NA3HL Announces Stars of the Week

The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) is pleased to announce the Divisional Stars of the Week for the week ending in November 10th. The Divisional Stars of the Week is an award 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: Jace Fitzgerald, Forward, West Bend Power

Jace Fitzgerald and the West Bend Power extended their winning streak to five with a pair of wins over the St. Louis Jr. Blues, including an overtime thriller on Friday. As a second year forward for the Power, Fitzgerald has continued his success from last season and is currently the second leading scorer for his squad. During Friday’s victory, the Rice Lake, WI native played a crucial role for West Bend, starting with assisting the first goal for his squad. He then followed up by not only scoring the game tying goal with under two minutes remaining in regulation, but the game winner as well just over a minute into overtime. 

“Jace had another incredible weekend. He seems to find his scoring touch in the most critical moments. Friday was another example of that,” stated West Bend Head Coach Jason Woods.  “The work he puts in throughout the game sets him up well for the big moments and propelled us to 4 big points on the weekend.”

2nd Star: Tristen May-Robinson, Wisconsin Woodsmen

3rd Star: Tyler Steuck, Rochester Grizzlies

East Division Star of the Week: Aidan Palmeter, Forward, New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings

Aidan Palmeter and the New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings picked up four out of a possible six points towards the standings with a pair of wins over the Maine Nordiques after coming up just short against the Northeast Generals. Despite falling to Northeast, the Manchester, NH native was still able to make his way onto the scoresheet, scoring one power play goal in addition to assisting New Hampshire’s first goal of the game. During the teams’ series with Maine, Palmeter recorded an assist during game one before his breakout game of the week during their second tilt with the Nords. Sunday’s game was quite the thriller as Palmeter jump started New Hampshire’s comeback, scoring the first goal for his squad after entering the second period down 2-0. The ‘05 forward would be the hero of the game, cashing out with just over a minute and half remaining in overtime, ending the weekend on a high note. 

“Aidan is a silent leader. We were on a 3 game skid after Wednesday’s loss and Aidan put the team on his back and led the way for us to take 4 huge points against a good Nordiques team,” stated Mountain Kings Head Coach Clint Cassavaugh. 

2nd Sar: Kameron Ragon, Long Beach Sharks

3rd Star: Joey Roselli, Binghamton Buzz

Frontier Division Star of the Week: Tai Kontrec, Defenseman, Gillette Wild

Tai Kontrec and the Gillette Wild had a fantastic weekend, sweeping a tough Great Falls Americans squad and are now tied for fourth in the division with 19 points. The ‘06 blueliner is playing his second season in the NA3HL and has already surpassed his point total from last season as the leading scorer for defensemen for the Wild. Kontrec began the weekend assisting on Gillette’s second goal of Friday’s game before scoring a goal of his own late in the third period, a 6-3 victory for the Wild. Saturday’s contest was an up and down battle as Gillette had a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes, Kontrec scoring the second goal for his squad. The Americans would eventually tie things up late in the third period, sending things to overtime. Kontrec would come up huge for Gillette in extra innings, finding the back of the net 1:19 into overtime, another huge win for the Wild on home ice. 

“Tai has made significant strides from the start of the year to now. His compete level is one of the best I have seen and we rely on him in key moments of the game,” stated Gillette Head Coach Erick Bromberg. “He isn't the biggest defenseman we have but every time he touches the puck you know he is going to do something special with it. I have been impressed with how well he has developed over the last few months.” 

2nd Star: Zach Vockler, Badlands Sabres

3rd Star: Vincent Leaf, Sheridan Hawks

South Division Star of the Week: Kacper Gach, Forward, El Paso Rhinos

Kacper Gach and the El Paso Rhinos won their series on the road against the Atlanta Capitals, picking up two out of three wins in Georgia. The first year NA3HL forward is currently the leading scorer for the Rhinos with a total of 17 points in 14 games, 7 of his points being tallied over the weekend. Gach kicked off the weekend scoring his first hat trick of the season, this being his first three-point game of his career during his team’s 6-3 victory. Despite coming up just short during game two, he still found his way onto the scoresheet with the game-typing goal. To round out their trip, Kacper had another fantastic game scoring two goals, including the first and game winning goals for El Paso. 

“Kacper has been a catalyst to our lineup all season, playing big minutes and all situations. His strengths as a 200ft center are a huge asset, and it’s nice to see him pop offensively as of late,” stated El Paso Head Coach Mike Rivera. 

2nd Star: Jack Salverson, Tulsa Jr. Oilers

3rd Star: Dantae Hunziker, New Mexico Ice Wolves

West Division Star of the Week: Mason Wanka, Forward, Willmar WarHawks

Mason Wanka and the Willmar WarHawks picked up a critical four points in the standings after a pair of victories over the Mason City Toros. During Friday’s 3-2 win, the Rogers, MN native dished out a set of assists on Willmar’s first and second goals of the game. Despite falling to Alexandria during their second game of the weekend, Wanka notched an assist on the first goal of the game. The 05’s best game of the weekend was on Sunday night during the overtime thriller with the Toros where Wanka registered three points on the evening. After being down 2-0 entering the second period, Wanka opened up the scoring for the WarHawks at 5:20 into the frame and would follow things up by scoring his second goal of the contest a few moments later. With things tied at 3 a piece at the end of 60 minutes, things would head to overtime where Mason would dish out the secondary assist on the game winning goal. 

“Wanka has been a big piece to our offense. When he’s firing on all cylinders, it’s hard to stop him. Extremely proud of him stepping up this weekend when the team needed crucial points,” stated Willmar Head Coach Payton Ruter. 

2nd Star: Marcus Fritel, Mason City Toros

3rd Star: Easton Schmit, Alexandria Blizzard