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Twin City claims 3HL Showcase Crown

Final Day Results:

TwinCity 5 vs. Pittsburgh 0– The Twin City Steel posted their second straight shutout and in the process won the inaugural 3HL Showcase by virtue of a better goal differential with their 5-0 win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday.  The Steel finished with a +13 goal differential on their way to the Showcase title outscoring their opponents, 20-7.  In the clincher, Evan Weiss posted a shutout and Kegan Storjohann had three points as he finished with 10 points in the four games at the Showcase. Luke Vogelhesang scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 1st period. Boxscore

Peoria4 vs. Queen City 2– The Mustangs won their second straight game at the Showcase thanks to a hat-trick from Michael Melka as they topped the Steam, 4-2.  Queen City finished the Showcase 1-3-0.  Cory Welnicke had the other goal for Peoria, while Devin Lyshon and Ryan Faucheux scored for Queen City. Boxscore

Flint4 vs. Minnesota 3– The Flint Jr. Generals finished with a perfect 4-0 record at the Showcase, making themselves one of only two 3HL teams to do so.  However, their goal differential margin of +7 was not enough to overcome the Steel for the title.  In a battle of unbeaten teams, the Jr. Generals got a goal and assist each from Warren Carter, Andrew Lay and Josh Kestner to edge the Flying Aces.  Minnesota, who finished with a 3-1-0 record at the Showcase got two goals from Parker Tomczyk, who had 10 points at the Showcase including seven goals. Boxscore

Toledo 4 vs. Quad City 3 (SO)– Toledo won their first game of the Showcase thanks to a goal and assist from Mike Baker and 40 saves from Austyn Roudebush.  Roudebush also stopped six of seven Cherokee shooters in the shootout before Baker’s game-winner.  Quad City, who got a multi-point game from Drake Fisher, finished 1-0-3 at the Showcase. Boxscore

Chicago 5 vs. Michigan 3– The Hitmen scored three, 3rd period goals to come from behind to beat the Mountain Cats and finished the Showcase with a 2-2-0 record.  Michigan finished 0-4-0.  Kyle Gonzalez had the game-winning goal and Josh Baker, Ben Boukal and Nick Gnagni all had multi-point games for the Hitmen.  Ethan Baker had a goal and assist in the losing effort for Michigan. Boxscore

Metro 4 vs. North Iowa 3 (SO)– Metro picked up their second win of the Showcase to finish 2-2-0 as forward Chris Hellebuyck recorded a hat-trick including the shootout winner.  North Iowa, who finished the Showcase 2-1-1, got a goal and assist from Nick Marsh.  Dillon Kelley made 33 saves for the win as North Iowa outshot the Jets, 36-29. Boxscore

Granite City 4 vs. Cleveland 3 (OT)– In one of the best games of the Showcase and in a battle of division leaders both with the Lumberjacks nickname, it would be Nick Zierden’s power play goal in overtime, which would give Granite City the win as they finished the Showcase 3-0-1.  Alexander Larson was excellent in goal for Cleveland, making 44 saves, but it would not be enough as Cleveland finished the Showcase with a 1-2-1 record. Boxscore

St. Louis 8 vs. Battle Creek 3– The Jr. Blues scored 18 goals in their final two games to finish the Showcase 3-1-0, including the eight goal outburst against the Revolution on Wednesday.  Daniel Rosse, the current 3HL goal scoring leader, had three goals and an assist in the win.  Ben Henry scored twice for Battle Creek, who despite losing all four games at the Showcase, managed to score nine goals in four games, which was well above their season average. Boxscore 

Showcase Day 3 Lives Up to Billing

Alex Lazarski made 45 saves as Queen City picked up their first win of the Showcase, defeated Quad City in a shootout on Tuesday.

