Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week Announced

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending December 21st, 2008 are defenseman Neil Smith of the Amarillo Gorillas and goaltender Tim Boron of the Wichita Thunder.

Smith becomes the first defenseman to win the award this season using his physical presence on the blueline to help the Gorillas to a 1-1 record. In Friday’s 7-5 victory over Rapid City, the Fonthill, Ontario native had an assist and was a team-high +4. Then on Saturday night, Smith set the tone for one of the most physical games of the weekend with an early first period fight and then later assisted on the Gorillas only goal in the 2-1 loss to the RiverKings. On the season, the 6-3, 215-pound defenseman has seven assists in 17 games and is a +1 tying him for the best plus/minus on the team.

Boron has been on quite a roll lately moving up to the top of the league with his 2.20 goals against average (third in the CHL) and .936 save percentage (second in the CHL). Last week, the Winnipeg, Manitoba native went 1-1 stopping a season-high 53 shots in the Thunder’s 2-1 win over Mississippi and then followed that up with 28 saves in Wichita’s 2-1 loss to Rapid City. In the month of December, Boron is only 1-4-1 despite allowing just 10 goals in his six starts. The 6-0, 177-pound goalie has received just five goals of support from his team in the month.

In recognition of their achievement, both Smith and Boron will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Neil Smith, Amarillo Gorillas
Position: D
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Goals: 0
Assists: 2
Points: 2
Plus/Minus: +4

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Tim Boron, Wichita Thunder
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Record: 1-1-0
GAA: 1.50
Save %: 0.964
Saves: 81 of 84