The Kenai River Brown Bears of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are pleased to announce that veteran forward Brad Duwe has announced his NCAA Division I commitment to the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Alaska-Anchorage are members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).
Duwe, 20, is in his third full season with the Brown Bears. The local Soldotna, Alaska native also recently participated in the 2013 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament as a part of team Frontier, which was held last month in Troy, Michigan. Duwe (6’2/203) played well in the event, recording three points including the game-winning goal in the final day in a 5-4 win over the NAHL 18U Selects.
Duwe’s play continued to stay on a high level through February and March. Less than two weeks ago, he was named as the NAHL’s West Division Star of the Week as he Brown Bears have currently won their last five straight games. It wasn’t until the last few months that Duwe got healthy and back into the grove of playing the type of hockey the forward is capable of. Duwe totaled six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in the three wins and was a +3 during the week in which he was honored.
For the season, he has 17 points (8 goals, 9 assists) in 17 games played. “Brad has been with us a while and is such an important part of this team,” said Brown Bears head coach Oliver David. “When he is healthy and playing at 100% he has the capability of being a point per game guy. The key now will be making sure his solid play is consistent in the playoffs.”
David continued… “We are ecstatic for Brad and his commitment to play for Alaska-Anchorage. Last weekend, he became our all-time goal leader, and surpassed the 100 point mark, all in a Brown Bear uniform. I’m looking forward to watching his development continue at Alaska-Anchorage with Coach Shiak and Coach Blair. We are going to miss having him around. It has been special.”