Queen City 6 vs. Quad City 5 (SO) – In a game that featured plenty of offense with a combined 93 shots, the Steam picked up their first win of the Showcase by topping the Jr. Flames in a shootout.  Quad City fell to 1-2-0 with the loss.  Chase Martin, Lucas McCammant, Damien Lona and Trevor Knoll all had a goal and an assist in the win for Queen City.  Luke McCarthy had two goals in the loss for Quad City.  All four Queen City shooters scored in the shootout, which was the defining difference in the win. Boxscore

Flint 3 vs. Granite City 2 (SO) – In a battle of unbeaten teams at the Showcase and in one of the best games of the Showcase thus far, it was the Flint Jr. Generals who triumphed in a shootout to run their Showcase record to a perfect 3-0.  Lucas McDiarimid and Cody Damon scored in regulation, while Damon scored the only goal of the shootout for either team.   Benjamin Meyers made 35 saves in regulation and stopped all five Lumberjacks shooters in the win for Flint. Boxscore

St. Louis 10 vs. Toledo 2 – Johnny Mueller and Daniel Rosse had four points apiece and Trace Jablin had a hat-trick as the Jr. Blues defeated Toledo 10-2.   The win moved St. Louis to 2-1-0 in the Showcase while Toledo remains winless at the Showcase.  St. Louis led 4-1 after one period and 8-1 after two period.  The Jr. Blues outshot outshot the Cherokee 48-28 in the game. Boxscore

Chicago 5 vs. Battle Creek 1 – Battle Creek hung tough with the Hitmen through two periods, but three Chicago goals in the 3rd period broke the game open as the Hitmen moved to 2-1-0 at the Showcase with a 5-1 over the Revoltion, who fell to 0-3-0.  Ben Boukal had two goals for the Hitmen and Jeremy Edwards, Luc Fournier and Jeff Salzbrunn all chipped-in with multi-point efforts.  Cameron Miglia had the lone goal for Battle Creek. Boxscore

Minnesota 4 vs. Metro 3 – The Flying Aces came from behind to remain perfect at the Showcase with a 4-3 win over the Metro Jets, who fell to 1-2-0 at the Showcase with the loss.  Metro led 2-0 after the 1st period, however Minnesota came back in the 2nd period to tie the game at 3-3.  Tyler Pionk’s 3rd period goal was the difference in the final frame.  Hiroyasu Takahaski made 41 saves in the win for the Flying Aces, who also got two goals from Stephen Langford in the win. Boxscore

Peoria 4 vs. Michigan 2 – Darren Schlueter scored twice as Peoria picked up their first win at the 3HL Showcase defeating Michigan 4-2.  Gage Van Order had a goal and assist for Peoria as did Michael Melka.  Meanwhile the Mountain Cats fell to 0-3-0 at the Showcase, but did get multi-point games from Kade Morrison and Kyle Parker.  Michigan outshot Peoria 35-31, but Michael Parda was the big difference in goal for the Mustangs making 33 saves. Boxscore

Pittsburgh 4 vs. North Iowa 3 – The Jr. Penguins handed the Bulls their first loss at the Showcase as the teams combined to score five power play goals.  Stephen Shirk’s 3rd period goal was the difference in this tight as Pittsburgh improved to 2-1-0 at the Showcase.  Alex Berardinelli, Bryan Hovanec and Adam Steranko also scored for Pittsburgh, while Skylar Harding, Brian Harrison and Noah Anderson scored for North Iowa. Boxscore

Twin City 1 vs. Cleveland 0 – In a battle of two tremendous goaltending performances, it was the Steel’s Evan Weiss who stopped all 30 shots, who came out on top as Twin City stayed perfect at the Showcase with a close 1-0 win over the Lumberjacks, who fell to 1-2-0.  Lawrence Dvorak Jr. was equally as good in goal for Cleveland, making 39 saves, but a 3rd period goal from Twin City defenseman Tyler Montgomery was the difference in one of the best games of the Showcase. Boxscore 

NA3HL Showcase Day 2

West stays perfect at Day 2 of the 3HL Showcase

Parker Tomczyk had three goals and three assists on Monday to keep Minnesota perfect at the 3HL Showcase.

