Popko Earns Hockey East Rookie of the Week Honors
November 27, 2006 | Men's Ice Hockey
BOSTON - After helping the ninth-ranked Boston University men's ice hockey team earn a pair of home victories, freshman Luke Popko has been named the Hockey East Superskills Hockey Rookie of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday. The forward scored his first career goal in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win against Yale.
After knocking on the doorstep on many occasions in the first month of the season, Popko broke through with his first career tally on Saturday when he opened the scoring midway through the first period. On the Terriers' first power-play opportunity of the evening, Popko collected a cross-ice pass from sophomore Matt Gilroy before wristing a shot to the back of the net from the right circle.
Popko has appeared in all 11 contests for the Terriers this season and has made a big impact at the center position on both ends of the ice. He earned his first career point in the season opener at RPI, assisting on a goal by sophomore Steve Smolinksky.
Popko came to BU from the U.S. National Development program, where he helped Team USA claim the gold medal at the U-18 World Championships. His previous experience also includes a year at the Taft School and a season with the New Jersey Rockets of the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League.
