Mike Connolly Shocks World With Offensive Player of the Week Honor

That decent performance UMD fans got from junior Mike Connolly gained him some league and national recognition.

National website Inside College Hockey named Connolly its National Player of the Week.

As expected, the WCHA Tuesday named Mike its Offensive Player of the Week.

University of Minnesota Duluth left winger Mike Connolly, who scored six goals – including a school-record tying five in one game – to help the Bulldogs take three of four points from visiting Minnesota last weekend has been named the Red Baron WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for Feb. 8, 2011.

A 5-9, 180-pound junior from Calgary, Alberta, Connolly equaled a team record by scoring five times in UMD’s 6-4 triumph over Minnesota last Saturday (Feb. 5) night at AMSOIL Arena. He put the host Bulldogs up 3-0 with a natural hat trick (three straight goals) 21 minutes into the game, added a fourth goal with 1:17 to go in the second period and capped off his historic night with an empty-netter at the 18:40 mark of the third. His five-goal outburst matched the previous Bulldog single-game mark set by Steve ‘Pokey’ Trachsel on Nov. 17, 1972 against Lake Superior State. Connolly, who also fired 15 shots on goal in the series and earned a +4 plus/minus rating, also scored the game-tying goal for UMD in last Friday’s 2-2 (ot) deadlock with UM.

Connolly has now moved up to the No. 4 spot on the WCHA’s overall scoring charts this season with a team-leading and career-best 19 goals and 16 assists.

The No. 3 Bulldogs host St. Cloud State Friday and Saturday at Amsoil Arena.