Monreal, Mukovoz, Akatnov, Melso, Speights and McDermott end regular season on high note
DALLAS, TEXAS – The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending March 10, 2019. The divisional stars of the week are awards given each week of the regular season to the top-performing players in each of the six divisions of the NA3HL as nominated by their head coaches.
Central Division Star of the Week: Matthew Monreal, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Monreal tallied points in each of the Blues’ final three games to close the season on a seven-game point streak, notching 12 total points in three wins over Wausau. On Friday, he bagged his second hat-trick of the season – featuring the game-winning strike – and posted three helpers to mark his first game with five or more points this season. Saturday saw Monreal put up another goal and three assists, while Sunday featured a lighter one goal, one assist showing from the Wauwatosa, WI native. In total, Monreal led the Blues with 32-39—71 in 43 games during the regular season.
2nd Star: Brandon Ratzloff, F, Coulee Region Chill
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Connor Bennett, F, Peoria Mustangs – Zachary Eddington, D, Peoria Mustangs – Logan Geisness, F, Milwaukee Power – Brady Lindauer, F, Coulee Region Chill – Ryan Payne, D, Milwaukee Power – Jacob Wiethaupt, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues
Coastal Division Star of the Week: Dino Mukovoz, F, Long Beach Sharks
Looking to enter the Fraser Cup Playoffs on a high note, the Sharks faced a tough two-game test against Cape Cod last week. Mukovoz was massive in their win on Friday, tallying a whopping four goals in a 5-4 OT victory that saw him tie the contest with just 1:01 remaining in the game, then light the lamp for the game-sealing goal in the extra frame. Mukovoz then followed that up with an assist in Saturday’s loss to finish with 18-36—54 in 41 games this regular season, good for second among Long Beach skaters.
2nd Star: Danny Herrle, D, Long Beach Sharks
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): None
Frontier Division Star of the Week: Misha Akatnov, F, Missoula Jr. Bruins
Chasing history in the last weekend of the season, Akatnov etched his name into the NA3HL record books with back-to-back hat-tricks to set both the NA3HL all-time scoring record with 258 points and the NA3HL single-season goals record with 67. In addition, Akatnov posted two assists in both wins over Yellowstone last week. In total, Akatnov’s 67 goals led the entire NA3HL during the regular season, while his mark of 110 points (67g, 43a) ranked fourth among league skaters.
2nd Star: Garrett Peters, F, Great Falls Americans
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jack Harris, F, Yellowstone Quake – Hendrik Robel, D, Great Falls Americans – Dylan Rumpke, F, Yellowstone Quake – Gage Thompson, F, Gillette Wild – Coleman Varty, F, Gillette Wild – Vadim Zubkov, F, Missoula Jr. Bruins
Northeast Division Star of the Week: Eric Melso, F, Binghamton Jr. Senators
Notching 39 goals in two wins over Niagara Falls last week, Melso and the Senators look more than prepared for their upcoming playoff series against those same Powerhawks. Melso was a key cog in the Senators’ machine-like offense over the weekend, logging 11 points in those two contests and going +14. With 1-3—4 on Saturday and 2-5—7 on Sunday, Melso put up his 11th and 12th games of the year with four or more points. In total, Melso ranked third in the NA3HL with 39-75—114 during the regular season.
2nd Star: Josh Baker, F, Skylands Kings
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Jake Cicalese, F, Skylands Kings
South Division Star of the Week: Brandon Speights, F, Mid Cities Jr. Stars
We also saw a playoff preview in the South Division, as the Stars and Brahmas faced off in a three-game set to close out the campaign. Speights posted a goal and an assist across the two games on Thursday and Saturday as Mid Cities fell to Texas in both, but came alive to guide his team to a 5-4 win on Sunday with two goals and another helper for his fourth multi-goal game of the year. Speights closed out his year with points in eight of his last 10 outings to bring his season total to 20-12—32, good for fifth on the Stars.
2nd Star: Andrue Trelstad, F, Texas Brahmas
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Muchal Juscak, F, Mid Cities Jr. Stars
West Division Star of the Week: Jimmy McDermott, F, North Iowa Bulls
Entering the week with points in just one of his prior four outings, McDermott looked to piggyback off a strong outing on March 2 to head into playoff action on a good run. He did so in fine fashion, kicking off a two-game set against Peoria with his first hat-trick of the season and the game-winning goal to pace the Bulls’ 4-3 win on Friday. McDermott then scored again on Saturday to push his season total to 22-28—50 in 42 games this year, which ranked fourth among North Iowa skaters.
2nd Star: Oskar Stahl, F, Rochester Grizzlies
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Daymin Dodge, F, Granite City Lumberjacks – Dylan Giorgio, F, Alexandria Blizzard – Lucas Newman, F, Rochester Grizzlies – Joey Petronack, D, North Iowa Bulls – Cooper Smith, F, Granite City Lumberjacks
About the NA3HL
Now in its ninth season, the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL), one of two USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior leagues, serves as one of the top training grounds in the country by providing the best coaching, exposure and developmental vehicles available for student-athletes in its classification. The primary mission of the NA3HL, which is managed organizationally by the North American Hockey League (NAHL), is to provide a structured developmental environment for student-athletes whose youth options are limited but are still reaching their potential and have aspirations of playing in the NAHL or United States Hockey League and eventually the NCAA or American College Hockey Association. For more information, visit www.na3hl.com
