NAHL announces Bauer Divisional Stars of the Week
Honors this week go to Bismarck forward Nick Alexander (Central), Johnstown forward Nick Bruce (East), Fairbanks goalie Erik Gordon (Midwest) and Wichita Falls forward Ricky Carballo (South).
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending February 26, 2017. The Bauer Hockey Divisional Stars of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2016-17 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: Nick Alexander, forward, Bismarck Bobcats
The Bismarck Bobcats got themselves back into the Central Division playoff race with a much-needed sweep of the Aberdeen Wings in Bismarck. Forward Nick Alexander, 18, had a big weekend, recording four points (2 goals, 2 assists) and going +3 in the sweep. On Friday, the native of Dallas, Texas, had the game-winning goal in a 4-2 win. On Saturday, Alexander (6’1/175) had a goal and two assists in a 5-4 shootout win. For the season, Alexander has 26 points in 46 games. “Nick has been a great veteran leader this year. We need those type of guys at this time of year, so for him to step up this past weekend and get us two big wins at a crucial point in the season was a big boost to the team,” said Bobcats head coach Layne Sedevie.
2nd Star: Nick Altmann, F, Minnesota Wilderness
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Alex Adams, F, Minot Minotauros – Carson Dimoff, F, Aberdeen Wings – Jesse Farabee, F, Minnesota Wilderness – Gage Mackie, F, Aberdeen Wings – Jared Resseguie, F, Bismarck Bobcats – Reid Stefanson, F, Minot Minotauros
East Division Star of the Week: Nick Bruce, forward, Johnstown Tomahawks
Johnstown forward Nick Bruce, 20, led his club to a weekend home sweep of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights. The 6’2/178 lbs. native of Fall River, Nova Scotia, had two goals and a shootout goal in the sweep. On Friday, Bruce scored twice in a 4-3 win. On Saturday, he had a shootout goal in a 3-2 shootout win. So far this season, Bruce, who is competing in this week’s Top Prospects Tournament, is 2nd in team scoring with 45 points in 46 games played. “Nick continues to be a guy that seemingly leads the way for our club every weekend. With a shorthanded lineup he stepped up his game and played inspired hockey. Contributing two goals in our come-from-behind win on Friday and then a big shootout goal in Saturday's win was a catalyst for our success. I am extremely excited to see how he performs this week at Top Prospects and I am hopeful that he will get the recognition I feel he deserves as a quality NCAA Division I prospect,” said Johnstown head coach Mike Letizia.
2nd Star: Vinnie Purpura, G, Johnstown Tomahawks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): None
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Erik Gordon, goaltender, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
The Fairbanks Ice Dogs continued their hot play and march up the NAHL Midwest Division standings with a weekend road sweep in Springfield against the Jr. Blues. Starting and winning both games was newly acquired goalie Erik Gordon. The 18-year-old from Duluth, Georgia, allowed just one goal all weekend on 83 shots as the Ice Dogs picked up two more wins. On Friday, Gordon (5’10/160) stopped all 39 shots for his second shutout of the season in a 3-0 win. On Saturday, he made 43 saves in a 3-1 win. Gordon, who joined the Ice Dogs earlier in February after a trade from Lone Star, has a perfect 4-0 record so far with Fairbanks this season. “Erik is a very good, young goalie who gives us great depth at the position. We are very fortunate right now that we are getting great play from both our goalies and it gives our players a lot of confidence to know they are playing this well,” said Fairbanks head coach Trevor Stewart.
2nd Star: Kevin Dineen, F, Coulee Region Chill
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Hampus Eriksson, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Jordan Greenfield-Flemon, G, Springfield Jr. Blues – Ryan Liebold, F, Springfield Jr. Blues – Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup, F, Coulee Region Chill
South Division Star of the Week: Ricky Carballo, forward, Wichita Falls Wildcats
Wichita Falls Wildcats leading scorer Ricky Carballo, 19, helped his club to a weekend home sweep of the Amarillo Bulls. The 5’10/185 lbs. native of Keller, Texas, had two goals, one assist and a +3 rating during the weekend. On Friday, Carballo had a goal in a 3-0 win. On Saturday, he had a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win, which completed the weekend sweep. For the season Carballo is averaging a point per game with 37 points in 37 games played. “Ricky has been very productive for us all year. He is rounding out his game to be a complete player and is going to be a guy we rely on heavily down the stretch,” said Wildcats head coach Josh Nelson.
2nd Star: John Roberts, G, Shreveport Mudbugs
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Nikita Babintsev, G, Amarillo Bulls - Cam Burggrabe, G, Corpus Christi IceRays – Cameron Cook, F, Shreveport Mudbugs – Griffin Loughran, F, Corpus Christi IceRays – George Mika, F, Amarillo Bulls – Steven Tillie, F, Wichita Falls Wildcats
