Ryan Bennett earns CHL honor

He returned to the lineup last week after missing 10 games due to injury.

YOUNGSTOWN — Forward Ryan Bennett of the Youngstown SteelHounds was named the Central Hockey League player of the week after leading Youngstown to three victories over the Colorado Eagles.

Bennett returned to the lineup last Wednesday after missing 10 games with an injury. The fifth-year pro from Glens Falls, N.Y., had six goals, three assists and was a plus-9 plus-minus rating in three games against the Eagles. He scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory last Wednesday, then recorded his first professional hat trick last Friday as the SteelHounds rallied from a 3-1 deficit for a 7-4 victory. In the series finale, he scored two goals to lead Youngstown back from a 2-0 deficit; the SteelHounds went on to win 3-2 in a shootout.

“Well deserved,” said SteelHounds coach Kevin Kaminski. “Ryan does all the little things and plays an intense, gutsy, gritty style and he was huge all week long especially since we were trailing in all three games. It’s a great accomplishment for him and it should give him great confidence moving into the playoffs.”

The SteelHounds are the third seed in the Northern Conference playoffs and will meet the Eagles, the second seed, in the conference semifinals. The best-of-7 series begins in Colorado Friday night. Hounds playoff tickets at the Chevrolet Centre are on sale now. Game three is Tuesday, April 1st, game four is Thursday the 3rd and game five (if necessary) is Friday the 4th. Face-off for all three Hound home games is 7:05. Fans can get their tickets for $8 by calling (330) 747-7825, at the Chevrolet Centre box office and visiting steelhounds.com.

The CHL player of the week award is sponsored by Oakley.