Gordon sits third in ECHL in scoring with 38 points
Former Broncos Brady Hjelle, Ryan Cramer and Ben Gordon came into the winter sports season expecting their roles to increase with their respective hockey teams.
They haven’t disappointed.
Cramer, pictured right, recently earned a College Hockey America Player of the Week award. Cramer tallied two goals — both game-winners — and two assists in a weekend sweep of Alabama-Huntsville in late November. With a goal and an assist in each contest, Cramer, a 2004 FHS grad, recorded his third and fourth multi-point games of his career. His fifth multi-point game came three contests later in a Dec. 4 tilt against Niagara when he had another goal and an assist. It’s also Cramer’s first CHA award since getting named CHA Rookie of the Week on March 5, 2008.
Cramer is tied for seventh on the Beavers in scoring with six goals and four assists in 18 games. He’s played in every game and is tied for the team lead with three game-winning goals.
Overshadowing the individual accomplishments, however, is a team still riding the momentum from last season’s national attention.
The Beavers (13-4-1) defeated the University of Minnesota for the first time ever this season and were ranked as high as fourth on Nov. 30, which was also a first for the school. They held that spot until a recent sweep at the hands of Minnesota State, but are still ranked ninth in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. The Beavers are undefeated at 8-0-0 in league play.
As for Hjelle, whose University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are ranked 14th, all he’s done is go 6-3-1 in WCHA action, which is good for fifth in the conference. The sophomore is 10th in goals against average (2.89) and seventh in save percentage (.908).
Overall, Hjelle is 8-3-1 in 12 games with a .907 save percentage and a 2.82 goals against average. The Bulldogs are fourth in the WCHA at 8-5-1.
A quick visit to the Reading Royals Web site will show Gordon (FHS ’03) was named the Sher-Wood Hockey ECHL Player of the Week for Dec. 14-20.
Gordon, a second-year pro, tied a team record with a 5-point performance (3G, 2A) a week ago Wednesday in a 7-3 win over Johnstown. Gordon also added two assists in Reading’s 4-3 win over Elmira a week ago Friday.
As of late Tuesday night, Gordon was riding a 4-game point streak (4G, 7A), a 4-game assist streak and a 4-game, multi-point streak. He leads the Royals with 15 multi-point performances in 27 games.
Gordon, a 2-time Player of the Week award winner for Reading, is currently third in overall scoring in the league with 38 points (15G, 23A). He’s also the first member of the Royals’ organization to win the player of the week award twice.
Going deeper ...
• Jon Austin (FHS ’95) and the Minnesota State women’s hockey team are only 4-8-4 on the season, but the first-year assistant coach is hot on the recruiting trail. Austin, who took the job in August, has only been on the bench for a handful of games, but his focus on recruiting has already bagged commitments from numerous recruits.
• Jake Youso (FHS ’08) is third in scoring for the Owatonna Express with 21 points (10G, 11A) in 29 games. He’s played in every game and the Express sit in second place at 15-11-3 in the Central Division of the North American Hockey League.
• Former Falls High School graduate and coach Dean Blais has lead the University of Nebraska-Omaha to a 9-7-4 mark. And just last Saturday, junior forward Rich Purslow scored 43 seconds into overtime to give UNO a 2-1 win over Minnesota State. The win secured the “Spirit of the Maverick” Trophy in the annual battle between two teams that share the nickname “Mavericks.” UNO is tied for seventh in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association with a 5-7-2 mark.
• Kevin Constantine (FHS ’77) has the Houston Aeros tied for ninth in the Western Conference of the American Hockey League. Houston is fourth in the West Division with 35 points at 16-13-2.
