KEARNEY, NE. –Tri-City Storm players Daimon Gardner and Shaun McEwen have collected USHL Player of the Week honors following the team's performance at the Viaero Center last weekend in a three-game sweep over the league-leading Fargo Force. Daimon Gardner has been named the USHL's Forward of the Week, and Shaun McEwen has been awarded the USHL's Defenseman of the Week. The occasion marks the first time in each player's career they have won a USHL Weekly Award.
 
Daimon Gardner, 19, Forward, of Eagle Lake, Ontario, provided the Storm offense with six points in this weekend's three-game sweep of the Fargo Force. Gardner netted one goal, notched five assists, and finished the weekend series with a plus/minus rating of +3. He has scored a career-high twenty-seven goals, and recorded a career-high twenty-seven assists in thirty-six games played for the Storm this season. Gardner has skated in seventy-five career USHL games, and has notched forty-five points. He has netted fourteen career goals, and recorded thirty-one career assists. Gardner provided Tri-City with two assists in the team's opening game of the weekend, a 7-3 victory over Fargo on Friday night at the Viaero Center. He finished the weekend with a two-assist performance in Sunday's 3-2 win, and was named the 3^rd Star of the Game. Gardner provided a secondary assist on the game-winning goal during the matchup. He previously announced a commitment to play collegiate hockey in the future at Clarkson University. Gardner was selected 112^th overall in the 4^th round of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks.
 
"I'm super happy to be named the league's Forward of the Week. I could not have done it without my linemates. We played very solidly this weekend, and didn't have many breakdowns. We stuck to our structure, which allowed us to have more offensive chances, and not play in the defensive zone as much." – USHL Forward of the Week Daimon Gardner
 
"Daimon has continued to be more and more impactful since returning from injury. He made a ton of plays this weekend, and was effective with, and without, the puck." – President of Hockey Operations/Head Coach Anthony Noreen
 
Shaun McEwen, 19, Defenseman, of South Hadley, Massachusetts, provided the Tri-City offense with three points during this weekend's home-ice sweep over the Fargo Force. He scored one goal, notched two assists, and recorded a plus/minus rating of +4 during the weekend series. McEwen scored the opening goal of Sunday's contest, and recorded an assist on the team's game-tying goal netted during the 2^nd period. His two-point game in the Storm's 3-2 victory on Sunday was a career-high. McEwen was named the game's 2^nd Star for his efforts. He has appeared in sixty-five career USHL games during his time with the Storm. McEwen has scored two goals, notched four assists, and recorded six total points. He previously announced a commitment to play collegiate hockey in the future for the University of Massachusetts (UMass).
 
"I am excited that I was chosen to be the USHL's Defenseman of the Week. It was a huge week for us as a team, and I am glad that I was able to contribute to it. Every guy stepped up and made an impact on each game, and we stuck to what has led to success for us in the past." – USHL Defenseman of the Week Shaun McEwen
 
"There has not been a player who I have seen show more resilience and courage in a Storm jersey than Shaun has this year. His physicality, leadership, and overall game were a huge part of our results this past weekend."- President of Hockey Operations/Head Coach Anthony Noreen