Amarillo Gorillas forward Henry Kuster and Memphis RiverKings netminder Mike Minard have been selected as the Central Hockey Leagues weekly award winners for Week 11 of the CHL season. Kuster recorded points in four consecutive games for the Gorillas en route to being named the Bauer/Nike CHL Player of the Week, while Minard posted two wins (including a shutout) for Memphis to earn Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week recognition.
Amarillo claimed wins in three of four games the past week, and veteran forward Kuster registered at least a single point in each contest. For the week, he scored his 7th, 8th and 9th goals of the season, and added three assists. With his six-point week, Kuster now moves into third place in scoring for Amarillo, with 24 points on the season. Last year, Kuster led the Gorillas with both 36 goals and 69 points as they made their first-ever franchise appearance in the post-season.
Memphis goaltender Mike Minard made the most of two starts for the RiverKings this week, posting wins over both Bossier-Shreveport and Rio Grande Valley. Minard turned aside all 24 Bossier-Shreveport shots on December 23rd as Memphis posted a 1-0 win, and followed his shutout up with a 31 save outing in a 3-2 shootout win at Rio Grande Valley December 26th. A fourth round selection by Edmonton in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Minards outstanding play earned him a recall to the RiverKings American Hockey League affiliate in St. Johns on December 27th.