Wins over Texarkana earn Hatch co-winner of Sher-Wood NAHL Defensive Player of the Week

January 6, 2005 - North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release

The Texarkana Bandits have been one of the hotter teams in the NAHL in recent weeks, but they were cooled off by the Santa Fe Roadrunners in back to back victories at the end of December. Backstopping the victories was goaltender Ryan Hatch, whose play earned him honors as the co-winner of the Sher-Wood NAHL Defensive Player of the Week for Week 14 of the season. On December 29, Hatch stopped 20 of 21 shots, and held the Bandits power play in check on five opportunities in a 3-1 win in Santa Fe. The lone goal he surrendered came early in the third, but Hatch held Texarkana scoreless the rest of the way for the win. "The Massachusetts native, who had been mired in a slump, had one of his best performances in weeks," wrote the Albuquerque Journal North. One night later, in leading the ‘Runners to a 4-1 triumph, Hatch surrendering a lone goal on a breakaway as the clock wound down in the first period, the puck hitting the net with only two-tenths of a a second remaining. "The star of the game was Hatch, who made 19 saves on 20 Bandit shots, including stuffing a Casey Haines breakaway at the eight-minute mark. The Roadrunners goaltender, who had fared poorly in his last several starts leading up to the Texarkana series, is definitely back on his game," said the local newspaper. "He knew he was in kind of a funk, but Hatch doesn't let stuff bother him," coach Scott Langer said.

Runner-up: Greg Flynn, Billings Bulls -- contributed two assists in 5-2 win over Bismarck plus played rock solid defense, dishing out many punishing hits, clearing the crease and anchoring the special teams.

Other nominee: Nick Klaren, Wichita Falls.

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North American Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2005

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