Top Story
USHL Honors - Week 4
Monday October 22, 2012
Clay Anderson of Cedar Rapids, Austin Ortega of Indiana, and Nick Ellis of Des Moines are among five players honored for their performances this past week. (photos by Serena Dalhamer, Whiteshark Photography, and Bryce Loshman)
The United States Hockey League today announced the CCM and Reebok player awards for the second week of the 2012-13 USHL regular season.
Award winners include Andrew Poturalski of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Austin Ortega of the Indiana Ice, named co-recipients of CCM Forward of the Week; Marcus Ericsson of the Des Moines Buccaneers and Clay Anderson of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, selected as co-recipients of CCM Defenseman of the Week; and Nick Ellis of the Des Moines Buccaneers who earned honors as Reebok Goaltender of the Week.
Poturalski totaled five points (3g, 2a) and a plus-four rating in two games to help the RoughRiders claim a pair of wins against Indiana. Playing in his first USHL game of the season, he scored the game-winner in Friday’s 4-3 victory which was a power play goal in the second period. The 18-year-old New York native then collected a career high four points (2g, 2a) in Saturday’s 7-5 win. Poturalski also posted a game high plus-four rating. First appearing with the RoughRiders last season, he has now scored eight points (5g, 3a) in four USHL games.
Ortega recorded five points (4g, 1a) and a plus-four rating in three games during the week for the Ice. He netted a goal and dished out an assist, while also posting a game high plus-four rating, in the 5-3 win against Green Bay on Wednesday. The 18-year-old from Escondido, California added a goal in Friday’s loss to Cedar Rapids and then scored two more goals on Saturday against his former team. It was the sixth multi-goal game of his USHL career and he is now tied for second in the League with seven goals this season.
Ericsson scored two goals and posted a plus-three rating to help the Buccaneers extend their winning streak to four games. He scored the first goal of the game on Friday and added a second goal in the third period of the 10-1 victory over Team USA. The Lulea, Sweden native also finished the game with a plus-three rating. He was also part of the defensive unit that allowed just two goals over the weekend for Des Moines. Ericsson is playing his first USHL season and has scored three goals for the Buccaneers through eight games, tying for the lead among League defensemen.
Anderson produced four points (1g, 3a) and a plus-two rating in two victories for the RoughRiders. He assisted on a pair of first-period goals in Friday’s 4-3 victory over Indiana. The next evening, the 18-year-old scored his first USHL career goal when he found the net on the power play in the second period. It began a stretch of four consecutive goals for the RoughRiders as they went on to capture a 7-5 win. Anderson would then dish out an assist on the game-winning goal to record his third consecutive multi-point game. It is the first USHL season for the Omaha, Nebraska native.
Ellis posted a 0.96 goals-against-average and .970 save percentage in a pair of starts for the Buccaneers. He stopped 28 shots in Friday’s 10-1 win against Team USA. Ellis then made 37 saves and turned away all three attempts in the shootout of Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Sioux City. It was the third consecutive victory for the USHL rookie goaltender and helped the Buccaneers push their win streak to four games. The 18-year-old from Millersville, Maryland currently boasts a 1.95 GAA and .943 SV% over four appearances this season.
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 11th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2012-13. With 18 NHL Draft picks on team rosters and over 200 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools this season, the USHL has emerged as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com or visit the League’s social media platforms, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/ushlhockey), twitter (www.twitter.com/ushl), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/ushlinteractive). Fans can also watch USHL action all season long, live or on-demand via FASTHockey (ushl.fasthockey.com).
It’s not just hockey. It’s the USHL.
