For a second consecutive week, Hunter Price of the Sherwood Park Crusaders has been selected as the Pizza 73 AJHL Player of the Week. The 2003-born forward extended his point streak to six games with seven points (3G, 4A) in three wins for the Crusaders.
Hunter Price (Calgary, AB) opened a three game homestand with an assist in a 5-2 win over the Bonnyville Pontiacs on December 13th. He exploded with a hat trick, including his fifth game winner of the season, in a 5-2 win versus the crosstown Spruce Grove Saints on December 16th and was awarded as the Viterra AJHL Player of the Game. The following afternoon, he recorded three assists to defeat his former team of the Drayton Valley Thunder 8-5.
Hunter Price is in his third AJHL season and averaging over a point per game with 37 points (17G, 20A) in 35 games played. His current point streak sits at 15 points over six games. The Crusaders enter the holiday break on a six-game win streak and second overall in the Canalta Hotels AJHL Standings.
Canmore Eagles goaltender, Matthew Malin, is the Alberta Ford Dealers AJHL Defensive Player of the Week after leading his team to three consecutive wins and a shutout.
Malin, 2003, allowed just two goals against last week as the Eagles hosted three AJHL opponents on home ice. The week opened with a 4-1 win over the first-place Brooks Bandits on December 12th, in which Malin turned away 36 shots from the high-powered league leaders. Matthew recorded his first shutout of the season in a 5-0 victory versus the visiting Drumheller Dragons on December 15th. He then held the Bonnyville Pontiacs to one goal on 25 attempts as the Eagles posted a 4-1 win on December 16th. Malin was twice awarded as the Viterra AJHL Player of the Game last week.
Malin (San Francisco, CA) is in his third season with the Eagles and holds a record of 12-9-1 (W-L-OTL). The Eagles will play two more games before breaking for the holidays.
The Inter Pipeline AJHL Rookie of the Week is goaltender Jack Solomon with two shutouts for his Lloydminster Bobcats from December 11th-17th, 2023. Solomon has recorded wins in his last five starts and the Bobcats will enter the holiday break on a three-game win streak.
On December 15th, Solomon (St Louis, MO) stopped all 27 shots from the host Blackfalds Bulldogs to record his first shutout of the season in an 8-0 final. He then posted his second shutout with a 5-0 road win in Olds and a 30-save performance to earn the Viterra AJHL Player of the Game award.
Jack Solomon, 2005, is third among rookie goaltenders with a .906 save percentage and has the second most wins of all first-year goalies with 12.