Press Release
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the
Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Combat Hockey for the week
ending December 16, 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: Blake Cates, goaltender, Coulee Region Chill
Currently on the outside looking in the Central Division
playoff race, the Coulee Region Chill needed points this weekend in
their series with Aberdeen and that’s what they got as they rode
goaltender Blake Cates to a weekend home sweep of the Wings. Cates, 18,
started and won both games as the native of Stillwater, Minnesota, put
together his best back-to-back games of the season. For the weekend,
Cates (6’1/210) allowed just two goals on a total of 79 shots, which was
good for a 97.4% save percentage. On Friday, Cates made 36 saves in a
6-1 win over the Wings. The next night, Cates was even better as he
made 41 saves in a 3-1 Chill win. Despite having a .500 record of 6-6-2
this season, Cates ranks 5th in the NAHL in save percentage this season
with a 92.5% mark. “Blake was backbone of success for us this past
weekend and really has done it the entire year,” said Chill head coach
John Hamre. “He is a great player to coach and an outstanding person on
top of that and he has worked hard to become a legitimate Division I
prospect. It was an intense series with some valuable points on this
line. He had outstanding rebound control the entire weekend and was
poised and calm in every situation.”
2nd Star: Andy Faust, forward, Coulee Region Chill
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Drew Anderson, forward, Austin Bruins – Evan Hesse, forward, Brookings Blizzard – Tyler Parks, goaltender, Minot Minotauros – Cameron Rowat, forward, Minot Minotauros – Brandon Wahlin, forward, Austin Bruins.
North Division Star of the Week: Tyler Marble, goaltender, Soo Eagles
With a weekend sweep of the Janesville Jets, the Soo Eagles
have moved into a tie for 1st place in the North Division. Backstopping
the Eagles this weekend was veteran goaltender Tyler Marble. The
20-year-old Lake Superior State recruit, allowed just a single goal in
the two-game sweep as he stopped 78 of a possible 79 shots, which was
good for a 98.7% save percentage over the weekend. On Friday, the
native of Howell, Michigan, stopped all 38 shots that came his way in a
3-0 shutout win. For Marble (6’1/180) it was his 4th shutout of the
season. On Saturday, he made 40 saves in a 2-1 win over the Jets.
Marble’s save percentage of 94.6% leads the NAHL this season and he
ranks 2nd in shutouts. “Tyler was at his very best this weekend and had
very good rebound control,” said Eagles head coach Bruno Bragagnolo.
“Friday night, he was phenomenal. Our guys still had their bus legs to
start the game and he was awesome in the beginning and really kept us in
the game early. Saturday, he played his best hockey late in the game
to secure the win for us. It really didn’t matter the time or
situation, he was just great this weekend.”
2nd Star: Collin Brennan, goaltender, Johnstown Tomahawks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Taylor Burden, forward, Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings – Mike Fazio, forward, Springfield Jr. Blues – Brett Skibba, forward, Springfield Jr. Blues – Matthew Uvodich, forward, Port Huron Fighting Falcons – Jared Van Wormer, forward, Soo Eagles – Bryan Yim, forward, Port Huron Fighting Falcons.
South Division Star of the Week: Mike Davis, forward, Amarillo Bulls
In a tight-checking, low-scoring series between the Bulls and
the RoadRunners this past weekend in Topeka, it was Amarillo forward
Mike Davis who stood out amongst the crowd. The 19-year-old from
Newark, Delaware, had three of Amarillo’s six total goals over the
weekend, as the Bulls posted a weekend road sweep of Topeka to increase
their South Division lead to four points. On Friday, Davis (5’11/180)
scored both of the Bulls goals in regulation as they eventually won 3-2
in overtime. On Saturday, Davis scored Amarillo’s first goal of the
game in a 3-1 win. He was also a +2 during the weekend. For the
season, Davis ranks 2nd on the Bulls roster in scoring with 30 points in
29 games played. Most impressively however, is that he ranks 1st
overall in the NAHL with a +33 plus/minus rating. “Mike has really come
into his own this year. He understands fully what playing two-way
hockey is about and has really improved to become an elite player at
this level,” said Bulls head coach Dennis Williams. “He is a perfect
example of a player that has made the most of his opportunity and is
really starting to step up on the big stage.”
2nd Star: Josh Racek, forward, Odessa Jackalopes
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Ryan Cole, forward, Amarillo Bulls – Lawrence Cornellier, forward, Odessa Jackalopes – Sean Gaffney, forward, Topeka RoadRunners.
West Division Star of the Week: Robert Nichols, goaltender, Wenatchee Wild
Wenatchee goaltender Robert Nichols, 20, keeps winning and so
do the Wild. The two have gone hand-in-hand the past two seasons and
this weekend was no exception. The native of Dallas, Texas, was in goal
for two more wins over the weekend as the Wild swept West rival Fresno
to keep their West Division lead at four points and hang on to the best
record in the NAHL. Nichols (5’10/177) didn’t start on Friday, but
after two quick Fresno goals in the first two minutes of the game he was
quickly inserted in goal and promptly stopped every shot from that
point on as Wenatchee came from behind to win 3-2 in a shootout with
Nichols making 17 saves. On Saturday, the University of Connecticut
recruit got the start and responded with 15 saves in a 4-1 win. For the
weekend, Nichols stopped 32 of 33 shots for a 96.9% save percentage.
His 17 wins and 1.80 goals against average both rank 2nd in the NAHL
this season. “I thought Robbie was calm and composed as usual,” said
Wild head coach Bliss Littler. “Fresno had a lot of momentum going on
Friday after their start and Robbie came in and settled things down. I
think the team plays with a certain type of confidence when he is in
goal because they feel like they can take certain chances knowing he is
there to back them up.”
2nd Star: Chandler Madry, forward, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Zack Rall, defenseman, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Evan Schmidbauer, forward, Wenatchee Wild.
(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)
KOTP Ep. 184 – The Final 15
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