Red Baron ® WCHA
Defensive Player of the Week
Sam Brittain – Fr., Goaltender
University of Denver
Goaltender Sam Brittain, who backstopped his University of Denver Pioneers to a two-game home-ice sweep of league rival Bemidji State last weekend, is the Red Baron ® WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for Nov. 23, 2010. This marks the second weekly defensive award for Brittain (also on Nov. 2) and he was also previously accorded the league’s rookie of the week honor (Oct. 26).
A 6-3, 210-pound freshman from Calgary, Alberta and a draftee of the NHL’s Florida Panthers, Brittain led DU to its second straight WCHA series sweep last weekend vs Bemidji State with 3-1 (Nov. 19) and 4-2 (Nov. 20) victories. He stopped 34 of 37 shots on goal in the two games while allowing just one even-strength goal (the others were 6×5 extra-man and 5×4 power-play goals) and recorded four shutout periods.
Brittain, now 7-3-2 on the 2010-11 season with a 1.95 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage has started the last 11 games for Denver and leads the WCHA in save percentage and ranks second in goals-against average.
Also nominated: Cade Fairchild, D, UM; Aaron Dell, G, UND.