KIRKLAND – Northwest heads into Cascade Collegiate Conference action this weekend with a full head of steam.
NU plays at 2:30 p.m. (Pacific) Friday at the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana, and 2:30 (Pacific) Sunday at Carroll College in Helena, Montana.
The Eagles are on their first three-game winning streak since 2017, and their scoring outburst of 25 goals during the streak has put them among NAIA leaders.
That eruption makes Northwest the No. 2 scoring team in the NAIA at 5.4 goals per game. The team is No. 5 nationally with 4.2 assists per game, sixth in both total assists (21) and total goals (27), and seventh in shots on goal per game (11.2) and shots per game (21.2). NU leads the Cascade Collegiate Conference in goals per game, shots per game, shots on goal per game, and assists per game.
The run also has included three Cascade Conference Awards. For the second week in a row, Northwest produced the CCC Offensive Player of the Week.
Elliot Misic scored the game-winner against Caltech. It is the freshman's first collegiate honor.
Jordan Travis carried off the award the week before.
Payton Gunhus, who collected a goal and anchored a shut-down defense against Caltech, earned the conference's Defensive Player of the Week.
Kyle Han is eighth in the NAIA in total assists with five, and he does not register among the NAIA leaders in assists per game because he missed the first two games awaiting an eligibility determination from the NAIA clearinghouse. His 1.6 assists per game average would lead the NAIA. If he had played in the first two games without an assist, he would be fifth nationally. Han leads the CCC in assists and is second with nine points.
Travis shows up in the NAIA Top 15 in four categories. He's 10th with 1.4 goals per game, 13th with 3.2 points per game, and 15th in total points (16) and total goals (7). Travis leads the Cascade Collegiate Conference in goals, goals per game, points, and points per game.
The 27 NU goals this season have come from 12 different players. Including Travis' seven goals, the Eagles have four players with three or more goals.
Elliot Misic,
Noah Prophet, and
Justin Harden have three goals apiece.
Those 27 Northwest goals have been accompanied by 21 assists from 11 different Eagles. Along with
Kyle Han's five assists, Dmitry Zorchenko has four, and
Gian Herrera,
Jordan Travis, and
Justin Harden have two apiece to give NU five players with multiple assists.
The Eagles have allowed five goals this season for a nice 1.00 goals-against average.
Alexander Thiehofe has a GAA of 0.80, while
Brandon Karberg has been unscored upon in his 129 minutes.
Providence rolls into Friday's game with a 2-0-1 record. The Argos allow a minuscule 0.67 goals per game. Keeper Hernan Perez is second in the league at 0.6 goals per game and saves per game at 4.67. George Halloway has both game-winning goals for UP and leads the team with three goals.
Carroll is 1-2-1 this season after a 3-0 loss to Whitman. The Saints have scored six goals, led by Jeronimo Lago Huerta and Rory Bloy with two each. Nick Lowrimore has two assists. Kaden Connor has nine saves in three starts to go with a 1.10 goals-against average.
