Two Bulldogs Honored By The CCHA
Brown Picks Up His Sixth Weekly Award; Kunitz Named For Fourth Time
The nationally-ranked Ferris State University men's ice hockey team continues to reap the benefits of a record-breaking campaign as sophomore goaltender Mike Brown (Calgary, Alberta) and senior left wing Chris Kunitz (Regina, Saskatchewan) are this week's Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Defensive and Offensive Players of the Week as announced by the league office.
The pair were selected as a result of their performances 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 Bulldogs extended their current winning streak to seven straight with a pair of shutouts (5-0 and 4-0) against UNO.
Brown received the honor for a league-record sixth time (Oct. 14, 21, 28, Nov. 4, 25 & March 3) this season while Kunitz is a four-time (Oct. 21, 28, Feb. 3 & March 3) award recipient.
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 evening while also matching the all-time Bulldog record with his sixth career shutout. 
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. 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.
A Hobey Baker Memorial Award Candidate, Kunitz compiled five points with two goals and three assists along with a +2 plus/minus rating in the UNO series. The CCHA's leading scorer this season, Kunitz scored a pair of power-play markers, including the game winner, in Friday's encounter and contributed a game-winning assist on Saturday. He also notched an assist in the series' opener and added two more in the finale.
In 34 contests this season, Kunitz has registered a career-high 63 points with 28 goals and 35 assists while leading the team in both multi-point (19) and multiple-goal (11) game performances. A two-time U.S. College Hockey Online.com Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 29 and Feb. 4), Kunitz has accumulated 159 career points on 92 goals and 67 assists in 144 games. He's one goal away from moving into a second-place tie among Ferris' all-time goal-scoring leaders.
Brown and Kunitz's league recognition this week represents the 12th time this season in which a Ferris State skater has received CCHA Player of the Week accolades. The Bulldogs other weekly award honorees this campaign are junior defenseman Simon Mangos (Caldeon, Ontario), who earned league defensive player of the week kudos (Jan. 6) and sophomore right wing Derek Nesbitt (Egmondville, Ontario), an offensive player of the week selection (Feb. 17).
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. The Bulldogs, who have secured home ice for the opening round of the 2002-03 CCHA Tournament (March 14-16), close out their 2002-03 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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