January 14, 2008

DETROIT, Mich. - Matt Read (Ilderton, Ontario), a freshman forward on the Bemidji State University men's ice hockey team, has been named College Hockey America Offensive Player of the Week after posting five points (1-4=5) in the Jan. 11-12 sweep over University of Alabama-Huntsville. The league office made the announcement today.

Read opened the weekend assisting with a pair of Cody Bostock (Jr., D, Salmon Arm, British Columbia) goals, including the game-winner, in the Beavers 4-0 victory Friday. Saturday he added assists in each of the first two periods and potted his sixth goal of the season on the power-play six minutes into the third en route to registering the first three-point game of his career and helping BSU complete the sweep over the Chargers, 7-1.

Read's five-point weekend puts him atop the BSU scoring list with 18 (6g-12a) points for the season while he is tied for the league's lead in points (5-9=14) and nine assists in CHA play.

This week's award marks the first time Read has been recognized as the league's offensive Player of the Week but is the fourth time he has garnered CHA recognition after being named Rookie of the Week on three prior occasions (11/19, 12/3, 12/10).

Read’s selection marks 15th of the season for Bemidji State. Just beyond the midway point of the 2007-08 campaign, the Beavers have already surpassed their total of 13 CHA awards won during the entire 2006-07 season. The team is now just one award short of matching the 2003-04 Beaver squad for most CHA Player of the Week selections in a single season.

The Beavers have garnered at least one player of the week selection for each week they have been in action since the first week of November.

Bemidji State, 11-9-2 overall and 8-2-2 in CHA play, turns its focus to non-conference play this weekend as it travels to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to tangle with two of the nation's best. Friday the team battles No. 3 Colorado College at 8:37 p.m. with an 8:07 p.m. tilt tilt versus No. 4 Denver the following evening.

2007 Bemidji State CHA Player of the Week recipients
Oct. 16 - Jamie Ruff - Rookie of the Week
Nov. 5 - Matt Climie - Defensive Player of the Week
Nov. 5 - Joey Moggach - Offensive Player of the Week
Nov. 12 - Matt Climie - Defensive Player of the Week
Nov. 12 - Travis Winter - Offensive Player of the Week
Nov. 19 - Cody Bostock - Defensive Player of the Week
Nov. 19 - Matt Read - Rookie of the Week
Dec. 3 - Tyler Scofield - Offensive Player of the Week
Dec. 3 - Matt Climie - Defensive Player of the Week
Dec. 3 - Matt Read - Rookie of the Week
Dec. 10 - Travis Winter - Offensive Player of the Week
Dec. 10 - David Deterding - Defensive Player of the Week
Dec. 10 - Matt Read - Rookie of the Week
Jan. 7 - Matt Dalton - Rookie of the Week
Jan. 14 - Matt Read - Offensive Player of the Week

-bsu-