NA3HL announces Combat Hockey 3 Stars of the Week
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Three Stars of the Week presented by Combat Hockey for the week ending November 11, 2012. The three stars of the week is an award given each week of the regular season to the top performing players in the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
1st Star: Drew Otto, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks
The Granite City Lumberjacks posted two more wins over the weekend, and points leader Drew Otto, 18, kept the ball rolling and was able to again lead the offense. The native of Menomonie, Wisconsin, had six points (2 goals, 4 assists) over the weekend as the Lumberjacks on a pair of road games. On Friday in Alexandria, Otto (5’11/180) had the game winning shootout goal in a 3-2 win over the Blizzard. On Sunday, Otto had a goal and four assists in an 8-2 win at Twin City. He was also a +6 over the weekend. He is currently riding a 15-game point streak and is 3rd in the NA3HL in points with 29. “The past couple of weeks had been tough, so it was nice to see him and his line break out this weekend,” said Granite City head coach Brad Willner. “They found ways to score, so hopefully that will continue. Drew works very hard and is rewarded for that with the number of points he is able to put up.”
2nd Star: John Arms, defenseman, Michigan Mountain Cats
Michigan defenseman John Arms, 19, was a one-man show this past weekend as he not only brought his defensive game to the show, but also displayed his offensive side. The native of Davison, Michigan, had five points this past weekend (4 goals, 1 assist) as the Mountain Cats split a pair of games against Toledo. Arms (5’11/170) began the weekend with a hat-trick in a 5-3 loss at Toledo on Friday night. He followed it up with a one goal, one assist performance on Saturday in a 3-0 shutout against the Cherokee. Arms was also +4 on the weekend, showing his attention to defense. “I thought that John put on a great, all-around performance this weekend,” said Chad Grills, Michigan’s head coach. “He was able to transition nicely from defense to offense and create opportunities for himself and his teammates.”
3rd Star: Andrew Palushaj, forward, Metro Jets
It was a big weekend for Metro forward Andrew Palushaj, 19, and the Metro Jets as they picked up two wins. The native of Livonia, Michigan, had a six-point weekend (2 goals, 4 assists) to help the Jets beat Flint and Battle Creek. On Saturday, Palushaj had a goal and four assists as the Jets beat Flint, 8-2. On Sunday, Palushaj (6’0/200) had the game-winning goal in a 9-3 win over Battle Creek. Palushaj has 17 points in 12 games played so far this season and has recorded at least a point in his last nine games. “Andrew has really stepped his game up the last month and it really came to a peak this weekend,” said Metro head coach Jason Cirone. “He played some good hockey and took advanatge of his opportunities, which is what good players do.”
Honorable Mention (alphabetical order): Eric Behrend, forward, North Iowa Bulls – Tyler Berry, forward, Three Rivers Vengeance – Spencer Craig, goaltender, Michigan Mountain Cats – Connor Crowe, forward, Toledo Cherokee – Devin Fracassi, defenseman, Queen City Steam – Mike Gambino, forward, Metro Jets – Cody Guidorzi, forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues – David Heflin, goaltender, Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks – Jake Howie, forward, Flint Jr. Generals – Jake Leon, goaltender, Quad City Jr. Flames – Kyle Meeh, defenseman, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Calvin Miska, forward, Twin City Steel – Joe Moza, goaltender, North Iowa Bulls – Spencer Peratalo, defenseman, Alexandria Blizzard – Zac Sikich, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks – Henry Smith, forward, Queen City Steam – Michael Stumpf, goaltender, Minnesota Flying Aces – Vincent Susi, defenseman, Three Rivers Vengeance – Colten Thiel, defenseman, Quad City Jr. Flames – Blake Williams, forward, Minnesota Flying Aces.
