NA3HL announces Bauer Divisional Stars of the Week
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending November 26, 2017. 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 eight divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Jarod Blackowiak, Forward, North Iowa Bulls
The North Iowa Bulls are back into first place in the Central Division and Jarod Blackowiak is a big reason why. The 18-year old from Eden Prairie, Minnesota helped the Bulls sweep the Wausau RiverWolves as he contributed three points in the series. Blackowiak registered two assists in North Iowa’s 5-1 victory on Friday night while he scored his sixth goal of the season, the game winner, in a 3-1 win on Saturday. The North Iowa forward was a plus-2 on the weekend.
2nd Star: Jake Joyaux, D, North Iowa Bulls
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): None
Coastal Division Star of the Week: Dylan Figueroa, Forward, Northeast Generals
Dylan Figueroa had the best weekend of the year as the Generals won a pair of games on Saturday and Sunday. In the victory over Cape Cod Saturday, Figueroa scored his sixth goal of the season and had an assist as the Generals won 7-3. Then on Sunday in a 6-3 win over Maine, Figueroa dished out four assists to finish the weekend with six points. In addition to his point production, the Plymouth, Massachusetts native was a plus-6.
2nd Star: Shayne Plummer, F, L/A Nordiques
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Stephen Toal, F, Northeast Generals
East Division Star of the Week: Sean Finstrom, Goalie, Lansing Wolves
Having two weeks off in the middle of November helped Sean Finstrom and the Lansing Wolves refuel their tanks as they swept the Southern Tier Xpress this past weekend. On Saturday, Finstrom turned aside 21 of 22 Southern Tier shots en route to a 3-1 victory. He followed that performance with an even better effort on Sunday. He made 33 saves in a 2-1 win. For the weekend, the native of Wixom, Michigan of .970 and a goals against average of 1.00.
2nd Star: Michael Schramm, F, Lansing Wolves
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): None
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Cole Stewart, Forward, Yellowstone Quake
The Yellowstone Quake’s offense exploded for 18 goals in two games this weekend as they went on to sweep the Gillette Wild. A big catalyst to that offense was Yellowstone leading scorer Cole Stewart. On Friday night, Stewart found the back of the net once and had three assists in a big win for the Quake. He then scored what could be the goal of the year in the NA3HL on Saturday night as he went on to notch a hat trick and add another assist. For the weekend, the Atlanta, Georgia native registered four goals and four assists to give him an eight point weekend and Star of the Week honors.
2nd Star: Ricards Groskops, D, Helena Bighorns
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jake Boje, F, Bozeman Icedogs – Ben Kottmeier, F, Helena Bighorns – Jack Moore, F, Yellowstone Quake
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Braden Stewart, Forward, Peoria Mustangs
The veteran forward had himself a very good weekend as the Mustangs swept the Evansville Jr. Thunderbolts over the weekend. On Saturday night, Stewart scored a goal and assisted on two others. Then on Sunday afternoon, he scored two more goals to increase his season total to 10 as the Mustangs won in overtime. Stewart now has 20 points on the year which ranks him second on Peoria.
2nd Star: Jake Cox, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Blake Finley, D, Peoria Mustangs – Kyle Kowalski, F, Evansville Jr. Thunderbolts – Hunter Muzzillo, D, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Northeast Division Star of the Week: Josh Mitchell, Goalie, Niagara Falls PowerHawks
Josh Mitchell made a great first impression with his new team as he posted back-to-back wins for the Niagara Falls PowerHawks. The Buffalo, New York native picked up a 37 save win in his season debut for Niagara Falls, allowing just one goal. The following day, he almost matched those numbers, this time stopping 31 shots and allowing one goal. Mitchell finished the weekend with a 1.00 goals against average and a save percentage of .971.
2nd Star: Andrew Logar, F, Niagara Falls PowerHawks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Steven Kozikoski, G, Oswego Stampede – Ben White, G, Oswego Stampede
South Division Star of the Week: Dakota Davis, Forward, Texas Brahmas
Davis, 20, had plenty to be thankful for in the Texas Brahmas’ weekend sweep of the College Station Spirit. On Saturday, he scored a pair of goals and a pair of assists in the Texas win. He was even better the next day as he once again scored twice and picked up three assists in another Brahma victory. He had a rating of plus-4 on the weekend.
2nd Star: Mitch Dolese, D, Louisiana Drillers
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jaxon Bombardir, D, Texas Brahmas – Gunner Moore, D, Atlanta Capitals – Dillon Steh, F, Atlanta Capitals – Griffin Varricchio, G, Louisiana Drillers
West Division Star of the Week: Ryan Kenny, Goalie, New Ulm Steel
The New Ulm Steel are red hot and it’s no surprise their young goaltender is too. Ryan Kenny continued his strong play as he has now won five consecutive starts. This week, the naive of Fort Lauderdale, Florida stopped 25 of 27 shots in a victory over the Willmar Warhawks. Then on Saturday, the 18-year old was a brick wall against the defending champion Granite City Lumberjacks. Kenny stopped all 40 shots thrown his way as he picked up his second shutout of the season.
2nd Star: Zach Martin, D, Willmar Warhawks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Cole Buhl, F, Granite City Lumberjacks – Max Oelkers, F, Willmar Warhawks – Hunter Schwehr, F, Granite City Lumberjacks
