GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND Athletics) – A trio of Fighting Hawks were honored by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) on Tuesday morning, as Ellis Rickwood (Forward), Keaton Verhoeff (Defenseman) and Will Zellers (Rookie) all took home weekly awards following the sweep over Arizona State last weekend.
Rickwood rolled in No. 4 North Dakota’s sweep at Arizona State, racking up six points to lead all conference players on the weekend and earn NCHC Forward of the Week. The Clarkson transfer recorded multiple points both nights, including a career-high-tying four points in Friday’s 7-4 win. Rickwood scored his first career short-handed goal in the series opener to give UND a 2-0 lead in the first period, before dishing out a trio of primary assists in the final frame to help the Fighting Hawks pull away.
The next night, Rickwood handed out two more primary helpers in a 5-3 comeback win. Down 2-0, he set up UND’s first goal on the power play, then assisted on Zellers’ goal 42 seconds into the third period that tied the game at 3-3. He also went 9-for-14 on faceoffs in Saturday’s win.
Rickwood finished the series with a goal and five assists, all primary, to pace all NCHC players in helpers on the weekend. His +4 plus/minus was also tops among NCHC forwards last weekend. Rickwood went 17-11 in the center circle against ASU, while firing three shots on goal. On the season, he is now third on North Dakota with 24 points (6g/18a), including 16 points (5g/11a) in his last 10 games.
Verhoeff posted his best offensive weekend to date as a Fighting Hawk, racking up five points in sweep over the Sun Devils to earn NCHC Defenseman of the Week honors. The 17-year-old, draft-eligible freshman recorded multiple points both nights against ASU. In Friday’s opener, he scored a power play goal early in the third period to push UND’s lead to 4-2, before assisting on its sixth goal in a 7-4 victory.
On Saturday, Verhoeff tallied a career-high three points in a 5-3 win. Down 2-0, he opened the scoring for NoDak with another power play goal, before assisting on North Dakota’s final two goals in the third period, including the game-winner, to break a 3-3 tie.
Verhoeff’s five points on the weekend led all NCHC blueliners by three points, finishing with two power play goals and a trio of assists. He posted a +2 plus/minus in the series, while firing four shots on goal and blocking a shot. In 22 games this season, Verhoeff has 17 points, which leads all rookie defensemen nationally, with 11 assists and six goals, with the latter second among NCAA freshman blueliners.
Zellers was a force all weekend for UND, racking up four points in the pair of wins over ASU and garnering an NCHC Rookie of the Week selection. In Friday’s 7-4 victory, the Boston Bruins prospect recorded a career-high three points, including his third multi-goal game of the season. Zellers assisted on Rickwood’s short-handed goal in the first period of the opener, before scoring UND’s final two goals in the third period to seal the win. The next night, Zellers tied the game at 3-3 just 42 seconds into the third period, sparking a three-goal third period for NoDak in a 5-3 comeback win.
Zellers ended the series with three goals, the most by any NCHC skater last weekend and his most in a weekend for North Dakota, to go with one assist. He fired seven shots on goal in the desert, while posting a +2 plus/minus. Zellers is now sixth among Fighting Hawks and second among NCHC freshmen with 21 points this season, while his 13 goals are third for NoDak and tops among NCHC rookies.
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