Alumni Update: Former NAHLers Skating to Weekly Honors Across Five Conferences
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is proud to recognize multiple alumni earning recognition on the NCAA Division I ranks. This week saw multiple weekly honors and standout performances from former players in the League of Opportunity.
CCHA Weekly Honor
Goaltender of the Week: Lassi Lehti, Minot Minotauros
The Minnesota State netminder dominated for the Mavericks over the weekend, posting a CCHA-best 1.01 goals-against average and a .962 save percentage. The former Tauro recorded a 23-save shutout on Saturday night, helping to lift his team to a weekend split against Northern Michigan. Between the two games, Lehti turned aside 51 out of 53 shots against the Wildcats.
ECAC Weekly Honor
Goaltender of the Week: Shane Soderwall, Anchorage Wolverines
The Clarkson netminder stood tall in the blue paint for the Golden Knights this past weekend. Starting on Friday night, the former Midwest Division player turned aside 22 out of 24 shots, recording a .917 save percentage and a victory between the pipes against Union. Moving into Saturday night, the former Wolverine raged in the crease, recording his second shutout of the year with a 31-save performance against RPI. During the weekend set, Soderwall did not allow any even-strength goals, lifting his team to back-to-back victories. He ends his weekend with a .964 save percentage and a 1.50 goals-against average. Soderwall is an example of the Ladder of Development in the NAHL. Prior to joining the Anchorage-based club, the Illinois native played for the Rochester Grizzlies in the NA3HL.
Hockey East Weekly Honor
Co-Player of the Week: Nick Ring, New Jersey Titans
The New Hampshire Wildcat forward spotlighted a five-point weekend, logging two goals and three assists for his team. On Friday night, Ring tallied the game-winning goal and recorded an assist in his team’s victory over UMass Lowell. Ring continued to show up on the scoresheet for the Wildcats and on Saturday night the former Titan recorded a goal and two helpers in his team’s 5-4 overtime win. His offensive prowess at critical moments was on display in the contest as his tally on Saturday was scored at a momentum shifting moment, helping the University of New Hampshire take a 4-3 lead. Ring would then go on to provide the assist on the overtime game-winner. The former New Jersey skater tied for the team lead with a plus-three rating on the week. In addition, Ring has been a consistent force on the scoresheet, recording at least one point in nine of his last 10 games.
Atlantic Weekly Honor
Defenseman of the Week: Aiden VanRooyan, Bismarck Bobcats
The former Central Division skater held down the blue line as Sacred Heart swept Canisius this weekend. VanRooyan got his weekend started with a game-winning tally on Friday night. He stole the puck off a Golden Griffin’s stick and raced down the ice to find twine with 3.2 seconds on the clock in the middle frame. Moving into Saturday night, the former Bobcat recorded an assist for the Pioneers, helping to lift his team to a 5-2 win. In addition, the South Dakota native posted a +3 rating from the set.
B1G Weekly Honor
Second Star of the Week: Gavin Morrissey, Austin Bruins
The University of Wisconsin captain records his second straight five-point weekend for the Badgers. The Michigan native logged five assists across the two contests, contributing to five of the seven goals scored by Wisconsin. On Saturday night, the 23-year-old made four consecutive assists in the Badgers’ 6-0 win over Minnesota. Right now, the former Bruin spotlights the second-best faceoff percentage (67.5) in the country amongst players with at least 50 draws. Morrissey is coming off being named the B1G Third Star of the Week.
The five former NAHLers above are not the only players to have impressive weekends across Division I college hockey. Starting in the Atlantic, Dominik Wasik stood tall in the blue paint for the Air Force Academy. The former Johnstown Tomahawks netminder recorded his first shutout of the season with a 25-save performance against Army-West Point on Saturday night.
Joining him with a dominating performance in the crease was former Lone Star Brahma Jack Spicer on Friday and Saturday night. The Sacred Heart netminder recorded a weekend sweep in net over Canisius. He turned aside a total of 60 out of 64 shots across the two matchups, posting a .938 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average. Spicer currently rides a three-game win streak with the Pioneers.
Joining his former Lone Star teammate in having an impressive weekend in the AHA was Saxton Tess, a freshman skater at Bentley. The former Robertson Cup champion recorded his first goal of the season in overtime fashion for the Falcons on Friday night. Alongside his game-winning marker, Tess recorded an assist to give him his first multipoint game of the year.
We now look to the ECAC, where two former skaters made an impact on the scoresheet. First was Chris Pelosi, a former forward for the Janesville Jets. The Sewell, New Jersey, native carried the goal-scoring for Quinnipiac on Friday night as he recorded a hat trick in the Bobcats’ 4-1 win over Cornell. Moving into Saturday, the 21-year-old logged two assists in Quinnipiac’s 4-3 overtime victory against Colgate. The former Midwest Division skater skated to a five-point weekend for the Bobcats.
Staying in the ECAC, Brandt Dubey made an impact from the blue line on Friday night for Colgate. The former Watertown Shamrock recorded two assists, helping to lift his team to a 5-2 win over Princeton.
