NAHL alums shine in pro ranks
February 12, 2014
Not only did several NAHL alumni continue to be recognized by their respective NCAA Division I conference for their on-ice achievements this past week, but two alumni were honored in the ECHL this past week as well. Here is a look at the award winners:
Pat Nagle of the Idaho?Steelheads is the ECHL?Goaltender of the Week for the week of Feb. 3-9. The 26-year-old went 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and a save percentage of .968 in three appearances last week. Nagle has appeared in 28 games with the Steelheads this season posting a record of 15-10-3 with one shutout, a 2.54 goals-against average, which is 12th in the ECHL, and a .927 save percentage, which ranks third in the league.
During the 2006-07 season, Nagle played for the St. Louis Bandits in the NAHL. During that season, he along with current Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, led the Bandits to the Robertson Cup Championship. Nagle was named the NAHL Rookie of the Year and also named to the All-NAHL 2nd Team that season.
Nick Mazzolini of the Alaska Aces is the ECHL Player of the Week for Feb. 3-9. Mazzolini scored four goals, assisted on four others and was a +6 last week as the Aces swept three games against Stockton. A native of Anchorage,?Alaska, Mazzolini is tied for the team lead with 17 goals and ranks second on the Aces with 43 points, which is seventh in the league. He ranks fifth in the ECHL in plus-minus at +22. Mazzolini has tallied 234 points (101g-133a) in 244 career regular-season games with Alaska and has added 13 points (6g-7a) in 22 career games during the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Last season, he was named to the All-ECHL?Second Team after finishing tied for second in the league with 36 goals.
Mazzolini played two full seasons in the NAHL in 2003-04 and 2004-05. In 2003-04, he played for the Dayton Gems, Toledo IceDiggers and Texas Tornado. He would help Texas win Robertson Cup titles in both the 2004 and 2005 seasons and had 97 points in 85 career NAHL games.
Air Force freshman goalie Chris Truehl was named the Atlantic Hockey Association Rookie of the Week as he helped lead Air Force to a sweep of first-place Mercyhurst last weekend. Held the top-scoring team in the conference, and the seventh ranked offense in the nation, to just three goals in two goals. Posted a 1.50 GAA and a .951 saves percentage. On Friday, made 34 saves in the 5-3 win, the second most saves of his career. On Saturday, recorded his third shutout in the last 13 games as he stopped all 24 shots he faced. For the season, ranks second in the AHA among all goalie with a 1.96 GAA and is fourth with a .923 saves percentage.
Truehl spent the 2012-13 season with the Johnstown Tomahawks in the NAHL where he played in 38 games and posted a goals against average of 2.33 and a save percentage of 92.3%.
Ferris State University goaltender C.J. Motte, who yielded just one even-strength goal while backstopping the Bulldogs to a home-ice sweep over league rival Northern Michigan last weekend, has been named the WCHA Men's Defensive Player of the Week for Feb. 11, 2014. A 6-0, 190-pound junior from St. Clair, Michigan, Motte turned aside 58 of 60 shots on goal for a .967 series save percentage, posted four shutout periods, and blanked the Wildcats on eight of their nine power-play opportunities.Motte, who tops all league goaltenders with a 19-4-3 overall record and .788 winning percentage this season, is also second in overall save percentage at .927 and fourth in overall goals-against average at 2.25.
Motte played in the NAHL during the 2008-09 season for the Traverse City North Stars, appearing in 34 games that season.
St. Cloud State forward Nic Dowd was named the NCHC Offensive Player of the Week. Dowd powered St. Cloud State to a four-point weekend with four points of his own, scoring three goals and adding an assist against No. 15/15 Denver. In Friday’s 2-2 tie, he scored the game’s first goal early in the first period to put the Huskies in front, while putting four shots on target and posting +1 rating, as he was named the game’s third star. In Saturday’s 4-2 victory, the Los Angeles Kings prospect was named the game’s first star, tallying three points as he had a hand in all but one goal. Dowd scored two goals while assisting on the game-winner, as he helped erase a 2-0 deficit, scoring SCSU’s first goal and sealing it with an empty-netter, while his game-winning helper came in the third period to break a 2-2 tie. The senior posted an impressive +4 rating in Saturday’s win as well, as he finished the weekend with a +5 rating and seven shots on goal.
Dowd played in the NAHL during the 2008-09 season for the Wenatchee Wild and St. Louis Bandits. In 43 games played for Wenatchee, Dowd had 49 points. He tied for the Robertson Cup Playoffs scoring lead with 22 points as he helped the Wild to the Robertson Cup Championship game that season.
Notre Dame senior forward Bryan Rust was named the Hockey East Player of the Week. Just when it looked like the Irish might get swept at home by Maine, Rust struck twice, first with an extra attacker to tie the Black Bears, 2-2, at 18:52. Then he got the GWG 24 seconds later at 19:16 for the win. Rust also assisted on ND's only goal on Friday night.
Rust played in the NAHL during the 2008-09 season for the USNTDP team. In 42 NAHL league games, Rust had 15 points.
