NA3HL announces Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending October 14, 2018. The divisional stars of the week are awards given each week of the regular season to the top-performing players in each of the six divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Thomas Magnavite, F, Coulee Region Chill
Coulee Region notched a pair of crucial wins last week as they look to gain ground in the Central Division race, and Magnavite’s back-to-back hat-tricks were a main catalyst for the team’s success. The Chicago native posted two assists to accompany his three tallies in Friday’s 10-1 win over Wausau, then followed it up with another triple and a helper on Saturday, putting forth a strong 6g-3a-9pts in his two-game debut last weekend. Magnavite has already climbed up to third in scoring amongst Chill skaters despite not playing in three of their five outings thus far.
2nd Star: Matthew Griffin, G, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Chuck Bay, F, Milwaukee Power – Logan Geisness, F, Milwaukee Power – Dante Jones, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Brady Lindauer, F, Coulee Region Chill – Jack Radley, F, Peoria Mustangs – Trevor Smith, G, Peoria Mustangs
Coastal Division Star of the Week: Marc Faia, F, Northeast Generals
After earning Coastal Division Star of the Week honors for his exploits in week five, Faia continued his outstanding play to become the first player in 2018-19 to receive the award in back-to-back weeks. The forward tallied multiple points in each of Northeast’s three contests, posting two goals and two assists in each of the first two outings before capping off his stellar week with another goal and two helpers on Sunday to take over the league scoring lead with 10g-22a-32pts in just 11 games. Faia has recorded at least one point in each game this season — bagging at least a goal per game in his last five — and has only failed to light the lamp in three of those 11 affairs.
2nd Star: Colby Audette, F, L/A Nordiques
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Thaddeus Marcola, F, Northeast Generals
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Luke Hartge, F, Yellowstone Quake
As his team sought its first win of the campaign last week, Hartge stepped up to lead the way with two markers and an assist in Friday’s 6-5 win over Butte as the Quake added a “1” to the “W” column. The Naperville, IL native starred again in the rematch, notching a hat-trick in a tense 8-7 OT loss to the Cobras. After being held off the scoresheet through three games, Hartge has hit his stride with 8g-1a-9pts in his last four outings.
2nd Star: Payton McSharry, F, Great Falls Americans
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Nick Castro, F, Yellowstone Quake – Valary Dietz, D, Helena Bighorns – Jens Juliussen, F, Great Falls Americans – Kaden Lindberg, F, Helena Bighorns
Northeast Division Star of the Week: Steven Ford, F, Skylands Kings
Boasting points in seven of his nine games this season, Ford stood tall for Skylands last week’s split with the Long Beach Sharks. The Kings’ co-leading scorer nabbed a goal and an assist on Saturday, a 5-4 win, before striking once again and posting another pair of helpers in Sunday’s loss. Ford has posted multiple points in six consecutive contests dating back to Sept. 29, recording three or more points in four of those showings.
2nd Star: Greg Simmons, F, Binghamton Jr. Senators
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Trevor Christopher, D, Skylands Kings
South Division Star of the Week: Francisco Clark-Silva, G, Mid Cities Jr. Stars
Mid Cities’ rapid ascent to the top of the South Division standings has been fueled by a run of five consecutive wins over rival Atlanta, and Clark-Silva was a rock between the pipes during two of the three victories last week. The Boulder, CO native turned aside 23 of 25 pucks on Friday for a .920 save percentage — his highest of the year excluding shutouts — before stonewalling all 24 Capitals shots on Saturday to seal the win for the Jr. Stars. Clark-Silva has won six of his seven starts on the young season — good for a share of second among all goaltenders — and boasts a .911 save percentage in that seven-game span.
2nd Star: Tyler Blanchard, F, Texas Brahmas
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jack Cooper, F, Texas Brahmas – Ryan Muckensturm, F, Mid Cities Jr. Stars
West Division Star of the Week: Matthew DeRosa, F, Rochester Grizzlies
With points in two straight heading into the week, DeRosa continued to heat up as he extended his streak to four consecutive outings. The forward notched a goal and an assist in a crucial 5-2 win over Breezy Point on Friday, but his crowning moment came in the following contest. DeRosa found twine twice in regulation time during see-saw affair that featured a pair of late goals by the North Stars to force overtime, then netted the game-winner just a minute and a half into the fourth frame to cap off his first hat-trick of the year and help the Grizzlies to a weekend sweep. DeRosa has skated into third in scoring amongst Rochester skaters with 4g-4a-8pts in his last four outings.
2nd Star: Zack DeBoom, F, Granite City Lumberjacks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jacob Berkowitz, F, Breezy Point North Stars – James Curran, D, Breezy Point North Stars – Matt Dahlseide, F, North Iowa Bulls – Jordan Olson, D, Granite City Lumberjacks – Harrison Stewart, D, North Iowa Bulls
