Lakers Piku and Hesse Named CCHA Players of the Week for February 14/15 -

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has announced its Players of the Week for February 14-15 and four student-athletes from three different programs have been recognized. Branden Piku (Lake Superior State) garnered Forward of the Week, while Easton Young (Augustana) was the Defenseman of the Week. Easton Hesse (Lake Superior State) picked Goaltender of the Week honors and Rylan Brown (Michigan Tech) earned the Rookie of the Week award.

CCHA Forward of the Week: Branden Piku, So., Lake Superior State (Harrison Township, Mich.)
Piku paced all CCHA skaters with four points last week on three goals and one assist, helping Lake Superior State to a split with Ferris State. Also posting a league-high +4, he had a hand in both Lakers goals on Friday night in a 3-2 overtime loss. He then tallied twice, including the eventual game-winner in a 5-3 victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday.

CCHA Defenseman of the Week: Easton Young, Fr., Augustana (Grand Rapids, Minn.)
Young helped Augustana take 4-of-6 points from its final CCHA series of the year last week, dishing out three assists and posting a +1 rating. He had two helpers in a 5-1 victory over Michigan Tech on Friday, before assisting on a second-period tying goal on Saturday in a comeback 4-4 tie with the Huskies. For the week, he recorded one shot on goal.

CCHA Goaltender of the Week: Easton Hesse, Sr., Lake Superior State (Beaumont, Alb.)
Hesse went 1-0-0 with a .943 save percentage last week, helping the Lakers to a road split with Ferris State. Starting on Saturday, he made a career-high 50 saves in a 5-3 win. He made 20 saves in the first period, 16 in the second and 14 in the third. Twenty of his saves came while the Lakers were shorthanded.

CCHA Rookie of the Week: Rylan Brown, Fr., Michigan Tech (Sherwood Park, Alb.)
Brown had three assists for three points last week, helping Michigan Tech to a pair of road points against Augustana. He earned one helper on the Huskies’ lone goal on Friday night, before dishing out two assists in a 4-4 tie on Saturday, before Tech won a shootout for the bonus point in the standings. For the week, he totaled two shots and four blocks.