Team West captures Top Prospects championship
Team West was crowned champions of the second North American Hockey League (NAHL) Top Prospects Tournament of the season on Tuesday at the Ice Cube in Ann Arbor, Mich., after finishing the event with a 2-1 record.
Team West won the head-to head tiebreaker over Team Central, which also finished with a 2-1 mark but lost to the West on the first day of the tournament, 6-2.
In Team West’s 5-3 victory over Team South (1-2) on the final day of the event, forward Dakota Mason (Dawson Creek Rage) notched the game-winning goal and two assists, while forward Matt Thompson (Kenai River Brown Bears) tallied a goal and an assist.
Between the pipes for the West, Landon Peterson (Alaska Avalanche) stopped 12 of 14 shots, while Bemidji State University recruit Andrew Walsh (Dawson Creek) made nine saves.
In the final game of the tournament, Team Central upended Team North (1-2), 3-1. Forward Zac Frischmon (Coulee Region Chill) collected a pair of goals in the win, with forward Charlie Adams (Austin Bruins) striking for the game-winning marker.
In goal for Team Central, Frederick Leisner (Aberdeen Wings) turned away 14 of 15 shots, and Jake Williams (Alexandria Blizzard) made 15 saves.
View the box score here.
All Top Prospects Tournament games can be viewed as archives via the Internet through FASTHockey.com.
The NAHL is auctioning off all game-worn player jerseys from the Top Prospects Tournament through eBay. The auction closes on Saturday, Feb. 26. Bids can be placed at NAHL.com/Auction.
At the Top Prospects Tournament, which ran from Feb. 20-22, four teams - Team Central, Team North, Team South and Team West - played a three-game round robin.
At the NAHL’s first Top Prospects Tournament of the season, which was held from Dec. 5-7 in Walpole, Mass., four teams comprised of the NAHL’s top committed and un-committed college players, including those recognized on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s Players to Watch list for 2011 draft-eligibles, played a three-game round robin.
For more information on the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, visit NAHLTopProspects.com.
