USPHL Premier Players Of The Week: North Region

Week of Oct. 19-25, 2022

 

New England Division 

(Summaries by Britt Hart)

Forward: Adam Skarda, Northern Cyclones 

Skarda (’02/Praha, Czechia) and the Northern Cyclones picked up two victories over their in-state rivals the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs, as well as the Bridgewater Jr Bandits over the weekend, extending their record to 5-1-0. The second-year forward for the Cyclones appeared in his first two games of the season, tallying one goal and one assist in both contests. With four points already on the year, it would not be surprising if Skarda surpasses his 16-point total from the 2021-22 season.

 

Defense: Wesly Brunello, Twin City Thunder

Brunello (’03/Lakeville, MN.) and the Twin City Thunder earned three points in the standings after a shootout loss to the Boston Jr Bruins and a victory over the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs. The Minnesota native was a contributing factor for the Thunder as he scored the game-tying goal in the eventual shootout loss to the Junior Bruins to at least guarantee a point. In addition to his goal, Brunello ended the weekend +1 and had a blocked shot throughout both games. 

 

Goaltender: Ben Bernard, Boston Advantage 

Bernard (’03 / Bedford, NH) and the Boston Advantage won their lone game of the weekend over the Springfield Pics with a final score of 2-1. During this back-and-forth contest, the Granite State native came up huge for the Advantage making 35 out of 36 saves between the pipes. In his second season with the Advantage, Bernard has been heavily relied on by his team and currently has a 0.941 save percentage and an overall record of 2-2. 

 

Mid-Atlantic Division

(Summaries by Patrick Ramsdale) 

Forward:  Aiden Darlington, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights

Darlington (‘04/North Kingstown, R.I.) was a key piece in the Knights’ weekend sweep over the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders. Darlington scored twice and had two assists in Saturday’s victory. He would additionally score once Sunday while also recording a trio of assists in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 8-3 win. 

 

Defense: Ty Burket, Hershey Cubs

The ’05 rookie had quite the start to the week during the Cubs’ sweep over the Buffalo Stampede. Burket proved to not have a case of the Mondays, recording a goal and three assists in the Cubs 9-3 victory against Buffalo on Oct. 24. The Hollidaysburg, Pa., native also posted a goal and an assist in Hershey’s 6-2 win over the Stampede on Tuesday. 

 

Goaltender: Cole Stevens, Elmira Jr. Enforcers

Stevens (’05/Oakville, Ont.) stood tall against a barrage of shots from the defending USPHL National Champion Rockets Hockey Club on Saturday. He stopped 72-of-76 shots, as he helped lead the Jr. Enforcers to a 5-4 overtime victory.