NAHL names Players of the Week
Published on March 30, 2006 under North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release
HAINES SEVEN POINTS EARNS SHER-WOOD NAHL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
In the week when he announced his college commitment to Ferris State, Texarkana Bandits captain Casey Haines celebrated by tallying seven points in two games and capturing the Sher-wood NAHL Offensive Player of the Week Award for the week ending March 26.
On Friday night, in a game the Bandits needed to keep their long-shot hopes of a South Division title alive, the Indiana, Pennsylvania, native led the way. With Texarkana spotting the home team Wichita Falls Wildcats an early second period 1-0 lead, Haines set up Aaron Lewicki for the game-tying goal six and a half minutes later and the Bandits never looked back. Before the period was over, Haines set up another goal, the eventual game winner by Jason Price. Then in the third period, Haines capped off the evening by picking up his third assist, this one on the final Texarkana goal of the game in the 5-1 victory.
But that game was a prelude to Haines' work on Saturday night. The Bandits-Wildcats game began earlier than the Texas-Santa Fe game, so Texarkana still had a shot at the title, but needed the road win to keep their hopes alive. Haines came out firing, scoring the game's opening goal at 1:55 of the first period. The Wildcats tied the score, but Haines set up the go-ahead goal by Lewicki on the power play late in the first. With the 2-1 lead holding up into the third period, Haines gave the Bandits some breathing room with a power play goal of his own at 8:04. When Wichita Falls pulled their goalie late in the game to try to close the gap, Haines set up an empty net goal by Price at 18:59 of the period to cement a 4-1 triumph in which he had a hand in each Texarkana goal. The Bandits could not catch Texas for the top spot, but Haines gave them a fighting chance.
This is Haines third Player of the Week award this season. He was also honored for the weeks ending January 1 and February 19.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Mark Columbus (Bozeman), Ryan Fuller (Texas), James Gaulrapp (Southern Minnesota), Cory Spradling (Springfield).
MADALORA, GILL, LAVIN SHARE SHER-WOOD NAHL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Two goaltenders and a defenseman share the Sher-wood NAHL Defensive Player of the Week award for the week ending March 26.
It isn't easy being regarded as the backup goalie to a highly-regarded prospect. That has been the lot of Fairbanks' Shane Madolora, who teamed with Bryce Christianson in the Ice Dogs net. But when he's played this season, as he did this weekend against Wasilla, the Salinas, California, native has excelled.
On Friday night in Wasilla, Madolora was perfect through three period and overtime, stopping all 26 Spirit shots and carrying the Ice Dogs into the shootout. In the shootout, he stopped four of five, but his teammates could not score as Fairbanks was a 1-0 loser.
But the next night on home ice, Madolora and the Ice Dogs turned the tables on Wasilla, who they will meet in the first round of the NAHL Playoffs. The Fairbanks goalie turned aside all 18 shots, keeping his team in the game until A.J. Hau scored late in the third period to give the Ice Dogs a 1-0 victory.
Madolora did not allow a goal in 125 minutes of action, stopping all 44 shots he faced, including denying the Spirit on all five of their power plays.
On the season, Madolora finished fourth in the NAHL in save percentage with a .925 mark and his 2.49 average was ninth in the league.
At the other end of the goaltender spectrum is Texarkana's Riley Gill, who has played the bulk of his team's games and has been consistently among the very best netminders in the NAHL all season.
Playing on the road in Wichita Falls this weekend, in a pair of games that both the Bandits and the Wildcats needed to possibly move up in the final standings, Gill was at the top of his game.
On Friday, the native of Northfield, Minnesota, faced 39 Wildcats shots and stopped 38 of them, backstopping the Bandits to a 5-1 victory. The next night, he faced another 34 shots and turned aside 33 of them in a 4-1 triumph. In all, Gill stopped 71 of 73 Wichita Falls shots, a .972 save percentage
Gill finished the season first in wins in the NAHL with 35, second in save percentage with a .934 mark and third in goal against with a 2.15 average. His six shutouts tied for the second highest number in that category.
USNTDP defenseman Joe Lavin had the type of week most defenseman - at any level -- only dream about. On Tuesday, March 21, Lavin dominated on the power play against Mahoning Valley. He scored the game's first goal with the extra man at the 2:28 mark of the first period. Then late in the second, with the NTDP clinging to a 3-2 lead, he fired a second power play marker to extend the lead to 4-2 in an eventual 5-2 win for the U.S. team.
Then on Friday in Mahoning Valley, the Phantoms got off to a 3-1 lead, But Lavin's goal at 13:20 of the second period got the NTDP back into the game. In the third period, with the U.S. team trailing 4-3, Lavin's second goal of the game with four minutes remaining tied the score and sparked a wild finish. The Phantoms jumped back into the lead 15 seconds later, but the NTDP rallied for three goals in the final three minutes, the last one by Lavin 16 seconds left in regulation, to steal the game 7-5. That gave Lavin five goals in two games.
The next night in Mahoning Valley, Lavin chipped in an assist on the NTDP's third goal in a 5-1 victory over the Phantoms, giving him six points for the week. The big week accounted for a full third of Lavin's 18 NAHL points for the season.
This is the first Player of the Week award for Madolora and Lavin. For Gill, it is his fourth of the season, which ties him with Bozeman goalie Matt Dalton in that category for most Player of the Week awards this season. Gill was previously honored on October 2, December 11 and January 29.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Brett Barta (Bozeman), Stu Bickel (Southern Minnesota), Lyon Messier (Texas), Adam Roy (Springfield).
North American Hockey League Stories from March 30, 2006
- Traverse City Downs U.S. National Under-17 Team 2-1 - U.S. National Team
- Stars claim playoff opener - Traverse City North Stars
- NAHL names Players of the Week - NAHL
- Playoff Games Tonight and Tomorrow - Bozeman Icedogs
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