T1ER Names USPA Peak Performers Following West NAHL Experience Weekend
The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) is proud to announce the USPA T1ER Peak Performers from the T1ER West NAHL Experience Weekend! The event took place October 17–20 at the Woodman Center in Janesville, Wisconsin, home of the NAHL’s Janesville Jets. Featuring competition at the 18U and 16U levels, the weekend highlighted strong play, tight matchups, and standout performances from across the league. The following players earned Peak Performer honors for their efforts at the event.
18U:
Forward: Dimitri Tioumentsev, Biggby Coffee
Dimitri Tioumentsev now sits atop the 18U scoring leaderboard after an impressive weekend in Janesville, racking up seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) over four games. The Michigan squad opened the event with a dominant 5–2 win over the Madison Capitols, highlighted by a stellar second period from Tioumentsev, who netted back-to-back goals, including his first shorthanded tally.
After a tough game two, the Monument, CO native bounced back in a big way against CarShield. He set up the game-tying power play goal in the first period, then buried the game-winner with under 10 minutes left in regulation to secure a 3–2 victory. In their final matchup against Omaha, Tioumentsev stayed hot, adding another power play assist on Biggby’s first-period goal, assisting the game-tying goal midway through the third, and sealing the 4–2 win with an insurance goal.
Defenseman: Luke Broadhead, CarShield AAA
Luke Broadhead was a playmaking machine throughout the event, tallying four points over four games. In CarShield’s second matchup against the Lincoln Stars, the ‘08 forward notched a pair of assists, setting up the team’s second and fourth goals in a 4–2 victory. He kept the momentum going as CarShield blanked Team North Dakota 3–0, recording another helper on the third and final goal. Even in a tough 3–2 loss to Biggby, Broadhead continued to make an impact, picking up a power play assist on the opening goal of the game.
Goaltender: Kiefer Ward, Biggby Coffee
Kiefer Ward was a force to be reckoned with between the pipes in Janesville, backstopping his team to a pair of huge wins over the Capitols and CarShield. The Fenton, MI native was lights-out all weekend, turning aside 56 of 60 shots for an impressive .933 save percentage. His standout performance came against powerhouse CarShield, ranked among the nation’s top 10, where he faced a season-high 36 shots, stopping 34 of them for a stellar .944 save percentage. Ward stood tall when it mattered most, proving to be a difference-maker in both wins.
16U:
Forward: Carter Oliphant, Madison Capitols
Carter Oliphant’s name was all over the scoresheet in his home state of Wisconsin, going on a tear as Madison’s leading scorer and the fourth overall point-getter at the 16U level. The 2009-born forward posted eight points (5G, 3A) and has now recorded at least one point in all eight T1ER contests, averaging 1.8 points per game.
After picking up an assist in Madison’s lone loss of the weekend, Oliphant turned up the heat, registering multi-point performances in each of the next three games. In a dominant 7–1 win over Lincoln, he opened and closed the scoring while also assisting on the team’s fifth goal. He followed that up with a clutch showing in Madison’s 2–0 victory over CarShield, netting the game-winner and assisting on the insurance goal. To wrap up the weekend, Oliphant was unstoppable in a top-50 showdown against Biggby, tying the game late in the first period before adding a power play goal to give Madison a 3–2 lead en route to a 5–3 win.
Defenseman: Caden Ingalls, Omaha Masterty
Despite being a defenseman, Caden Ingalls has been a major key for Omaha’s offense, sitting second overall in 16U scoring. The blue-liner recorded points in every game in Janesville and in seven of eight T1ER contests overall, totaling 11 points (3G, 8A) during the T1ER West NAHL Experience Weekend.
In Omaha’s opening game against Biggby, Ingalls came alive after a 1–1 first period, assisting on all three of Mastery’s second-period goals before sealing the 5–3 win with an insurance tally of his own. He stayed hot in game two’s dominant performance against Wasatch, adding two more assists and capping things off with the team’s final goal.
Even in a quieter 3–1 win over the Chicago Phantoms, Ingalls made his presence felt, setting up the game-winning power play goal. He closed out the weekend strong as Omaha completed the sweep with a 5–2 win over the Jr. Kraken, where he notched a power play assist on the team’s second goal, scored the fourth, and assisted the fifth and final tally.
Goaltender: Cooper Schlappi, Madison Capitols
Cooper Schlappi was rock solid between the pipes once again, extending his perfect record to 4-0 after picking up wins against the Lincoln Stars and Biggby Coffee. The ’09 netminder made it look easy in Madison’s 7-1 win over Lincoln, stopping 16 of 17 shots. In the highly anticipated top-50 matchup with Biggby, he showed poise under pressure, helping flip the momentum after the Caps fell behind 2-0 early. Schlappi stood tall the rest of the way, turning aside 26 of 29 shots and closing the weekend with a .913 save percentage.
