North Showcase lives up to billing

December 1, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release

It's only been around a couple of years, but the NAHL's North Division Showcase is quickly becoming another highly-regarded scouting spectacle for the league to hang its hat on, and it proved that again over Thanksgiving weekend.

With the exception of the U.S. National Team, every club from the NAHL's North Division, along with the South Division's St. Louis Bandits, converged on the Youngstown, Ohio, area for three games and, as expected, the event hit on all cylinders.

"The tournament was a tremendous success from a scouting standpoint," said Traverse City North Stars head coach Anthony Palumbo, whose team finished 1-1-1 at the Showcase. "There were many Division I and III scouts there to provide great exposure for our players. It was a really great opportunity for our players to showcase their skills."

No less than 40 Division I and III schools were represented at the three-day event, including Bowling Green State University, Brown University, Ohio State University and Merrimack College to name a few.

"As players, I don't think our guys could've asked for a better place to showcase themselves in front of all the college recruiters in attendance throughout the weekend," added Alpena IceDiggers assistant coach Justin Bracci, whose team posted a 2-1 mark at the Showcase.

"It's what we're all about at this level: getting our players prepared and moved onto the next level," said Mahoning Valley Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt, whose team went 2-1. "Getting scouts and coaches into the building is a huge part of the Showcase and we're thrilled to have had so many in attendance this year."

And speaking of attendance, the fan support didn't disappoint either. Well over 5,000 people made their way to the Chevrolet Centre and the Ice Zone, which played host to the nine games over the weekend, much to the delight of the Phantoms staff.

"Obviously, the scout exposure is the key to this event, but we're very excited to have such a large fan turnout over a holiday weekend," said Mainhardt.

One of the highlights of the Showcase was Mahoning Valley's spirited 3-2 shootout win over Traverse City on Friday, as over 3,900 came through the Chevy Centre turnstiles to see the hometown Phantoms kick off the event with a win.

"It was an experience our boys will talk about long after their hockey careers are over," said Palumbo. "The atmosphere was incredible, and the fans couldn't have been treated to a more entertaining game."

And for Phantoms forward Jordy Trottier, who tallied a goal in regulation and one in the shootout, the game held extra meaning.

"I was pumped up because my uncle Bryan (Trottier) was in the crowd," said Jordy. "It always gets the juices flowing to know there's an NHL Hall of Famer in the house watching me play."

Staged in January last year, the Showcase was moved to November this season to offer more exposure for the division's players just two months after the NAHL Showcase Tournament, which is held annually in Minnesota.

"The timing couldn't be better," said Mainhardt.

Neither could the competitiveness. No team at this year's event left with a perfect record, and all but two games were decided by two goals or less.

"I think that's just an indication of the parity in our league and that you need to be ready to play every night," said Palumbo.

"We've been saying all year that we play in the toughest division in the league and I think the tournament results are a testament to that," added Mainhardt, whose team sits atop the North Division heading into December.

"The North Division showed that its teams can beat anyone, which is going to make for an exciting race the rest of the way."

St. Louis forward Justin Kirchhevel led the tournament's charge offensively with four goals and three assists, with Marquette Rangers forward Chad Pietila right behind him with a goal and five assists.

The Bandits' Keith Kincaid and the Phantoms' Jordan Tibbett each picked up two victories between the pipes.

St. Louis finished with a 2-1 record; Motor City at 1-1-1; and Marquette at 1-2.

"Having a great facility like the Chevy Center to stage this event, and the support from the city of Youngstown, was a tribute to how far the NAHL has come in the development of so many young hockey players," said Bracci.

