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 21, 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: Austin Wisely, forward, Peoria Mustangs
Peoria leading scorer Austin Wisely, 18, was front and center last weekend as the Mustangs picked up an important weekend sweep of the Jr. Blues in St. Louis. The 5-10/200 lbs. forward from Chillicothe, IL, had six points in the two wins and was also a +3. On Saturday, Wisely had a goal and two assists in a 5-3 win, and then on Sunday, he duplicated the feat with another goal and two more assists in a 6-2 win. For the season, Wisely leads the Mustangs in scoring with 38 points in 29 games played. “Austin is a veteran guy who knows how important every game is in our division and he has been my best player the last few weeks,” said Peoria head coach Tyler Rennette.
2nd Star: Dakota Ulmer, F, West Michigan Wolves
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Kyle Barna, F, Chicago Jr. Bulldogs – Matt Blaszkiewicz, D, Peoria Mustangs – Alex Klaesner, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Sam Maddox, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Tyler Seltenriech, F, Chicago Jr. Bulldogs – Corey Siwula, D, West Michigan Wolves – Hunter Smith, F, La Crosse Freeze – Daniel Toycen, F, La Crosse Freeze
East Division Star of the Week: Brandon Desrosiers, forward, Southern Tier Xpress
The Southern Tier Xpress moved into a tie for 2nd place in the East with their weekend road sweep of Cincinnati. Brandon Desrosiers (6’2/175) had another big weekend as the forward from Deerfield Beach, FL, racked up six points and a +5 rating in the two wins. On Saturday night, Desrosiers had two goals and two assists in a 5-1 win. On Sunday, he picked up another goal and an assist in an 8-2 win. For the season, Desrosiers leads the Xpress in scoring and is tied for 2nd in NA3HL scoring with 42 points in 27 games played. His 20 goals ranks him 3rd in the NA3HL. "Our team is playing very well right now and Brandon is leading the way. Every night he is making things happen but what is impressive is his compete level. He brings so much to the team both with and without the puck. Brandon has proven himself to be a top college prospect and I expect him only to get better,” said Xpress head coach Rylan Galiardi.
2nd Star: Kameron Limburg, G, Metro Jets
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Brody Duncan, F, Toledo Cherokee – Alex Holm, F, Metro Jets – Luke Sunde, F, Southern Tier Xpress
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Brandt Miller, F, Helena Bighorns
The Helena Bighorns picked up three wins over the weekend by a combined score of 23-4. 20-year-old forward Brandt Miller (5’7/155) was a factor in all three games as the veteran from Havre, MT totaled seven points and a +9 rating in the three wins. On Friday, Miller had a goal in a 4-2 win at home over Yellowstone. On Saturday, he had a goal and three assists in a 11-0 win over Yellowstone. On Sunday, he had the game-winning goal and an assist in an 8-2 win over Bozeman. For the season, Miller leads the Bighorns in scoring with 39 points in 26 games played. “Brandt was a huge contribution to the team's success this past weekend. He is turning into an elite player in this league and it's showing in his weekly production and leadership on and off the ice,” said Helena head coach Jon Jonasson.
2nd Star: Sean Kelley, G, Gillette Wild
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Lucas Lomax, F, Great Falls Americans – Mitchell McEwan, F, Gillette Wild – Brian Skillicorn, D, Helena Bighorns
South Division Star of the Week: Mykyta Sheptytsky, forward, Texas Jr. Brahmas
The Texas Jr. Brahmas picked up three road wins over the weekend in Point Mallard with 19-year-old forward Mykyta Sheptytsky leading the way. The native of Kiev, Ukraine, had seven points and a +6 rating in the three wins. On Friday, Sheptytsky scored four goals and assisted on the game-winner in a 5-2 win. He didn’t score in Saturday’s 4-3 win, but was +1. On Sunday, he added two more goals, including the game-winner in a 3-2 win. For the season, Sheptytsky (6’3/185) leads the Brahmas in scoring with 34 points in 30 games played. "He is a game changer, no doubt. He's really starting to gain traction on this season and it's showing for him and our team. He was battling injuries for a solid month early on and now has been healthy and is imposing his will at times on our opponents. The best part is he's a great guy in the locker room and he puts up points without playing selfish. He's a team first player and it's always good to see players like himself reap the rewards of the hard work he's put in to overcome his earlier injuries,” said Texas head coach Al Rooney.
2nd Star: Rudy Kalvitis, D, Nashville Jr. Predatorys
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Tristan Canter, G, Texas Jr. Brahmas – Trent Kulczyk, F, Nashville Jr. Predators
West Division Star of the Week: Trey Gardner, forward, North Iowa Bulls
The North Iowa Bulls find themselves alone atop of the West Division thanks to another weekend sweep, this time of the Minnesota Flying Aces. 20-year-old forward Trey Gardner had a five-point weekend, which included four goals. On Friday, the 5’7/160 lbs. native of Sun Prairie, WI, had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win. On Saturday, Gardner exploded for a hat-trick in a 14-2 win. For the season, Gardner has 27 points in 25 games played for the Bulls. "Trey has been an offensive catalyst for us lately. He has been scoring some very important goals including special teams goals," said Bulls head coach Todd Sanden.
2nd Star: Evan Mills, D, North Iowa Bulls
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Brooke Evans, F, Breezy Point North Stars – Ryan Herbert, F, Breezy Point North Stars – Dallas Marvin, F, Granite City Lumberjacks – Michael Orke, F, Granite City Lumberjacks – Tom Schmidt, F, Alexandria Blizzard
