February 23, 2010

Vokes Earns ECHL Honor

Photo by Guy Argenzio/Trenton Devils
Photo by Guy Argenzio/Trenton Devils

PRINCETON, N.J. - Trenton Titans rookie forward Matt Vokes, a former Brown standout, is the Sher-wood Hockey ECHL Player of the Week for February 15-21.

The 24 year old scored eight points (5g-3a) including his first professional hat trick when he tallied four goals on Feb. 21 in Trenton's 7-4 win against Wheeling. He registered one goal in a 3-1 win at Johnstown on Feb. 19 and added three more assists during the Devils' 6-2 win at Johnstown on Feb. 20 to help Trenton to a 3-0-0 record for the week.

Vokes currently has a six-game point streak (6g-7a) which began on Feb. 12 when he scored a shorthand goal to help the Devils beat Reading 5-3 and has three games with three-or-more points during the streak. He also has a seven-game point streak on the road since Jan. 27 when he had an assist in Trenton's 2-1 win at Florida.

His four goals on Feb. 21 included a power-play goal and the game winner and it was the first multi-goal game Vokes has recorded in his career and the third time this season he has had four points in one game. He scored four points (1g-3a) in a 5-2 win against Wheeling on Feb. 2 and added four points (1g-3a) against Reading in a 4-1 victory on Feb. 5.

Vokes leads the Devils with 23 assists, is tied for the team lead with a plus-minus rating of +8 and is second among the team with 34 points.

Prior to joining the ECHL, the Auburn, Mass. native played four seasons at Brown University and saw action in 115 games with 64 points (28g-36a) and 63 penalty minutes from 2005-09. He also garnered 90 points (44g-46a) and 58 penalty minutes in 113 regular-season games and 14 points (6g-8a) and 10 penalty minutes in 14 playoff games with Cedar Rapids of the Unites States Hockey League from 2003-05.

On behalf of Matt Vokes, a case of pucks will be donated to a Trenton youth hockey organization by Sher-wood Hockey, the exclusive puck supplier of the ECHL. Since beginning its sponsorship of the award in 2000-01, Sher-wood Hockey has donated more than 23,100 pucks to youth hockey organizations in ECHL cities.