NEWS RELEASE B7A Industrial Ed II | Ames, Iowa 50010 | 515.294.0410 Media and Public Relations Staff Kevin Wey | Director of Communications | phone 515.779.4434 | [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kevin Wey ([email protected]) Cyclone Hockey Names Jake Uglem as Player of the Week Freshman defenseman tallies two goals against Lindenwood October 21, 2014 – Ames, Iowa – Cyclone Hockey is pleased to announce freshman defenseman Jake Uglem (Moorhead, Minn. – Winkler Flyers/MnJHL) as its Player of the Week following his two-goal weekend against Central States Collegiate Hockey League rival Lindenwood last weekend. While 10th-ranked Iowa State has struggled to light the lamp when playing ACHA Men’s Division 1 Top-25 opponents so far this season, including against Lindenwood this past weekend, Uglem chipped in offensively both nights against the Lions by scoring at the 10:56 mark of the second period Friday night with a point shot that deflected off traffic out front and scored high to tie the game 1-1 at that point and by joining junior forward Alex Stephens (Bellingham, Wash. – El Paso Rhinos/WSHL) on the attack and redirecting a Stephens feed from the slot and past Lindenwood goaltender Cody Karpinski with 17.5 seconds left in the second period Saturday night to give Iowa State a 1-0 lead heading into the second intermission. The Cyclones lost Friday night 3-2 on a Lions goal with 1.2 seconds left in regulation and suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime defeat to Lindenwood Friday night, but those disappointing defeats didn’t detract from Uglem’s exploits. “He had two key goals for us this weekend and he’s playing great defensively for us,” Cyclone Hockey Head Coach and General Manager Jason Fairman said of the reasons Uglem was named Player of the Week. The 6-1, 205-pound Uglem has established himself as one of the Cyclones’ most dependable defenseman only a few weeks into his rookie season of college hockey, and the reasons for that one ones all experienced hockey coaches and scouts can appreciate. “He does a great job getting shots from the point to the net,” said Fairman of Uglem. “He’s probably among our top defensemen doing that. “He also makes good defensive decisions. He steps up and takes the body at the right times and makes good, smart plays. I’ve been very pleased with his play this year.” After 12 games in 2014-15, Uglem is second amongst all Cyclone blueliners in defenseman scoring with 4 points (22-4) and he’s currently on a three-game point streak, which is uncharacteristic territory for Uglem. In the Minnesota high school ranks, Uglem put up decent numbers his junior and senior seasons, but not extraordinary offensive totals. In his first season of junior hockey, which he split between the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League and the Winkler Flyers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, he tallied only one goal and one assist in 43 games between those two respected teams. In an injury-plagued 2013-14, Uglem tallied a respectable 6 points (1-5-6) in 34 games, but numerous defensemen with similar numbers have moved to the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s Men’s Division 1 and have topped out as sixth or seventh defensemen. Uglem, however, appears destined to become an impact defenseman without big offensive totals on his junior hockey resume. “According to him, he hasn’t traditionally been a goal scorer,” said Fairman of Uglem. “But, he keeps the game simple and he’s doing all the right things and, by doing that, he’s going to get scoring opportunities, like last weekend, and he’s shown he can make smart offensive decisions and make things happen when he gets involved offensively.” While Uglem wasn’t a points leader in Winkler, he was a leader on the Flyers as an alternate captain and was also a captain for the Moorhead Spuds, with whom he made it to the Minnesota Class AA State Tournament in 2009 and 2011, and Fairman can see Uglem developing into a leader for Cyclone Hockey, too. “Jake’s a soft-spoken individual, but he leads by example,” said Fairman. “I’m not surprised that he’s worn letters during his career, because he’s the kind of player who leads by example, always works hard, always gives 100 percent effort, and does the right things.” Fairman was already familiar with Uglem before he came to Iowa State, as he coached against the Spuds while coaching the Buffalo Bison in the Minnesota high school ranks, and Fairman recommended the Minnesotan highly to Director of Recruiting Eric Tofte and Assistant Director of Recruiting Kevin Wey and, now, only a couple months into Uglem’s Cyclone Hockey career, Uglem has been recommending Iowa State to friends back in Minnesota. Word-of-mouth recommendations by current players are always the best recruiting tool in any hockey team’s arsenal and Cyclone Hockey is pleased Uglem is already spreading the word. “It is encouraging,” Fairman said of the fact Uglem has already brought Cyclone Hockey to the attention of some highly rated prospects in Minnesota. “You want to have players have a good experience and, from all indications and from my understanding, Jake’s having a good experience and certainly he’s having success on the ice, and it’s my understanding he’s doing well in the classroom, and I imagine he’s having a good social experience at Iowa State, and that’s what the college experience is all about. “If he can share that with others, it only helps our program, and he’s a good representative of Iowa State and Cyclone Hockey and we’re always on the lookout for top hockey prospects with quality character and academic excellence like Jake.” Uglem and the Cyclones take on 19th-ranked Michigan-Dearborn this Friday and Saturday at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena at 7:30 p.m. both nights. Fans who can’t make it to either Friday’s and/or Saturday’s contest against the Wolverines can watch online live on America One. To register to watch, go to Cyclone Hockey’s website at www.cyclonehockey.com and click on any America One logo and follow the instructions on America One’s website accordingly. Cyclone Hockey will be holding “Pink in the Rink” both Friday and Saturday night against Michigan-Dearborn, selling special “Pink in the Rink” t-shirts and other items, with proceeds going toward breast cancer research. The organization is also still busy selling flex packs and mini packs for the upcoming season. Cyclone Hockey also offers steep discounts on group rates for groups of fans of 10 or more fans. Group rates must be secured two weeks prior to the desired game a group intends to attend. Fans can learn more about Cyclone Hockey’s dramatically slashed ticket prices and group rates at the organization’s website at www.cyclonehockey.com and can purchase tickets by calling 515.294.0410 or at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena on game nights. Cyclone Hockey can also be followed on Facebook at /CycloneHockey, on Twitter at @Cyclone Hockey, and on Instragram at @CycloneHockey. Cyclone Hockey…Welcome to the New Age! -###-
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