NA3HL announces Bauer Divisional Stars of the Week
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) announced today the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending March 5, 2017. The divisional stars of the week are 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: Tyler Briley, forward, La Crosse Freeze
18-year-old Alaska native, Tyler Briley put up 11 points over a three games weekend, which included seven goals, four assists and a +11 performance. Briley and the Freeze had three wins this weekend, counting one shutout win. “Tyler had a great weekend for us. He was able to find open areas and his linemates did a great job of finding him. Tyler is starting to find the net with more consistency and it's a good sign heading into playoffs,” said Head Coach and General Manager Rob Hodnicki.
2nd Star: Shane Bermharson, defenseman, North Iowa Bulls
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Owen Larson, forward, North Iowa Bulls – Lukas Motloch, forward, La Crosse Freeze
Coastal Division Star of the Week: Matt Hinckley, defenseman, Cape Cod Islanders
Matt Hinckley of the Cape Cod Islanders totaled four points this past weekend including a power play goal and three assists. The 18-year-old from Massachusetts had a +2 and +3 performance in the Islanders’ two wins over the Wild. “Matt played two great games this weekend. He was strong in our d-zone, and contributed to the offense. He was a key performer in our weekend sweep, helping to lock us into a playoff spot,” said General Manager Dan Hodge.
2nd Star: Cole Therrien, defenseman, Cape Cod Islanders
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): none
East Division Star of the Week: Connor Inger, forward, Metro Jets
With three goals and three assists in a two game weekend series, 18-year-old Connor Inger is this week’s NA3HL East Division Star of the Week. Contributing to the Jets two wins, Inger had a +7 performance, along with three goals and three assists. “Connor has been playing hard on both sides of the puck. Since adding him to that line with Telly and Louis, the three of them have had big games lately for our club. They will need to continue their ways in playoffs and be a threat every time they step on the ice,” said Head Coach and General Manager Justin Quenneville.
2nd Star: Ben Hamilton, defenseman, Toledo Cherokee
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Louis Boudon, forward, Metro Jets – Ricky Kwapich, forward, Toledo Cherokee
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Kole Kalisch, forward, Bozeman Icedogs
Kole Kalisch, 19-year-old Minnesota native, had a total of six points over a two-game series this weekend, including four goals and two assists. On Friday night against Billings, Kalisch had four goals out of the six total points on the scoreboard for the Icedogs, as well as a +4 performance rating. “Kole had a very good weekend this weekend by totaling six points in two games. We are going to need that production throughout the playoffs, and Kole certainly is capable of being a big part of a playoff run,” said Head Coach Mark Vichorek.
2nd Star: Reed Kelly, forward, Yellowstone Quake
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Payton McSharry, forward, Great Falls Americans – Nick Ottenbacher, goaltender, Yellowstone Quake – Logan Parsley, defenseman, Great Falls Americans
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Cobin Sanborn, forward, Cincinnati Thunder
West Virginia’s Cobin Sanborn, is this week’s Midwest Division Star. The 21-year-old contributed to half of the Thunders’ 10-point shutout on Friday night with two goals, including the game-winner, and three assists. Sanborn and the Thunder won both games against Evansville this past weekend, including one shutout win and 4-3 victory. “Cobin had a huge weekend offensively for us. He has had a season where he's been consistently dangerous offensively, but hasn't always got the bounces. I was glad to see him get rewarded with big numbers this week,” said Head Coach Ryan Colville.
2nd Star: Kyle Nikles, defenseman, Nashville Jr. Predators
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Trent Kulczyk, forward, Nashville Jr. Predators – Daniil Ovchinnikov, forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Sawyer Schmidt, goaltender, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Jake Ustorf, forward, Cincinnati Thunder
Northeast Division Star of the Week: Evan Barghout, goaltender, Skylands Kings
In his final appearance of his junior year, 20-year-old Evan Barghout finished the year with to two wins, one being a shutout. Originally from Massachusetts, the Skylands goaltender had a .952 SV% in his two games, only allowing three goals. “Evan finished off his junior career in style. He dominated in both games he played in and gave us every chance to win both games. For Evan, the second half of the season was very impressive. He stuck with it all year and continued to put forth a solid effort; as a result, he finishes his junior career with a shutout. As a coaching staff, we couldn't be happier for the kid,” said Head Coach Patrick Choules.
2nd Star: Salvatore Lauretta, goaltender, Binghamton Junior Senators
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Steven Ford, forward, Skylands Kings – Craig Garrigan, forward, Skylands Kings – Adam Partridge, goaltender, Lockport Express – Gibson Stuart, defenseman, Lockport Express – Chace Woods, forward, Lockport Express
South Division Star of the Week: Ivan Mikhailov, forward, Atlanta Capitals
Putting up a total of seven points, including a goal and six assists in three games, Ivan Mikhailov is named South Division Star of the Week. Hailing from Vladivostok, Russia, the 20-year-old assisted with three wins, with +5 and +2 performances. “Ivan's production this week was great. His play continues to improve each week,” said Head Coach Jason Smith.
2nd Star: Anthony D’Aloisio, goaltender, Texas Jr. Brahmas
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Boomer Miller, forward, Atlanta Capitals – Kyle Torgerson, forward, Texas Jr. Brahmas – Phil Zbell, forward, Point Mallard Ducks
West Division Star of the Week: Kyle Wendorf, forward, Willmar Warhawks
20-year-old Kyle Wendorf from Richfield, Minnesota, put up four points in the Warhawks’ two wins this weekend. Wendorf scored two goals and an assist in the third period alone against Alexandria on Saturday. Wendorf’s second goal was the game-tying goal with only 2:05 left in the game. Wendorf and his teammates made a comeback after being down by four goals with less than 10 minutes left to play, to win 6-5 in a shootout against the Blizzard. “With no playoff spot to compete for, and his college commitment already secure, Kyle still played like he had everything to play for. When we needed someone to step up, Kyle led the way by helping his team to a weekend sweep of the top 2 teams in our division,” said Head Coach Christopher Blaisuis.
2nd Star: Emil Lindfors, forward, Alexandria Blizzard
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Nathan Ackerman, defenseman, Willmar Warhawks – Nick Blanchette, forward/defenseman, Breezy Point North Stars – Keenan Lund, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks – Matt Moran, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks
