TL;DR
Jack Solomon was named NAHL Goaltender of the Year, while Nate Williams received the NAHL Defenseman of the Year honor as the Austin Bruins compete in the Central Division Finals. The series is currently tied 1-1.
May 7— As the Austin Bruins battle for a trip to the Robertson Cup, a pair of Austin Bruins received high NAHL honors on Thursday.
Jack Solomon was named NAHL Goaltender of the Year, and Nate Williams was NAHL Defenseman of the Year as Austin prepares to play at Aberdeen for games three and four of the NAHL Central Division Finals. The best of five series is tied 1-1.
Solomon, an Air Force-commit, led all qualified goaltenders with a 1.84 goals-against average while finishing second in save percentage (.934) and shutouts (6).
The second year Bruin only had one instance where he went back to back games without a win: a no decision on Nov. 8 and a loss on Nov. 15.
In the final two months of the season, Solomon won all eight of his final appearances, posting five shutouts in that span including one in each of his last three games.
In the Bruins' 16-year history, there hasn't been a showing in net quite like what Solomon posted this season. His six shutouts are tied with Carl Axelsson for the most in a single season, while his 24 wins, .934 save percentage and 1.84 goals-against average all rank top four among Bruins goalies in a single season.
In his second season with the Bruins, the St. Louis native broke the career wins and shutouts records with 48 and six, respectively. His career 1.83 goals-against average and .933 save percentage both sit top three all time in Bruins history.
Williams, a third-year Bruin, led all NAHL defensemen in points (64), assists (54), power play assists (37) and plus/minus (+39).
The blueliner played in all 59 games during the season making him one of just three Bruins and one of eight NAHL defenseman to play in every game during the regular season.
Williams posted one of the most impressive point streaks in team history when he recorded a point in 17 straight games from Dec. 12 to Feb. 7. During that span he recorded five goals and 21 assists for 26 points.
Williams was recognized earlier when he earned the honor of Defenseman of the Month for the month of January. He notched five goals and ten assists for 15 points to lead all blueliners that month.
The Maryville University-commit finished the regular season with 64 points and 54 assists, the most recorded by a Bruins defenseman in a single season.
Williams' 160 career games played are the seventh most in team history and he recorded the most career points (109) and assists (87) by a Bruins defenseman, ranking top ten overall in both categories.