USHL Player Honors - Week 1

Press Release

The United States Hockey League today announced the CCM and Reebok player awards for the opening week of the 2012-13 USHL regular season.

Award winners include Vince Hinostroza of the Waterloo Black Hawks, named CCM Forward of the Week; Daniel Renouf of the Youngstown Phantoms, selected as CCM Defenseman of the Week; and Alex Sakellaropolous of the Chicago Steel who earned honors as Reebok Goaltender of the Week.
Hinostroza scored five points (3g, 2a) and recorded a plus-four rating to lead the Black Hawks to a pair of opening weekend victories.  In a rematch of last season’s Clark Cup Final series, he scored the game-winning goal in the 4-3 win against Green Bay.  With his team trailing 4-2 on Saturday, he scored a pair of goals in a span of less than three minutes during the second period to spark an 8-4 comeback win over Sioux Falls.  The 18-year-old also dished out two assists in the contest.  Hinostroza is a native of Bartlett, Illinois and is playing his third USHL season.  He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2012 NHL Draft this summer.

Renouf netted two goals and posted a plus-five rating in leading the Youngstown Phantoms to two wins to start the season.  He fired in the game-winning goal with just over two minutes to play in the third period of Friday’s 5-3 win against Omaha.  The following night, he capped the Phantoms comeback when he tallied the winning goal 1:38 into overtime of the 4-3 victory over Des Moines.  Renouf, 18, is a native of Pickering, Ontario and competing in his second USHL season.  His two goals during the weekend already surpass his total of one goal he scored in 58 games last season for the Phantoms.

Sakellaropoulos backstopped the Chicago Steel to a pair of victories, compiling a 2.00 goals-against-average and .952 save percentage to lead the team to their first 2-0-0 start since the 2009-10 season.  He made 35 saves, including 19 in the second period, of the opening night 3-2 win against Indiana.  On Saturday, the 18-year-old stopped a USHL career high 44 shots in the 4-2 victory over Tri-City.  It is the second USHL season for the native of Tinley Park, Illinois after earning eight victories for the Steel last year.


 (Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)