Soderqvist named NCHA Defensive Player of the Week

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University goaltender Mattias Soderqvist was named the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Week.

Soderqvist (Stockholm, Sweden) earned the honor after picking up a pair of victories as Lawrence swept the season-opening series from Concordia (Wis.) University. In the two games, Soderqvist posted a .955 save percentage and 2.00 goals against average.

In the series opener, Soderqvist made 40 saves in Lawrence’s 6-2 victory. After allowing a pair of first-period goals, Soderqvist stopped the final 26 shots by the Falcons and kept them off the board for the final 44:07 of the game. Soderqvist then stopped 44 shots in Lawrence’s 4-2 victory in the series finale at Concordia.

Soderqvist made 84 saves on 88 shots in the two games.

This is the first Player of the Week honor for Soderqvist, a sophomore who joined the team midway through the 2013-14 season.

Lawrence returns to action this weekend when it takes on Marian University in the annual Battle of Highway 41 series.