Players of the Week 18: Zapolski, Ogurtsov, Kozun and Ilyenko
To mark the end of the eighteenth week’s play of the ninth season of the Championship, the Kontinental Hockey League has named the best players of the week in four categories.
– Best goaltender was Ryan Zapolski (Jokerit), who played in two matches and recorded the highest save percentage (94.12) and lowest goals against average (1.44) of any of the League’s goalies. The 30-year-old from the USA also kept Dinamo Riga off the scoreboard;
– Best defenseman was Dmitry Ogurtsov (Neftekhimik), who helped his team claim two wins in two outings. The 22-year-old struck 5 shots at goal, scored a double against Severstal (including the game-winner), and finished both matches with a positive rating on his way to earning a +4 for the week;
– Best forward was Brandon Kozun (Lokomotiv), who celebrated victory in two very tough road games, at CSKA and SKA, scoring in both and hitting the game-winner in Petersburg. The 26-year-old Canadian also contributed 3 hits and finished each outing with a positive rating, ending the week at a +2;
– Best rookie was 20-year-old Lokomotiv forward Artyom Ilyenko, who also featured in both the Railwaymen’s triumphs on their travels. The young forward’s figures for the past week include 4 shots, 5 hits, an average ice time of 9 minutes 46 seconds, and, against CSKA, his first goal of the season.
