The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has announced its Players of the Week for October 2-4 and four student-athletes from three different programs have been recognized. Matthew Van Blaricom (Michigan Tech) was named Forward of the Week, while Hudson Thornton (Bemidji State) was the Defenseman of the Week. A pair of Wildcats garnered Goaltender and Rookie of the Week, with Oliver Auyeung-Ashton (Northern Michigan) and Coster Dunn (Northern Michigan) being honored, respectively.
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CCHA Forward of the Week: Matthew Van Blaricom, So., Michigan Tech (Southey, Sask.)
Van Blaricom led all conference skaters with four points last week, scoring three goals with one assist in a weekend sweep of then-No. 14/18 Minnesota. He was a +5 for the weekend, tallying five shots and averaging 14:01 minutes of ice time for then-No. 19/20 Michigan Tech. On Saturday, he scored twice and added an assist in the Huskies' 3-2 victory over the Gophers. He then netted an empty-netter in a 3-1 win on Sunday.
CCHA Defenseman of the Week: Hudson Thornton, Jr., Bemidji State (Winnipeg, Man.)
Thornton paced CCHA blueliners with two points on a goal and an assist, including the overtime-winning tally on Saturday night against St. Cloud State. Notching five shots on goal, he was a +2, while logging 26:12 minutes of ice time against the Huskies. The 3-2 victory was the Beavers first over SCSU since 2022.
CCHA Goaltender of the Week: Oliver Auyeung-Ashton, So., Northern Michigan (Coquitlam, B.C.)
Auyeung-Ashton was tops among conference netminders with a 1.02 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage last week, going 1-1-0 while notching one of the four shutouts in the nation. He stopped 56-of-58 shots in the series against Miami (OH), including all 30 that he faced on Friday in a 3-0 Northern Michigan win.
CCHA Rookie of the Week: Coster Dunn, Fr., Northern Michigan (Edmonton, Alta.)
Dunn scored his first collegiate goal - a shorthanded, game-winning tally - on Friday night against Miami (OH), helping Northern Michigan to a 3-0 win in its season-opener. He paced all CCHA rookie skaters in average ice time (20:31) and face-off wins (20), with a 54.1% success rate on the draw. He was even for the weekend with four shots on goal and three blocks defensively.
Perry Laskaris
Director of Strategic Communications & Brand Advancement
Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA)
Laskaris@ccha.com
(651) 308-1065
2026-27 CCHA Weekly Awards
Forward:
Oct. 5, 2026: Matthew Van Blaricom (MTU)
Defenseman:
Oct. 5, 2026: Hudson Thornton (BSU)
Goaltender:
Oct. 5, 2026: Oliver Auyeung-Ashton (NMU)
Rookie:
Oct. 5, 2026: Coster Dunn (NMU)
* = Times earned award this year