Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey

DeRidder, Theisen claim USHL player of the week awards

Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey
Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey

 

By @MichaelCaples –

Two Michigan natives show up on this week’s USHL players of the week list.

Drew DeRidder was named the league’s goaltender of the week, while Colin Theisen was named forward of the week.

DeRidder, a Fenton native, picked up a pair of wins for his Cedar Rapids RoughRiders this week – two victories for a team that doesn’t have many on the season. He stopped 21 of the 23 shots sent his way Friday night, then stopped 31 of 34 to lead his team to an overtime victory the next night.

The Michigan State commit continues a stellar start to his junior career; the 16-year-old began the season with the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies before getting a call-up to the RoughRiders in October and has played so well he’s never been sent back home. Through his first 25 starts, he holds a 3.32 goals-against average and .891 save percentage for a team that has ranked in the bottom of the USHL power rankings for the majority of the season.

Theisen, meanwhile, got an early start to a strong weekend by posting three goals and an assist in Sioux Falls Thursday night. He followed that up with a pair of assists the next night in Des Moines.

Theisen, a native of Monroe, ranks No. 3 in the USHL scoring race with 40 points in 37 games. He’s in his second full season with Dubuque; last year, he posted 20 points in 39 games. Prior to his USHL career, Theisen played for Compuware in bantams and his first year of midget minor before joining Victory Honda for two seasons.