Fargo Force Defenseman Oleg Yevenko Commits to the University of Massachusetts
Published on March 9, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Fargo Force News Release
Oleg Yevenko has committed to play United States College Hockey with the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. Yevenko becomes the sixth Fargo Force player to commit to Division I hockey this season.
Yevenko is the only Belarus native in the United States Hockey League and he is one of the tallest players in the league at 6-7. Over the course of two seasons he has become a rock on the Fargo blue line and a mainstay in the lineup.
In 49 regular season games last season, Yevenko tallied four goals and added five assists for nine points. He also racked up 119 penalty minutes, which was good enough for second on the team, and had a plus-13 plus-minus rating. He also scored a big playoff goal against Sioux Falls to lead the Force to a big third period comeback.
This year Yevenko has scored four times and tacked on four assists for eight points. He has seen a significant increase in power play minutes, leading to two power play goals. He leads the team in penalty minutes with165 in just 47 games. Yevenko has seen his plus-minus rating drop to minus-1, but he has still been effective.
The 20-year-old defenseman has learned to use his body to his advantage and his physical play has become more effective as the season has gone on. He has the ability to rush the puck and be a puck-moving defenseman, but typically spends his time being a defensive rock.
Yevenko has improved all facets of his game since day one in Fargo. He has improved his skating, shooting, passing, and physical play. He has been playing at a high enough level to be one of Fargo's most reliable defensemen down the stretch.
The Minutemen are in need of a solid defenseman. They are just 6-21-6 on the season and give up an average of nearly 3.50 goals per game. On the flip side, UMass barely scores over 2.50 goals per game, so Yevenko's power play presence could be a boost to a power play unit that has only been converting at 12.8%.
In Yevenko, the Minutemen are getting a young defenseman with tremendous upside. If he can continue to progress like he has in his two years in Fargo, Yevenko could easily be part of a turnaround in UMass hockey. The Minutemen will need Yevenko to throw his weight around in a very difficult Hockey East Conference. But for now, Yevenko will try to help his current Fargo Force teammates make a run at a high seed in the Clark Cup Playoffs.
United States Hockey League Stories from March 9, 2011
- National Team Development Program Weekly Update - U.S. National Team
- Fear the Fur: Woods Catches Fire for Jacks - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Saints to Welcome Back Gary Suter on Saturday - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- The battle for No. 4: Jacks to host Team USA twice this weekend - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Fargo Force Defenseman Oleg Yevenko Commits to the University of Massachusetts - Fargo Force
- One Road Game this Weekend - Sioux City Musketeers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
