NA3HL Announces Stars of the Week
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) is pleased to announce the Divisional Stars of the Week for the week ending in December 8th. 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 five divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Albert Ancinec, Goaltender, Peoria Mustangs
Albert Ancinec and the Peoria Mustangs picked up an enormous win on Friday evening as they defeated the Rochester Grizzlies by a score of 2-0. The ‘05 netminder from Bel Air, MD not only earned his first win of the season but his first shutout of his junior career as he turned away all 56 shots he was faced with. This 56 shot total the most action Ancinec has seen to date during his rookie season and his performance between the pipes was astounding against the 3rd place team in the division.
“Albert was very focused and in control. He never cracked under pressure,” stated Peoria Head Coach Luke Gruden.
2nd Star: Quinn O’Connor, West Bend Power
3rd Star: Isaac Flatley, Rochester Grizzlies
East Division Star of the Week: Liam Schaentzler, Forward, Northeast Generals
Liam Schaentzler and the Northeast Generals had themselves a great weekend, completing a weekend sweep over the New Jersey Titans. The first-year Generals forward had his best weekend to date, racking up a total of five points throughout the series. Schaentzler kicked things off on Friday by scoring his first hat trick of the season, scoring one goal in first period and two goals in the third, including one shorthanded tally. He would follow up this fantastic performance by finding the back of the net once more in addition to notching one assist on Saturday. With this weekend’s five points, the Queens, NY native has 28 points in 22 games, claiming the title as top scorer for Northeast.
“Liam has been outstanding both on and off the ice. He has improved dramatically under Coach Locke and has really taken his game to a new level,” stated Northeast General Manager Bryan Erikson. “His compete level, timely scoring and big play ability is incredibly impressive and such a big reason for the turnaround after a slow start for the team. We look forward to his continued improvement and seeing him shine in MN at the showcase next week!”
2nd Star: Tyler Hamlin, Binghamton Buzz
3rd Star: Alec Dahlvang, Long Beach Sharks
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Devin Bruns , Forward, Bozeman Ice Dogs
Devin Bruns and the Bozeman Ice Dogs picked up a huge four points in the standings this weekend after defeating the Great Falls Americans and Butte Irish. The Ice Dogs rookie began the two game set by scoring the second goal for Bozeman during their eventual 4-3 victory over the Americans at the 16:22 mark of the first period. Bruns would go on to have his second five-point game of the season netting a hat trick in addition to dishing out two assists. Of his three goals, one was scored in the first while the other two were tallied back to back during the final frame. Overall, the Chicago, IL native finished with a plus-minus of +5 and now leads Bozeman in scoring with 36 points in 24 games.
“Devin has been working very hard on and off the ice, so it doesn’t surprise us that he has been producing,” said Bozeman Head Coach Mike Perkins. “He is really starting to develop chemistry with his line-mates Spencer Wilkinson and Baron Masopust.”
2nd Star: Max Arlt, Gillette Wild
3rd Star: Jason Hammett, Helena Bighorns
South Division Star of the Week: Joey Crowley, Forward, Texas Brahmas
Joey Crowley and the Texas Brahmas swept their three game set with the El Paso Rhinos as the Romeoville, IL native went on an offensive tear. During Saturday night’s tilt, Crowley had his best game to date this season, posting a whopping eight points. The Brahmas three-year veteran scored a total of four goals, a pair during the first, in addition to one goal in the remaining two periods while notching four assists. The Brahmas final game of the weekend was a closer contest but Crowley still found his way onto the scoresheet scoring a shorthanded goal as well as tallying one helper. With 10 points on the weekend in addition to a plus-minus of +9, Crowley is the third overall scorer for not only the Brahmas but the NA3HL as a whole with 51 points in 25 games.
“Crow has been great for us all season but we’re ecstatic he’s getting some recognition for the work he put in this past weekend,” stated Brahmas Head Coach Chad Bailey. “I’m lucky to have a guy like Crow, a warrior on and off the ice, and someone I trust to lead our team as our captain. We hope the success he has had continues and we get to watch him lead our team the rest of the way.”
2nd Star: Guhnar Hillman, Austin Ice Bats
3rd Star: Brody Neish, Louisiana Drillers
West Division Star of the Week: Marcus Fritel, Forward, Mason City Toros
Marcus Fritel was absolutely dominant yet again for the Mason City Toros, earning himself back to back Weekly. The Toros faced off with the Willmar WarHawks for a trio of games, the Elk River, MN native aiding his team to victory during the first two contests. During Friday’s 5-1 victory, Fritel scored his second consecutive hat trick, one goal coming in the first and a pair of goals being scored in the middle frame. Not only did he net these three goals, one being the game winner, Fritel dished out an assist, picking up four out of five possible points on the day. On Saturday, the NA3HL veteran scored the game winner at the 16:41 mark in the first period in addition to assisting the final goal for the Toros. With another stellar weekend, Fritel continues to be the most dominant and consistent producer for Mason City with 35 points in 24 games, two of his four game winning goals coming from this series.
“Marcus continues to produce and give us a chance to win every night. He leads by example on and off the ice and that makes everyone’s job much easier, including mine,” stated Mason City Head Coach Mark Hicks.
2nd Star: Marcus Olson, Alexandria Blizzard
3rd Star: Luke Steffen, Minnesota Moose
