NA3HL announces Divisional Stars of the Week
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Easton for the week ending December 8, 2013. 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 four divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Chance Homerin, forward, Peoria Mustangs
Despite having their long winning streak snapped this past weekend, the Peoria Mustangs continue to play well led by 17-year-old forward Chance Homerin. The native of Pekin, Illinois had six points in Peoria’s two games this past weekend as they split a road series against the Chicago Jr. Bulldogs. On Saturday, Homerin (6’0/175) picked up an assist in a 4-3 loss to the Jr. Bulldogs. The next afternoon, Homerin had two goals and three assists for a five point game and was +3 in a 9-3 win as the Mustangs got back on track. Homerin’s 24 points to date is 6th in scoring on the Mustangs roster and Peoria still holds a 10-point lead atop of the Central Division. “ It was good to see young player break out with some good points chance and his line really stepped up this week,” said Mustangs head coach Steve Ortman. “You could see the last couple weeks that Chance and the lines he was skating on were working hard and were ready to have big night at any time, so that was very nice to see.”
East Division Star of the Week: Lucas Linville, forward, Metro Jets
Newly acquired forward Lucas Linville made an immediate impact for the Metro Jets this past weekend in their series against Pittsburgh. The 19-year-old from Whitmore Lake, Michigan helped the Jets take three of four points in the two games thanks to a five-point weekend, which included four goals. On Saturday, Linville (6’0/200) had a hat-trick in his first career NA3HL game as Metro beat the Vengeance, 4-3. The three goals also included the game-winner. On Sunday, Linville chimed in with another goal and an assist in a 3-2 overtime loss. Linville was also a +3 on the weekend. “Lucas is a huge addition for us. In order for us to be a playoff contender, we have to have some offensive threats and that’s what Lucas brings to the table,” said Jets head coach Justin Quenneville. “He adds an entirely new element to the team and we feel he is going to be doing some big things for us.”
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Scott Cuthrell, forward, Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks – Anders Franke, goaltender, Flint Junior Generals – Nick Gnagni, forward, Flint Junior Generals – Abram Prince, forward, Michigan Mountain Cats – Guy Soulliere, forward, Michigan Mountain Cats
South Division Star of the Week: Cam Choate, defenseman, Dallas Jr. Stars
Dallas defenseman Cam Choate, 19, helped the Jr. Stars to a weekend home split with Topeka. The 6’4/215 lbs. defenseman from Plano, Texas chimed in with three assists in the two games. On Friday, Choate assisted on two of the Jr. Stars three goals in a 5-3 loss. On Saturday, the physical defenseman picked up an assist on the game-winning goal as Dallas salvaged a weekend split with a 3-1 win. For the season, Choate leads all Dallas defenseman in scoring with 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists) in 22 games played. “Cam has been solid all season for us and he is a guy that sticks up for his teammates,” said Jr. Stars head coach Jason Deitsch. “For a bigger defenseman, Cam brings an offensive element, which allows him to contribute on a regular basis.”
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): None
West Division Star of the Week: Chris Amsden, goaltender, North Iowa Bulls
Of all the recent success the North Iowa Bulls have had, something that may have been lost in the mix is the impact the goaltenders have had. That was the case this weekend as 19-year-old netminder Chris Amsden led the Bulls to three straight wins in three consecutive nights. On Friday, the native of St. Peter, Minnesota made 23 saves in a 6-1 win at Twin City. On Saturday, Amsden (6’4/180) stopped all 19 shots that came his way for his third shutout of the season in a 5-0 win at Twin City. On Sunday, Amsden made 28 saves in a 5-2 home win over Alexandria. For the weekend, Amsden stopped 70 of a possible 73 shots. He ranks at the top of the NA3HL in save percentage (94.2%) and second in goals against average (1.50) “Chris has been really good for us and he makes the saves that we expect him to make,” said Bulls head coach Todd Sanden. “Momentum is a huge thing for our team and he allows us to keep the momentum going. He played really well and consistent for three games in three nights.”
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Brandon Anderson, forward, North Iowa Bulls – Brett Love, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks – Aidan Verbeke, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks
