ESTEVAN - A former member of the Estevan Bruins has been recognized for his success while playing in the U.S.
The University of Mary's (UMary) Johnny Witzke is the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men's Division 2 West Region Player of the Year. Witzke is the third straight UMary player to earn top regional player honours.
The Bismarck, N.D., native has led his hometown Marauders to a record of 34-6-2-1 this season, with two regular season games to play. Against fellow ACHA teams, UMary is 25-4-0-1. The top-ranked team in the west region and the nation, the Marauders are the two-time defending national champions.
Named to the All-West Region Team for the fourth time recently, Witzke played a key role in the Marauders holding opponents to only 72 goals in 43 games. Offensively, the All-American provided a huge offensive spark from the blue line with a career-high 17 goals and 28 assists for 45 points in 39 games. He is third on the team in both goals and assists and is second in points.
The Marauders’ team captain, Witzke spent three seasons with the Bruins from 2016-17 to 2018-19. In 162 regular season games with the Black and Gold, he had 26 goals and 99 points. He was part of the Bruins team that reached Game 7 of the SJHL final in 2018, and the Bruins made it to the league semifinal in each of his three seasons with the club.
Witzke earned a number of awards for his contributions on and off the ice during his tenure with the Bruins.
Among the other players on the Marauders are former Bruin forwards Isaiah Thomas, who is the team’s top scorer, and Caleb Petrie, who is fourth on the team in scoring.
