NA3HL announces Bauer Divisional Stars of the Week
Honors go to Sam Dabrowski (La Crosse), Ryan Paul (New England), Vincent Casale (Pittsburgh), Reed Kelly (Yellowstone), Jacob Friedman (Cincinnati), Sam Fitzpatrick (Lockport), Melker Kroon (Texas), and Brenden Payne (Alexandria).
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) announced today the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending December 11, 2016. 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 eight divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Sam Dabrowski, forward, La Crosse Freeze
With two game-winning goals in both wins this weekend, forward Sam Dabrowski put up five points for the Freeze in a stellar weekend performance. The Onalaska, WI native also notched a power play goal, and was +1 through three games. “Sam had a great weekend. He's led our offense all season, and this weekend he stepped it up again by scoring big goals for us at clutch times,” said General Manager and Head Coach Robert Hodnicki.
2nd Star: Jacob Silverstein, goaltender, La Crosse Freeze
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Marshall Barnes, forward, North Iowa Bulls – Jake Faulkner, defenseman, Wisconsin Whalers – Lucas McKinnon, forward, North Iowa Bulls – Drew Steines, forward, Wisconsin Whalers
Coastal Division Star of the Week: Ryan Paul, forward, New England Stars
Stacking up an eight-point weekend, Ryan Paul was an offensive force for the Stars this weekend. The Morgan, VT native grabbed four goals (one GWG and one PPG), four assists, and was +5 through two games this weekend. “Ryan continues to be an impact player for our team. His dedication and work ethic are second to none. He plays all 200 feet of the ice in practices and games,” said Head Coach Darryl Green.
2nd Star: James Pollock, forward, Cape Cod Islanders
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Ryan Clifford, goaltender, Cape Cod Islanders
East Division Star of the Week: Vincent Casale, forward, Pittsburgh Vengeance
Allison Park, PA native Vincent Casale drove the Vengeance to a weekend sweep thanks to his help. The forward notched four points: two goals (one GWG and one PPG) and two assists in Pittsburgh’s two-game weekend. Casale was a +5 through both games played. “Casale continues to improve his game. He has really added to the offensive side of his game for us this year,” said General Manager and Head Coach David Dorsey.
2nd Star: Louis Boudon, forward, Metro Jets
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Dom Glavach, forward, Pittsburgh Vengeance – Brock Grandbois, forward, Toldeo Cherokee – Tyler Groth, defenseman, Wooster Oilers – Hayden Winch, forward, Metro Jets – Michael Zenone, forward, Wooster Oilers
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Reed Kelly, forward, Yellowstone Quake
Hitting the double-digits this weekend was Yellowstone’s Reed Kelly, who rallied the Quake with his 10-point effort through two games. The Somerset, WI native had six goals, four assists, and was a +8 in the Quake’s weekend sweep. “Reed has been really consistent this year throughout with his development as an individual. He creates time and space to help his teammates have success as well. He is a fun player to watch, and we are excited for his success going forward,” said General Manager and Head Coach Ryan Theros.
2nd Star: Wyatt Mathews, defenseman, Missoula Jr. Bruins
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Kyle Amundson, forward, Bozeman Icedogs – Nicholas Battaglia, goaltender, Helena Bighorns – Cade Boreing, forward, Gillette Wild – Zachary Colgrove, forward, Missoula Jr. Bruins – Tanner Congdon, forward, Great Falls Americans – Kyle Hayter, forward, Helena Bighorns – Drew Pehrson, goaltender, Bozeman Icedogs – Mitch Ramstad, defenseman, Great Falls Americans
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Jacob Friedman, forward, Cincinnati Thunder
Forward Jacob Friedman helped the Thunder find their way to a weekend of wins by putting five points on the board for Cincinnati. Freidman, from Dayton, OH, scored two goals, three assists, and was +5 through Cincinnati’s two wins over the weekend. “Jacob has taken a big step forward for us this season, as he is taking on a larger role in our lineup. He played a huge role for us offensively this weekend in a pair of huge divisional games. As a team, we have struggled to score at times this year, and Jacob is someone we lean on to help in that area. This weekend he came up big for us,” said General Manager and Head Coach Ryan Coville.
2nd Star: Bradley Begeman, forward, Cincinnati Thunder
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jack Hatton, forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Daniil Ovchinnikov, forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Northeast Division Star of the Week: Sam Fitzpatrick, goaltender, Lockport Express
Making 41 of 42 saves, goaltender Sam Fitzpatrick showed off his magic in net for Lockport during a big win on Saturday. The Wildwood, NJ native posted a .976 SV% in the win for the Express. “Fitz is the backbone of our team in goal, and he played like the number 1 that he is on Saturday night,” said Frank Vecchio, Lockport’s General Manager and Head Coach.
2nd Star: Craig Garrigan, forward Skylands Kings
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Blake Bennett, forward, Lockport Express – Steven Ford – forward, Skylands Kings – Armaan Thiara, forward, Syracuse Stampede
South Division Star of the Week: Melker Kroon, forward, Texas Jr. Brahmas
With a hot stick, Melker Kroon kept the heat burning this weekend for the Texas Jr. Brahmas. The Malmo, Sweden native registered 7 points in a +6 performance. Kroon scored five goals (two GWG, one SHG, and one PPG), two assists, and was +6 in three games this weekend for Texas. “Melker continues to be an offensive spark for our team. In addition to getting two GWG's this week, he also completed the a rare "Mario Lemieux hat trick": scoring a short-handed, power-play and even-strength goal in one game,” said Head Coach Michael Hill.
2nd Star: Vincent Dekumbis, forward, Texas Jr. Brahmas
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jesse Brown, forward, Atlanta Capitals – Niki Raiskio, forward, Louisiana Drillers – Adam Vannelli, defenseman, Atlanta Capitals – Timothy Zittel, forward, Louisiana Drillers
West Division Star of the Week: Brenden Payne, forward, Alexandria Blizzard
Snagging nine points for the Blizzard this weekend, forward Brenden Payne led Alexandria to two wins over the weekend with his offense. The Plainfield, IL native was +9 for Alexandria through two games, in which he contributed three goals (one SHG, one PPG) and six assists. “Brenden had a great weekend offensively. He used his speed and vision to his advantage, and it obviously paid off,” said Head Coach Jeff Crouse.
2nd Star: Owen Sikich, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Andrej Jamnicky, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks – Connor Nilson, defenseman, Alexandria Blizzard – Nathan Siclovan, goaltender, New Ulm Steel
