NAHL announces Bauer Hockey Stars of the Week
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending November 7, 2021. The Divisional Stars of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2021-22 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: Carter Rapalje, Forward, North Iowa Bulls
North Iowa forward Carter Rapalje, 20, helped the Bulls pick up a weekend home sweep of the Bismarck Bobcats. The 5’9/170 lbs. native of Burlington, VT, had six points and was +5 in the two wins. On Friday, he scored a career-high four goals in a 6-4 win. On Saturday, he had a goal and assist in a 6-3 win. For the season, Rapalje leads the team in goals with 11 and is 5th in points with 15 so far in 16 games played. “Carter has been working very hard to create chances for himself and his line mates and it was good to see him get rewarded for those efforts by finding the back of the net,” said Bulls head coach Todd Sanden.
2nd Star: Ronan Walsh, F, Aberdeen Wings
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Brayden Beahm, F, Minot Minotauros – Tomas Bolo, G, St. Cloud Norsemen – Damon Furuseth, F, Austin Bruins – Greg Japchen, F, North Iowa Bulls – Colby Joseph, F, Minot Minotauros – Cade Neilson, F, Aberdeen Wings – Ryan O’Neill, F, St. Cloud Norsemen – Carson Riddle, F, Austin Bruins
East Division Star of the Week: Jared Scott, Forward, Northeast Generals
Northeast Generals forward Jared Scott, 19, helped his team pick up a weekend road sweep of the Jamestown Rebels. The 5’10/182 lbs. native of Kenosha, WI, had five points (2 goals, 3 assists) and was +2 in the two wins. On Friday, Scott had a goal and two assists in a 6-2 win. On Saturday, he had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 win. For the season, Scott is 4th in team scoring with 12 points in 18 games played. “Jared has improved every game. He possesses explosive speed and is really using it to get to the net. He has consistently been very good for us. He plays well on the defensive zone and is using his speed in transition to generate offensive opportunities for both himself and his teammates. He is another great signing by GM Matt Dibble as Jared has made an immense impact both on and off the ice,” said Generals head coach Bryan Erikson.
2nd Star: Anthony Calafiore, F, New Jersey Titans
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Tommy Bannister, F, New Jersey Titans – Matt Connor, D, Maine Nordiques – Luca Di Pasquo, G, Maryland Black Bears - Gabe Dombrowski, F, Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks – Brent Keefer, F, Northeast Generals – Sean Kilcullen, D, Maryland Black Bears – Jazz Krivitsov, F, Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks – Jonny Meiers, F, Maine Nordiques
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Cy LeClerc, Forward, Janesville Jets
Janesville forward Cy LeClerc, 19, helped the Jets pick up two wins in three-game road series in Fairbanks. The 5’9/175 lbs. native of Brentwood, NH, had six points (2 goals, 4 assists) and was +3 in the three-game series. On Thursday, he had an assist in a 5-2 loss. The next night, he had a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win. On Saturday, he had a goal and assist in a 5-3 win. For the season, the New Hampshire commit leads the Jets in scoring with 18 points in 17 games played. “Cy has been a consistent contributor to our group all season long. It’s great to see him be recognized for what he did this past weekend, but for Cy it really has been all year long. What we are encouraged to see is that Cy has complimented his offensive instincts with a well-rounded 200-foot game. He’s competing every shift, finishing checks, winning puck battles, and strong in the face-off circle. He’s taking on leadership responsibilities on and off the ice and is a really coachable young man. We are proud of Cy and this accomplishment and look forward to seeing him progress even further throughout the season,” said Jets head coach Parker Burgess.
2nd Star: Ethan Roberts, G, Springfield Jr. Blues
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Levi Gho, G, Chippewa Steel – Skylar Gutierrez, F, Anchorage Wolverines – Jake Hale, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs – Aaron Pionk, D, Minnesota Wilderness – Nicholas Rexine, F, Minnesota Wilderness – Sam Rice, F, Chippewa Steel – Raythan Robbins, G, Anchorage Wolverines – Camden Shasby, D, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
South Division Star of the Week: Beni Halasz, Goaltender, New Mexico Ice Wolves
New Mexico goalie Beni Halasz, 20, put up some big numbers in two home wins this past weekend. The 6’0/180 native of Budapest, Hungary, stopped 54 of 57 shots in three appearances over the weekend, which included a shutout. On Friday, Halasz made 36 saves in a 4-2 win over the Corpus Christi IceRays. On Saturday, he came in just before halfway through the contest and stopped five of six shots in a 4-1 loss to the IceRays. On Sunday, he posted his second shutout of the season as he stopped all 13 shots that came his way in a 3-0 win over Amarillo. In nine games played this season, Halasz has a 7-1-0 record with a 1.63 goals against average and .929 save percentage. “I couldn’t be happier for Beni to get this honor. He’s been doing a great job for us all year and has shown he’s one of the best goalies in the league,” said New Mexico head coach Phil Fox.
2nd Star: Stefan Carney, G, Corpus Christi IceRays
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Mitch Becker, D, New Mexico Ice Wolves – Austin Brimmer, F, Shreveport Mudbugs – Riley Brueck, F, Wichita Falls Warriors – Daniel Duris, G, Wichita Falls Warriors – Frankie Ireland, F, Lone Star Brahmas – Alex Krause, F, El Paso Rhinos – Jude Kurtas, F, Corpus Christi IceRays – Nicholas Niemo, F, Lone Star Brahmas – Garrett Steele, F, Shreveport Mudbugs – Frank Tafelski, F, El Paso Rhinos
