By Adam Bouton
Western Herald
(Chyn Wey Lee / Western Herald) Bronco goaltender Riley Gill was named Central Collegiate Hockey Association Goalie of the Week on Monday following his 87 saves against Nebraska-Omaha over the weekend.
After leading the Western Michigan University hockey squad to two wins over this past weekend, junior goaltender Riley Gill was rewarded Monday with the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Goaltender of the Week Award.
Gill, a Northfield, Minn. native, turned away 87 of the 88 shots he faced against the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He stopped a career-high 46 shots in Saturday’s 5-0 shutout victory. The shutout Saturday gave Gill his first of the season and sixth of his career, which gave him a WMU record. He passed former Bronco Marc Magliarditi for the most all time.
The junior was equally impressive on Friday, stoning several Mavericks during a shootout in helping secure two points for the Broncos and just their second shootout win of the season. He allowed just one goal on 42 shots during regulation and overtime and kept the Broncos tied up with UNO even though the Mavericks more than doubled WMU’s shot total (42-20). He then turned away three of the four competitors during the shootout to preserve the victory.
This is the seventh time in his Bronco career that Gill has been named CCHA Goaltender of the Week. He also received the award earlier this season after helping the Broncos earn three points on the road against a ranked Ohio State team.
Overall this season, Gill (7-8-3) has put up solid numbers with a 2.64 goals against average and .922 save percentage. His save percentage mark puts him in fifth place in the CCHA currently.
Gill and the Broncos will look to keep its winning streak intact this weekend as they host the University of Alaska-Fairbanks at Lawson Ice Arena on Friday and Saturday. This weekend is Hockey Cares weekend for the Broncos and events will take place all weekend to help celebrate the event. Face-off for both games is set for 7:35 p.m.
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