NAHL announces Bauer Divisional Stars of the Week
Honors this week go to Brookings forward Cade Borchardt (Central), Johnstown forward Dalton Hunter (East), Fairbanks goalie Josh Benson (Midwest) and Odessa forward Chase Thudium (South).
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Bauer Hockey for the week ending February 5, 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: Cade Borchardt, F, Brookings Blizzard
The Brookings Blizzard kept pace in the wild Central Division with two home wins over the weekend against the Bismarck Bobcats. Forward Cade Borchardt, 18, had a big weekend as the native of Burnsville, Minnesota, recorded four points (2 goals, 2 assists) and was a +3 in the two wins. On Friday, Borchardt (5’10/170) had two goals and an assist in a wild 7-6 shootout win. On Saturday, he chimed in a with an assist in a 7-3 win. For the season, Borchardt is 2nd in team scoring with 40 points this season, which includes an equal 20 goals and 20 assists. “Cade is one of the best players on the ice, game in and game out. He is a very hard worker and continues to find ways to get on the score sheet every night,” said Brookings head coach Dan Daikawa.
2nd Star: Tyler Vold, D, Minnesota Wilderness
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Nick Alexander, F, Bismarck Bobcats - Jake Dittel, D, Minot Minotauros - Luke Dow, F, Minnesota Wilderness - Kevin Fitzgerald, F, Aberdeen Wings - Cooper Haar, F, Bismarck Bobcats - Austin Park, G, Minot Minotauros - Forbes Ploszaj, G, Aberdeen Wings
East Division Star of the Week: Dalton Hunter, forward, Johnstown Tomahawks
Johnstown forward Dalton Hunter, 19, helped his club to three home wins over the weekend over the Northeast Generals. The 6’3/200 lbs. native of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, erupted for seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) in the three wins. On Thursday, Hunter had two goals and an assist in a 9-1 win. On Friday, he picked up an assist in a 5-0 win and on Saturday, he had two more goals and an assist in a 4-3 win. In 40 games this season, Hunter leads the Tomahawks with 45 points. “It was a big weekend for our club being able to grab three wins on home ice against a divisional opponent. We were lucky to produce some significant offense throughout the weekend from our entire lineup, and Dalton really stepped up and took charge. He was contributing in all sorts of ways scoring even strength, on the power play, short handed, and a beautiful penalty shot goal. It just goes to show how dangerous of a player he can be for our team. I am extremely proud of Dalton and our entire team for taking care of the task at hand this past weekend,” said Johnstown head coach Mike Letizia.
2nd Star: Dylan Healey, F, New Jersey Titans
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Donovan Ott, F, Johnstown Tomahawks - Brandon Perrone, G, New Jersey Titans - Joe Schuler, F, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights - Grant Valentine, G, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
Midwest Division Star of the Week: Josh Benson, goaltender, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Fairbanks goalie Josh Benson, 19, continued his solid run in the NAHL after being called up from the NA3HL’s North Iowa Bulls. The 6’1/190 lbs. native of Stillwater, Minnesota, started and won all three games this weekend as the Ice Dogs moved into the 4th and final playoff spot with a three-game sweep in Kenai River against the Brown Bears. On Thursday, he posted his second straight shutout and third of the season with 23 saves in a 1-0 win. On Friday, he made 21 saves and allowed just a single goal in a 2-1 win. On Saturday, he made 29 saves, allowing just a single goal in a 3-1 win. For the weekend, Benson stopped 73 of 75 shots in three wins. “Josh was solid all weekend in an important set of games for us against a division rival. He kept pucks out and since we didn’t score a lot, that turned out to be very important,” said Fairbanks head coach Trevor Stewart.
2nd Star: Caleb Schroer, F, Coulee Region Chill
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Matt Doran, D, Coulee Region Chill - Ryan Kero, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs - Ivan Prosvetov, G, Minnesota Magicians - Brandon Puricelli, F, Springfield Jr. Blues - Mike Robinson, G, Springfield Jr. Blues - Mitch Slattery, F, Minnesota Magicians
South Division Star of the Week: Chase Thudium, F, Odessa Jackalopes
Odessa forward Chase Thudium, 20, had a big week as he helped the Jackalopes pick up two wins in three games last week. The 5’10/175 lbs. native of Sylvan Lake, Alberta, had eight points in the three games, which included 3 goals and five assists. Thudium began the week with a goal in a 5-3 home win over Amarillo on Tuesday. On Friday, Thudium factoried in on all five goals with a goal and four assists in an 8-5 loss against the Topeka RoadRunners. The next night, he had the game-winning goal and an assist in a 6-1 win over Topeka. Thudium leads the Jackalopes in scoring so far this season with 40 points in 39 games played. “The line of Maia, Stenlund, and Thudium was on fire this weekend with every one of them playing well. Chase’s 8 points in 3 games is nothing to sneeze at. He played one of the best all around weekends our team has had this year, pushing him into a tie for 7th in scoring in the league,” said Odessa head coach Greg Gatto.
2nd Star: Troy York, F, Lone Star Brahmas
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Marshall Bowery, F, Topeka RoadRunners - Max Harper, F, Topeka RoadRunners - Griffin Loughran, F, Corpus Christi IceRays - Max Prawdzik, G, Lone Star Brahmas - Ludwig Stenlund, F, Odessa Jackalopes - David Thompson, F, Corpus Christi IceRays
