2004-05 WIAC Men's Ice Hockey
Athletes of the Week

Week of Feb. 7 - 13
Tony Sikich, Senior (Apple Valley, Minn.), Defenseman of UW-River Falls
Sikich scored two goals and dished out two assists in 5-2 victories over UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout during the weekend as the Falcons claimed their second straight WIAC title. He scored two goals, including the game winner, against the Blugolds and assisted on the first two Falcon goals against the Pointers. Sikich is fourth on the team in scoring with nine goals and 22 points.

Also nominated:
UW-Stevens Point, Tom Vernelli, Freshman, Forward, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. (St. Basil's)
UW-Stout, Justin Huth, Junior, Forward, Shakopee, Minn.
UW-Superior, Baron Bradley, Sophomore, Goalie, Neepawa, Manitoba

Week of Jan. 31 - Feb. 6
Ryan Kirchhoff, Senior (Fairway, Kan./Bishop Miege), Forward of UW-Stevens Point
Kirchhoff scored two goals, including the game-winner, and added three assists in a 7-5 win over No. 3-ranked UW-Superior. He assisted on three of the Pointers' first five goals as the Pointers built a 5-4 lead over the Yellowjackets. He then found the back of the net with 6:51 remaining to give the Pointers a two-goal cushion, and sealed the game with an empty net goal in the final minute. On Friday night against St. Scholastica (Minn.), Kirchhoff assisted Mike Brolsma on his game-winner in a 4-2 victory over the Saints.

Also nominated:
UW-Superior, Mike Wiggins, Senior, Forward, Calgary, Alberta

Week of Jan. 24 - 30
Andy Scanlon, Junior (Apple Valley, Minn.), Goalie of UW-River Falls
Scanlon was outstanding in goal for the Falcons in their 2-0 win over No. 1-ranked UW-Superior on January 29. He made 36 saves to record his first shutout of the season and improved his record to 5-3-2. Scanlon owns a .922 save percentage and 2.24 goals against average this year.

Also nominated:
UW-Stevens Point, Adam Kostichka, Senior, Forward, Stevens Point (SPASH)
UW-Stout, Mike Stone, Freshman, Goalie, West St. Paul, Minn. (Sibley)
UW-Superior, Myles Palliser, Sophomore, Forward, Lake Cowichan, British Columbia

Week of Jan. 17 - 23
Mike Wiggins, Senior (Calgary, Alberta), Forward of UW-Superior
Wiggins scored four goals over the weekend in wins over UW-River Falls and UW-Stout to help keep the Yellowjackets unbeaten on the season. He scored two power play goals on Friday night against the Falcons and one short-handed goal on Saturday night against the Blue Devils. Wiggins also scored the game-winning goals in both games, including an overtime goal against the Blue Devils.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Steffan Braunlich, Junior, Goalie, Playa del Rey, Calif. (Loyola)
UW-River Falls, Tony Sikich, Senior, Forward, Apple Valley, Minn.
UW-Stout, Mike Stone, Freshman, Goalie, West St. Paul, Minn. (Sibley)

Week of Jan. 10 - 16
Mike Kautz, Junior (Des Plaines, Ill.), Defenseman of UW-Stout
Kautz scored three goals and three assists during the weekend as the Blue Devils went 1-1. In a 4-3 win over Lake Forest (Ill.), Kautz scored the game's first goal only one minute into the contest and added an assist midway through the second period. In an 8-5 loss to No. 4-ranked St. Norbert, Kautz scored twice and added two assists. He assisted on a goal that tied the score midway through the first period, then put the Blue Devils ahead just before the end of the first. Kautz tacked on another goal to put UW-Stout ahead, 4-2, late in the second period and assisted on a goal midway through the third period.

Also nominated:
UW-River Falls, Jared Sailer, Sophomore, Forward, Fernie, British Columbia
UW-Stevens Point, Tom Vernelli, Freshman, Forward, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (St. Basil's)
UW-Superior, Mathieu Bonnelly, Junior, Goalie, Quebec City, Quebec

Week of Jan. 3 - 9
Dale Lupul, Senior (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia), Defenseman of UW-Superior
Lupul recorded six assists in a 9-1 win against Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) on January 5. He added another assist against UW-Stevens Point for a total of seven points in three games during the week. The Yellowjackets defeated Concordia, 9-1, and tied No. 6 St. John's (Minn.) and UW-Stevens Point, 1-1, in the three games to remain unbeaten through 15 games (10-0-5).

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Pete Eloranta, Senior, Forward, River Falls
UW-River Falls, Steve Moe, Senior, Forward, Coon Rapids, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Nate Sorenson, Freshman, Defenseman, Tomah

Week of Dec. 6 - 12
Garrett Larson, Senior (Park River, N.D.), Forward of UW-River Falls
In two games against UW-Stout over the weekend, Larson scored five goals. In Saturday's 4-1 victory, he posted the team's first hat trick of the season with two goals in the second period and another in the third stanza. Larson contributed two goals in Friday's 5-1 win over the Blue Devils. He has a team-leading 14 goals and 22 points this season.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Pete Eloranta, Senior, Forward, River Falls
UW-Stevens Point, Brent Halverson, Junior, Forward, Cloquet, Minn.

