Stillwater’s Gordon Defiel was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday. The Lake Superior State University freshman goaltender was first named WCHA DPOW back in late December.
Defiel’s 76 saves overall on the weekend were largely responsible for LSSU taking both games of its series against Bemidji State, the first series sweep for the Lakers this season. The rookie goalie began the weekend with a career-high 44 saves in a 1-0 win over the Beavers to pick up his third shutout of the season.
His 24-save first period on Friday ties Defiel for sixth all-time in single-period saves in WCHA history. Currently the NCAA leader with 758 saves this season, Defiel shut out BSU for series’ first 110 minutes and completed the weekend with a .74 save percentage.
