New Mexico Scorpions center Alexandre Piche and Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees netminder Jeff Levy have been selected as the Week 17 recipients of the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week awards. Piche scored five goals in a pair of Scorpions road wins on Saturday and Sunday, while Levy earned back-to-back home victories over Amarillo and Laredo, while also posting his first shutout of the season.
With road wins in Fort Worth and Austin this weekend, New Mexico has closed to within three points of playoff position in the Northern Conference, and center Piche was the offensive key to both wins. Saturday night in Fort Worth he scored twice, including an empty net goal, to lead New Mexico to a 4-2 win. Sunday afternoon he recorded his first professional hat-trick, scoring in each period of a 6-0 victory in Austin. In 24 games with New Mexico this season, Piche has averaged better than a point per game, scoring 13 goals and adding 14 assists.
The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees posted back-to-back wins for the first time since early December with home ice wins over Amarillo and Laredo. Goaltender Levy was exceptional in both victories, first making 24 saves in a 3-2 (SO) win over Amarillo that ended an 11-game winless streak, then turning aside all 29 shots faced in a 2-0 victory against Laredo. The shutout was his first of the season, and 13th of his CHL career. The honor is Levys fourth in the last two seasons, also named Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week for Week Two this season and Weeks Two and Eight of last year.