Week of Nov. 29 - Dec. 5
Mike Brolsma, Senior (Appleton/North), Forward of UW-Stevens Point
Brolsma became the fourth Pointer in history to record five assists in a game when he helped on each of the Pointers' first five goals in a 7-4 victory over fifth-ranked UW-River Falls. He also became the 20th player in school history to score 100 points in his career. On Friday night, Brolsma scored a shorthanded goal and picked up another assist in the Pointers' 5-5 tie with UW-Stout.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Rob Ouimette, Senior, Forward, Iron Bridge, Ontario (Leamington District)
UW-Stout, Andrew Stearns, Sophomore, Forward, Wadena, Minn.
UW-Superior, Dale Lupul, Senior, Defenseman, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

Week of Nov. 22 - 28
Mike Wiggins, Senior (Calgary, Alberta), Forward of UW-Superior
Wiggins scored four goals, including two power play efforts, in a 5-3 victory at No. 8 ranked St. Thomas (Minn.) on November 27. He scored a pair of goals in the first period as the Yellowjackets took a 2-1 advantage and added scoring efforts in the second and third stanzas. Wiggins leads the team with eight goals and 11 points this season.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Phil Cherneski, Senior, Forward, Thompson, Manitoba (RDPC)
UW-Stevens Point, Adam Kostichka, Senior, Forward, Stevens Point (SPASH)
UW-Stout, Andrew Stearns, Sophomore, Forward, Wadena, Minn.

Week of Nov. 15 - 21
Chip Dunleavy, Junior (Littleton, Col./Columbine), Forward of UW-Eau Claire
Dunleavy helped UW-Eau Claire to wins over Augsburg (Minn.) and Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) during the week. In a 7-4 win over the Auggies on November 19, he tallied two short-handed goals, which were UW-Eau Claire's fourth and sixth goals of the contest. Dunleavy also contributed in the Blugolds' 4-1 win over the Cobbers on November 20. He tied the game with an even-strength goal after UW-Eau Claire had fallen to a 1-0 deficit.

Also nominated:
UW-River Falls, Matt Jackson, Freshman, Forward, Apple Valley, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Adam Kostichka, Senior, Forward, Stevens Point (SPASH)
UW-Superior, Yann Poirier, Senior, Forward, Quebec City, Quebec (Cowichan Valley)

Week of Nov. 8 - 14
Jake Erickson, Freshman (Rochester, Minn./Century), Forward of UW-Stout
Erickson provided three assists in UW-Stout's 5-4 victory at No. 3-ranked St. Thomas (Minn.) on November 13. Two of Erickson's assists came in the final five minutes of the second period as the Blue Devils tied the score at 2-2. His final assist tied the game at 3-3 early in the third period. Erickson also had an assist in UW-Stout's 4-3 loss to St. Mary's (Minn.) on November 12.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Steffan Braunlich, Junior, Goalie, Playa del Rey, Calif. (Loyola)
UW-River Falls, Dan Meneghin, Junior, Goalie, Surrey, British Columbia
UW-Stevens Point, Dan Francis, Junior, Forward, Roseville, Mich.
UW-Superior, Kyle Nosan, Senior, Forward, Baudette, Minn.

Week of Nov. 1 - 7
Rob Ouimette, Senior (Iron Bridge, Ontario/Leamington District), Forward of UW-Eau Claire
Ouimette led the Blugolds to an 8-2 victory over Bethel (Minn.) on November 5, while nearly helping UW-Eau Claire to a late come-from-behind victory in a 5-4 overtime loss to Hamline (Minn.) on November 6. Against Bethel, he assisted on the game-winner, which broke a 2-2 tie in the second period. He put the game away with two third period goals. Against Hamline, Ouimette assisted on a pair of goals in the third period that tied the score and he also recorded the team's first goal of the night.

Also nominated:
UW-River Falls, Garrett Larson, Senior, Forward, Park River, N.D.
UW-Stevens Point, Tom Vernelli, Freshman, Forward, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (St. Basil's)
UW-Stout, Andrew Stearns, Sophomore, Forward, Wadena, Minn.
UW-Superior, Mike Wiggins, Senior, Forward, Calgary, Alberta

Week of Oct. 25 - 31
Josh Schlipp, Senior (Chisago Lakes, Minn.), Forward of UW-River Falls
Schlipp helped lead the Falcons to two wins to open the 2004-05 season as he scored two goals and added two assists. He scored two goals in a 6-1 win over UW-Eau Claire on October 30 and had two assists in a 7-0 win over Milwaukee School of Engineering on October 26.

Also nominated:
UW-Stevens Point, Anthony Forgione, Freshman, Forward, Hingham, Mass.
UW-Stout, Scott Sikkink, Freshman, Forward, Chippewa Falls

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