NA3HL Announces Bethel University 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 January 4th, sponsored by Bethel University. This weekly award recognizes the top-performing players from each of the league’s six divisions, as nominated by their head coaches, for their outstanding contributions on the ice.
Central Division Star of the Week: Danny Jurcich, Forward, West Bend Power
Danny Jurcich and the West Bend Power are showing zero signs of slowing down, rolling to wins over the Rochester Grizzlies and Wisconsin Woodsmen to stretch their win streak to 10. As the team’s second leading scorer, Jurcich is riding a six game point streak and continues to be a major piece of West Bend’s offensive success.
In Wednesday’s midweek matchup with the Grizzlies, the Columbus, Ohio native delivered his third four point performance of the season, propelling the Power to a 5–3 win. After setting up the opening goal on the power play, he went on to record his first junior career hat trick, picking up three of the team’s five goals on the scoresheet.
West Bend clinched a playoff spot on Friday with a 6–2 win over the Woodsmen, where Jurcich added an assist on the Power’s fourth goal of the night. With five points on the week, he now sits at 41 points (13 goals, 28 assists) through 29 games, and continues trending upward at the perfect time.
When asked about Danny’s offensive production, Head Coach Jason Woods shared: “Danny’s taken a massive jump from last year to this year, and you could really see it against Rochester. He was buzzing every shift and earned that first hat trick in a Power jersey. Even in the 6–2 win over the Woodsmen, when it wasn’t his loudest night on the scoresheet, he still made an impact. He’s our second-leading scorer for a reason, riding a six-game point streak and creating offense every time he touches the puck. We love the jump he’s made, and we’re excited to see him keep rolling.”
2nd Star: Tevin Stukel, F, Rochester Grizzlies
3rd Star: Jackson Maddock, F, Wausau Cyclones
East Division Star of the Week: Sean Bailey, Forward, Long Beach Sharks
The Long Beach Sharks picked up their first sweep of the new year, posting back-to-back wins over the Maine Nordiques. Rookie forward Sean Bailey is off to a hot start in his first year of junior hockey, and this week was a perfect example of why. He recorded multi-point outings in both games, continuing to make his mark.
During Wednesday’s dominant 6-1 victory, Bailey was a true playmaker, setting up three goals, including one on the power play. Saturday, he stole the spotlight, not only assisting on multiple goals but also finding the back of the net himself. In the 6-3 win, the Arizona native netted his first junior hat trick, scoring once in the first period and twice in the second, while also picking up two assists for a five-point night, his best game to date.
This performance also extended his streak of three consecutive games with three points or more. Those four points for the Sharks proved crucial as Long Beach now sits atop the East standings, four points ahead of New Hampshire.
Head Coach Jeff Tory highlighted just how much effort Sean puts in every day: “Sean has such a strong desire to get better every single day. He puts so much work into his preparation, details and practice habits that allows him to translate that into game success.”
2nd Star: Brendan Dalton, F, Long Beach Sharks
3rd Star: Yaromir Chicherin, F, Buzz
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Cooper Clouse, Forward, Great Falls Americans
The Great Falls Americans made some noise with a statement sweep over the Sheridan Hawks, their first sweep of Sheridan in over two years. Assistant Captain Cooper Clouse is having a breakout second season, already tripling his point total from last year.
During Friday’s 4-1 victory, Great Falls struck first as Ethan Miller scored, with Clouse picking up the assist to give the Americans a 1–0 lead. Later in the second, after killing off a crucial penalty while holding a 2–1 lead, Clouse came through again, scoring with just 49 seconds left in the period to extend the lead to 3–1.
Saturday’s game was a back-and-forth battle that ended 6–5. Clouse got the scoring started by assisting on Great Falls’ third goal on the power play. He then exploded in the third period, scoring back-to-back goals to kick off the final frame, with his second of the night, also on the power play, standing as the eventual game-winner.
With five points on the weekend, Clouse is on fire. The Fargo, North Dakota native has now extended his point streak to 22 games, the longest in the NA3HL, showing why he’s one of the league’s most dangerous and consistent players.
Head Coach Greg Sears highlighted just how important Cooper has been for the Americans all season: “Cooper has been outstanding for us all year. As an assistant captain, he sets the tone in everything he does, on and off the ice. He was a massive part of our sweep over Sheridan, and with a 22-game point streak going, his consistency speaks for itself. We’re thrilled to see where he takes it from here.”
