NA3HL announces monthly player awards for September

The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) has announced its monthly player awards for the month of September.  The Bauer Hockey NA3HL Forward of the Month is Ryan Flanagan of the Binghamton Junior Senators.  The Bauer Hockey NA3HL Defenseman of the Month is Tim O’Connor of the Jersey Shore Wildcats.  The Vaughn NA3HL Goaltender of the Month is Ricardo Gonzalez of the Toledo Cherokee. Only players who are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the NA3HL monthly awards.

Bauer Hockey NA3HL Forward of the Month: Ryan Flanagan, Binghamton Junior Senators

Binghamton Junior Senators forward Ryan Flanagan, 19, is off to red-hot start to begin the 2017-18 season. The Duryea, Pennsylvania native has recorded 20 points in just six games. Flanagan is tied for the league lead in goals with 11 and has added nine assists. His plus-13 rating is tops among forwards in the NA3HL. The Binghamton forward has had at least two points in every game so far this season, with his best game coming on September 29, when he scored two goals and had four assists in a win over Skylands. He is one of the key pieces to a Binghamton team that is off to 5-1-0 start.

Runner-Up: Tyler Bump, North Iowa Bulls

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Braden Altena, Granite City Lumberjacks – Eddie Cannon, Oswego Stampede – Daniel Dunaway, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Craig Garrigan, Skylands Kings – Dominick Glavach, Pittsburgh Vengeance – Jacob Kelly, Northeast Generals – Payton McSharry, Great Falls Americans – Talon Medure, Atlanta Capitals – Zack Mullen, Jersey Shore Wildcats – Spencer Sandberg, Toledo Cherokee – Jarrett Scheibel, Helena Bighorns – Braden Shea, Willmar Warhawks – Cole Therrien, Cape Cod Islanders – Brandon Vukasin, Louisiana Drillers

Bauer Hockey NA3HL Defenseman of the Month: Tim O’Connor, Jersey Shore Wildcats

Jersey Shore Wildcats defenseman Tim O’Connor, 20, has been the catalyst to a Jersey Shore team that is currently sitting in first place of the Northeast Division with a 6-2-0 record. O’Connor leads all defenseman with seven goals thus far this season. He also leads the league in power play goals with four. One of those power play goals was the overtime game-winning goal on September 23 as the Wildcats topped Oswego 4-3. The Warsaw, New York native has nine points in the team’s first eight games and has a plus-4 rating.

Runner-Up: Bauer Cooper, Toledo Cherokee

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Tucker Alspaugh, Louisiana Drillers – Brandon Baker, Granite City Lumberjacks – Cameron Bickford, Texas Brahmas  - Justin Bioni, Pittsburgh Vengeance – Weston Goodman, Great Falls Americans – Ben Jones, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Ryan Kranz, North Iowa Bulls – Luke Miller, Binghamton Junior Senators – Tanner Opie, Atlanta Capitals – Jake Takashima, Willmar Warhawks – Marcos Zarragoitia, Oswego Stampede

Vaughn NA3HL Goaltender of the Month: Ricardo Gonzalez, Toledo Cherokee

Toledo Cherokee goaltender Ricardo Gonzalez, 20, has been the hardest working goalie in the entire NA3HL as he leads the league in games played as he has played in seven of his team’s eight games. Gonzalez has been spectacular in the month of September. He won his first four starts giving just seven goals in though games. In his most recent start on September 30, Gonzalez made 55 saves on 57 shots in a 4-2 victory over Southern Tier. The Davison, Michigan native leads all goaltenders with five wins so far this season. He has a superb goals against average of 2.17 through seven games and among goalies that have played more than two games, Gonzalez leads the league in save percentage as he has stopped 95.1 percent of the shots fired his way. “Ricardo has been our MVP through the first month of the season, he gives us a chance to win every night and is very deserving of this award,” said Toledo Cherokee Head Coach Kenny Miller.

Runner-Up: Nick Battaglia, Helena Bighorns

Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Blake Bjella, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Colin Cain, North Iowa Bulls – Tyler Hawk, Pittsburgh Vengeance – Christian Kazoleas, Louisiana Drillers – Kyle Konin, Atlanta Capitals – Steven Kozikoski, Oswego Stampede – David Mulligan, Granite City Lumberjacks – Drew Schenkenberg, Rochester Ice Hawks – Mathias Yettereng, Skylands Kings – Jeff Zero, Binghamton Junior Senators

About Bauer

Bauer Hockey is the world's most recognized designer, marketer and manufacturer of hockey equipment. Founded in Kitchener, Ontario in 1927, Bauer Hockey developed the first skate with a blade attached to a boot, forever changing the game of hockey. Since then, Bauer Hockey has continued to develop the most sought after products in the industry, including the widely successful SUPREME®, VAPOR® and NEXUS® lines of products. For more information, visit Bauer Hockey's website at www.BAUER.com.

About Vaughn

Vaughn is the official Goaltending Equipment Partner to the NAHL and serves as the Preferred Goaltending Equipment Supplier of the NA3HL and NAPHL. Founded in 1982, Vaughn became one of the first major hockey production companies to use multiple foam layers in equipment. As strictly a goalie equipment company, the main focus for Vaughn is the innovation and quality of their product. Visit Vaughn online at: www.vaughnhockey.com