NAHL announces Easton Hockey Divisional Stars of the Week
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Easton Hockey for the week ending January 25, 2015. The Easton Hockey Divisional Stars of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2014-15 regular season that honors the top performing players in each of the four NAHL divisions. Only players that are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the Divisional Players of the Week award.
Central Division Star of the Week: Alex Jasiek, forward, Austin Bruins
The addition of new forward Alex Jasiek, 19, has paid immediate dividends for the Austin Bruins, who have won all four games since his arrival and ramped up their offense in the process. That was evident against this past week as the St. Louis, Missouri native led his new team to two more wins, both over the Brookings Blizzard. Jasiek (5’9/160) totaled three points during the week, which including two goals (both game-winners) and an assist. On Wednesday, Jasiek scored the lone goal of the game, which came midway through overtime as the Bruins beat Brookings, 1-0. On Friday, Jasiek scored another game-winning goal and added an assist in a 6-3 road win in Brookings. In four games with the Bruins this season, Jasiek has six points and is a +5. “Alex has been a great addition to our team. He has great hockey sense and patience with the puck. Alex also does a great job of making the players around him better,” said Austin head coach Chris Tok.
2nd Star: Jon Lizotte, D, Minot Minotauros
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jake Howie, F, Minot Minotauros – Jake Kielly, G, Austin Bruins – Oscar Odd, F, Brookings Blizzard – JM Piotrowski, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Hunter Shepard, G, Bismarck Bobcats – Andrew Shortridge, G, Aberdeen Wings
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Jesper Ohrvall, forward, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Fairbanks Ice Dogs forward Jesper Ohrvall, 20, made quite the return to the line-up this past weekend as the Ice Dogs posted a home split with the Wenatchee Wild. The native of Halmstad, Sweden, accounted for almost the entire offense generated in the two games as Ohrvall (5’9/170) totaled seven points in the nine goals scored by Fairbanks during the weekend, which included six goals from Ohrvall. On Friday night, Ohrvall had four goals and an assist for a five-point game in a 7-1 win. On Saturday night, he scored both goals in a close 3-2 loss. In just nine games this season with the Ice Dogs, Ohrvall has points, including 12 goals. “It was good to get Jesper back in the line-up and he had a really nice weekend. He was able to find himself in areas where he could use his skills,” said Fairbanks head coach Trevor Stewart.
2nd Star: Tyler Andrews, D, Kenai River Brown Bears
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Sam Becker, D, Minnesota Magicians - Maurin Bouvet, F, Kenai River Brown Bears – Connor Bucsis, F, Minnesota Magicians – Brett Heikkila, F, Minnesota Wilderness – Patrick Munson, G, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Darian Romanko, F, Minnesota Wilderness
North Division Star of the Week: Alex Smith, defenseman, Janesville Jets
Janesville Jets defenseman Alex Smith, 19, helped his club to a weekend home sweep of the Johnstown Tomahawks to increase their North Division lead to 21 points. The native of Brownstown, Michigan, was a factor in both games, which included wins of 4-2 and 6-3. Smith (6’0/190) totaled four points in the two wins and was a +2. On Friday night, Smith picked up an assist on the go-ahead goal in the 4-2 win. On Saturday night, Smith picked up three assists, all in the 3rd period, including setting up the game-winning goal in a 6-3 win over the Tomahawks. For the season, Smith leads all Jets defensemen in scoring with 31 points in 41 games played. His 31 points is also tied for 3rd in scoring among all NAHL defensemen. “I thought Alex had a great weekend. We were down in both games, but there wasn’t any panic from a guy like Alex, which really showed his veteran leadership and his maturity on the ice. He made things happen at important times and played well at both ends of the ice and that is all we can keep asking for,” said Jets head coach Joe Dibble.
2nd Star: Trevor Cope, F, Soo Eagles
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Niko Dellamaggorie, G, Springfield Jr. Blues – Evan Feno, F, Janesville Jets – Matt Jones, F, Keystone Ice Miners – Michael Maiden, F, Keystone Ice Miners – Chase Matson, F, Soo Eagles – Anthony Scarsella, D, Springfield Jr. Blues
South Division Star of the Week: Matej Tomek, goalie, Topeka RoadRunners
Topeka goalie Matej Tomek, 17, was his usual, solid self this past weekend as the 1st place RoadRunners increased their lead in the South Division with a home sweep of the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. The native of Bratislava, Slovakia, started and won both games, running his season record to 20-3-1. For the weekend, Tomek stopped 57 of 59 shots, while allowing just one even-strength goal. On Friday, Tomek (6’3/180) stopped all 25 shots that came his way for his league-leading 6th shutout of the season in a 6-0 win. On Saturday, the North Dakota recruit stopped 32 of 34 shots and then stopped all five shooters in the shootout in a 3-2 win. For the season, Tomek leads in the NAHL in goals against (1.59) and shutouts (6), is tied for the league-lead in wins with 6 and is 3rd in save percentage at 93.5%. “Matej was sold in each start this weekend. He held us in it early on Friday, and Saturday he closed the door and allowed us to win in a shoot out. His maturity in net has been fun to watch and he is a highly competitive individual,” said Topeka head coach Scott Langer.
2nd Star: Tanner Lomsnes, F, Corpus Christi IceRays
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Austin Beaulieu, F, Wichita Falls Wildcats – Michael Bullion, G, Wenatchee Wild – Anthony Cortese, D, Corpus Christi IceRays – Mike Coyne, F, Wenatchee Wild – Trent Dillinger, F, Amarillo Bulls – Jasen Fernsler, F, Topeka RoadRunners – Ben Jentsch, D, Amarillo Bulls – Jake Townsend, D, Wichita Falls Wildcats
