USPHL Premier Players Of The Week: North Region

Games of Nov. 8-14

New England Division

(Summaries By Joshua Boyd) 

Forward: Aatu Moisanen, Boston Advantage

Moisanen (‘04/Finland) put up two goals and four assists for six points in the space of just three games between Nov. 9-13, as the team went 2-1 in that stretch. Moisanen stands as the leading scorer for the Advantage, with an 8-6-14 line in 13 games. He has also seen three games up with the NCDC this year. 

Defense: Cameron Craig, Boston Junior Bruins

The Post University (NCAA Division II) recruit put up a pair of assists and was a +3 in three more Junior Bruins wins as they have gone on a 10-0 winning streak. Craig, a third-year Junior Bruin, is just seven games away from the regular season 100-game mark for his career. In 15 games, his eight points have already matched his single-season career-high from 2020-21. 

Goaltender: Ben Zaranek, Springfield Pics 

Zaranek (‘03/Deerfield, Mass.) has been on fire this season, and remains undefeated through five starts. Most recently, he took down a couple tough teams in the Islanders Hockey Club and Boston Advantage on back-to-back days. Over the two games, he gave up just one goal in each and stopped 75 of a total 77 shots for a .974 save percentage. His overall season save percentage of .945 sees him in a three-way tie for eighth in the entire USPHL Premier. 

Mid-Atlantic Division

(Summaries By Patrick Ramsdale)

Forward: Mathias Rakell, New York Aviators

Rakell (‘02/Stockholm, Sweden) posted an impressive 14 points in just four games this past week for the Aviators. He registered three assists in New York’s first game against the Stampede last week, then netted a hat trick the following night. Rakell followed that up with an eight-point series against the Hershey Cubs, including a three-goal, two-assist game on Sunday. Rakell leads the team this season with 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) in just 12 games.

Defense: Carter Rugg, Connecticut Jr. Rangers

Rugg (‘03/Hingham, MA) played great on both sides of the puck last weekend. The rookie posted four points in two games, including a one-goal, two-assist performance against the Jersey Hitmen on Sunday. He was also credited with a +5 rating on the weekend. Rugg is tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists).

Goalie: Blake Hazelton, New York Aviators

Hazleton (’02/Lake Orion, MI) stopped all but two shots faced this past week. He stopped

22-of-23 in his season debut against the P.A.L. Junior Islanders for his first victory of the season on Nov. 6. He then went on to make 59 saves against the Hershey Cubs to advance his record to 2-0. He currently posts a .976 save percentage on the year.