NA3HL announces monthly player awards for December
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) has announced its monthly player awards for the month of December. The Easton Hockey NA3HL Forward of the Month is Austin Wisely from the Peoria Mustangs. The Easton Hockey NA3HL Defenseman of the Month is Evan Mills from the North Iowa Bulls. The Vaughn NA3HL Goaltender of the Month is Alec Rounds from the Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks. Only players who are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the NA3HL monthly awards.
Easton Hockey NA3HL Forward of the Month: Austin Wisely, Peoria Mustangs
Thanks to a 6-2 record in the month of December, the Peoria Mustangs are right in the thick of the NA3HL Central Division playoff race. Forward Austin Wisely, 18, was at the forefront for the team during the month as the native of Chillicothe, Illinois, accumulated 17 points (8 goals, 9 assists) in the eight games played and was a +7. Wisely (5’10/200) registered at least a point in all eight games during the month, which also included five multi-point games. Wisely had four, three-point games during December and currently leads the team in scoring with 38 points in 29 games played. Wisely was also called up to the NAHL to play for the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees at the end of the month and into January, where he totaled one point in three NAHL games. “Austin has been great player for us all year and last month he stepped his game up and showed how dominant of a player he really is and with that, earned a call up to the NAHL,” said Peoria head coach Tyler Renette.
Runner-Up: Nils Markgren, Pittsburgh Vengeance
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Joe Costello, Breezy Point – Brandon Desrosiers, Southern Tier Xpress – Alex Egle, Twin City Steel – Trey Gardner, North Iowa Bulls – Ryan Martin, Wisconsin Whalers – Dallas Marvin, Granite City Lumberjacks – Blake McIntyre, Dallas Jr. Stars – Brandt Miller, Helena Bighorns – Bryce Mitzel, Gillette Wild – Kyle Rimbach, Topeka Capitals – Tyler Seltenriech, Chicago Jr. Bulldogs – Mykyta Sheptytsky, Texas Jr. Brahmas – Hunter Smith, La Crosse Freeze – Dakota Ulmer, West Michigan Wolves – Pearce Vance, Metro Jets
Easton Hockey NA3HL Defenseman of the Month: Evan Mills, North Iowa Bulls
As North Iowa rolled to a 7-1 record and 1st place in the NA3HL’s West Division during the month of December, the addition of defenseman Evan Mills, 19, really paid off for the team. The native of Shawnee, Kansas, had a great month, recording 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in the eight games played, along with a +8 rating. Mills (6’1/192) recorded at least a point in six of the eight games played during the month, which included two multi-point games and a game-winning goal. In a win over Minnesota on December 20th, Mills had a goal and three assists for a four-point night. He also scored the game-winning goal in a win over Bozeman at the NA3HL Showcase back on December 9th. For the season, Mills has scored 19 points in 20 games with the Bulls. Mills began the season playing in the NAHL for the Soo Eagles where he recorded one goal in seven games played. "Evan is a defenseman that brings the full package. He skates well, snaps passes hard and accurate. He is also a physical presence and brings offense to our team. He has one of the hardest wrist shots I have seen for some time which has been effective for us on the power play,” said North Iowa head coach Todd Sanden.
Runner-Up: Nick Trefry, Helena Bighorns
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Dan Addie, Wisconsin Whalers – Mathias Ahman, Twin City Steel – Jared Bromberg, La Crosse Freeze – Andrew Cooley, Topeka Capitals – Tobias Gabrielsen, Southern Tier Xpress – Travis Hall, Dallas Jr. Stars – Tyler Mros, Granite City Lumberjacks – Nick Nitta, Texas Jr. Brahmas – Lance Pennington, Gillette Wild – Corey Siwula, West Michigan Wolves – Michael Straub, Pittsburgh Vengeance – Sean Viti, Breezy Poitnt North Stars – Austin Ziakas, Peoria Mustangs
Vaughn NA3HL Goaltender of the Month: Alec Rounds, Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks
Although he did not play in a large amount of games during the month of December, the ones that Cleveland goalie Alec Rounds did play it were made worthwhile by the veteran netminder. The 20-year-old native of Laguna Beach, California, played in three of Cleveland’s five games during the month as the Lumberjacks posted a 4-1 record. Rounds (6’2/187) posted a perfect 3-0 record during the month, while allowing just three goals in the process. He faced 104 shots and made 101 saves, which was good for a .97 goals against average and a 97.1% save percentage. On December 8th, Rounds made 44 saves in a 4-1 win over Nashville. On December 9th, he made 19 saves in a 5-0 shutout of Glacier and on December 21st he made 38 saves in a 3-2 shootout win over Toledo. Rounds ranks 5th in the NAHL in save percentage at 93%. “As a team we have been playing better the last two months. Alec has played very well consistently during this time. He is playing the way we thought he would when we traded for him last August,” said Cleveland head coach Bob Jacobson.
Runner-Up: Alex Feese, Gillette Wild
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Tommi Ahlgren, North Iowa Bulls - Brian Baker, Pittsburgh Vengeance – Anthony Galliart, Dallas Jr. Stars – Jesse Garcia, Granite City Lumberjacks – Cody Gibson, Southern Tier Xpress – Robbie Goor, Twin City Steel – Jaxson Gosnell, Breezy Point North Stars – Chris Johansen, Wisconsin Whalers – Kameron Limburg, Metro Jets – Jacob Pelton, Topeka Capitals – Nic Piech, Peoria Mustangs – Denijs Romanovskis, Bozeman Icedogs – Chase Stanford, West Michigan Wolves – Andrew Wagner, La Crosse Freeze
About Easton
Easton Hockey continues to rank atop the industry in sticks and gloves and is growing faster in skates than any other company. It also offers a comprehensive collection of protective gear including helmets and pants. To learn more, go to www.eastonhockey.com
About Vaughn
Vaughn is the official Goaltending Equipment Partner to the NAHL and serves as the Preferred Goaltending Equipment Supplier of the NA3HL and NAPHL. Founded in 1982, Vaughn became one of the first major hockey production companies to use multiple foam layers in equipment. As strictly a goalie equipment company, the main focus for Vaughn is the innovation and quality of their product. Visit Vaughn online at: www.vaughnhockey.com
