University of Connecticut Athletics
Scherer and Smith Earn Atlantic Hockey Accolades
3/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
WAKEFIELD, Mass. (March 13, 2006) - A hat trick and a broken school record led to the Huskies' victory over Sacred Heart on Saturday night and those who were responsible for those accomplishments did not go unnoticed. Junior co-captain Matt Scherer (Seattle, Wash.) and sophomore goaltender Brad Smith (Detroit, Mich.) were both recognized by the Atlantic Hockey Association on Monday for their contributions to UConn's first Atlantic Hockey playoff win. Scherer was named the AHA Player of the Week and Smith was named the AHA Goaltender of the week.
Scherer led the team in offense on Saturday night with the first hat trick of his college career. The forward tallied two goals in the first period to take the lead for Connecticut in the quarterfinal round of the AHA tournament. His third goal came in the third period on an empty-netter to seal the victory at 4-1.
Smith made school history for the Huskies on Saturday by breaking the single-game saves record that had been set in 2002 at 51. The sophomore netminder saved 52 of 53 shots on goal to lead the Huskies to victory over the Pioneers in the quarterfinal game.
Scherer, Smith and the rest of the Huskies will take the ice again on Friday, March 17 against Holy Cross in the semifinal round of the AHA Tournament held at Holy Cross over the weekend.
