January 15, 2008

BEMIDJI, Minn. - Bemidji State University senior goaltender Matt Climie has been named as the INCH Player of the week in a recent posting by the INCH / InsideCollegeHockey.com Web site.

The national award marks just the third time BSU has had an individual selected for a weekly national honor. He follows Grady Hunt and Brendan Cook who were named USCHO.com Players of the Week during the 2003-04 season.

Climie, a native of Leduc, Alberta, led the Beavers to their first ever College Hockey America sweep over the University of Alabama-Huntsville on its own ice last weekend to help the Beavers extend their lead in the league standings to seven points. He pilled up 54 saves while allowing just one goal and finished the weekend with a 0.50 goals against average and a .982 save percentage while improving to 9-4-2 on the season and 8-1-2 in CHA play. His 23-save shutout Friday evening stood as his third blanking of the Chargers in 2007-08 and extended his BSU record for career shutouts to 11. It also left him just one shy of BSU single-season record for shutouts (5) shared by Blane Comstock (1968-69) and Jack Horner (1976-77).

In addition to pacing the CHA in GAA (1.17), save percentage (.950) and winning percentage (.818) during league play, he has also served as a lynchpin for a defense that has allowed a CHA-low 1.42 goals per game and has killed 64-of-69 opponent power-play opportunities (.928). Nationally he ranks seventh in GAA (1.78), is tied for ninth in winning percentage (.667), holds down the No. 12 spot in save percentage (.927) and his defensive unit has allowed just 1.86 goals per game to currently sit third among the 59 NCAA Division I teams.

Climie is poised to leave BSU as one of the all-time greats to defend the Beavers' goal. He already owns BSU records for career shutouts (11) and the Division I Era record for wins (40) and currently ranks second in career save percentage (.910) and goals against average (2.42).

The senior goalie becomes the third BSU player to be admired by INCH this season as Joey Moggach (So., F, Brandon, Manitoba) and Tyler Scofield (Jr., F, Prince George, British Columbia) were each named as runners up in its weekly release of Player of the Week.

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 versus No. 4 Denver the following evening.

All-Time Bemidji State Division I National Player of the Week recipients
Nov. 18, 2003 - USCHO.com Defensive Player of the Week
Jan. 27, 2004 - USCHO.com Offensive Player of the Week
Jan. 18, 2008 - Matt Climie - INCH Player of the Week

-bsu-