University of Minnesota Duluth sophomore MacGregor Sharp and Matt Niskanen have both been cited by the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for their exemplary performances in last weekend's season-opening series with the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

Sharp, a 6-1, 190-pound center from Red Deer Alberta, received the league's first Offensive Player of the Week honor for 2006-07 after scoring three times and assisting on one other goal in the two-game non-conference set. He scored the game-tying goal midway through the third period and help set up another score in UMD's 3-3 overtime deadlock with the River Hawks Friday, then added a pair of tallies -- including the eventual game-winner the following night to help propel the Bulldogs past UMass-Lowell 7-3. Sharp, who put a team-high 13 shots on net over the weekend, collected all four of his points on the power play.

Niskanen, a 6-1, 195-pound defenseman from Mountain Iron, Minn., native, turned in a six-point weekend en route to being selected the WCHA's co-Defensive Player of the Week (he shared that honor with University of Alaska Anchorage defenseman Luke Beaverson). After scoring once (the Bulldogs' opening goal of 2006-07) and assisting on another goal Friday, Niskanen was credited with a career-high four assists the next night. He manned the right point on a UMD penalty unit which cashed in on seven of its 14 power play opportunities over the weekend.

The Bulldogs (1-0-1 overall) are at the University of Wisconsin this weekend for their 2006-07 WCHA debuts against the defending NCAA champion Badgers.