Cam Hausinger
This hockey season has been a slog for third-year pro Cam Hausinger of Anchorage.
Through 45 games with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, the 25-year-old forward delivered just 5-6—11 scoring totals, well below the standard he set in his first two pro seasons.
Hausinger went 5-14—19 in 23 games for ECHL Wheeling last season, when he earned promotion to the American Hockey League for 10 games – he played five games each for Milwaukee and Iowa, and he bagged his first AHL goal. As a rookie two seasons ago, he introduced himself to the pro game with 21-22—43 totals in 64 games with Wheeling, plus nine goals in 10 Kelly Cup playoff games. That robust rookie season earned him a spot in training camp the following fall with NHL Nashville.
Yet this season has proved difficult.
All that changed, at least for one game, on Tuesday. Maybe a change of scenery was all it took.
In his fourth game for the ECHL’s Indy Fuel since his trade from Florida last week, Hausinger delivered one goal and two assists, and a career best-tying plus-4 rating, in a 7-2 matinee win at Wheeling. He was named first star.
The three-point outburst marked Hausinger’s first multi-point performance in 49 games this season. By comparison, Hausinger generated 19 multiple-point performances in 87 regular-season ECHL games across his first two seasons.
Hausinger owns 1-3—4 totals in his four games with Indy.
Hausinger prior to turning pro played five seasons in the major-junior Western Hockey League.
The WHL is where 19-year-old center Braxton Whitehead of Palmer is enjoying a breakout season.
Whitehead, who plays for the Regina Pats, owns 16-35—51 totals in 49 games – all those scoring numbers are career highs. The 51 points in his fourth WHL season top the combined 42 points across 143 regular-season games in his first three WHL seasons.
Whitehead has bagged 15 multiple-point games this season after five multiple-point games in his first three WHL seasons combined.
Meanwhile, in men’s NCAA Division I action last weekend:
- Cornell junior forward Sullivan Mack of Anchorage scored a goal and furnished an assist in Friday’s 4-3 Game 1 win over Harvard in the ECAC quarterfinals. Cornell won 4-1 Saturday to complete the series sweep and advance to the semis against Dartmouth on Friday. Mack owns 5-9—14 totals in 25 games.
- Graduate forward Josh Boyer of Wasilla racked a goal and the primary assist on the game-winning strike in St. Lawrence’s 3-2 double overtime win in Game 1 of the ECAC quarterfinals at Colgate. Boyer, the team’s co-captain, added a primary assist in Saturday’s 3-2 elimination of Colgate to give him a season-best, three-game point streak (1-3—4). He owns 3-6—9 totals in 35 games. St. Lawrence plays a semifinal against Quinnipiac on Friday.
- RIT, which includes graduate forward and captain Caleb Moretz of Fairbanks, ran its winning streak to six games with a sweep of Niagara in the Atlantic Hockey semis and will play American International College in the championship game Saturday. Moretz owns 1-5—6 totals in 37 games.
- Colorado College, which includes freshman winger Bret Link of Anchorage, fell in three games to visiting Omaha in the NCHC quarterfinals. The Tigers are a bubble team for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In NCAA Division II action last weekend:
- St. Norbert, which includes twins Cameron and Cooper Morris of Anchorage, was eliminated by Adrian, 5-3, in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. Cameron, a forward, went 2-5—7 in 19 games. Cooper, a defenseman, went 0-2-2 in 30 games.
Lastly, a couple of Alaska goaltenders flourished in the North American Hockey League:
- UAA-bound Bryant Marks of Wasilla stopped 78 of 84 shots for the Corpus Christi IceRays in a two-game sweep at Odessa. He’s 10-19-2 with a 3.58 goals-against average and .896 save percentage.
- Arizona State-bound Zakari Brice of Fairbanks stopped 59 of 64 shots in a two-game sweep of visiting Northeast. Brice has six wins in his last seven decisions. He’s 19-12-1, 3.35, .896.