Press Release
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the
Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Combat Hockey for the week
ending September 30, 2012. The Divisional Stars of the Week is a weekly
feature during the 2012-13 regular season that honors the top
performing players in each of the four NAHL divisions as nominated by
their respective teams.
Central Division Star of the Week: Drew Weigman, goaltender, Brookings Blizzard
It was quite a week for Brookings goaltender Drew Weigman, 18.
The native of Arnold, MD, stopped 71 of a combined 73 shots in a
weekend home-and-home sweep of their rival, the Aberdeen Wings. Weigman
stopped 34 of 36 shots on Friday in Brookings home opener, which was a
3-2 win over the Wings. On Saturday, Weigman (6’1/185) was even better
as he stopped all 37 shots in a hostile environment in Aberdeen in a 2-0
shutout win. “Drew has earned the #1 spot and has played even better
since we gave him that role. We had some penalty problems in each game
and he really made some big saves during the penalty kills. He really
came to play at the start of the second game in Aberdeen and allowed us
to hang in there,” said Blizzard head coach Cory Laylin.
2nd Star: Jay Dickman, forward, Austin Bruins
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Josh Bretner, defenseman, Austin Bruins – Lucas Oliver, forward, Minot Minotauros – Brandon Parker, defenseman, Brookings Blizzard – Ryan Ruck, goaltender, Minot Minotauros.
North Division Star of the Week: Max Milosek, goaltender, Port Huron Fighting Falcons
Port Huron is in 1st place in the North Division with an 8-2
record, thanks in large part to the play of this week’s star, goaltender
Max Milosek, 19. The native of Lapeer, MI, won both games this past
weekend in a home-and-home series with 2nd place Kalamazoo, stopping 61
of a combined 63 shots. On Saturday, Milosek made 27 saves in a 4-1 win
at home. On Sunday, Milosek (5’10/175) was even better in Kalamazoo,
as he made 34 saves in a 5-1 win. Milosek leads the NAHL in wins with
seven. “Max has been so solid all year and really stabilizes our team.
We have been outshot a number of times and he has kept us in there and
gives us a chance to win every night. We would not be in 1st place if
it weren’t for Max. He really stepped it up with the rivalry and games
this weekend against Kalamazoo,” said Port Huron head coach Steve
Shannon.
2nd Star: Michael Covach, forward, Soo Eagles
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Alex Baskakov, defenseman, Springfield Jr. Blues – Nate Chasteen, forward, Springfield Jr. Blues - Jason Ford, forward, Janesville Jets – Cameron Heath, defenseman, Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings – Bryan Kronberger, defenseman, Janesville Jets – Alex Taulien, forward, Soo Eagles - Bryan Yim, forward, Port Huron Fighting Falcons.
South Division Star of the Week: Kyle Sharkey, forward, Topeka RoadRunners
Sharkey, 20, had one of the best offensive weekends of the year
so far in the NAHL as the native of Moore, OK, registered seven points
(4 goals, 3 assists) in a weekend road sweep against the Corpus Christi
IceRays. Sharkey’s best performance of the weekend came on Friday when
he had a hat-trick (including the game-winning goal) and two assists for
a five-point night in an 8-4 win. The next night, Sharkey (5’8/175)
had a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over the IceRays. Sharkley leads
the team in scoring with 10 points in seven games played so far this
year. “We had been struggling to score, so the burst of offense led by
Kyle was great. Kyle put the team on his back and really set the tone
the first night. Kyle is all about team and doesn’t care about the
individual numbers. As a third year player, he has paid is his dues and
has improved to be a very good player,” said Topeka head coach Scott
Langer.
2nd Star: Sean Gaffney, forward, Topeka RoadRunners
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Perry D’Arrisso, forward, Corpus Christi IceRays – Tyler Deresky, forward, Amarillo Bulls – Sam Johnson, defenseman, Amarillo Bulls – Hunter Leisner, goaltender, Texas Tornado – CJ Reuschlein, forward, Texas Tornado – Mason Wyman, forward, Odessa Jackalopes.
West Division Star of the Week: Robert Nichols, goaltender, Wenatchee Wild
Nichols, 20, was the glue behind Wenatchee’s weekend road sweep
in Bismarck as the Wild remained perfect on the season. The Dallas,
TX, native stopped a combined 31 of 32 shots over the weekend as the
Wild shut down the Bismarck offense. On Friday, Nichols (5’10/177) had
to make 14 saves in a 3-1 win. On Saturday, Nichols was set for a night
off, but after two quick Bobcats goals, Nichols was put in goal and
shut the door for the rest of the 56+ minutes stopping all 17 shots that
came his way. Nichols has a perfect 5-0-0 record so far this season.
“Robbie makes the saves we need him to make to keep us in games. He
came in on Saturday and changed the momentum from the moment he got into
the game. He is taking his success from last year and building upon it
this year and we are excited to have him back in goal,” said Wenatchee
head coach Bliss Littler.
2nd Star: Nick Hinz, defenseman, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Chris Kerr, forward, Wenatchee Wild – Devin Loe, forward, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Matt Seidel, forward, Kenai River Brown Bears.
(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)
Monday, October 1, 2012
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