NA3HL announces Easton Hockey Divisional Stars of the Week
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Easton Hockey for the week ending November 22, 2015. 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 six divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Brett Gravelle, forward, North Iowa Bulls
Owning the league’s best record, the North Iowa Bulls rolled to two more wins this past weekend as they beat both La Crosse and Wisconsin in a pair of home games. Veteran forward Brett Gravelle, 19, again showed why he is one of the more talented players in the league as the native of Forest Lake, MN, recorded seven points and was a +2 in the two wins. On Friday, Gravelle (6’0/180) had two goals, including the game-winner, and added an assist in a 7-1 win over the Freeze. On Saturday, he had a hat-trick, which also included another game-winning goal, and added an assist in a 5-2 win over the Whalers. Gravelle’s 38 points in 16 games is tied for the NA3HL scoring lead. "Right now Brett is one of our hardest working forwards and producing at an astounding rate against good teams. La Crosse and Wisconsin both have goaltenders who are amongst the top in the league and he is finding ways to beat them,” said North Iowa head coach Todd Sanden.
2nd Star: Adam Orn, D, North Iowa Bulls
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Vaughn Clouston, F, Chicago Jr. Bulldogs – Will Graves, G, La Crosse Freeze – Peter Henderson, F, Wisconsin Whalers – Alex Johnson, F, Chicago Jr. Bulldogs – Max McConnell, G, Wisconsin Whalers
East Division Star of the Week: Dakota Ulmer, forward, West Michigan Wolves
The West Michigan Wolves got a shot in the arm thanks to a weekend home sweep of the Southern Tier Xpress. Forward and leading scorer Dakota Ulmer, 19, played a big role in the win as the native of Walled Lake, MI, had five points for the Wolves, which included three goals and two assists. On Saturday, Ulmer (5’8/160) had a goal and an assist in a 7-4 win and on Sunday, he had two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist in a 5-3 win. Ulmer currently leads the Wolves in scoring with 27 points in just 17 games played this season. With Dakota’s explosive speed he is an offensive threat every time he hits the ice. This weekend he led by example with his hard work and timely goals against Southern Tier,” said Wolves head coach Mark Lawrence.
2nd Star: Devin Farkas, F, West Michigan Wolves
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Marcus Gloss, G, Pittsburgh Vengeance – Nicholas Lyon, F, Pittsburgh Vengeance – Austin Turner, F, Toledo Cherokee
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Steven Marshal Frank, goalie, Bozeman Icedogs
Thanks to two more weekend wins, the Bozeman Icedogs moved into 3rd place in the Frontier Division and leading the way was goalie Steven Marshal Frank. The 20-year-old native of Pleasant Hill, CA, stopped 70 of 73 shots over the weekend as the Icedogs posted wins over Great Falls and Yellowstone. On Friday, Marshal Frank (5’8/155) made 26 saves in a 2-1 win over the division-leading Americans. On Saturday, he made 43 saves in a 4-3 road win in Yellowstone against the Quake. For the season, Marshal Frank is 2nd in the NA3HL in save percentage with a 94.3% mark and 6th in goals against average at 1.94. "Steven Marshal Frank has been so good in net for us this year and has helped in our success. He is very confident and has the confidence of our team behind him knowing every time he plays we have a chance to be successful. One of his goals is to be one of the best goalies in our League and he is showing that,” said Bozeman head coach Mark Vichorek.
2nd Star: Steven Nisbet, F, Bozeman Icedogs
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Blake Babineau, F, Helena Bighorns – Mason Graves, F, Billings Bulls – Gage Overby, G, Billings Bulls – Adam Ranck, G, Helena Bighorns
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Alex Werdmuller, forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Midwest Division-leading St. Louis posted a weekend road sweep of the Jr. Bulldogs this past weekend in Chicago. Rookie forward Alex Werdmuller, 17, had a big weekend as the native of Laguna Hills, CA, had six points and was a +7 in the two wins. On Saturday, Werdmuller (5’11/185) had the game-winning goal in a 9-1 win and on Sunday, he added two more goals, including his second straight game-winner, along with three assists in a 12-0 win. In 21 games played this season Werdmuller, who played with the Anaheim 16U team in the NAPHL last season, has 15 points. “Alex is a player that is making the transition from midgets to the junior game. Alex works extremely hard each week to get better and his hard work in both ends of the ice showed this past weekend. We were extremely pleased with his overall play in Chicago and look forward to seeing him continue his development and success with our club,” said St. Louis head coach Chris Flaugher.
2nd Star: Nicholas Ottenbacher, G, Nashville Jr. Predators
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Andrej Buchko, F, Peoria Mustangs – Jacob Friedman, F, Cincinnati Thunder – Jon Grimm, F, Evansville Thunderbolts – Michael Kelley, F, Evansville Thunderbolts – Thomas Kolaz, F, Peoria Mustangs – Trent Kulczyk, F, Nashville Jr. Predators – Joe Nolan, D, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Brenden Williams, F, Cincinnati Thunder
South Division Star of the Week: Ben Kraus, forward, Euless Jr. Stars
The Euless Jr. Stars took a big step in starting to climb the standings this past weekend as they picked up a weekend home sweep of the Louisiana Drillers. Forward Ben Kraus, 18, was huge for the team in the weekend wins as the native of Chesterfield, MO, recorded seven points and was +4 in the two wins. On Friday, Kraus (6’0/183) had a goal and three assists in a 7-2 win and on Saturday, he had three assists in a 5-3 win. Since coming to Euless from Helena earlier in the year, Kraus has 18 points in 15 games with the Jr. Stars and 20 points overall. “Ben is one of our hardest workers for our team. He is a great kid on the ice and even a better person off the ice. I'm excited to see where his hockey future goes. Overall just a great asset to our team,” said Euless head coach Don Babineau.
2nd Star: Cooper Seedot, G, Point Mallard Ducks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Matt Goodman, D, Point Mallard Ducks – Alex Johanson, F, Atlanta Capitals
West Division Star of the Week: Michael Piehler, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks
Although he played in just one game over the weekend, Granite City forward Michael Piehler made it count as the forward led the Lumberjacks to a 5-1 home win over the Breezy Point North Stars. The native of Plano, TX, had a hat-trick and an assist in the win and also was a +1. In 19 games with the Lumberjacks this season, Piehler (6’2/215) has 24 points. “Michael was clicking on all cylinders this past Saturday, especially on the power play. His heavy shot led to his point production. His play earned him a shot with the Austin Bruins this week. We wish him the best of luck,” said Lumberjacks head coach Brad Willner.
2nd Star: Alec Hooper, D, Breezy Point North Stars
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Matt Flom, F, Granite City Lumberjacks – Luc Kreuser, F, Twin City Steel – Tyler Larwood, F, Breezy Point North Stars
