Week of Sept. 22-24
Forward: George Goodwin, Idaho Falls Spud Kings
Goodwin (‘03/Johns Creek, Ga.) made a seamless transition from the USPHL Premier to the NCDC, as he succeeded in posting a 1-3-4 line in his first two Tier II games of the season. That put him into a three-way tie for the Mountain Division scoring lead. His points all came in the Spud Kings’ season-opening win over the Rock Springs Grizzlies.
Defense: Mykyta Bondariev, Pueblo Bulls
Bondariev (‘06/Kiev, Ukraine) put together a fantastic Tier II debut, with a 1-2-3 line in his first weekend of action. Bondariev assisted on Eddie Paulissian’s go-ahead goal in Game 1, and his power play goal in the third period of Game 2 put the brakes on an Outliers comeback attempt.
Goaltender: Michael Polston, Provo Predators
Polston (‘04/Cedarburg, Wis.) had a fantastic Tier II debut coming out of the prestigious Honeybaked program in Michigan. He stopped 36 of 37 Ogden Mustangs shots in the Predators’ opener, including 18 in the first period as the hosts came out swinging. The Predators pulled off a come-from-behind 2-1 victory in overtime.
Rookie: Nate Hinze, Pueblo Bulls
Last year’s Captain of the Chaska (Minn.) High School team, Hinze jumped into Tier II with a great spark, posting a goal and three assists for four points. He earned an assist in his debut, a win against the Outliers, along with a 1-2-3 performance in Game 2.
(Rookie: Player new to Tier II hockey; 2004 birth year or younger).
