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 February 2, 2020. 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: Joey Boccardi, D, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Boccardi contributed consistently from the blue line last week, helping the Jr. Blues to a pair of key divisional wins over Peoria. The St. Louis native scored in both games and posted an assist in Saturday’s win, marking his third and fourth straight games with a point. Boccardi has now bagged 10g-19a—29pts in 31 games this season, leading all St. Louis defensemen.
2nd Star: Parker Severson, F, Coulee Region Chill
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Chris Gilbert, F, Coulee Region Chill — Michael Heitkamp, D, Rochester Grizzlies — Will Oliver, G, St. Louis Jr. Blues — Logan Olson, D, Rochester Grizzlies
Coastal Division Star of the Week: Tami Merilainen, D, Northeast Generals
Merilainen saw action just once last week, but made quite the impact with a remarkable, four-goal, five-point performance as he grabbed the game-winning goal to carry the Generals to victory. The Finnish blueliner has a knack for offense, as his scoring outburst marked his seventh straight game with a point and third straight with multiple points. In total, Merilainen boasts 9g-19a—28pts in just 18 outings this season.
2nd Star: None
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): None
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Jack Harris, F, Yellowstone Quake
Harris put on a dazzling playmaking performance over the weekend, setting up teammates left and right with a whopping six total assists en route to a weekend split with the high-flying Hawks. Friday featured Harris’ second four-point game of the season, highlighted by his play to tee up Spencer Platt’s game-winner late in the third. Harris’ two helpers on Saturday made it seven straight with at least a point — including six multi-point efforts in that span. His big weekend ballooned his season totals to 17g-37a—54pts in 40 games this season.
2nd Star: Ty Niskanen, F, Helena Bighorns
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Michael Allman, G, Yellowstone Quake — Michael Kocsis, F, Sheridan Hawks — Darian Wilson, F, Helena Bighorns
Northeast Division Star of the Week: Shane O’Brien, G, Danbury Colonials
Facing back-to-back starts against a tough opponent like Elmira would make any goalie nervous, but O’Brien never showed it. Cruising to two wins with just three goals allowed, O’Brien faced down 47 of 50 shots to help the Colonials pick up a pair of massive victories and gain a little hope in the Northeast title race. After seven straight games in which he gave up at least three goals, O’Brien managed to steel his nerves and shut the door on Elmira, posting .913 and .963 save percentages in the two games.
2nd Star: Kolby Donovan, F, Danbury Colonials
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): None
South Division Star of the Week: Blake Rothstein, F, Texas Brahmas
Rothstein and the Brahmas lit up the scoresheet in a home-and-home against Mid Cities, with four of the team’s 13 goals in those two games coming from the New York native. Rothstein found twine once in Friday’s road win, and put on quite the show in front of the Brahmas fans on Sunday with his first hat-trick of the season. After logging just two goals in his first 26 outings this season, Rothstein has heated up as of late, bagging six in his last five games.
2nd Star: Cal Couell, D, Texas Brahmas
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): None
West Division Star of the Week: Lucas Wahlin, F, North Iowa Bulls
Wahlin hit the ice three times last week and lit the lamp each time to earn honors out West. Once on Thursday, twice on Friday and once again on Saturday, the Minnesota-native was an offensive dynamo as the Bulls went 2-1 in their tripleheader. In addition to his now-three game goal streak, Wahlin has found twine in six of his last eight and boasts 24g-19a—43pts in 30 games this season.
2nd Star: Ike Taraszewski, F, Alexandria Blizzard
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Billy Bronson, D, Granite City Lumberjacks — Joe Daninger, G, North Iowa Bulls — Kearby Larson, D, Granite City Lumberjacks — Corey Stormer, F, New Ulm Steel
