Week of March 7-13, 2023 (Final Week)
North Division
Forward: Jack Hillier, South Shore Kings
Hillier (‘04/Petawawa, Ont.) ended off his fantastic first NCDC season with 49 points in 50 games, including a run of 3-5-8 to close out 2022-23. He had a goal in each of his last three games, and posted lines of 1-2-3 on March 11 vs. the Junior Bruins, and 1-3-4 against the Twin City Thunder the final day of the regular season.
Defense: Salvatore Cerrato, South Shore Kings
Cerrato (‘04/St. Louis, Mo.) picked up his first points since January and did he ever. He picked up two goals, including the GWG against the Boston Junior Bruins. He also had assists against the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs and Twin City Thunder, and to top it off, he co-led the league in plus/minus over the week at +8, with teammate Fabrizio Mazzarelli.
Goaltender: Christopher Jackson, Twin City Thunder
Jackson (‘02/Charles Town, W.V.) closed out the regular season with two fantastic wins en route to the postseason game that saw them defeat the Boston Advantage in OT. He stopped 35 of 37 shots to beat the same Advantage on March 8, and then ended 2022-23 with 46 saves on 49 shots in a win against the Northern Cyclones – the same team the Thunder will face in the North 1v4 series beginning Friday.
South Division
Forward: Cam Bergeman, Rockets Hockey Club
The veteran Bergeman (‘03/Newark, Del.) racked up the NCDC’s first back-to-back hat tricks in NCDC history – and added one more for good measure. He posted a 3-1-4 line on March 10 vs. Utica, and then next day boosted his totals to 4-2-6. He closed out the epic run with two goals on March 12 to help the Rockets go 2-1 against the Jr. Comets heading into playoffs.
Defense: Jakob Grace, Mercer Chiefs
Grace (‘02/Erial, N.J.), a second-year NCDC defenseman, closed out a great year with stand-up defensive play that helped Mercer clinch a playoff berth in their first year. They had to keep Connecticut from winning in regulation to do so on March 11, and it was mission accomplished. Grace blocked two shots, had five takeaways and posted one hit in the crucial game. Overall for the season, he put up 11 assists in 29 games played.
Goaltender: Ryan Keyes, Mercer Chiefs
Keyes (‘03/Fairbanks, Alaska) got the job done in what was essentially already a playoff game for the Chiefs, stopping 46 of 48 against a Connecticut team with their own backs against the wall. He also stopped three more in the shootout for an eventual 3-2 win, setting up a 1v4 showdown with the Founders Cup Champion Jersey Hitmen starting Friday.
