA WHL Player of the Week is forward Brandon McMillan of the Kelowna Rockets.

McMillan picked up seven points, scoring two goals and five assists to go with a +3 rating, in three games over the past week, helping the Rockets post a 3-0 record in that span.

On Wednesday, March 3rd, the Rockets played host to the visiting Spokane Chiefs. McMillan found the net once and scored in the shoot-out to help lift the Rockets to a 3-2 victory. He was also named the games 1st Star. On Friday, March 5th, the Seattle Thunderbirds rolled into Kelowna to face the Rockets. McMillan scored one goal, added a pair of assists and was named the games 2nd Star as the Rockets shut-out T-birds 5-0. The next evening, Saturday, March 6th, the Rockets welcomed their BC Division rivals the Vancouver Giants. McMillan nabbed three assists in the Rockets 3-0 win and was named the games 3rd Star.

McMillan’s seven points over the last three games has him sitting 3rd in Rockets team scoring obtaining career highs in points, goals and assists with 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 52 games played. The Kelowna Rockets have won four of their last five games and currently sit sixth in the WHL Western Conference with a 33-30-2-4 record for 72 points.

McMillan, a 19 year-old from Delta, British Columbia, is in his fourth season with the Kelowna Rockets. Drafted by the Rockets in the 4th round of the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft, McMillan has gone onto appear in 248 career WHL games, collecting 162 points. The Anaheim Ducks selected him in the 3rd round – 85 overall of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

The WHL has also nominated Martin Jones of the Calgary Hitmen for the CHL Goaltender of the Week Award. Jones posted an incredible 4-0-0-0 record this past week with three shut-outs, stopping 117 of 118 shots faced for a 0.250 goals-against average and remarkable 0.992 save percentage. Jones, a native of North Vancouver, British Columbia, currently sits first among WHL goaltenders with a 2.24 GAA and second in wins with a 34-11-0-8.

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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