NA3HL announces Bauer Divisional Stars of the Week
Honors go to Austin Lewis (Wisconsin), Martins Vitolins (Long Beach), Adrian Morales (Toledo), Riley Holwegner (Gillette), Alex Werdmuller (St. Louis), Ryan Reifler (Binghamton), Sascha Figi (Atlanta), and Caleb Anderson (Alexandria).
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) announced today the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending December 4, 2016. The divisional stars of the week are an award given each week of the regular season to the top performing players in each of the eight divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Austin Lewis, forward, Wisconsin Whalers
With points in every game, Austin Lewis strung together an eight-point weekend for Wisconsin. Hailing from Rockford, IL, the Whalers forward had two power-play goals, and racked up a +3 rating. “It's great to see things coming together for Austin. His hard work on and off of the ice is paying off, ” said Head Coach Tom McDermott.
2nd Star: Steven Mordini, defenseman, North Iowa Bulls
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Connor Boscaccy, forward, Wisconsin Whalers – Hunter Dolan, forward, La Crosse Freeze – Donny Schultz, forward, La Crosse Freeze – Brendan Studioso, forward, North Iowa Bulls
Coastal Division Star of the Week: Martins Vitolins, forward, Long Beach Sharks
Adding two more games to his season-long (28 games) point streak, Long Beach forward Martins Vitolins collected seven points this weekend on the road. Vitolins had both game-winning goals this weekend for the Sharks. The Riga, Latvia native also included a short-handed goal and a +3 rating in his weekend stats. “Martins had a very good weekend, not only on the scoresheet, but also in his physical play. He has continued to improve his play every week,” said Head Coach Mike Stanaway
2nd Star: Tyson Gudaitis, forward, New England Stars
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Chuck Costello, forward, Cape Cod Islanders – Leevi Kervinen, forward, East Coast Minutemen – Oskar Lindberg, forward, Long Beach Sharks – Anton Zemba, goaltender, Cape Cpd Islanders
East Division Star of the Week: Adrian Morales, goaltender, Toledo Cherokee
Goaltender Adrian Morales stood strong net for the Cherokee on Saturday night, making 41 perfect saves for a 1-0 shutout win. The Monroe, MI native played 65 minutes through the night, and went on to take Toldeo’s win in the shootout. “Adrian was the difference Saturday night. He played great for us, and was the reason we were able to win in the shootout, ” said General Manager and Head Coach Kenny Miller.
2nd Star: Cam Williams, forward, Pittsburgh Vengeance
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Ethan Resetar, forward, Toldeo Cherokee – Brian Tallieu, goaltender, Metro Jets – Mathias Tellstrom, forward, Metro Jets
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Riley Holwegner, forward, Gillette Wild
Continuing his six-game point streak, forward Riley Holwegner racked up seven points for the Wild at home this weekend. The Bismarck, ND native had two goals and five assists, and finished the weekend at +8. “Riley has played great for us this year. This weekend he took control with 7 points and was +8 on 11 combined goals for our team. Riley has continued to get better for us throughout the year and he's a big part of our team,” said Head Coach Brendon Hodge.
2nd Star: Nick Ottenbacher, goaltender, Yellowstone Quake
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jesse Johnson, defenseman, Great Falls Americans – Sandis Mezharups, forward, Great Falls Americans – Jack Oberg, forward, Gillette Wild
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Alex Werdmuller, forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Forward Alex Werdmuller gave the St. Louis Jr. Blues an offensive push this weekend, gathering four points through two games. The Laguna Hills, CA native register two power-play goals and finished the weekend +1. “Alex had a solid weekend. While being down 2-0 on Sunday, Alex scored two goals to get us back in the game. His efforts helped propel our team to a come-from-behind win,” said General Manager and Head Coach Chris Flaugher.
2nd Star: Ryan Edgar, forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): none
Northeast Division Star of the Week: Ryan Reifler, forward, Binghamton Jr. Senators
Extending his point streak to 16 games, forward Ryan Reifler brought the heat this weekend at home. The Binghamton, NY native put up 13 points (3 goals and 10 assists) and was +13 for the Jr. Senators. Reifler had one power-play goal on Saturday night. “Ryan had an outstanding weekend. He came up with major contributions on the score sheet to lead us to two wins,” said Assistant Coach Nick Perri.
2nd Star: Dom Bogdziul, forward, Binghamton Jr. Senators
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): none
South Division Star of the Week: Sascha Figi, forward, Atlanta Capitals
Atlanta’s Sascha Figi led the way this weekend, grabbing four points and standing at +4 for the Capitals. The Kloten, Switzerland native contributed a power-play goal amongst this points for the Capitals’ weekend split. “Figi dominated the weekend for us, helping us to a split with Nashville,” said Assistant Coach Jason Smith.
2nd Star: Remy Kesling, forward, Euless Jr. Stars
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Travis Brain, forward, Point Mallard Ducks – Jesse Brown, forward, Atlanta Capitals – Anthony Chavez, forward, Euless Jr. Stars – Jake Cox, forward, Point Mallard Ducks - Santeri Seppinen, goaltender, Louisiana Drillers – Brandon Vukasin, forward, Louisiana Drillers
West Division Star of the Week: Caleb Anderson, forward, Alexandria Blizzard
Sioux Falls, SD native Caleb Anderson rallied the Blizzard with five points over the weekend. The forward contributed two goals, three assists and was +3 through two games. Anderson also found the back of the net on the power play for Alexandria. “Caleb had a great weekend. He led our team in scoring, and was a great leader on and off ice this past weekend,” said Head Coach Jeff Crouse.
2nd Star: Brey Effertz, goaltender, Alexandria Blizzard
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Mac Berglove, goaltender, Granite City Lumberjacks – Jordan Olson, defenseman, Granite City Lumberjacks – Ken Toriumi, forward, Willmar WarHawks
