Week of Jan. 12
Games of Jan. 1-9
Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
Pacific Division
Forward: William Cherniak, Las Vegas Thunderbirds
The T-Birds started the new year with three straight wins against Lake Tahoe, coming on the heels of four victories at the USPHL Las Vegas Showcase that they hosted in December. Cherniak, who put up 10 points in four games, got right back to business after about two weeks and put up 11 points off of a 4-7-11 line during the Tahoe series. His-2-3-5 line on Jan. 5 was his fourth five-point effort this year. For the season, Cherniak (‘04/Medicine Hat, Alb.) now has 50 points in just 23 games.
Defense: Emile Rodrigue, Bakersfield Roughnecks
Rodrigue (‘05/Saguenay, Que.) has been the Roughnecks leader in ice time all year at 23:34 and ranks fourth in team scoring with 27 points in 30 games from the blue line. In a three-game sweep against Long Beach, Rodrigue put up three goals and three assists for six points. He also added to his team-leading 49 blocks shots on the season.
Goaltender: Joshua Griffith, Las Vegas Thunderbirds
The second-year USPHL Premier goaltender Griffith (‘03/Pittsburgh, Pa.) won two matches of the three-game series against the Lake Tahoe Lakers. He made 47 saves on the 50 shots, good for a .940 save percentage. With these two latest victories, he has now won four straight and improved to 5-3-0-0 with a .915 save percentage.
Northwest Division
Forward: Chase Parry, Vernal Oilers
The third-year Premier veteran Parry put together a 3-3-6 line as the Oilers went 2-0-1 against the visiting Rogue Valley Royals. Parry (‘03/Pittsburgh, Pa.) has scored four of his last five games and is on a five-game 5-3-8 streak, helping him to 22 points in 24 games. He has 59 points in 69 contests.
Defense: Josef Poch, Casper Roughnecks
An ‘03 from Czechia in his first North American season, Poch rang up five assists in three games as the team went 2-1-0 in their trip to Washington last weekend. Additionally, he tied for the team lead in plus-minus at +4 and he was also the team’s hits leader during the trip with seven. Overall, offensively, Poch has put up 17 points in 30 games.
Goaltender: Camden Widgington, Seattle Totems
Widgington (‘04/Montreal, Que.) had a huge performance when he went out and stopped all 36 shots faced from the division-leading Casper Roughnecks. Widgington joined Seattle in a trade from Utica in December, and is now 7-3-1-0 with a .930 save percentage.
