NA3HL announces Easton Hockey Divisional Stars of the Week
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Easton Hockey for the week ending January 17, 2016. 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 six divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Jared Bromberg, defense, La Crosse Freeze
The La Crosse Freeze winning streak hit six straight games with a weekend road sweep of the Chicago Jr. Bulldogs. Defenseman Jared Bromberg, 20, had a huge weekend as the native of Rochester, MN, totaled eight points and was a +5 in the two wins. On Friday night, Bromberg (6’2/185) had two goals, including the game-winner and two assists in a 7-1 win. On Saturday, he had a goal and three assists in an 8-1 win. For the season, Bromberg leads the Freeze in scoring as a defenseman with 28 points in 30 games played. “Jared has been an integral part of our teams success thus far this season and this past weekend was no different. He continues to lead our defensive group on and off the ice. I look forward to seeing many more achievements from Jared,” said Freeze head coach Ryan Egan.
2nd Star: Peter Henderson, F, Wisconsin Whalers
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Marshall Barnes, F, North Iowa Bulls – Russ Barone, F, Wisconsin Whalers – David Johnson, G, North Iowa Bulls – Matt Wolter, D, La Crosse Freeze
East Division Star of the Week: Mathias Tellstrom, forward, Metro Jets
It was another incredible week for Metro Jets forward Mathias Tellstrom. The 19-year-old forward from Linkoping, Sweden, rolled out seven points in a weekend road sweep of the West Michigan Wolves this past week. On Wednesday, Tellstrom (6’2/196) had a hat-trick and three assists in an 11-1 win. On Saturday night, Tellstrom chimed in with an assist in a 5-1 win over the Wolves. In his last five games, Tellstrom has 20 points and in 27 games played overall this season he has recorded 45 points. “Mathias has played very well since the break and his line has been a dominant force of late. His work ethic shows every shift and his high end skill set makes him a threat every time he touches the ice,” said Metro head coach Justin Quenneville.
2nd Star: Kam Limburg, G, Metro Jets
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jacob Stack, G, Pittsburgh Vengeance – James Unger, D, Pittsburgh Vengeance – Tyler Zalecki, F, Toledo Cherokee
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Chris Nicolai, forward, Billings Bulls
Billings forward Chris Nicolai, 19, has made is 10 games in the NA3HL with Billings count, and this past weekend was no exception. The native of Fairbanks, AK, led the Bulls to just their second weekend sweep of the season as he racked up 10 points in two road wins in Glacier against the Nationals. Nicolai (5’10/170) began the weekend with a hat-trick and two assists in a 7-5 win on Friday over the Nationals. The next night, he duplicated the same feat of three goals and two assists and added the game-winning goal, in another 7-5 win over Glacier. In just 10 games with the Bulls, Nicolai has 22 points this season. “Chris had a solid weekend of hockey. I think on paper we can all see that, but Chris really took care of the details in his own end defensively that provided him and his line mates offensive chances. Chris really contributed in both of our games and it was great to see him take charge on our Friday night game. He provided a lot of strong leadership in our locker-room,” said Billings head coach Mike Richardson.
2nd Star: Lauren Massie, G, Great Falls Americans
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Ricards Bernhards, F, Great Falls Americans – Kegan Couture, F, Bozeman Icedogs – Ryan Daugherty, F, Helena Bighorns – Tristan Henrichs, F, Billings Bulls – Gunnar Mogck, F, Bozeman Icedogs – Adam Ranck, G, Helena Bighorns
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Daniel Dunaway, forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues
The St. Louis Jr. Blues ran their winning streak to seven straight games with a weekend road sweep in Evansville and forward Daniel Dunaway, 18, was the latest forward to step up. The native of St. Louis, MO, had five points and was a +3 in the two wins. On Friday night, Dunaway (5’9/165) recorded two goals and an assist in a 7-0 shutout win. On Saturday, he scored two more goals, including the game-winner, in an 8-5 win over the Thunderbolts. Dunaway is 5th in team scoring this season with 37 points in 30 games played. “For the past couple months Daniel has stepped up to become a major contributor to our offense. This past weekend with top goal-scorer Frankie Melton called up to the NAHL and second leading goal scorer, Alex Klaesner out with an illness, Daniel stepped up big time and scored some crucial goals to help our club win two games this weekend,” said Jr. Blues head coach Chris Flaugher.
2nd Star: Jacob Friedman, F, Cincinnati Thunder
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Ezekiel Estrada, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Anthony Iacollo, F, Peoria Mustangs – Lorenzo Santiago, F, Peoria Mustangs
South Division Star of the Week: Matt Darnell, forward, Point Mallard Ducks
Point Mallard cruised to a weekend home sweep of the Louisiana Drillers and forward Matt Darnell played a vital role. The 18-year-old native of Pelham, AL, recorded four points in the two wins to keep the Ducks in the South Division title hunt. On Saturday, Darnell (6’2/170) had the game-winning goal and an assist in a 9-1 win and on Sunday, he had two assists in an 8-0 win. Darnell was also a +6 in the two wins. In 30 games played this season, he has recorded 12 points, seven of which have come in his last four games. “Matt had a tremendous all around weekend. He was very good in the defensive end and his play led to several scoring opportunities. He has a great work ethic and he is very hard to play against,” said Point Mallard head coach Tom Winkler.
2nd Star: Luca Valenza, F, Sugar Land Imperials
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Artrus Lauitkis, F, Atlanta Capitals – Josh Martin, G, Point Mallard Ducks – Phil Pugliese, F, Atlanta Capitals
West Division Star of the Week: Logan Norman, forward, Alexandria Blizzard
Thanks to a weekend home-and-home sweep of the Rochester Ice Hawks, the Alexandria Blizzard were able to continue to solidify a playoff position in the West Division. Forward Logan Norman, 19, put up some great numbers in the two-game sweep as the native of Luverne, MN, had six point and was +6 in the two wins. On Friday, Norman (6’2/190) had two assists in a 6-0 home shutout and on Saturday, he had two goals and two assists in an 8-3 road win. For the season, Norman is 3rd on the team in scoring with 31 points in 31 games played. “Logan is kid who works hard on and off the ice and it has really showed in his game as of late. He's a physical forward that also has some skill to go along with his toughness. He's a veteran player that has really stepped up his game so far the second half of the season,” said Alexandria head coach Jeff Crouse.
2nd Star: Tanner Skaja, F, Granite City Lumberjacks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Matt Flom, F, Granite City Lumberjacks
