The MRU Cougars started their new year on a strong note, picking up four wins on the ice against the University of Calgary Dinos. Find out who secured the first Athlete of the Week honours of the new year below.

Players Bench Female Athlete of the Week: Aliya Jomha (WHKY)

With four points in two games played, Aliya Jomha was on fire all weekend long. Jomha has been on a tear this season and earned her first career hat trick on Friday night, scoring three goals in front of the home crowd in the Cougars' 6-2 victory over the Dinos at Flames Community Arena.

All four of Jomha's points came in the final two periods of Friday night's match. She opened her tab just 23 seconds into the second period, scoring the first goal of the game on a powerplay from Allee Gerrard and Jori Hansen-Young's precise passes. The Dinos struck back to tie the game three minutes later, but Jomha refused to go away, turning a steal in the offensive zone into an unstoppable shot, scoring her second of the night and putting her team up 2-1. Jomha picked up her third point of the period as she assisted on Hansen-Young's powerplay goal halfway through the period, extending MRU's lead to two goals.

MRU dominated the third period, scoring three goals in the final 20 minutes. Jomha secured her hat trick with less than two minutes left in the game as Breanna Comte set her up with a perfect lead pass. On the breakaway opportunity, Jomha buried a beautiful wrist shot past the Dinos goaltender, beating her blocker and pushing the lead to three goals. Sydney Benko netted one more goal as the Cougars won 6-2 at Flames Community Arena.

On Saturday night, the Cougars were locked into a tightly contested game against the Dinos at Father David Bauer Arena. No goals were scored in the first two periods, but three minutes into the final period, Gerrard turned Athena Hauck's perfectly placed pass into the lone goal of the game, securing a 1-0 road win for MRU. Despite not appearing on the scoreboard, Jomha's high-pressure defense and relentless effort on offense was key in securing the win as MRU out-shot U of C 33-14.

Players Bench Male Athlete of the Week: Clay Hanus (MHKY)

WHL alumni Clay Hanus looked like a man possessed on the ice all weekend long in the Cougars' two wins over the Dinos last weekend. Totaling four points in two games, Hanus's two goals and two assists proved key in MRU's victorious weekend.

The Cougars were on the road for Friday night's game, taking home a 7-4 win at Father David Bauer Arena. Hanus assisted on his team's first two goals, feeding Blake Stevenson and Josh Tarzwell in the first period. After opening his team's scoring tab in the first period, Hanus stayed quiet on the score sheet until the end of the game, securing his team's seventh goal of the night on an empty netter. His offensive contributions were stellar, but his defense was arguably even more impressive as the Dinos never led in the game.

Saturday night's home game was closely contested, with MRU taking a 5-4 win in a sudden-death shootout. Hanus scored his team's third goal of the game, burying a powerplay opportunity set up by Justin Lies and Connor Bouchard to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead. However, the Dinos stormed back into the game, out-scoring MRU 4-1 the rest of the way and sending the match into overtime in a 4-4 tie. 

Both goaltenders stood on their head for the overtime period, extending the game into a shootout. Bouchard's highlight reel goal and Jayden Wiens's powerful wrist shot, combined with Shane Farkas's clutch goaltending, helped MRU's men's hockey team win their first road game of the new year. Even though Hanus did not get an opportunity to show his talents in the shootout, his ferocious defense and four points on offense were key in the Cougars' first pair of wins in the new year.