T1ER announces Peak Performers for the T1ER West NAHL Experience Weekend

The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) has announced the T1ER League Peak Performers from the T1ER West NAHL Experience Weekend. Players were chosen based on their performances in the 18U and 16U regular season games that took place from November 1st to 3rd in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

18U:

Forward: Daniel Matveev, Team Alaska

Daniel Matveev was absolutely lights out on offense for Team Alaska as the squad went 3-1 out in Albuquerque. Matveev is a second year T1ER player for Team Alaska and has already surpassed his point totals from last season with one less game played. Over the course of four games, the Wasilla, AK native racked up a whopping 10 points (7 goals, 3 assists), this includes three, three-point games. Metveev contributed in all aspects, scoring two goals on the powerplay, one during a shootout and two were the eventual game winners for Alaska. 

Defense: Brooks Skogland, Omaha Mastery

Similar to Team Alaska, Brooks Skogland and the Mastery also went 3-1 during the event with wins over Florida Alliance South, New Jersey Jr. Titans and Seattle Jr. Kraken. The 6’1” blueliner tallied four assists, all four coming during the first two games for Omaha. During the Mastery’s 3-2 overtime victory over Florida, Skogland dished out assists on the two most important goals of the contest, the game tying goal and the overtime winner. Skogland followed up with a similar performance during their tilt with the Titans, assisting on the game winning and the insurance goals for the Mastery. 

Goaltender: Caden Lentz, Lincoln Stars  

Caden Lentz and the Lincoln Stars remain undefeated, improving their record to 8-0 on the year. The ‘07 netminder stood tall between the pipes for Lincoln’s first and third games with wins over the Wasatch Renegades and New Jersey Jr. Titans. Over the course of the two games, Lentz only allowed three goals, two against the Renegades and one against the Titans. 

16U: 

Forward: Joc Bukovec, Vegas Jr. Golden Knights

Joc Bukovec has been on an absolute offensive tear as not only the top scorer for the Knights, but the entire 16U age bracket as a whole. The Skoflijica, Slovenia native picked up right where he left off after the first T1ER event, scoring at least one goal in all four contests in Albuquerque. After scoring one goal in the first three games, Bukovec wrapped things up having his best showing of the weekend, finding the back of the net twice (including the game winner) during his team’s 4-3 victory over the Wasatch Renegades. With these six goals, Bukovec averages 1.75 points per game and has racked up 14 points (12 goals, 2 assists) through 8 games.

Defense: Henry Hlinka, Seattle Jr. Kraken

As an offensive defenseman, ‘08 blueliner Henry Hlinka leads the Jr. Kraken’s team is scoring with a total of 9 points (7 goals, 2 assists) in 8 games. The Woodinville, WA native earned 3 of his 9 points over the course of the second event as he was able to find the back of the net on three occasions. His most notable performance during the second event came on Sunday as Hlinka scored the third goal for the Jr. Kraken in regulation, a fierce battle to round out the weekend. After a scoreless overtime period, the two teams headed to a shootout where Hlinka was able to tally another goal during the shootout, sending his team home in the win column.

Goaltender: Connor Ellis, Orange County Ice Dogs

Connor Ellis improved his T1ER season record to 3-1 after picking up a pair of wins over Team Alaska and the Wasatch Renegades. In addition to going undefeated, the Irvine, CA native managed to post his first shutout of the season, a 32 save performance as his squad defeated Alaska by a final score of 3-0. Ellis would follow up with a stellar 31 save game, aiding his team to victory as they took down the Renegades in overtime. With these two wins, Ellis has maintained a season save percentage of .938 and a goals against average of 2.04.