STANDINGS/LEADERS
Central Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
Bismarck 24 15-8-1 31 .646 70 53
Alexandria 23 14-7-2 30 .652 86 69
Owatonna 23 13-9-1 27 .587 81 70
North Iowa 23 11-10-2 24 .522 72 77
Albert Lea 22 1-18-3 5 .114 41 99 North Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
Mahoning Valley 22 15-5-2 32 .727 77 58
Traverse City 21 14-4-3 31 .738 68 56
USNTDP 22 12-8-2 26 .591 84 64
Alpena 20 11-7-2 24 .600 52 54
Marquette 26 10-12-4 24 .462 73 83
Motor City 25 5-19-1 1 1 .220 50 99

South Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
St. Louis 26 18-6-2 38 .731 98 63
Topeka 21 17-3-1 35 .833 85 39
Springfield 25 8-12-5 21 .420 74 90
Wichita Falls 20 8-9-3 19 .475 60 76 West Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
Fairbanks 21 14-4-3 31 .738 87 58
Wenatchee 20 10-9-1 21 .525 57 69
Alaska 18 9-8-1 19 .528 68 69
Kenai River 24 8-15-1 17 .354 73 110

LEADING SCORERS
PLAYER TEAM P GP G A PTS
Bourbonais, Clinton STL F 26 8 26 34
Hamburg, Andrew STL F 20 7 26 33
George, Jordan TPK F 21 11 21 32
Block, Austin FBX F 21 12 19 31
Gorczyca, Grant STL F 25 16 14 30
Freismuth, Jerry ALX F 22 10 20 30
Curry, Nick SPR F 25 10 18 28
Delaurell, Kyle WIC F 20 9 19 28
Gaffney, Jon SPR F 25 10 16 26
Frey, Trent SPR F 25 18 7 25

LEADING GOALTENDERS
PLAYER TEAM GPI MINS W-L-OTL GAA SPCT
Merriam, Bryce TPK 10 603:55 8-1-1 1.59 .931
Bosner, David BIS 18 1077:15 11-5-1 1.95 .929
Rocker, Lyle TPK 10 614:19 8-2-0 1.95 .918
Tibbett, Jordan MVY 14 856:53 12-2-0 1.96 .923
Yanakeff, Will USA 8 481:30 4-3-1 1.99 .911

GOALS
PLAYER TEAM P GP G Frey, Trent SPR F 25 18
Gorczyca, Grant STL F 25 16

ASSISTS
PLAYER TEAM POS GP A
Bourbonais, Clinton STL F 26 26
Hamburg, Andrew STL F 20 26

PLUS/MINUS
PLAYER TEAM POS GP +/-
Paul, Jack NIO F 22 +19
Bourbonais, Clinton STL F 26 +17

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sherwood/NAHL South Player of the Week: Justin Kirchhevel - St. Louis Bandits
St. Louis forward Justin Kirchhevel struck for four goals and three assists as the Bandits skated to a 2-1 record at the North Showcase. On Friday, the Brookings, S.D., native scored the game-winning goal in a 4-0 shutout over Marquette. The next night, the 19-year-old potted another goal as the Bandits fell to Motor City, 5-3. On Sunday, Kirchhevel notched two goals and three assists, including one on Soren Jonzzon's game-winner, in an 8-5 triumph over Traverse City. He was also a plus-4 on the weekend.

"Justin brings exceptional hockey sense and a high skill level to our hockey club," said Bandits head coach Jeff Brown. "We fully expect him to continue to be an offensive leader as we approach the second half of our season."

HONORABLE MENTION: Topeka defenseman Randy Swank

Sherwood/NAHL North Player of the Week: Jake Friedman - Motor City Machine
Motor City forward Jake Friedman collected three goals and two assists as the Machine went 1-1-1 at the North Showcase. After being held scoreless in a 1-0 loss to Alpena on Friday, the West Bloomfield, Mich., native put home two goals, including the game-winner, in Motor City's 5-3 triumph over St. Louis. On Friday, the 18-year-old scored a goal and two assists in a 3-4 overtime loss to Mahoning Valley. He was also a plus-3 on the weekend.

"Jake really stepped up huge last weekend," said Machine interim head coach Sean Clark. "He's worked hard all season and it's starting to pay off."