Minnesota 8 vs. Michigan 3– The Flying Aces stayed perfect at the 3HL Showcase with an 8-3 win over Michigan.  Parker Tomczyk was one of many offensive stars for Minnesota as he struck for three goals and three assists.  Paul Sorenson and Stephen Langford each had a goal and three assists in the win, while Brett Jenkins had a goal and two assists.  Boxscore

North Iowa 7 vs. Queen City 5– The North Iowa Bulls stayed perfect in the Showcase with a close 7-5 win.  Ryan McAloon had four goals and Eric Behrend had a goal and four assists for five points in the Bulls win.  Queen City, who fell to 0-2 in the Showcase, got three assists from Blake Speechley and two goals from Taylor Penman in the losing effort.  Boxscore

Metro 2 vs. Peoria 1– Zach Mohr scored both goals including the game-winner with just over five minutes remaining as the Jets picked up their first win at the 3HL Showcase with a 2-1 victory over Peoria, who fell to 0-2 at the Showcase.  Cory Welnick scored the lone goal for the Mustangs.  Devin Williams picked up the win in goal making 24 saves, while William Johnson suffered the loss making 26 saves. Boxscore

Pittsburgh 4 vs. Quad City 3 (OT)– In the only game of the day to go to overtime, Pittsburgh fired 53 shots on goal and got the OT winner from Nico Vecchio to move to 1-1-0 at the Showcase, while the Jr. Flames fell to 1-0-1.  Rich Hill, Ethan Martin and Hunter Brett also scored for the Jr. Penguins in the win, while Cole Kapovich, Shane Piggot and Chayce Coenen scored for the Jr. Flames. Boxscore

Twin City 5 vs. Toledo 2– Twin City moved to 2-0 in the Showcase with a 5-2 win on Monday over Toledo, who fell to 0-2 at the Showcase.  Davis Madren had two goals and an assist for the Steel and Kegan Storjohann also had a three-point night in the Twin City win.  Patrick Smiatacz and Ryan Kelly scored in the loss for the Cherokee. Boxscore

Cleveland 6 vs. St. Louis 2– In a battle of division leaders, it was the Lumberjacks that came out on top 6-2.  The star of the game was Cleveland goaltender Alexander Larson who made 49 saves in the win.  John Jeziorowski scored two goals for Cleveland and Cameron Dimmitt also had two points.  Both teams are now 1-1 in the Showcase. Boxscore

Granite City 10 vs. Battle Creek 0– The West Division-leading Lumberjacks handled the Revolution with a shutout win on Monday and moved to 2-0 at the Showcase.  TJ Christenson had two goals and an assist for the Jacks and DJ Vold scored the game-winning goal.   Goaltender Grant Holler made 12 saves for his first shutout of the season.  Trevor Beck had 18 saves in the loss for Battle Creek. Boxscore

Flint 6 vs. Chicago 4– The Flint Jr. Generals moved to 2-0 at the Showcase with a close 6-4 win over the Hitmen, whose 3rd period comeback fell just short.  Cody Damon had a goal (including the game-winner) and an assist in the Jr. Generals win.  Richard Johnson and Ken Miloser also had multi-point games for Flint.  Mike Lozano, Jeff Salzbrunn and Collin Warner all had two points each for Chicago in the losing effort.  Boxscore

NA3HL Showcase Day 1

Day 1 of 3HL Showcase full of competitive action

In one of the best games in Day 1 of the 3HL Showcase, Kegan Storjohann had four points as Twin City won their opening game.

Twin City 9 vs. Battle Creek 5 – The Revolution scored a season-high five goals and at one point had Twin City on the ropes at 6-5, but the Steel pulled away with three late goals to win. Kegan Storjohann had two goals and two assists to lead Twin City.  Mike Munoz had two points for Battle Creek. Boxscore

Minnesota 4 vs. Queen City 1– Allen Patten made 10 saves and Liam Johnston scored the game-winning goal as the Flying Aces defeated the Steam, 4-1.  Stephen Langford, Cody Gauthier and Parker Tomczyk also scored for Minnesota, while Trevor Voelker scored for the Steam. Boxscore

Granite City 7 vs. Michigan 1 – Tyler Cayemberg and Peter Lindblad each had hat-tricks as the Lumberjacks scored five goals in the 2nd period to pull away from the Mountain Cats.  TJ Christenson had five assists and Zac Sikich had four points in the win. Boxscore

