NA3HL announces Bauer Hockey Stars of the Week
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending September 26, 2021. The divisional stars of the week are awards given each week of the regular season to the top-performing players in each of the five divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Sam VanderHoeven, F, Oregon Tradesmen
VanderHoeven rebounded from a pair of goose-eggs at the start of the season with back-to-back two-point outings last week. On Friday, the veteran sniper found twine once and set up a teammate for a goal. VanderHoeven then followed with a clutch performance — with just seconds left on the clock and his team down by one goal, VanderHoeven scored to force overtime, then grabbed the game-winning goal less than a minute into the extra frame. The Beaver Dam, Wisc., native now has 3g-1a—4pts in four games this season.
2nd Star: Griffin Lennes, F, Wausau Cyclones
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Ian Hedican, G, Oregon Tradesmen — Gage Vierzba, F, Wausau Cyclones
East Division Star of the Week: Roland Ponechal, F, New Jersey Titans
Ponechal lit up the scoreboard with four points in two games last week after being held off the scoresheet in his debut earlier this month. Ponechal notched a goal and an assist on Saturday, then posted his first two-goal game to pace another Titans win on Sunday. He boasts 3g-1a—4pts in three games this season.
2nd Star: Jake Weikel, F, Long Beach Sharks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Brendan Pellerito, G, Norwich Sea Captains — Sam Senft, D, New Jersey Titans — Trevor Souza, D, Norwich Sea Captains — Ryo Yamamoto, F, Long Beach Sharks
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Saizha Norwegian, F, Gillette Wild
Norwegian earns Star of the Week honors for a second time this month after his 3g-2a—5pts performance across Gillette’s two OT wins over division rival Great Falls last week. The Fort Frances, Ont. native potted his first hat-trick of the year along with an assist on Friday — scoring the game-winning goal in overtime as well — before posting another helper in Saturday’s victory. Norwegian ranks third in scoring among NA3HL skaters, trailing only teammates Declan Young and Tucker Lien, with 7g-6a—13pts in six games this year.
2nd Star: Hunter Maschke, F, Great Falls Americans
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Will Blake, F, Gillette Wild — Nick Bradshaw, F, Butte Cobras — Sam Feamster, F, Helena Bighorns — Gavyn Galloway, F, Helena Bighorns — Micah Serino, F, Great Falls Americans
South Division Star of the Week: Ilnur Madiarov, F, Mid Cities Jr. Stars
Mid Cities picked up its first two wins of the year last week, buoyed by a consistent effort from Madiarov across all three games. Madiarov tallied a hat-trick in Friday’s win, then lit the lamp again despite the Stars’ loss on Saturday. Capping off the weekend, he put up another three-point effort with a goal and two helpers to pace another Mid Cities victory, and stretch his points streak to five games with 7g-3a—10pts in that span.
2nd Star: Josh Hrip, F, Louisiana Drillers
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Quillon Bowman, G, Mid Cities Jr. Stars — Jason Owings, F, Austin Ice Bats — Sebastian Skarzenski, G, Austin Ice Bats — Frank Steinway, D, Louisiana Drillers
West Division Star of the Week: Carter Newpower, F, Mason City Toros
Newpower paced a stout Toros attack with 3g-3a—6pts as the team notched its first two wins of the year during its debut weekend. The second-year skater potted two goals and a helper in Friday’s victory over Alexandria, then reversed his scoring line with a goal and two assists in Saturday’s rematch win as well. The 2002-born Newpower will look to keep his hot start going as his team takes on Granite City this weekend.
2nd Star: Kyle Mortenson, D, Granite City Lumberjacks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jack Campion, F, Mason City Toros — Elbridge DeKraai, F, Willmar Warhawks — Sean Kenny, F, Alexandria Blizzard — Cooper Olson, G, Willmar Warhawks — Nick Stevens, F, Granite City Lumberjacks