NAHL announces Easton Divisional Stars of the Week
FRISCO, TEXAS – The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Easton for the week ending September 14, 2014. The Divisional Stars of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2014-15 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: None
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Jesper Ohrvall, forward, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
It was quite the NAHL debut for 19-year-old Swedish forward Jesper Ohrvall. The native of Halmstad, Sweden, helped the Ice Dogs split their opening series in Kenai River last weekend. In the two road games, Ohrvall (5’9/170) had four of Fairbanks’ six goals on the weekend. On Friday night, Ohrvall scored twice including the game-winning goal in a 3-1 win. On Saturday night, Ohrvall scored two more goals in a 5-3 loss. “Jesper is a highly skilled forward and really has a knack for the net,” said Ice Dogs head coach Trevor Stewart. “He played very well this weekend against a very good Brown Bears team.”
2nd Star: Matt Rudin, F, Kenai River Brown Bears
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Sean Healy, G, Kenai River Brown Bears – Chandler Madry, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
North Division Star of the Week: Bruno Birzitis, forward, Soo Eagles
The Soo Eagles ended up with a weekend home split with the Janesville Jets this past weekend and leading the way was forward Bruno Birzitis. The 19-year-old native of Riga, Latvia, registered four points, which included two goals and two assists. He was also a +3. On Friday night, Birzitis (6’0/182) scored twice including the game-winning goal in a 3-2 win over the Jets. On Saturday night, he assisted on two of the Eagles three goals in a 4-3 loss. Last season, Birzitis had 26 points in 50 games played. “We expect big things out of the Bruno this season and he really rose to the occasion this past weekend,” said Soo head coach Bruno Bragagnolo. “He has a lot of skill and can put the puck in the net, so it was a great start to the season for him.”
2nd Star: Jacob Coleman, F, Keystone Ice Miners
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Brady Bender, D, Johnstown Tomahawks – Drew Callin, F, Janesville Jets – Jake Houston, D, Johnstown Tomahawks – Kyle Patava, F, Janesville Jets – Sandis Zolmanis, F, Soo Eagles
South Division Star of the Week: Daniel Rzavsky, forward, Topeka RoadRunners
The Topeka RoadRunners got the 2014-15 season started on the right foot with a sweep of the Corpus Christi IceRays. 20-year-old forward Daniel Rzavsky was a big factor in both of the wins as the native of Bratislava, Slovakia racked up three points during the weekend, which included two goals and an assist. On Friday night, Rzavsky (6’1/190) had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 shootout win. On Sunday, he had the game-winning goal in a 5-2 win. “The success was a pleasant surprise against a good team,” said Topeka head coach Scott Langer. “Dan is capable being on the scoresheet every night and plays extremely hard.”
2nd Star: Kenny Hausinger, F, Odessa Jackalopes
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Alex Falconer, F, Wichita Falls Wildcats – Jasen Fernsler, forward, Topeka RoadRunners – Robin Johansson, G, Odessa Jackalopes – Tanner Lomsnes, F, Corpus Christi IceRays – Wes Michaud, F, Corpus Christi IceRays – Max Reisinger, F, Wichita Falls Wildcats
