The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has announced its Players of the Week for the games of January 19-21 and four student-athletes from four different programs have been recognized. Mack Byers (St. Thomas) was the Forward of the Week, while Akito Hirose (Minnesota State) earned Defenseman of the Week honors. Blake Pietila (Michigan Tech) collected his fourth Goaltender of the Week honor and Lleyton Roed (Bemidji State) was the Rookie of the Week.

 
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CCHA Forward of the Week: Mack Byers, Jr., St. Thomas (Long Lake, Minn.) 
 
Byers led all CCHA skaters with four points on three goals and one assist, helping St. Thomas to a four-point weekend against first-place Bowling Green. On Thursday, he scored two goals, including the game-winner, with one assist, four shots on goal and one block at the defensive end, leading the Tommies to a 4-2 victory. He then scored a goal on Friday, with three shots. For the week, he was +4 while totaling seven shots and won 52.4% (22-of-42) of his face-offs. 
 
CCHA Defenseman of the Week: Akito Hirose, Jr., Minnesota State (Calgary, Alb.) 
 
Hirose paced all conference blueliners with four points on two goals and two assists, helping the Mavericks take 5-of-6 points from their weekend series against Lake Superior State. On Friday, he scored the overtime-winning goal and added an assist for two points in a 3-2 Minnesota State victory. He then had a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win on Saturday. For the weekend, he was +3 with two game-winning tallies and three shots on goal. 

 
CCHA Goaltender of the Week: Blake Pietila, Sr., Michigan Tech (Howell, Mich.) 
 
Pietila went 1-0-1 with a 1.44 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage, which were both tops among two-start netminders in the CCHA. He made a total of 48 saves on 51 shots, with six coming while the Huskies were shorthanded, helping the team go 9-for-9 on the penalty kill. On Friday, he turned away all 21 shots he faced for his nation-leading sixth shutout, before making 27 saves in a 3-3 tie at Ferris State on Saturday. 

 
CCHA Rookie of the Week: Lleyton Roed, Fr., Bemidji State (White Bear Lake, Minn.) 
 
Roed led conference freshmen with two points on one goal and one assist last week, finishing even on the weekend as Bemidji State split with Northern Michigan. Doing all of his damage on Friday, he netted a second-period goal after assisting on one in the first, en route to a 4-0 Beavers victory. He then recorded a game-high six shots on goal in a 5-2 loss on Saturday. Earning his conference-leading third Rookie of the Week honor, he continued his streak of notching at least one point in every weekend since November 11-12. 


For more information, contact: 

Perry Laskaris 
Director of Strategic Communications & Brand Advancement 
Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) 
Laskaris@ccha.com 
(651) 308-1065 
 

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2022-23 CCHA Weekly Awards
 
Forward:
Jan. 23, 2023: Mack Byers (UST)
Jan. 16, 2023: Brendan Furry (MSU)
Jan. 9, 2023: Austen Swankler (BGSU)**
Jan. 3, 2023: Mitch Deelstra (FSU)
Dec. 19, 2022: Jakub Lewandowski (BSU)
Dec. 12, 2022: Kristof Papp (NMU)
Dec. 5, 2022: Taylor Schneider (BGSU)
Nov. 28, 2022: David Silye (MSU)**
Nov. 21, 2022: Nathan Burke (BGSU)
Nov. 14, 2022: Ryan O'Hara (BGSU)
Nov. 7, 2022: David Silye (MSU)
Oct. 31, 2022: Louis Boudon (LSSU)
Oct. 24, 2022: AJ Vanderbeck (NMU)
Oct. 17, 2022: Sam Morton (MSU)
Oct. 10, 2022: Mitchell Martan (BSU)
Oct. 3, 2022: Austen Swankler (BGSU)

Defenseman:
Jan. 23, 2023: Akito Hirose (MSU)
Jan. 16, 2023: Jared Kucharek (LSSU)
Jan. 9, 2023: Jake Livingstone (MSU)***
Jan. 3, 2023: Brett Thorne (MTU)**
Dec. 19, 2022: Brenden MacLaren (FSU)
Dec. 12, 2022: Matt Slick (FSU)
Dec. 5, 2022: Elias Rosen (BSU)**
Nov. 28, 2022: Elias Rosen (BSU)
Nov. 21, 2022: Brett Thorne (MTU)
Nov. 14, 2022: Will Zmolek (BSU)
Nov. 7, 2022: Andy Carroll (MSU)
Oct. 31, 2022: Jake Livingstone (MSU)**
Oct. 24, 2022: Ethan Gauer (UST)
Oct. 17, 2022: Akito Hirose (MSU)
Oct. 10, 2022: Jake Livingstone (MSU)
Oct. 3, 2022: Aiden Gallacher (NMU)

Goaltender:
Jan. 23, 2023: Blake Pietila (MTU)****
Jan. 16, 2023: Keenan Rancier (MSU)
Jan. 9, 2023; Blake Pietila (MTU)***
Jan. 3, 2023: Christian Stoever (BGSU)**
Dec. 19, 2022: Mattias Sholl (BSU)***
Dec. 12, 2022: Alex Tracy (MSU)
Dec. 3, 2022: Noah Giesbecht (FSU)**
Nov. 28, 2022: Aaron Trotter (UST)
Nov. 21, 2022: Noah Giesbrecht (FSU)
Nov. 14, 2022: Mattias Sholl (BSU)**
Nov. 7, 2022: Christian Stoever (BGSU)
Oct. 31, 2022: Blake Pietila (MTU)**
Oct. 24, 2022: Mattias Sholl (BSU)
Oct. 17, 2022: Blake Pietila (MTU)
Oct. 10, 2022: Zack Rose (BGSU)
Oct. 3, 2022: Logan Stein (FSU)

Rookie:
Jan. 23, 2023: Lleyton Roed (BSU)***
Jan. 16, 2023: Aaron Trotter (UST)
Jan. 9, 2023: Lleyton Roed (BSU)**
Jan. 3, 2023: Connor McGrath (FSU)**
Dec. 19, 2022: Jake Braccini (UST)
Dec. 12, 2022: Christian Fitzgerald (MSU)
Dec. 5, 2022: Andrew Noel (FSU)
Nov. 28, 2022: Josh Eernisse (UST)
Nov. 21, 2022: Kyle Kukkonen (MTU)
Nov. 14, 2022: Joey Larson (NMU)**
Nov. 7, 2022: Luc Wilson (MSU)
Oct. 31, 2022: Beni Halasz (NMU)
Oct. 24: 2022: Lleyton Roed (BSU)
Oct. 17, 2022: Alex Tracy (MSU)
Oct. 10, 2022: Connor McGrath (FSU)
Oct. 3, 2022: Joey Larson (NMU)

* = Times earned award this year