USPHL Premier Players Of The Week: Midwest Region

Games of Feb. 15-21, 2023

Great Lakes Division

Summaries by Lexi Obrycki

Forward: Alex Schaumburger, Metro Jets

A fourth-year forward for the Jets, Schaumburger had a great weekend on the ice, with a total of three goals and five assists over the four games Metro played in at the South Shore Kings Presidents Day Showcase. He showed off his ability in their game against the Bridgewater Jr Bandits where he had a hat trick and added another assist to make it 35 on the season leading his team in that category. He has 159 points in 115 regular season games.

Defense: Josh German, Metro Jets

The leading defensive goal-scorer for the Jets also had a phenomenal weekend of hockey. Not only did German (’02/Salem, Mich.) show what he could do for the defensive side with the team giving up only four goals in four showcase games, he also showed what he can do on the offensive side having three goals and five assists in those four games. He has 112 points in 149 regular season games.

Goalie: Freddy Soderberg; Metro Jets

Soderberg (’02/Harrison Township, Mich.) added two more wins to his total over the week. In his best performance, he helped the Jets get a 4-1 win against the Northern Cyclones, one of the top teams in the Northeast, stopping another 23 shots out of 24. He is 11-4-1-0 on the season with a 1.90 GAA, a .931 save percentage and three shutouts.

Midwest West Division

Summaries by Jim DenHollander

Forward: Ian Bowman, Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings

The Riverkings needed a big weekend to snap a three-game skid and solidify their fourth-place status, which converts to home ice in the opening round of the postseason. Bowman (‘02/Palm Desert, Calif.) played a big part in helping the team gain a weekend sweep against the Minnesota Mullets scoring twice and setting up another four. Among his points was the game-winning goal in a 6-0 shutout the second night and an assist on the game winner the previous night.

Defense: Evan Izenstark, Hudson Havoc)

The Havoc might be blessed with the best goaltending and defense in the league, and they sit comfortably atop the Midwest West Division, but they play like they are desperate for the two points every night. Izenstark (‘02/Northbrook, Ill.) helped the team continue its current seven-game winning streak by collecting a goal and assisting on two others, finishing the weekend with a +4 rating. His goal came early as he opened the scoring with the first goal in a key 5-2 win against the Minnesota Squatch on Friday (Feb. 17), avenging the team’s only loss since the Christmas break.

Goaltender: Bridger Fixmer, Minnesota Moose

The Moose is heading to the post season without drama as they are locked into third place in the division standings. But they want to roll into the postseason on a high note and Fixmer (‘04/Chippewa Falls, Wis.) helped them keep pace with the front runners with some solid work in relief. Down 4-1 after two periods, Fixmer went to the blue paint and led the team to an inspirational come-from-behind win in a shootout. His teammates reacted with four unanswered goals in the opening nine minutes of the final period and Fixmer stopped all but one of 24 shots he faced, then adding three more in the shootout to make a first- round tally stand up as the game-winner.

Midwest East Division

Summaries by Miles Regan

Forward: Corbin Schiebel, Fort Wayne Spacemen

It’s taken a few years, but Fort Wayne’s homegrown Spacemen has finally touched back down in Northeast Indiana. Schiebel, an ‘03 Fort Wayne native, first played for the Spacemen during the 2019-20 season but spent the last two years away from the team. He returned to the lineup on Feb. 11 and recorded his first points this weekend. Schiebel had a pair of assists in Friday’s win over Chicago before adding a goal and an additional two helpers in Sunday’s victory against Cincinnati. He finished the weekend with an impressive quintet (1-4–5) of points, helping Fort Wayne clinch their first-ever Midwest East regular season title.

Defense: Josh Boze, Metro Jets Development Program

MJDP spent the weekend at the South Shore Kings Presidents Day Showcase in Massachusetts, and Josh Boze looked like one of the best defensemen there. The ‘03 out of Livonia, Mich., native scored three goals at the event, two of which came during MJDP’s win over the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs on Saturday. Boze and the Jets left the East Coast with two key victories and control their destiny for the second seed in the Midwest East playoffs.

Goaltender: Robert Allport, Motor City Gamblers

Motor City played just one game this weekend, and it went as well as it could have, thanks to the backstopping of rookie Gambler Robert Allport. The ‘03 Fitchburg, Wis., native stopped all 33 Cincinnati Jr. Cyclone shots faced, recording his fourth #ShutoutShoutout of the season and helping the Gamblers get the 5-0 win. His 33 saves were the most recorded by any Premier netminder in a shutout over the last week. Allport and the Gamblers have won nine straight games.