2003-04 WIAC Men's Ice Hockey
Athletes of the Week

Week of Feb. 9 - 15
Mitch Kellin, Senior (Cohasset, Minn./Grand Rapids), Forward of UW-Stout
Kellin scored two goals and added an assist in a weekend that saw UW-Stout go 1-0-1 and move up to finish fifth in the NCHA regular season standings. He scored the first goal in a 3-3 tie with UW-Stevens Point on February 13, then punched in the game-tying goal 33 seconds after the Pointers went ahead 3-2 early in the third period. In UW-Stout's 4-2 victory over UW-Eau Claire on February 14, Kellin assisted on the Blue Devils' second goal of the game.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Phil Cherneski, Junior, Forward, Thompson, Manitoba (RDPC)
UW-River Falls, Matt Elsen, Senior, Forward, Richfield, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Dan Francis, Sophomore, Forward, Roseville, Mich.

Week of Feb. 2 - 8
Tony Sikich, Junior (Apple Valley, Minn.), Defenseman of UW-River Falls
Sikich scored two goals and assisted on two others in a 6-4 win over No. 2-ranked St. Norbert on February 6 in River Falls. He also helped the Falcons to a 7-2 victory over No. 8-ranked Lake Forest (Ill.) the following evening. Sikich ranks fourth on the Falcon scoring list this season with 18 points on five goals and 13 assists.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Rob Ouimette, Junior, Forward, Iron Bridge, Ontario
UW-Stevens Point, Brett Coburn, Freshman, Forward, Addison, Ill. (Addison Trail)
UW-Stout, Jeff Dotson, Senior, Goalie, Chanhassen, Minn. (Chaska)
UW-Superior, Kyle Nosan, Junior, Forward, Baudette, Minn. (Lake of the Woods)

Week of Jan. 26 - Feb. 1
Tyler Kostiuk, Freshman (Cranbrook, British Columbia), Forward of UW-River Falls
Kostiuk came up with two timely goals to lift UW-River Falls to a pair of ties on the road this week. His goal early in the third period against UW-Superior tied the game at 2-2, while his penalty shot goal with less than five minutes remaining in the game gave the Falcons a 1-1 tie at St. Scholastica (Minn.).

Also nominated:
UW-Stout, Nate Legler, Senior, Forward, Lakeville, Minn.
UW-Superior, Beau Moyer, Junior, Forward, North Bay, Ontario

Week of Jan. 19 - 25
Jeff Dotson, Senior (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska), Goalie of UW-Stout
In 120 minutes of hockey, Dotson allowed only one goal as he made 71 saves in facing 72 shots (98.6 save percentage) on the weekend. He picked up his third shutout of the season - and the third of his career - in a 1-0 win over UW-Superior on January 23 as he stopped 48 shots. Dotson allowed his only goal of the weekend in a 2-1 victory over St. Scholastica (Minn.) on January 24.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Phil Cherneski, Junior, Forward, Thompson, Manitoba (RDPC)
UW-River Falls, Josh Schlipp, Junior, Forward, Chisago Lakes, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Ryan Scott, Senior, Goalie, Plover (SPASH)
UW-Superior, Randall Smisko, Junior, Forward, Powell River, British Columbia

Week of Jan. 12 - 18
Chip Dunleavy, Sophomore (Littleton, Col./Columbine), Forward of UW-Eau Claire
Dunleavy led the Blugolds to two victories, including topping 16th-ranked UW-Superior for the first time in the last 20 meetings between the two schools. In the Blugolds' 6-4 victory over the Yellowjackets, he totaled three assists and a goal. He assisted on the Blugolds' first two goals of the game and added a power play goal in the second period. In the third period, he assisted on Steve Dus' game-winning effort. Dunleavy added a short-handed goal against St. Scholastica (Minn.) the following evening in Duluth, Minn.

Also nominated:
UW-River Falls, Tony Sikich, Junior, Forward, Apple Valley, Minn.
UW-Superior, Mike Wiggins, Junior, Forward, Calgary, Alberta

Week of Jan. 5 - 11
Kyle Nosan, Junior (Baudette, Minn./Lake of the Woods), Forward of UW-Superior
Nosan scored two goals, including a power play effort and the game-winning goal, in a 4-3 win over Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) on January 7. The Yellowjackets trailed 3-2 in the second period before Nosan tallied the next two goals to give UW-Superior the victory.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Chip Dunleavy, Sophomore, Forward, Littleton, Col. (Columbine)
UW-River Falls, Matt Elsen, Senior, Forward, Richfield, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, James Jernberg, Sophomore, Defenseman, St. Cloud, Minn. (Tech)

Week of Dec. 8 - 14
Nick Zebro, Freshman (Mosinee), Forward of UW-Stevens Point
Zebro scored once in each game and added three assists in a weekend sweep of No. 15 UW-Eau Claire. He scored the game-winning goal in Friday night's 4-2 win over the Blugolds and also assisted on Brent Halverson's first period equalizer. On Saturday, Zebro scored late in the second period for a 3-1 Pointers' lead and added two assists to help UW-Stevens Point to a 5-3 victory.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Andy Klapperick, Sophomore, Forward, Austin, Minn.
UW-River Falls, Dan Meneghin, Sophomore, Goalie, Surrey, British Columbia
UW-Stout, Bryan Cummings, Senior, Defenseman, Austin, Minn.
UW-Superior, Rheese Carlson, Senior, Forward, Duluth, Minn. (East)

