Yellowjacket sophomore goaltender Drew Strandberg (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Westgate CV&I), after picking up his first shutout of the 2011-12 season has been named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Athlete of the Week in men's hockey for the week ending February 5, 2012.
Strandberg, who has been the backbone of the Yellowjackets for the majority of his two seasons played a vital role in the team picking up a pair of points on the weekend.
“Drew has been a very consistent player for us and that's one of the things you ask for out of a goaltender. You want someone back there who is consistent and stable that will give you a chance to win. He has done that for us,” Yellowjacket head coach Dan Stauber said. “Unfortunately we have struggled to score goals so our team record and his numbers aren't as good as they could be. Still, he's been so steady back there and last weekend was one of the best of his career here. He deserves the honor.”
On Friday Strandberg turned aside 27 shots in a 0-0 with defending national champion and NCHA leader St. Norbert College in town. It was his first shutout of the season and the second of his career, both of which have come against the Green Knights. The next night Strandberg gave up a pair of goals in the first period, then closed the door on UW-Stevens Point, giving his team the chance to come back and tie the game, which finished 2-2. For the week Strandberg went 0-0-2 with a 0.93 goals against average and a .957 save percentage.
“As we close out the regular season and head into playoffs it is extremely important that we are playing well from the goaltender out,” Stauber said. “Hopefully this award means that he is going to be playing his best hockey from this point forward, setting the tone for the rest of our team.”
The Yellowjackets close out the regular season with a pair of games on the road, at UW-Eau Claire on Friday (Feb. 10) and at UW-River Falls on Saturday (Feb. 11). Game time is 7:05 p.m. both nights.
