Week of Jan. 18, 2024
Games of Jan. 10-16, 2024
Summaries By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
Forward: Gregory Diamond, Mercer Chiefs
Diamond had back-to-back 2-1-3 performances as the Chiefs swept the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights in a very important chess move for them to move to within one point of second place entering the games of Jan. 17. The second-year Chief, an ‘04 out of West Chester, Pa., rode those two career-best performances – which included the GWG on Jan. 14 – to a line of 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in 25 games this season.
Defense: Jack Hewitt, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
Prior to taking part in the 2024 NCDC All-Star Game, Hewitt (‘03/Toronto, Ont.) helped the Jr. Islanders to sweep the Jersey Hitmen on Jan. 12-13, registering a goal and two assists for three points. Hewitt capped off what was a four-game point streak to start 2024 with his weekend performance that also included a team-leading nine blocked shots and 25 takeaways over the weekend. Two days later, he joined several of his teammates at the NCDC All-Star Game.
Goaltender: Jake Fillion, P.A.L. Junior Islanders
The NCDC veteran Fillion (‘03/Granby, Mass.) went out for both games against the Hitmen and came back two wins richer, stopping 67 of 70 shots over the weekend, which gave him a 1.50 GAA and .957 save percentage for his two straight days of work. His 36 saves on Jan. 13 were a season high as he improved to 6-1-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .938 save percentage for the 2023-24 season.
Rookie*: Parker Newman, Mercer Chiefs
Newman (‘05/Grand Rapids, Mich.) only joined the Chiefs as recently as Dec. 1 but has made a huge impact since then. Recently, he dished out four assists during the Chiefs’ sweep of the WBS Knights to improve to nine points in 10 NCDC games. Newman, a former Fox Motors AAA player (where he was a teammate of current Chief Charlie Anderson), was drafted by the Chiefs in the 2022 NCDC Entry Draft and started the 2023-24 season in the VIJHL with the Lake Cowichan Kraken.
* = ’04 or younger / 10 Tier II games or less in prior seasons
