Odegard named CCHA's Gladiator Defenseman of the Week
February 12, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
Senior assistant captain Kaare Odegard (Red Deer, AB/Business Finance) has been named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's Gladiator Defenseman of the Week as announced on Monday.
The 6-foot, 182-pound blueliner recorded three assists with a plus four rating and a team-best 10 blocks as the Nanooks split their weekend home series with Ohio State.
Friday he notched a pair of assists and had three blocks in a 6-1 on Friday and added an assist on Alaska's only goal as well as a game-high seven blocks in Saturday's 3-1 let down.
He is amidst his best career season offensively with a career high of three goals and has tied his single-season best of five assists with last weekend's perofrmance.
A Business Finance major, Odegard is also one of 11 noninees for the 2013 Hockey Humanitarian award, given annualy to college hockey's finest citizen. The two-time nominee co-founded the With All Your Heart hospital campaign with Alaska Hockey's office manager Shawn Head to raise funds for the Harry and Sally Porter Heart Center at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital to benefit heart patients in the Fairbanks community. The pair rose close to $140,000 ($95,000 of which was contributed based on team achievements, individual donations and a silent auction) in 2011-12 and they have continued their humanitarian efforts this season.
Odegard is the ninth Nanook to garner one of the conference's weekly player honors and the sixth since the start of 2013. He is also the second defenseman this year, joining junior Michael Quinn (Surrey, B.C./Geography) who was honored on Jan. 14 with the same accolade..
The Red Deer, Alberta native and his teammates travel to Sault Saint Marie, Mich. this weekend to take on the Lake Superior State Lakers for their final regualr season CCHA road trip.
On their last visit to Sault Saint Marie, Alaska was swept 4-3 and 2-0 in the first round of the CCHA playoffs on Mar. 2-3. They will look to snap a four-game winless skid at Taff y Abel Arena that dates back to their last win in the Soo, a 3-2 overtime win on Nov. 21, 2009.