NAHL Alumni Update

December 3, 2015

Berrafato was outstanding in net as he went 3-0-0 on the week with a .944 save percentage and a 1.31 goals against average as he made 67 saves out of 71 shots on net. He posted his first collegiate shutout in the win versus AIC before Thanksgiving, tallying 24 saves. Then on Friday in the 5-2 victory versus Niagara he posted 22 saves, while in the 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday he had 21 saves. Berrafato played in the NAHL for the Amarillo Bulls for two seasons from 2012-14.

 

Kopacka helped lead Air Force to a series split with cross-town rival Colorado College. He had a career-best three assists in Friday's 4-3 win, assisting on the first three goals of the game. Kopacka was +1 on the night and also blocked one shot. On Saturday, he had one assist for a four-point series. Kopacka played in the NAHL for the Port Huron Fighting Falcons from 2012-14. He also is an alum of the NAPHL having played in the league for the Detroit Falcons and Motor City Metal Jackets from 2009-11.

 

McAdam t urned aside all 30 shots he faced as Penn State defeated Vermont Sunday in Philadelphia.  He registered the first shutout by a Nittany Lion since Feb. 14, 2014 and improved to 6-1-0 on the season and earned his third straight victory. He claims his second career weekly award and first since Jan. 13, 2015 (Third Star). McAdam played in the NAHL for the Austin Bruins during the 2010-11 season.

 

Racine earned his second career shutout on Friday, stopping 33 shots in a win over Dartmouth. He turned aside five of six shots on Saturday before having to leave the game with an injury. He improved to 3-1-0 in his last five starts with a .930 save percentage and 1.98 goals-against average during that stretch. He earns his fourth career weekly award and first since March 3, 2015 (First Star). Racine played in the NAHL during the 2010-11 season for the Chicago Hitmen.

 

Madsen earned Shillelagh Tournament MVP honors after making 59-of-60 saves over two games against Notre Dame and Rensselaer to help Harvard win the tournament. He was a brick wall versus Rensselaer, finishing with 31 saves, including five on a 5-on-3 penalty kill situation to preserve his third shutout of the season. He is 5-0-0 this season and has only allowed three goals, while recording a .979 save percentage. Madsen played in the NAHL during the entire 2013-14 season for the Minot Minotauros.

 

Zink helped UMass Lowell to capture the inaugural Friendship Four Tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland with a pair of goals and an assist. In Friday's semifinal, Zink netted the overtime winner against Northeastern in league. Saturday, Zink assisted on a second-period strike before scoring the only goal of the shootout to secure the Belpot Trophy. Zink is a two-year NAHL veteran, having played for the Brookings/Alexandria Blizzard and Jamestown Ironmen from 2011-13.

 

Poolman was productive at both ends of the ice for the Fighting Hawks, leading North Dakota to a road sweep of Michigan State. The Winnipeg Jets prospect compiled three points in the two games while also helping anchor a UND penalty kill that finished the weekend 8-for-9. In Friday’s 3-1 victory, Poolman scored his first goal of the season just 1:35 into the game to put the Fighting Hawks up for good. He also blocked two shots in the win and was plus-1 while UND’s penalty kill was a perfect 3-for-3. Two days later in the series finale, Poolman handed out assists on each of North Dakota’s first two goals of the game, both in the first period, with his second helper setting up the game-winning goal. He was named the game’s third star Sunday and posted a plus-2 rating while helping UND’s penalty kill go 5-for-6. The Fighting Hawks defense surrendered just one goal in each game to MSU while Poolman finished the weekend with a plus-3 rating, two blocked shots and five shots on goal to go with his three points. Poolman played in the NAHL for the Wichita Falls Wildcats during the 2011-12 season.

 

Bradley continued his strong start to his rookie campaign with a pair of points in a series split with crosstown rival Air Force. On Friday, Bradley scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season unassisted on the power play early in the third period to tie the game at 3-3 in an eventual 4-3 loss. He also fired four shots on goal in the defeat. The next night Bradley helped the Tigers earn their first win of the season as he handed out an assist on a power play goal midway through the second period that tied the game at 2-2, before CC scored twice in the third period to take the 4-3 victory. Bradley finished the weekend with a goal and an assist, as well as four shots on goal, while helping the Tigers’ power play go 3-for-5 in the series as he had a hand in two of the three power play markers. Bradley played in the NAHL during the 2013-14 season for the Wenatchee Wild.

 

Pawloski remained undefeated (5-0-2) during his rookie collegiate campaign, backstopping Minnesota State to a home sweep of Alaska Anchorage. The freshman from Omaha, Neb. posted a 1.00 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage, stopping 36-of-38 shots. Pawloski turned aside all 12 shots in a 2-0 Mavericks' win Friday to earn his first career shutout, and then had 24 saves in a 6-2 victory Saturday. He also helped keep the Seawolves' scoreless in seven power play chances over the weekend. Pawloski played in the NAHL for the Austin Bruins during the 2012-13 season and also in the NAPHL for the Omaha 16U team during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.

 

Former USNTDP and NAHL forward Patrick Kane was named the NHL’s #1 Star of the Month for November. Kane led the NHL with 15 assists and 23 points, registering at least one point in all 13 November games to guide the Blackhawks (13-8-3, 29 points) to a 7-3-3 month and third place in the Central Division. In doing so, Kane extended his point streak to 19 games dating to Oct. 17 (11-20-31), the longest such streak by a U.S.-born player in NHL history and the longest such streak by any player since 2010-11 (Sidney Crosby: 26-24-50 in 25 GP). Kane also established a career high with a seven-game goal streak Nov. 2-15 (7-9-16), the longest such run by any player since 2013-14. Overall, he recorded eight multi-point performances, highlighted by 1-3-4 Nov. 8 vs. EDM. The 27-year-old Buffalo native paces the NHL with 23 assists and 37 points and also shares second with 14 goals in 24 games this season. Kane played a total of 55 NAHL games during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.

 

While it was a lightly scheduled week for Bismarck Bobcat alumni at the collegiate level, three different alums all got the call to the American Hockey League--hockey's top minor league level: the Anaheim Ducks assigned Ryan Faragher (2009-11) to the San Diego Gulls; Ryan Massa (2009-10) signed a PTO with the Toronto Marlies; and Tony Turgeon (2007-09) signed a PTO with the Portland Pirates. It marks the most alumni the Bobcats have had at the AHL level or higher at any one time. For Faragher and Turgeon it is a return to the AHL; Faragher played 15 games for the Norfolk Admirals in 2014-15 while Turgeon made 23 appearances over the previous two seasons with the San Antonio Rampage. Massa--on his first career stint in the American League--made a big splash in his debut for the Marlies on Friday, turning away 16 of 17 shots to secure his first AHL win 3-1 over Syracuse to help keep the Maple Leafs affiliate in first place in the North Division. Faragher followed up his former tandem-mate's success the next night with 24 saves to help the Gulls to a 3-1 road win over the rival Ontario Reign. Turgeon signed with Portland on Tuesday morning, and will be available for the Pirates Friday when they visit divisional foe Providence.

 

Arizona Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have signed forward Ross Mauermann to an AHL contract with the Springfield Falcons after beginning the season on a Professional Tryout Contract. The 25-year-old Mauermann has collected 1-3-4 in 19 games with the Falcons this season. The 5-foot-9, 183-pound native of Janesville, WI is playing in his first professional season out of Providence College where he won the NCAA Championship last season. Mauermann is a two-year NAHL veteran, having played for the Janesville Jets from 2009-11 and also appeared in multiple NAHL Top Prospects Tournaments.