HONORABLE MENTION: Alpena forward Josh Nicol; Mahoning Valley forward Jordy Trottier; Marquette forward Chad Pietila; Traverse City forward Kyle Bonis

Sherwood/NAHL Central Player of the Week: Brandon Brodhag - North Iowa Outlaws
North Iowa forward Brandon Brodhag rang up four goals and an assist as the Outlaws skated to a 2-1 record. On Wednesday, the Brooklyn Park, Minn., native recorded an assist in a 6-2 win over Owatonna. In a 5-3 loss to Alexandria on Friday, the 20-year-old connected for a pair of goals. The next night, Brodhag tallied two more goals, including the game-winner, as the Outlaws doubled up the Blizzard, 4-2. He was also a plus-4 on the week.

"Brandon has these types of scoring streaks in him and no one should be surprised after the rookie season he had last year," said Outlaws head coach Jeff Crouse.

HONORABLE MENTION: Bismarck forwards Jordan Singer and Tony Turgeon; Owatonna forward Steve Carew

Sherwood/NAHL West Player of the Week: Duncan McKellar - Wenatchee Wild
Wenatchee forward Duncan McKellar recorded two goals and four assists as the Wild skated to a three-game sweep over Alaska. On Friday, the Phoenix native connected for two assists, including one on Michael Voran's game-winning goal, in a 5-4 victory. The next night, the 18-year-old struck for the game-winning goal in the Wild's 3-0 shutout over the Avalanche. On Sunday, McKellar notched another goal and two more assists in Wenatchee's 6-5 triumph. He was also a plus-2 on the weekend.

"Duncan is tremendously skilled with good creativity and hockey sense," said Wild head coach Paul Baxter. "Add that to a 6-foot-3 frame and we feel Duncan is a very attractive Division I prospect and, ultimately, pro prospect."

GDI/NAHL Goalie of the Week: Nick Graves - Alpena IceDiggers
Alpena goaltender Nick Graves backstopped the IceDiggers to a 2-1 record at the North Showcase, turning aside 64 of 70 shots. On Friday, the Wisconsin native made all 18 saves in Alpena's 1-0 shutout over Motor City. After stopping 25 shots in a 3-2 loss to Traverse City on Saturday, the 20-year-old came through with a 21-save effort the next day as the IceDiggers downed Marquette, 4-3.

"Nick has been exceptional the past few weeks and he's helped us win some big games, that's for sure," said IceDiggers head coach Jack Fritsche. "We're going to need more of the same from him if we're going to continue to be successful."

HONORABLE MENTION: Bismarck's David Bosner and Matt Grogan; Mahoning Valley's Jordan Tibbett; Topeka's Lyle Rocker

AROUND THE NAHL
ALASKA AVALANCHE: Tyler Currier struck for two goals in the Avalanche's 5-4 overtime loss to Wenatchee on Friday.

ALBERT LEA THUNDER: Albert Lea's leading scorer Danny Wood connected for the Thunder's only goal of the weekend in a 6-1 loss in Bismarck on Saturday.

ALEXANDRIA BLIZZARD: St. Cloud State recruit Bryce Ravndalen potted the game-winning goal in the Blizzard's 5-3 win over North Iowa on Friday. He also added an assist in Saturday's contest.

ALPENA ICEDIGGERS: Josh Nicol connected for a game-winning goal and three assists as Alpena finished 2-1 at the North Showcase. He was also a plus-5 on the weekend. "He's always been a scoring threat and it's nice to see his scoring touch finally starting to escalate," said assistant coach Justin Bracci. "We think he opened a few of the college recruiters' eyes last weekend."

BISMARCK BOBCATS: Second-year defenseman John Clark, from Baudette, Minn., has committed to Army (Atlantic Hockey) for next season.

FAIRBANKS ICE DOGS: Goaltender Phil Cook turned back all 36 shots in the Ice Dogs' 3-0 win over Kenai River on Friday, marking his first shutout performance of the season.

KENAI RIVER BROWN BEARS: Jared Beers (goal, two assists) and Kegan Kiel (three assists) both recorded three-point nights in the Brown Bears' 5-4 loss to Fairbanks on Saturday.

