College hockey’s playoffs heat up this weekend with concluding conference championship action, but the Caps’ best banger in its prospect stable, North Dakota’s Giant Joe Finley, closed out his regular season in stellar fashion, earning WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors in leading the Fighting Sioux to a three-point weekend against St. Cloud. The WCHA’s web site has the details:
“University of North Dakota sophomore blueliner Joe Finley, whose strong defensive play and physical presence played a pivotal role as the visiting Sioux took three of four points from St. Cloud State in a regular-season ending league series last weekend, has been named Red Baron® Pizza WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for March 6.
A 6-7, 252-pound defenseman from Edina, Minn., and draft choice of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, Finley and his UND teammates tied (3-3 ot) and defeated (7-2) the No. 2-ranked Huskies on their home ice last Friday and Saturday (March 2-3) to secure a third place finish in the WCHA and earn a first round home playoff berth. The No. 6-ranked Sioux held SCSU to single digit shots on goal in three of six regulation periods and held them to two power-play goals in 13 series attempts.
Finley contributed offensively as well against SCSU, assisting on a career-high three goals last Saturday — including one on teammate Chay Genoway’s game-winner — while carding a +3 rating. On the season now, Finley is tied for the UND team lead in plus-minus at +18, earning a +15 during the second half of the campaign to help the Sioux to a 12-2-4 mark since Christmas.
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I’ve been psyched about Finley as a potential bruiser Dman since he was drafted and I would have to say probably my 2nd favorite capitals prospect behind Backstrom (of course).
Would be great to leave him at UND one more season as he is coming in to his own there.
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[...] The appearance of the team’s impressive WCHA set: former Wisconsin Badger captain Andrew Joudrey; First-Team All-WCHA center/wing Andrew Gordon, he of the more than 100 points in three seasons at St. Cloud State; Second Team All-WCHA sniper Travis Morin from Minnesota State; and rapidly developing tower of terror Joe Finley from North Dakota. [...]
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