Great Lakes Wire

Freshman goaltender Oliver Auyeung-Ashton has been named CCHA Rookie of the Week, marking his first conference honor. Auyeung-Ashton, from Coquitlam, British Columbia, made his NCAA debut for Northern Michigan University during a recent series against Ohio State.

In his first appearance, he entered the game early in the third period and stopped all eight shots he faced. The following night, Auyeung-Ashton made his first career start, recording 45 saves on 47 shots in a 3-1 loss with an empty net goal. His 45 saves set a record for the most by a Northern Michigan freshman goalie in their first collegiate start since 2004 and was the highest single-game total for a freshman since Atte Tolvanen’s 46 saves in 2015. He is also only the ninth NCAA freshman goaltender in the last 20 years to make at least 45 saves in their first start, and just the second to do so in the past seven seasons.

Over two games and 78 minutes played, Auyeung-Ashton made 53 saves on 55 shots, resulting in a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.53 and a save percentage (SV%) of .964. Among CCHA goaltenders who played more than 20 minutes over the weekend, he led in both GAA and SV%, and his total saves ranked second. Nationally, his save total was the highest among goaltenders who played less than 100 minutes that weekend; his save percentage ranked fourth among NCAA goalies with two games played, and his GAA was tenth.

After two weekends of play, Auyeung-Ashton leads the CCHA in GAA, SV%, and has allowed the fewest goals among goaltenders with more than 20 minutes played.

Before joining Northern Michigan University, Auyeung-Ashton played for the Victoria Grizzlies in the BCHL. In his first season with the Grizzlies, he posted a .927 save percentage with five shutouts and a record of 21-14-6. Over three seasons and 96 appearances with the team, he achieved a record of 50-29-12 with eight shutouts and a postseason record of 14-10-1. He left the Grizzlies as the franchise leader in games played by a goaltender, career wins, and shutouts. His career save percentage with the team ranks third all-time in program history. During his time in the BCHL, he won the Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year and was named to the All-Rookie Team.

Coach Shyiak commented on Auyeung-Ashton’s performance: "Oliver has had an exceptional track record during his time in the BCHL. He comes highly recommended as a goaltender, teammate, and competitor. On the ice, Oliver has a lot of traits that we look for in our goaltenders; he's an exceptional skater that tracks the puck very well and never gives up on a play."