MAHONING VALLEY PHANTOMS: Goaltender Jordan Tibbett continues his solid play, picking up two more wins for the Phantoms at the North Showcase."Jordan has been 'Johnny on the Spot' for us all year," said head coach Bob Mainhardt. "It's great for us to have him playing so consistently."

MARQUETTE RANGERS: Chad Pietila tallied a goal and five assists as the Rangers went 1-2 at the North Showcase. "When Chad's on his game, he's very capable of scoring in bunches and that's what he did for us last weekend," said head coach Kenny Miller.

MOTOR CITY MACHINE: Machine assistant coach Sean Clark was named the team's interim head coach after the last week's resignation of Matt Romaniski.

NORTH IOWA OUTLAWS: The Outlaws snapped a five-game winless streak with a 6-2 victory over Owatonna on Wednesday. "The wins against Owatonna and Alexandria (on Saturday) were as complete of performances we've had all season," said head coach Jeff Crouse.

OWATONNA EXPRESS: Stephen Carew scored two goals, including the shorthanded overtime game-winner, in the Express' 3-2 victory over Springfield on Friday.

SPRINGFIELD JR. BLUES: Jon Gaffney recorded a goal and three assists, including one on Trent Frey's game-winning marker, in the Jr. Blues' 6-4 win over Owatonna on Saturday.

ST. LOUIS BANDITS: Goaltender Keith Kincaid picked up two wins at the North Showcase, including a perfect 37-save performance against Marquette on Friday (4-0).

TOPEKA ROADRUNNERS: Defenseman Randy Swank tallied a goal and an assist, both on the man advantage, in Topeka's 5-4 shootout win over Wichita Falls on Friday. "Randy is a go-to man on the power play," said head coach Scott Langer.

TRAVERSE CITY NORTH STARS: Kyle Bonis racked up six assists in three North Showcase games, and now has 12 helpers in 21 contests. "You never have to worry about Kyle," said head coach Anthony Palumbo. "He's as steady as they come."

TEAM USA: Idle from NAHL action last weekend, the Under-17 Team will travel to Marquette for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday.

WENATCHEE WILD: Michael Voran put home two game-winning goals, including one in overtime on Friday, and two assists in the Wild's three-game sweep over Alaska.

WICHITA FALLS WILDCATS: Chad Hudson recorded a hat trick in Wichita Falls' 5-4 overtime loss to Topeka on Friday. He has six goals in his first six games with the Wildcats since being traded from St. Louis.

THE WEEK AHEAD
Friday, December 5
Owatonna @ St. Louis, 7:15 pm
Wichita Falls @ Springfield, 7:30 pm
Bismarck @ North Iowa, 7:30 pm
Topeka @ Kenai River, 7:30 pm
Alaska @ Fairbanks, 7:30 pm
Traverse City @ Alpena, 7:00 pm
Albert Lea @ Alexandria, 7:00 pm
USNTDP @ Marquette, 7:30 pm

Saturday, December 6
Alpena @ Traverse City, 7:05 pm
Owatonna @ St. Louis, 7:15 pm
Wichita Falls @ Springfield, 7:30 pm
Bismarck @ North Iowa, 7:30 pm
Topeka @ Kenai River, 7:30 pm
Alaska @ Fairbanks, 7:30 pm
Albert Lea @ Alexandria, 7:00 pm
USNTDP @ Marquette, 7:30 pm

Sunday, December 7
Bismarck @ Albert Lea, 7:00 pm
Topeka @ Kenai River, 5:00 pm

(all times local)

North American Hockey League Stories from December 1, 2008

• North Showcase lives up to billing - NAHL
• Friedman Machine Player of the Week - Motor City Metal Jackets
• Wildcats Split in Topeka, Pick Up Three Points - Wichita Falls Wildcats
• Brodhag Named NAHL Central Division POW - North Iowa Outlaws
• Wildcats Sweep Springfield - Wichita Falls Wildcats
• Outlaws Weekly - North Iowa Outlaws

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