2nd Star: Ty Schell, F, Helena Bighorns
3rd Star: Joshua Sauro, F, Gillette Wild
South Division Star of the Week: Connor Hanley, Defenseman, New Mexico Ice Wolves
Second-year Ice Wolves defenseman Connor Hanley had a solid week from the blue line as New Mexico went 2-2. The week kicked off at home on Monday against the Tulsa Oilers, where the Ice Wolves rolled to a 10-2 victory. Hanley was all over the ice, finishing as one of two New Mexico players with four points. The Coon Rapids, Minnesota native set up three goals through the first two periods before capping it off with his own goal, New Mexico’s eighth of the day.
The Ice Wolves then hit the road for a three game Texas stretch against the Brahmas and Ice Bats. Hanley made an immediate impact in game one against the Brahmas, finding the back of the net just over five minutes in to spark the offense and set the tone for New Mexico’s 2- 1 win.
Head Coach Isaac Washburn couldn’t be happier with how Connor has been showing up for the Ice Wolves: “Connor had a really strong week for us, playing big minutes in all situations. He's always a steady presence for us on the blueline; showing a lot of poise and composure with the puck in all three zones. All season long he's been strong on the defensive side of the puck but recently he's really started to get more involved offensively. Glad to see Connor get rewarded on the scoresheet because of the way that he shows up with an honest effort day in and day out.”
2nd Star: John Scharf, F, Texas Brahmas
3rd Star: Alexander Elsner, F, Tulsa Oilers
Southeast Division Star of the Week: Marlon Derksen, Forward, Pelham Prowlers
After going 1-0-0-1 the previous weekend against the Capitals, the Pelham Prowlers flipped the script and completed a three game sweep over Atlanta this weekend. ‘05 forward Marlon Derksen has been the team’s go-to guy all season, sitting more than 20 points ahead of the second leading scorer.
This weekend, Derksen continued to drive Pelham’s offense. In game one’s 5-2 win, after the Prowlers fell behind 1-0 midway through the first, Derksen tied things up with just nine seconds left in the period. He added a power play assist on Matthew Hunter’s goal in the second period and another on a third period power play tally, finishing the game with three points.
Special teams were again the story in game two, a 7-2 Pelham win, as Derksen recorded two more points, a goal and an assist, both on the man advantage.
He kept the momentum rolling in game three, helping Pelham complete the sweep with a 4-1 victory. After trailing 1-0 after the first, Derksen exploded in the second period with back-to-back goals and capped off the weekend by assisting on the Prowlers’ fourth goal.
The team’s top scorer didn’t disappoint, and General Manager Walter Stafford had this to say about his efforts: “Marlon continues to shine and produce for us. With our captain out on Sunday, he really stepped up and filled the void, scoring two goals and adding an assist. Across the three-game weekend against Atlanta, he led the way offensively and was a huge reason we were able to sweep the series.”
2nd Star: Skyler Tompkins, F, Louisiana Drillers
3rd Star: Logan Diskey, F, Texas RoadRunners
West Division Star of the Week: Reece Hubmer, Forward, Alexandria Blizzard
After splitting last weekend, the Alexandria Blizzard came out firing, outscoring their opponents 14-5 with wins over the Willmar WarHawks and Minnesota Wilderness. Now in his third season with the Blizzard, ‘05 forward Reece Hubmer has steadily improved each year and is on pace to surpass last season’s point total.
This weekend, Hubmer posted his first back-to-back multi-point games of the season. He kicked things off with his best performance yet in a 7-1 victory over the WarHawks, netting his first hat trick of the season, scoring twice in the first period and adding another in the second.
Hubmer carried that momentum into Saturday’s 7-4 win over in-state rival, the Minnesota Wilderness. He scored Alexandria’s second goal with just 56 seconds left in the opening frame to cut the Wilderness’ lead to 3–2, then set up Caleb Waller on the team’s third goal of the game.
On Reece’s impact since the holidays, Head Coach Jeff Crouse shared: Reece has really added some scoring depth to our team since the break. He came back fresh and healthy and his hard work has really paid off. We look forward to watching him continue his success the rest of the season.”
2nd Star: Luke Gustafson, F, Mason City Toros
3rd Star: Gabe Otis, G, Minnesota Moose
