Games of Nov. 1-7, 2023
Forward: Sam Blanton, Rockets Hockey Club
Blanton (‘04/Carrollton, Texas) tore it up with the Rockets as they took three points against the Connecticut Jr. Rangers. He put up a pair of goals and added one assist in the Rockets’ OT loss to Connecticut, and then had the game-winning goal and an assist when the Rockets won on Nov. 4.
Defense: Jonah Copre, Rockets Hockey Club
The returning blueliner Copre (‘03/Elgin, Ill.) enjoyed his second and third straight games of posting two assists in each of the last three, giving him four points against the Rangers. His 11th assist of the season came on Sam Blanton’s GWG.
Goaltender: Nicholas Bevilacqua, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
Bevilacqua (‘03/Abington, Mass.) added two more wins to pull into a tie for first in league W’s thanks to recent victories against the Jersey Hitmen. On Nov. 3, he stopped all 36 shots he faced, a career high for saves in a shutout, and then stopped 46 of 48 on Nov. 4. His 33 career wins pulled him into a tie for sixth all time, and he has more than enough runway this year to challenge for the all-time wins record of 48, held by current Army goaltender Evan Szary.
Rookie*: Jakob Hanlan, Rockets Hockey Club
Hanlan (‘07/Gatineau, Que.) stopped 37 of the 38 shots he faced in the Rockets’ 4-1 win on Nov. 4 against Connecticut. He improved to 3-2-0-0 on the season with a 2.34 GAA and a .920 so far in the start of his NCDC career. He was teammates with current Rockets defenseman and recent UConn commit Anthony Allain-Samake while in Quebec.
* = no more than 10 Tier II games prior to 2023-24 / ’04 or younger
