Mike Brown Garners USCHO Defensive Player of the Week Honor
Ferris State University men's ice hockey sophomore goaltender Mike Brown (Calgary, Alberta), who was recognized earlier this week for an unprecedented sixth time as the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's (CCHA) Defensive Player of the Week this season, has also been selected this week's U.S. College Hockey Online's (USCHO) Defensive Player of the Week as announced Tuesday (March 4) by USCHO.
The Ferris State netminder was instrumental in the Bulldogs' league home regular-season finale series sweep of Nebraska-Omaha this last weekend (Feb. 28-March 1) at FSU's Ewigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The two victories extended the Ferris's current winning streak to seven as the Bulldogs recorded with a pair of shutouts (5-0 and 4-0) against UNO. Brown earned Perani Cup First Star honors both games with 31 saves in Friday's victory and then followed by turning aside a career-high 44 Maverick shots on goal in Saturday's triumph. He tied a single-season school mark for most shutouts with his fourth of the year Saturday and matched the all-time Bulldog record with his sixth career shutout. 
For Brown, the national honor marks his second one of this season as a result of attaining player of the week accolades earlier in the campaign (Nov. 5). This season, Brown made headlines by becoming the first individual in CCHA history to receive a weekly award four consecutive weeks as a result of being selected the league's Defensive Player of the Week and was featured in Sports Illustrated's Faces In The Crowd section for his noteworthy accomplishment. He has been awarded the league honor a league-record six times (Oct. 14, 21, 28, Nov. 4, 25 & March 3) this season.
Brown, who set a school single-season record for most victories this season, is 25-8-1 with a 2.26 goals against average and a .926 save percentage in 34 contests this campaign. He currently ranks fourth among this week's NCAA Division I leaders in save percentage, tied for fourth in winning percentage and is seventh in goals against average. The FSU netminder sports a 35-21-1 career mark to go with a 2.42 goals against average and a .920 save percentage in 59 career outings.
Ferris State is midst its best season ever in the program's history at 25-8-1 overall and needs one more league point to capture its first-ever CCHA Regular Season Championship title outright. The Bulldogs, who have secured home ice for the opening round of the 2002-03 CCHA Tournament (March 14-16), closes out their regular-season schedule on the road this weekend (March 7-8) versus the Bowling Green State Falcons. Opening faceoff for both games is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. (EST) at the BGSU Ice Arena in Bowling Green, Ohio.
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