Feb. 27-Mar. 4 Winner: Mason Appleton, Notre Dame
Mason Appleton of Notre Dame boys hockey has been selected as the Army National Guard Athlete of the Week for the week of February 27th through March 4th following a statewide vote on WisSports.net. Appleton was the deciding factor in an exciting finish to the 41st WIAA boys hockey state championship last week. Facing the fifth-ranked Wausau West Warriors, the Tritons won a double-overtime thriller 3-2 when the sophomore scored got an opening on the right-side of the opposing net. After a back-and-forth contest all week with Green Bay Preble's Kenzie Perttu (39.6%), Appleton was finally able to take command in the voting on Thursday and finished with 2,961 votes, or 52.9%. The rest of our phenomenal nominees battled for a distant third-place.
The Tritons finished the 2011-12 season as the WIAA state champions. From March 1-3 the team played three games in as many days, outscoring their competition 14-6. Appleton, a sophomore, was held pointless for the first 10 periods of the state tournament but came up big in the state final against Wausau West. Almost four minutes into the second overtime, the score tied at 2-2, the forward hit a shot from near the right-side of the Warriors' net to secure the Tritons' first state title in school history. Appleton had not registered a point since Notre Dame's second-round game against Fox Cities on February 21; he had one goal and two assists.
Remember, the only way your favorite player can be named Army National Guard Athlete of the Week is to vote and share the word. Look for the next week's nominees to be posted Sunday afternoon.
Tag(s): Athlete of the Week News Archive
