Tuesday, January 17, 2012

USHL Honors - Week 16

Press Release

The United States Hockey League today announced the weekly award winners for the 16th week of the 2011-12 USHL regular season.

Award winners include forwards Taylor Cammarata of the Waterloo Black Hawks and Max Vallis of the Omaha Lancers, named co-recipients of CCM Offensive Player of the Week; defenseman Jacob Trouba of Team USA, selected as CCM Defensive Player of the Week; and Zane Gothberg of the Fargo Force who earned honors as Reebok Goaltender of the Week.

Cammarata scored five points (4g, 1a) and recorded a plus-four rating to lead the Black Hawks to a pair of victories. He netted a goal during the second period of Friday’s 6-5 win against rival Cedar Rapids. The 16-year-old then scored his team’s first three goals in the 6-3 victory against Sioux City on Saturday. It was the first hat trick for the USHL rookie and fourth multi-goal game of the season. Cammarata is a native of Plymouth, Minnesota and is currently seventh overall in USHL scoring with 34 points (16g, 18a) through 29 games this season.

Vallis scored four goals and posted a plus-five rating to help the Lancers claim a pair of victories and extend their winning streak to five games. In Friday’s 8-5 win against Sioux Falls, he scored two goals in a span of 3:34 during the second period and then added a third-period goal to complete his second hat trick of the season. Vallis then scored his 10th goal of the year on Saturday as the Lancers earned their 20th win and overtook Lincoln for first place in the Western Conference. The 20-year-old from Santa Clara, California has collected 18 points (10g, 8a) in 31 games during his first USHL season.

Trouba recorded six points (3g, 3a) and a plus-two rating over two games for Team USA. He contributed to all three goals (1g, 2a) during Friday’s 4-3 loss to Indiana. The 17-year-old defenseman then scored a pair of power play goals and helped the team earn a 5-0 shutout of Des Moines on Saturday. Trouba has scored nine points (3g, 6a) and posted a plus-five rating in 10 USHL games this season. The Rochester, Michigan native was recently listed as #9 on NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings, the highest rated USHL skater in advance of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Gothberg posted a 1.50 goals-against-average and .940 save percentage to lead the Force to a pair of victories over Tri-City during the weekend. He stopped 23 shots in Friday’s 8-1 victory and then made 24 saves in the 4-2 win on Saturday. Gothberg has started each game during the current six-game win streak for the Force, posting a 1.65 GAA and .937 SV% over that span. The 19-year-old from Thief River Falls, Minnesota has won nine of his last ten starts and is currently ranked fourth among USHL goaltenders with a 2.52 GAA and fifth with a .912 SV% this season.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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