SPRINGFIELD, MA ... The American Hockey League announced today that Worcester IceCats center Eric Boguniecki has been named the Sher-Wood AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, January 20, 2002. In four games last week, Boguniecki assumed the AHL's scoring lead by recording five goals and three assists for eight points, along with a plus-7 rating.
Boguniecki began the week with a hat trick, his first of the season and his second in the AHL, to lead the IceCats to a 6-3 victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday night. He added a goal and an assist in a 3-2 loss at Providence on Friday, and after being held scoreless in a rematch with the Bruins, Boguniecki registered a goal and two assists in Sunday's 4-2 win over Hartford at the Centrum Centre.
In recognition of his achievement, Boguniecki will receive a Sher-Wood leather jacket, presented to him during an on-ice ceremony prior to an upcoming game. In addition, Sher-Wood will donate five travel bags to the Demons Youth Hockey Association of Ashland, Mass., in Boguniecki's name.
A native of West Haven, Conn., Boguniecki leads the American Hockey League in scoring with 60 points in 41 games, and trails only teammate Justin Papineau for the league's goal-scoring lead with 28. Chosen by St. Louis in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Boguniecki has recorded 91 goals and 114 assists for 205 points in 171 career AHL contests. Boguniecki, 26, will be making his third straight AHL All-Star Classic appearance next month, as he has been voted to start for the PlanetUSA AHL All-Stars at the event in St. John's, Nfld.
Other players nominated for Sher-Wood AHL Player of the Week include Albany center Steve Guolla, Bridgeport center Matt Higgins, Chicago center Dan Snyder, Cincinnati left wing Yuri Butsayev, Cleveland left wing Chad Wiseman, Grand Rapids goaltender Simon Lajeunesse, Hamilton defenseman Sven Butenschon, Hartford center Jamie Lundmark, Houston right wing Tony Virta, Lowell center Ian MacNeil, Manitoba goaltender Martin Brochu, Milwaukee left wing Nathan Perrott, Philadelphia defenseman John Slaney, Portland center Glen Metropolit, Providence goaltender Andrew Raycroft, Quebec center Eric Landry, Rochester goaltender Mika Noronen, Saint John center Jason Morgan, St. John's center Jeff Farkas, Syracuse center Brad Moran, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton center Billy Tibbetts.
As Sher-Wood AHL Player of the Week, Boguniecki is scheduled to participate in an on-line chat at the AHL's official web site, theahl.com, on Thurs., Jan. 24, at 7:00 p.m. ET.
