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 27, 2019. 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: Wesley Knutson, F, Milwaukee Power
Knutson carried Milwaukee to a pair of wins over Breezy Point last weekend, helping the Power begin to right the ship with their third and fourth wins of the season. The Wisconsin native struck twice on Friday and netted the game-winning goal in a 3-2 win, then bagged himself another GWG on Saturday in a 3-0 shutout of the North Stars. Knutson now boasts seven goals in his last seven outings, including three multi-goal games in that span.
2nd Star: Dillan Bentley, F, Peoria Mustangs
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Garrett Alton, F, Milwaukee Power — Will Oliver, G, St. Louis Jr. Blues — Evan Ross, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues — Cole Walter, G, Peoria Mustangs
Coastal Division Star of the Week: Kolye Bankauskas, F, Northeast Generals
Bankauskas’ points haul continues to expand, as he racked up eight more in two games last week to bring his total to 26g-25a—51pts in just 16 games this season. With two goals and three assists on Friday, Bankauskas led the Generals to an 8-3 win over New England, before logging another goal and two more helpers in a 10-7 loss on Saturday. Since being held pointless on Sept. 14, Bankauskas has hit the scoresheet in 13 straight games, posting at least two points in each of those contests.
2nd Star: Josh Boyd, F, New England Stars
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Carson Asper, F, Northeast Generals — Nathan Hartline, F, Long Beach Sharks — Nolan Murphy, F, New England Knights — Jon Natale, F, New England Stars — Zach Roncarati, G, New England Knights
Frontier Division Star of the Week: James Downie, G, Sheridan Hawks
The Hawks’ offense fired on all cylinders in a pair of wins over Gillette last week, but Downie’s work between the pipes somewhat quietly ensured their victories. Friday saw him turn aside 26 of 28 shots in a 10-2 victory, while Saturday featured his first shutout of the season, a 32-save effort in a 7-0 win at home. After his .967% save percentage on the weekend, the Australian net minder has now logged a .900% or higher in four of his last five starts, good for a .915% on the season.
2nd Star: Dylan Rumpke, F, Yellowstone Quake
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Michael Allman, G, Yellowstone Quake — Isaac Ellingson, F, Helena Bighorns — Kyler Garsjo, F, Butte Cobras — Abraham Laggis, F, Helena Bighorns — Dylan Olson, F, Great Falls Americans — Ivan Royo, D, Great Falls Americans — Justin Schwartzmiller, F, Sheridan Hawks
Northeast Division Star of the Week: James Clarke, F, Skylands Kings
Clarke and the Kings hosted the Maine Wild for a back-to-back set last weekend, splitting the wins along the way. Clarke’s performance never wavered, however, as the British forward tallied his first hat-trick of the season in Saturday’s loss, then followed up with another two goals and three assists in a crucial Sunday victory. His eight points are a personal season-high in any two game span, and pushed his team-leading point total to 14g-13a—27pts in 14 games.
2nd Star: Nick Konkel, G, Elmira Jr. Soaring Eagles
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Thomas Hoffman, F, Skylands Kings
South Division Star of the Week: Blake Siewertsen, F, Louisiana Drillers
In two games against the Roadrunners during last week’s judging period, the Drillers found themselves splitting a win apiece at home despite a whopping seven points from Siewertsen. Saturday’s 7-3 win saw the Michigan native post his second consecutive four-point game with his first hat-trick of the season and an assist to go with it. Siewertsen followed that effort up with another three points — two goals and another assist — in Sunday’s 4-3 defeat to make it three straight games with three or more points.
2nd Star: Logan Bellar, F, Texas Roadrunners
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Cole Garver, G, Texas Roadrunners — Grant Griffin, F, Louisiana Drillers — Kayden Hargraves, F, Texas Brahmas — Andrue Trelstad, F, Texas Brahmas
West Division Star of the Week: Keegan Bauman, F, New Ulm Steel
Bauman was “Captain Clutch” for the Steel in two upsets against North Iowa last weekend, logging four key goals across the pair of games. On Friday, his strike with five minutes to play tied the affair and forced overtime, where New Ulm took the win. Saturday was where Bauman truly shone, as he logged his first hat-trick of the season to guide the Steel to a 4-2 win to complete the sweep of the Bulls. Bauman has now found twine in five of his last seven games, and has points in four straight outings.
2nd Star: Carson Simon, F, Granite City Lumberjacks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Brandon Connett, F, Alexandria Blizzard — Ville Hyttinen, G, Alexandria Blizzard — Nate Johnston, G, Granite City Lumberjacks — Jordan Roo, F, North Iowa Bulls — Harrison Stewart, D, North Iowa Bulls
