NA3HL announces Combat Hockey 3 Stars of the Week

November 6, 2012

The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Three Stars of the Week presented by Combat Hockey for the week ending November 4, 2012. The three stars of the week is an award given each week of the regular season to the top performing players in the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.

1st Star: Brycon Johnson, forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues
At 16-2-0, the St. Louis Jr. Blues currently boast the NA3HL’s best record. They picked up two more wins this past weekend over Quad City and the big contributor was 16-year-old forward Brycon Johnson. The native of St. Peters, Missouri, posted a five-point weekend (3 goals, 2 assists) as the Jr. Blues swept the Jr. Flames. In Saturday’s 7-2 win, Johnson had a goal and an assist and was a +4. In Sunday’s 6-1 win, Johnson (5’11/185) chimed in with two goals and an assist. The points in both games extended his point streak to seven straight games. In 12 games this season with the Jr. Blues, Johnson has 17 points and has recorded at least a point in all but one game. “Brycon has been able to be one of our more consistent players so far this season. That is rare for someone his age, but he has a lot of natural skill and is a very gifted player for being just 16-years-old,” said St. Louis head coach JP Beilsten.

2nd Star: Tyler Stepke, goaltender, Three Rivers Vengeance
Three Rivers Vengeance goaltender Tyler Stepke, 20, helped the team pick up two big wins in a weekend road sweep at Toledo against the Cherokee this past weekend. The native of Mars, Pennsylvania, stopped a combined 60 of 64 shots over the weekend, good for a 93.8% save percentage and a goals against average of 2.00. On Saturday, Stepke made 40 saves in a 5-4 win over Toledo. On Sunday, he stopped all 20 shots that came his way in a 6-0 shutout win over the Cherokee. Stepke (5’9/185) ranks in the Top 10 in NA3HL goaltending statistics for both save percentage (91.0%) and goals against average (2.86). “Tyler brings a veteran presence to the team. He really stepped up during the week in practice and has taken on a leadership role. He handles the puck better than any goalie I have seen and is very good on his angles,” said Vengeance head coach Brian Cersosimo.

3rd Star: Patrick Sivets, forward, North Iowa Bulls
The North Iowa Bulls took a big step forward this past weekend with their weekend home sweep of the division-leading Granite City Lumberjacks. Helping the cause was 20-year-old forward Patrick Sivets. The native of Medina, Minnesota, and St. Olaf College recruit recorded three goals, which included a power play goal, a shorthanded goal and an even-strength goal as the Bulls beat the Lumberjacks. Although held off the scoreboard on Friday nights, Sivets (6’1/185) helped the Bulls offense create 43 shots on goal in a 3-2 win. His game on Saturday night was one of the best of the season, as he recorded a hat-trick, scoring a goal in each period as the Bulls topped Granite City 5-3. Sivets has 12 goals to date, which ranks tied for 2nd in the NA3HL and he is third in team scoring with 14 points. “Patrick has a lot of speed and has really learned how to use it. He is very good at killing penalties and is really working hard this year so that when he goes to St. Olaf next season, he is at the top of his game,” said Bulls head coach Todd Sanden.

Honorable Mention (alphabetical order): Noah Anderson, defenseman, Twin City Steel – Alec Brandup, defenseman, Minnesota Flying Aces – Cody Guidorzi, forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Easton Halbert, forward, Quad City Jr. Flames – David Heflin, goaltender, Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks – Clayton Janecke, defenseman, Quad City Jr. Flames – Connor Langfield, defenseman, North Iowa Bulls – Thomas Leistner, defenseman, Three Rivers Vengeance – Sawyer Marshall, goaltender, Twin City Steel – Dominic Orlando, goaltender, Michigan Mountain Cats – Drew Otto, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks – Michael Parda, goaltender, Peoria Mustangs – Austin Sartorius, forward, Michigan Mountain Cats – Jared Sprink, forward, Minnesota Flying Aces – Aidan Verbeke, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks.