CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. — ECAC Hockey has announced its men’s weekly award winners, and Ottoville Leppanen (RPI), Ian Shane (Cornell), and Jack Watson (RPI) have all been honored for the week ending January 2, 2022.
Driscoll Skating & Skills Player of the Week
Leppanen (Sr. – Espoo, Finland) led the offensive charge for the Engineers, registering back-to-back multi-point games to help RPI to a 1-0-1 record this week. He scored and assisted on a goal in each game, including scoring the game-winner in a 3-2 win over Vermont on Thursday. He was also outstanding on the defensive end, blocking a shot and finishing the week +4.
MAC Goaltending Goalie of the Week
Shane (Fr. – Manhattan Beach, Calif.) got his first collegiate action late Sunday evening and made the most of it, stopping all 23 shots that came his way. Since the turn of the century, only one Cornell goaltender has stopped more consecutive shots to begin his career when Matthew Galajda did so in 2017. He’ll have a chance to top the mark of 27 straight saves to begin a career in his next action in net.
Rookie of the Week
In just his second collegiate start, Watson (Toronto, Ont.) earned his first win in cherry red, leading the Engineers to a 3-2 win over Vermont on Thursday. The freshman faced 31 shots in the game, turning aside 29 of them, including 12 each in the second and third periods. The freshman finished the contest with a .935 save percentage.
