Pitters earns NMU’s 2nd CCHA Rookie of the Week
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MARQUETTE -- The young players on the Northern Michigan University hockey team are making their presence known in the CCHA.
For the second time in two home weekends this season, a Wildcats player has been named the CCHA Rookie of the Week.
This week it's freshman center Owen Pitters after a one-goal, three-assist series vs. Stonehill at the Berry Events Center.
Pitters, who is a downstate Chesterfield native, led all conference rookies in those statistics along with his nine shots and plus-four rating. And he was successful on 57.1% of faceoffs, 12 of 21, while even blocking two shots as he averaged 13 1/2 minutes ice time, according to an NMU Sports Information news release about the honor.
Two weeks ago after a home split with Miami, fellow freshman Coster Dunn was named CCHA Rookie of the Week, while Preseason CCHA Goaltender of the Year Oliver Auyeung-Ashton was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week at the time.
This past weekend, Pitters was the centerpiece of Northern's highest-output forward line against the 3-1 Skyhawks, who were receiving votes and continue to this week in a pair of national college hockey polls.
The third line included Pitters with his four points; sophomore Michael Burchill, who had a goal and two assists for three points; and freshman Nik Gudmundson, who had a goal and assist for two points.
They totaled nine of the Wildcats' 16 points in NMU's 5-1 victory on Friday and 2-1 overtime loss on Saturday that leaves Northern at 2-4.
Pitters earned his goal after finishing off what was a slick spin-o-rama pass by Burchill, with all three working together for a point on Gudmundson's first college goal on Saturday.
Pitters now has four points in four games, tied with Burchill for the team lead in points and tied with Joe Schiller for most assists.
Pitters is also just two points behind Cooper Foster of Lake Superior State for the rookie lead in scoring in the league.
"Owen has earned his opportunity through his hard work in practice and the minutes he has played in games," Northern head coach Dave Shyiak said in the NMU SI release. "He had impact in both games this past weekend at the faceoff dot and is producing some offense for us."
Pitters was a scratch in the Wildcats' opening weekend before debuting at No. 3 -- now No. 2 -- Michigan State a week later. He was then moved to a line with Burchill and Gudmundson for this past weekend.
Pitters' significant ice time last weekend includes skating with the Northern power play.
Northern is off this weekend before jumping into CCHA play for the first time this season in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to face Augustana on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31.
The remainder of the Wildcats' schedule is in the CCHA except for its entry in the Kwik Trip Holiday Faceoff in Milwaukee on Dec. 29-30.
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Stonehill's Zachary Aben, left, and Northern Michigan University's Owen Pitters, center, take a faceoff during their game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Friday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)