Week of Dec. 1 - 7
Kyle Nosan, Junior (Baudette, Minn./Lake of the Woods), Forward of UW-Superior
Nosan scored two goals, including a power play effort, and added one assist for three points as UW-Superior upended St. Norbert 5-4 on Saturday, December 6. St. Norbert entered the game as the No. 1 ranked team in country according to USCHO.com

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Steffan Braunlich, Junior, Goalie, Los Angeles, Calif. (Loyola)
UW-River Falls, Marc-Andre Lalande, Junior, Defenseman, Deux-Montagnes, Quebec
UW-Stevens Point, Justin Micek, Senior, Forward, Elk River, Minn.
UW-Stout, Jeff Dotson, Senior, Goalie, Chanhassen, Minn. (Chaska)

Week of Nov. 24 - 30
Jeff Dotson, Senior (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska), Goalie of UW-Stout
Dotson started two of UW-Stout's three wins this week, recording both wins, including a 4-0 home victory over Milwaukee School of Engineering on November 30 and a 4-3 win over No. 8 ranked St. John's (Minn.) on November 25. He recorded 20 saves against MSOE and 28 against St. John's and had a .941 saves percentage. Dotson's shutout against MSOE was his second of the season and the second in his career. On the season, he is 7-1-0 with a 2.83 goals against average and a .900 saves percentage. UW-Stout is currently on a six-game winning streak, matching the longest in team history.

Also nominated:
UW-River Falls, Jess Johnson, Senior, Forward, Bloomington, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Ryan Scott, Senior, Goalie, Plover (SPASH)

Week of Nov. 17 - 23
Mitch Kellin, Senior (Cohasset, Minn./Grand Rapids), Forward of UW-Stout
Kellin scored a hat trick and an assist in a 7-5 win over Hamline (Minn.) on November 21. He scored the eventual game-winning goal to break a 5-5 tie midway through the third period, then capped off the night with an empty net goal seconds before the buzzer. Earlier in the game, Kellin's first goal of the night put the Blue Devils ahead a minute into the second period. Kellin also helped the Blue Devils to a 5-4 victory over Bethel (Minn.) the following night in Menomonie.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Rob Ouimette, Junior, Forward, Iron Bridge, Ontario
UW-River Falls, Jim Murphy, Senior, Forward, St. Paul, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, James Jernberg, Sophomore, Defenseman, St. Cloud, Minn. (Tech)

Week of Nov. 10 - 16
Mike Wiggins, Junior (Calgary, Alberta), Forward of UW-Superior
Wiggins scored three goals and added three assists for six points as UW-Superior scored 22 goals in two victories this weekend. In a 10-2 win over Augsburg (Minn.) on Friday, he had two goals, including in a power play effort. In Saturday's 12-2 win over Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.), Wiggins scored a goal and added three assists.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Bryan Chambers, Senior, Defenseman, Farmington, Minn.
UW-River Falls, Aaron Degerness, Sophomore, Forward, Roseau, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Mike Brolsma, Junior, Forward, Appleton (North)
UW-Stout, Bryan Cummings, Senior, Defenseman, Austin, Minn.

Week of Nov. 3 - 9
Adam Kostichka, Junior (Stevens Point/SPASH), Forward of UW-Stevens Point
Kostichka scored a pair of shorthanded goals this weekend to lead UW-Stevens Point to a pair of victories. On Friday, he got the Pointers on the board with a first period shorthanded goal in a 3-2 victory over Hamline (Minn.). Kostichka added two goals, including another shorthanded, and an assist in a 7-2 win over Bethel (Minn.) on Saturday.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Pete Eloranta, Junior, Forward, River Falls
UW-River Falls, Jim Murphy, Senior, Center, St. Paul, Minn.
UW-Stout, Jeff Dotson, Senior, Goalie, Chanhassen, Minn. (Chaska)
UW-Superior, Mike Wiggins, Junior, Forward, Calgary, Alberta

Week of Oct. 27 - Nov. 2
Steffan Braunlich, Sophomore (Los Angeles, Calif./Loyola), Goalie of UW-Eau Claire
Braunlich played a huge role in leading UW-Eau Claire to a 5-3 win over UW-Stevens Point to match the Blugolds' win total from last year just one game into the 2003-04 season. He held the Pointers scoreless for the first two periods and made 21 of his 38 saves in the third period to hold off a furious Pointer rally.

Also nominated:
UW-River Falls, Jess Johnson, Senior, Forward, Bloomington, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, David Lee, Junior, Forward, Stevens Point (SPASH)
UW-Stout, Mitch Kellin, Senior, Forward, Cohasset, Minn. (Grand Rapids)
UW-Superior, Randall Smisko, Junior, Forward, Powell River, British Columbia

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