NA3HL announces Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending January 20, 2019. The divisional stars of the week are awards 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: Justin Schwartzmiller, F, Wisconsin Whalers
Wisconsin picked up a pair of divisional wins over the weekend to stay on track in their battle with Peoria for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central. Schwartzmiller spearheaded the Whalers’ attacking efforts with a pair of assists and a +3 rating against Wausau on Thursday, followed by two goals – including the game-winner in overtime – in a 4-3 upset of second-ranked Milwaukee. Schwartzmiller now boasts four consecutive multi-point performances and has potted 10 goals in his last five outings.
2nd Star: Brandon Ratzloff, F, Coulee Region Chill
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jeff Bishop, D, Wisconsin Whalers – Will Baginski, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Mikael Foucher, G, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Thomas Magnavite, F, Coulee Region Chill
Coastal Division Star of the Week: Cade Lambdin, F, Long Beach Sharks
As the Sharks split a weekend back-to-back with Skylands, Lambdin made his mark with two points in each contest, stretching his personal point streak to eight games with 13 points in that span. The Newport, MI native logged a pair of assists and went +2 in an 8-5 loss on Friday before helping Long Beach rebound with two goals in a 6-5 win over the Kings on Saturday. The goals were Lambdin’s first in his last four games, but pushed his season total to an impressive 24 in just 31 games.
2nd Star: None
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): None
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Gage Thompson, F, Gillette Wild
Thompson and the Wild had a field day on offense over the weekend, dropping Yellowstone in two games by a combined 15-3 as the Valley City, ND native logged six points across the two games. Friday saw Thompson score once and set up two goals, while Saturday featured a two-tally effort from the forward to go with another helper. Thompson has now scored in four straight games, part of a run of 11 goals in seven games for him.
2nd Star: Christian Ward, F, Missoula Jr. Bruins
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Connor Frye, D, Missoula Jr. Bruins – Connor Fuchs, D, Bozeman Icedogs – Luke Hartge, F, Yellowstone Quake – Jens Juliussen, F, Great Falls Americans – Jacob Kaminski, F, Gillette Wild – Mikael Levokari, G, Bozeman Icedogs – Jack Olson, F, Great Falls Americans – Dylan Rumpke, F, Yellowstone Quake
Northeast Division Star of the Week: Steven Ford, F, Skylands Kings
Ford entered last week already hot with points in three straight, and kept the good times rolling with six more in two games en route to a split with Long Beach. Ford turned in his second straight 2g, 1a performance on Friday to lead Skylands to an 8-5 win before playing setup man on Saturday with three assists in a 6-5 loss. Ford’s now-five-game point streak has seen him record 11 total points, including three straight three-point performances.
2nd Star: Thomas Liebold, F, Binghamton Jr. Senators
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Dylan Saccone, F, Skylands Kings
South Division Star of the Week: Blake Siewertsen, F, Louisiana Drillers
The Drillers battled to a pair of wins over Mid Cities in a three-game set last weekend as the top teams both continue to jockey for position in the South. Siewertsen featured heavily for Louisiana, posting five points across the three-game span that saw him net the game-winning goal in both of the Drillers’ victories. The Kentwood, MI native also bagged another goal and two assists, as well as a cumulative +3 rating in the tough divisional matchups.
2nd Star: Josh Linn, F, Mid Cities Jr. Stars
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Blake Campbell, D, Mid Cities Jr. Stars – Mitch Dolese, D, Louisiana Drillers
West Division Star of the Week: Kyle Hayden, G, Alexandria Blizzard
Hayden turned in two titanic efforts between the pipes over the weekend for Alexandria, backstopping the Blizzard to a pair of upset wins over Rochester with 49 saves on 51 total shots and a shutout. On Friday, Hayden and the Blizzard topped the Grizzlies 3-2 with the netminder turning aside 32 of 34 pucks for the win. Saturday was even more impressive, as Hayden stopped all 17 Grizzlies shots to pick up his third shutout of the campaign – and second in his last three starts – and lift Alexandria to a 3-0 victory.
2nd Star: Jacob Berkowitz, F, Breezy Point North Stars
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Gunner Bourassa, D, Breezy Point North Stars – Zack DeBoom, F, Granite City Lumberjacks – Tucker Kruse, Alexandria Blizzard – Grant Troumbly, F, Granite City Lumberjacks
