Two Michigan natives claim NAHL stars of the week
It’s early in the NAHL, but Michigan natives are already making some noise in the USA Hockey Tier II junior league.
Central Division Star of the Week: Ronnie Hein, forward, Aberdeen Wings
From the NAHL release:
Aberdeen Wings forward Ronnie Hein, 17, helped the Wings to a weekend split to keep the team in 2nd place in the Central Division. The native of Chelsea, MI and Ferris State University recruit had three goals in two games this weekend as the Wings fell on Friday at home to Bismarck, but rebounded with a 4-1 win in Brookings on Saturday. Hein (6’0/165) had the lone goal in Friday’s 3-1 loss to the Bobcats. On Saturday, Hein had two goals in the 4-1 win at Brookings. The rookie forward currently leads Aberdeen in scoring with eight points in his first six NAHL games. “Ronnie has a lot of talent, but he gets to the next level because he plays and works extremely hard,” said Wings head coach Francis Anzalone. “He goes into the areas that very few players like to go into. He is on a great line that is clicking right now.”
North Division Star of the Week: Alex Blankenburg, goalie, Keystone Ice Miners
From the NAHL release:
The Keystone Ice Miners are right back on top of the North Division thanks to three road wins this past weekend, including a sweep of the Soo Eagles and a win over the Michigan Warriors. Third-year netminder Alex Blankenburg, 20, got back to his old form with two great performances on Friday and Sunday. On Friday, the native of Washington, MI, made 31 saves in a 6-3 win against the Eagles. On Sunday, Blankenburg (5’9/167) made 46 saves in a 2-1 win over the Warriors. For the weekend, Blankenburg stopped 77 of the 81 total shots that came his way. For the season, Blankenburg has a 4-1-1 record with a 2.76 goals against average and a 91.2% save percentage. “We allowed a lot more shots than we wanted to, but Alex was equal to the challenge. He is back to the guy we saw last year in net. He is very calm, cool and collected and that allows us to play a little more freely knowing he is behind us and able to handle the odd man situations,” said Keystone head coach Michael Gershon.
Last week, Holland native Jack Berry, a netminder for the Soo Eagles, picked up the North Division Star of the Week:
North Division Star of the Week: Jack Berry, goaltender, Soo Eagles
From the NAHL release:
The Soo Eagles may have found themselves a keeper in 18-year-old goalie Jack Berry. The rookie and native of Holly, Michigan played very well at the NAHL Showcase, helping the Eagles to a 3-1 record and 1st place in the North Division. Berry started in two games and made an appearance in a third. Berry (6’2/185) won his first NAHL start as he stopped 19 of 20 shots that came his way in a 3-1 win over Minot. After posting a perfect period against Brookings in a relief role, Berry then made 20 saves in a 5-0 shutout win over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. He has allowed just one goal on 43 shots to date. “Jack has looked good in practice and we were eager to see what he could do. I thought he got stronger as the games went along. He players under control and mature for a younger goalie,” said Soo head coach Bruno Bragagnolo.