Flint 4 vs. Peoria 1 – The Mustangs scored first, but Flint scored the last four of the game to win.  Josh Kestner recorded a hat-trick and Ed Osowski had two assists in the win for the Jr. Generals.  Ben Krause had the lone goal for Peoria in the loss. Boxscore

Quad City 8 vs. Metro 4 – The Jr. Flames scored four goals in the 3rd period on their way to an 8-4 win.  Luke McCarthy was the offensive star with four points for Quad City and Drake Fisher had two goals.  Chris Hellebuyck led the way for the Jets with two goals in the loss. Boxscore

Minnesota 4 vs. Queen City 1 – Allen Patten made 10 saves and Liam Johnston scored the game-winning goal as the Flying Aces defeated the Steam, 4-1.  Stephen Langford, Cody Gauthier and Parker Tomczyk also scored for Minnesota, while Trevor Voelker scored for the Steam. Boxscore

St. Louis 5 vs. Pittsburgh 1 – Five different players scored for the Jr. Blues including Adam Otten who had a goal and assist in the win.  Goaltender Clint Steinmeyer made 26 saves for the Jr. Blues.  Rich Hill spoiled the St. Louis shutout with the only goal for the Jr. Penguins. Boxscore

Chicago 4 vs. Cleveland 3 – The Hitmen got two goals from Brien Thompson and the game-winner late in the 2nd period from Jeff Salzbrunn, as they handed Cleveland just their third loss of the year.  Mike Lozano also had a goal and two assists in the winning effort for Chicago. Boxscore

North Iowa 3 vs. Toledo 1 – Brandin Thelen scored first for Toledo, but North Iowa answered with three goals, two from Sergey Barkin and one from Jared Ramstead to go on to win, 3-1.  Matthew Bartels made 25 saves in the win for the Bulls, while Lukas Gavalier suffered the loss for the Cherokee. Boxscore

NA3HL December Showcase

The North American 3 Hockey League (3HL) Showcase presented by Combat Hockey is right around the corner.  This season marks the inaugural 3HL Showcase, which will be held from Sunday, December 4 through Wednesday, December, 7, 2011 at the Darien Sportsplex in Darien, Illinois.

All 16 3HL teams will play four regular-season games at the Showcase, which will be one of the most  well-attended and scouted events of the entire season for the league.  The event will also feature and be preceded by the third Tier I North American Prospects Hockey League (PHL) event of the season from December 2-4, in which all teams from the PHL’s 18U Division will be in action.

“We are excited that we are bringing all 16 teams to one place to play in four important regular season games,” said 3HL commissioner Jim Rufo. “This is just one of three Showcase-style events the 3HL has and we believe it gives our players the highest possible exposure to scouts.  We look forward to a productive and exciting four days of competition.”

View the complete 3HL Showcase schedule here
View the complete PHL 18U event schedule here

For scouting purposes, the event is a beneficial one for NCAA and ACHA college programs, as well as junior leagues like the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and United States Hockey League (USHL) as they get a mid-season look at the talent the 3HL has to offer. The Combat Hockey/3HL Showcase is expected to attract thousands of fans in overall attendance, including an anticipated100 college and junior scouts.

The event is played at the Darien Sportsplex in Darien, Illinois, located in suburban Chicago. The state-of-the-art facility is owned and operated by the Darien Park District. The facility features three, NHL-sized ice surfaces, full service concession stand, pro shop, meeting/scout room and an indoor fieldhouse.

For more details on the Combat Hockey/3HL Showcase, including ticket, hotel, rental car, scouting and schedule information, visit www.3hlshowcase.com 

Lona Named #3 Star for the week

3HL announces Combat Hockey 3 Stars of the Week

November 30, 2011

The North American 3 Hockey League (3HL) today announced the Three Stars of the Week presented by Combat Hockey for the week ending November 27, 2011.  The Three Stars of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2011-12 regular season that honors the top performing players each week of the regular season as nominated by their respective teams.

