NA3HL announces Easton Hockey Divisional Stars of the Week
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Easton Hockey for the week ending December 14, 2014. The divisional stars of the week is an award given each week of the regular season to the top performing players in each of the five divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Peter Henderson, forward, Wisconsin Whalers
Wisconsin forward Peter Henderson, 19, is running away with the league’s scoring title thanks to another big weekend like this past one. The native of Libertyville, Illinois, chalked up another seven points as the Whalers took three of four points in their home-and-home series with the Chicago Jr. Bulldogs. On Friday night, Henderson (5’11/175) assisted on all four Whalers goals in regulation in a 5-4 shootout loss. On Saturday night, Henderson had two goals, including the game-winner, and added an assist in a 7-1 win to keep the Whalers in 1st place. His 52 points to date is 14 points better than the next closest scorer in the NA3HL. “Peter is playing great hockey right now. He sees the ice well and has been one of our leaders on and off ice,” said Wisconsin head coach Tom McDermott.
2nd Star: Andrew Wagner, G, La Crosse Freeze
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Devin Farkas, F, West Michigan Wolves – Adam Havener, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Chance Homerin, F, Peoria Mustangs – Alex Klaesner, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Ross Lipic, G, Peoria Mustangs – Ryan Martin, F, Wisconsin Whalers – Hunter Smith, F, La Crosse Freeze – Chase Stanford, G, West Michigan Wolves
East Division Star of the Week: Cody Gibson, goalie, Southern Tier Xpress
The Xpress moved closer to 2nd place in the East Division with a weekend road sweep in Toledo against the Cherokee. 18-year-old goaltender Cody Gibson (5’11/190) was almost perfect in the two games as the native of Livonia, Michigan have up just a single goal in the two wins. On Friday night, Gibson made 31 saves in a 2-1 win over the Cherokee. On Saturday, he made 23 saves for his first shutout of the season in a big 10-0 win. Gibson’s 2.23 goals against average ranks 10th in the NA3HL to date. "This past weekend Cody was rock solid. He has been playing very well for us since the day he came to Southern Tier. Every time he is in the net he gives our team a chance to win. It is great to see him recognized for how well he has been playing,” said Xpress head coach Rylan Galiardi
2nd Star: Brandon Desrosiers, F, Southern Tier Xpress
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Andrew Bond, F, Cincinnati Swords – Hunter Schneider, F, Cincinnati Swords
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Denijs Romanovskis, goalie, Bozeman Icedogs
17-year-old Bozeman goaltender Denijs Romanovskis was busy this past weekend as the Icedogs were playing in three straight games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The native of Jelgava, Latvia saw plenty of pucks come his way in the three outings as he faced a total of 124 shots and made 117 saves in three games, with Bozeman taking wins in two games. Romanovskis began the weekend with 29 saves in a 3-2 shootout home win over Helena. That included stopping all four Bighorns shooters in the shootout. The next night, he played very well making 47 saves in a 3-2 loss at Glacier against the Nationals. On Sunday, he made 41 saves in a 7-2 win at Glacier. His save percentage over the weekend was 94.3%. “What I like about Denijs is that he is aggressive on the puck and he has stepped up as a team leader. He is playing at a level right now that is very worthy of a call-up to a league like the NAHL,” said Bozeman head coach Mark Vichorek.
2nd Star: Kegan Couture, F, Bozeman Icedogs
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Alex Feese, G, Gillette Wild – Alex King, F, Gillette Wild – Brandt Miller, F, Helena Bighorns – Brandon Mills, F, Helena Bighorns – Nick Rizzo, D, Billings Bulls – Cole Semchak, G, Billings Bulls
South Division Star of the Week: Ben Falk, forward, Nashville Jr. Predators
Nashville continued their stranglehold on the top spot in the South Division with two more wins at home this past weekend over the St. Louis Jr. Blues. On Saturday, the native of East Bethel, Minnesota, had two goals and two assists and was a +4 in a 7-4 win over St. Louis. On Sunday, the 19-year-old Falk had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win. For the 2014-15 season, Falk (5’11/170) is 2nd on the team in points with 27 points in 26 games played.
2nd Star: Blake McIntyre, F, Dallas Jr. Stars
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Anthony Galliart, G, Dallas Jr. Stars – Nick Tandeski, F, Nashville Jr. Predators
West Division Star of the Week: Tommi Ahlgren, goalie, North Iowa Bulls
North Iowa Bulls goalie Tommi Ahlgren, 19, backstopped his club to two home wins this weekend over the Breezy Point North Stars and was outstanding between the pipes. The 6’2/175 lbs. native of Tampere, Finland, was peppered with 52 shots in the two games and ending up making 50 saves, as he allowed just a single goal in each of the wins. On Friday, Ahlgren made 21 saves in a 3-1 win and on Saturday he made 29 saves in a 4-1 win. Since losing his first start back on September 26th, Ahlgren has won his last 10 straight games. He ranks 2nd in the NA3HL in both goals against average and save percentage. "Tommi has taken his game to another level and made key saves early in games which has enabled us to settle into games without falling behind. He is an aggressive, athletic goaltender that competes hard every day,” said Bulls head coach Todd Sanden.
2nd Star: David Kenney, F, Granite City Lumberjacks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Mathias Ahman, D, Twin City Steel – Mikko Aho, F, Twin City Steel – Jesse Garcia, G, Granite City Lumberjacks – Evan Mills, D, North Iowa Bulls
