COVENTRY Blaze forward Alex Nikiforuk has been named the Elite League’s player of the week.
The Canadian, who celebrated his 35th birthday on Sunday, enjoyed a great weekend as his team picked up two wins, with Nikiforuk contributing with a goal and four assists in their victories over Glasgow Clan and Sheffield Steelers respectively.
And he reckons Ben Lake’s winner with 13 seconds to go on Saturday against the Clan, for which Nikiforuk got an assist, helped carry them into Sunday’s clash with the Steelers.
“Ben’s goal was massive for us against Glasgow and playing back to back as we do in this country, we took that forward,” he said.
“That was a big momentum swing for us going into the game with Sheffield.
“They’re such a great team and a great club and we knew we had to be ready.
“I think we played a great game on Sunday and I think it started off with that big win on Saturday.
“It was a couple of big wins for the club and there’s a lot of excitement around here.
“We’ve got a great group and you could have picked a couple of guys from our team (for this award) for this weekend.
“I think we’re trying to find our way, like most teams at this time, but it’s nice to get some wins and I think we’re all feeling good right now after a good weekend.”
Next up for Danny Stewart’s side is a visit to Nottingham Panthers on Saturday which means a return for Nikiforuk after playing for them two seasons ago.
And while he’s looking forward to returning, he insists the objective is to add to Blaze’s three-game winning run as they go on the hunt for more points.
He added: “I had a great year at Nottingham a couple of years ago personally and for my family and it’s well documented that we won the Continental Cup, which was an amazing run.
“I’m looking forward to seeing some people as well as the fans. We played them a couple of weeks ago, so I’ve already saw some of the guys I played with.
“It’s always nice to go back to a place where you’ve played and where you had such a positive experience.
“But, we’re going there to get two points and we’ll put our best foot forward and hopefully come out with a win.”