1st Star: Johnny Mueller, defenseman, St. Louis Jr. Blues
A big reason why St. Louis is in 1st place in the 3HL’s Central Division is the play of defenseman Johnny Mueller.  Mueller, 17, recorded five points this past week (2 goals, 3 assists) as the Jr. Blues split a pair of weekend road games at Peoria.  On Saturday, the St. Peter, Missouri native had an assist in a 3-2 loss.  On Sunday, Mueller recorded two goals (including the game-winner) and two assists as St. Louis rebound to defeat Peoria, 7-3.  Mueller is second on the Jr. Blues is scoring with 21 points in just 12 games played.  “Johnny played a big role in our win on Sunday and has been a real nice addition to the team,” said Jr. Blues head coach JP Beilsten.  “He plays a big role at both ends of the ice and we rarely worry about his positioning and ability to transition from defense to offense.”

2nd Star: Peter Lindblad, forward, Granite City Lumberjacks
For the second time in as many weeks and third time overall this season, Granite City forward Peter Lindblad has been honored as one of the league’s three stars.  Lindblad, 20, made his case this past week, scoring five goals in three games as the Lumberjacks went 1-2-0 for the week.  After being held scoreless in Wednesday’s loss to Twin City, Lindblad erupted for four goals on Friday (including the game-winner) in a 5-2 win at Minnesota.  On Saturday, the Benson, Minnesota native scored the Lumberjacks lone goal in a 3-1 loss at North Iowa.  Lindblad leads Granite City in scoring with 34 points in 27 games played and is tied for the 3HL league lead in goals with 17.  “There is no doubt that Peter has the hot stick right now,” said Lumberjacks head coach Brad Willner.  “He has a knack for scoring and is giving himself quality scoring chances.”

3rd Star: Damien Lona, forward, Queen City Steam
In a weekend home split with Pittsburgh, Queen City forward Damien Lona, 18, did most of his damage in one game, earning him 3rd star honors.  In Queen City’s 4-2 win on Saturday, Lona contributed on all four goals with one goal and three assists as the Steam topped the Jr. Penguins.  Although shutout the next night by Pittsburgh, 3-0, the Crittenden, Kentucky native leads the Steam in points with 21 points in 22 games played.  “Damien is a player that makes his linemates and teammates better,” said Queen City head coach Don Biggs.  “He has great vision on the ice.  He thinks pass first and is very unselfish with the puck.”

Other players nominated were (alphabetical order): Ryan Basgall, defenseman, St. Louis Jr. Blues – Richard Jansson, forward, Flint Jr. Generals – Sean Keating, goaltender, Pittsburgh Jr. Penguins – Steve Klisz, forward, Metro Jets – Alex Lazarski, goaltender, Queen City Steam –

Matt Leon moves up to NAHL

There have been plenty of players in the NAHL that have paid their junior hockey dues, and new Wichita Falls Wildcats goaltender Matt Leon is no exception.  Leon, 19, began the season playing for Queen City in the 3HL, where he appeared in seven games, posting a 3-4-0 record with a 3.05 goals against average and a 92.3% save percentage.

Since his call up to the NAHL, Leon has been making the most of his opportunity, which included the Wildcats home games this past weekend against Corpus Christi.  The Charlotte, North Carolina native allowed just one goal in two games, posted his first NAHL shutout and stopped 66 of a possible 67 shots during the weekend as Wichita Falls swept the Ice Rays.  For the week, Leon posted a .50 goals against average and a 98.5% save percentage.

"It`s a great opportunity for Matthew to show that his performance last season in the NA3HL has made him ready for the next level of Junior hockey," said Queen City head coach Don Biggs.  "Our program is excited that Matthew has gotten a chance to compete in the NAHL this season and it`s our goal to help as many players as we can get those same opportunities in the future . We wish him all the best for the remainder of the year."

So far in his three games in the NAHL with the Wildcats, Leon has allowed just three goals in three games and has a 97.0% save percentage.

“I think once Matt started to see some shots and make some saves at this level, he really started to gain some confidence,” said Wildcats head coach Paul Baxter.  “The best part of his game may be the mental side.  He has the ability to block out the bad and move onto the next save.  It is something I think he has gained through his experience playing junior hockey in the 3HL.