Red Baron® WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Josh Robinson • Senior, Goaltender, Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University goaltender Josh Robinson, who backstopped the visiting Huskies to a road tie and victory against defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Minnesota Duluth last weekend, is the Red Baron® WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for Jan. 31. This marks the third time this season Robinson has earned the weekly honor (also on Oct. 18 and Nov. 1).
A 6-0, 185-pound senior from Frankenmuth, Mich., Robinson, stopped 62 of 66 shots on goal for a .939 saves percentage, posted six shutout periods (one overtime), blanked the nation’s top scoring team for the final 109: 47 of the series, and held UMD scoreless on all six of their power-play chances. After falling behind 4-0 in the first period last Friday (Jan. 27), the Huskies fought back with four unanswered goals to earn a 4-4 (ot) tie. Then last Saturday (Jan. 28) night, Robinson earned his third shutout of the season, fashioning a 29-save, 5-0 victory for Michigan Tech that enabled them to bank three of four points. In that game, MTU became the first team to blank the Bulldogs in 105 games, dating to a March 1, 2008 (2-0) loss to visiting North Dakota, and the first to hold UMD senior All-American forward Jack Connolly without a point in a weekend series.
On the season, Robinson is 11-9-2 overall with a 2.69 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.
Also nominated: Dan Bakala, G, BSU; Joey LaLeggia, D, DU; Andrew MacWilliam, D, UND.
Red Baron® WCHA Rookie of the Week
Blake Pietila • Freshman, Forward, Michigan Technological University
Left winger Blake Pietila, who contributed four scoring points to help visiting Michigan Technological University to a 4-4 (ot) tie and 5-0 victory at top-ranked Minnesota Duluth last weekend, has been named Red Baron® WCHA Rookie of the Week for Jan. 31. Pietila also earned the weekly honor on Oct. 11.
A 5-11, 195-pound freshman from Brighton, Mich., Pietila had a team-high four points with a goal and three assists as the Huskies took three of four points from the defending national champion Bulldogs at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. In the series opener last Friday (Jan. 27), Michigan Tech rallied from a 4-0 first period deficit to earn a 4-4 (ot) tie, with Pietila assisting on a momentum-swinging goal early in the third period. He then came back in game two last Saturday (Jan. 28) to figure in on three of the Huskies’ five goals with a goal and two assists in a 5-0 shutout, scoring the second goal of the game on a power-play at 12:19 of period one and then drawing helpers on Tech’s third and fifth goals.
Playing in every one of his team’s 26 games this season, Pietila is tied for third in scoring for MTU with 19 points (8g, 11a) and is tied for first with teammate David Johnstone as the club’s top scoring rookies.
Also nominated: Danny Mattson, F, BSU; Ty Loney, F, DU; Stephane Pattyn, F, UND.
David Johnstone was nominated for WCHA Offensive Player of the Week.
