NA3HL announces Combat Hockey 3 Stars of the Week
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Three Stars of the Week presented by Combat Hockey for the week ending February 3, 2013. The three stars of the week is an award given each week of the regular season to the top performing players in the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
1st Star: Tom Bartel, forward, Twin City Steel
It was a big weekend for the Twin City Steel as they picked up two huge wins to move into the 4th and final playoff spot in the West Division. Forward Tom Bartel, 19, led the way for the Steel as the native of Roseville, Minnesota, recorded six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in two road wins last week at Alexandria and at Granite City. On Wednesday, Bartel (5’9/155) had a goal and assisted on the game-winner in a 3-1 win against the Blizzard. On Saturday, Bartel was dominant in a 5-4 win in Granite City as he scored twice and assisted twice in the win. Bartel was also a +5 during the two wins. For the season, Bartel is second on the team in scoring with 38 points in 34 games played. “I thought that Tom has really come on and played extremely well as of late,” said Steel coach Aaron Koosmann. “He uses his speed, drives to the net, works hard and has really improved as a player.”
2nd Star: Brandon Layman, forward, Toledo Cherokee
Thanks to a weekend road sweep of Battle Creek, the Toledo Cherokee are holding down the 3rd spot in the East Division and forward Brandon Layman, 18, was the big producer. In the two wins, the Toledo, Ohio native had five points (2 goals, 3 assists) and was a +3 over the weekend with a game-winning goal. On Friday, he picked up two assists, including one on the game-winning goal, in a 4-0 shutout win over the Revolution. On Saturday, he had two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist in a 5-3 win. For the season, Layman is tied for 3rd in team scoring with 27 points in 36 games played. "Brandon was really good this past weekend, and he and his linemates carried the offense for us, and were a big part of our two game sweep,” said Toledo head coach Kenny Miller.
3rd Star: Ron Lindgren, defenseman, North Iowa Bulls
Defenseman Ron Lindgren, 19, led the Bulls to two more wins last weekend as he and the Bulls are on the fast track to the West Division title thanks to a home sweep of Quad City. The Janesville, Wisconsin native had five points (all assists) and was a +5 in the two wins. On Friday, Lindgren (6’1/195) assisted on the game-winning goal in a 5-2 win over the Jr. Flames. On Saturday, he recorded a season-high four assists (again including the game-winning goal) in a 12-1 win over Quad City. For the season, Lindgren has 22 points in 34 games played and ranks 9th in scoring of all NA3HL defensemen. “Ron is a guy that is normally a shut-down defenseman, but things fell the right way for him this weekend and he really did a good job contributing offensively,” said Bulls head coach Todd Sanden.
Honorable Mention (alphabetical order): Aaron Azevedo, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks – Eric Behrend, forward, North Iowa Bulls – Ty Belmont, forward, Queen City Steam – Alex Berardinelli, forward, Three Rivers Vengeance – Anthony Caroselli, forward, Quad City Jr. Flames – Peter Coppola, forward, Quad City Jr. Flames – Spencer Craig, goaltender, Michigan Mountain Cats – Brad Helper, defenseman, Metro Jets – Sawyer Marshall, goaltender, Twin City Steel – Alec Rounds, goaltender, Queen City Steam – Zac Sikich, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks – Guy Soulliere, forward, Michigan Mountain Cats – Tyler Stepke, goaltender, Three Rivers Vengeance – Matt Stirling, forward, Metro Jets – Dallas Szustak, forward, Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks.
