Week 1: Sept. 28, 2022
North Division
Forward: Jack Hillier, South Shore Kings
Hillier (‘04/Petawawa, Ont.) jumped out to a fantastic start in the NCDC, putting up three goals and one assist for four points in just two games, including his first hat trick in the league in a 6-3 win over the Northern Cyclones on Sept. 24. He is one of the six players league-wide averaging 2.00 points per game after at least two contests.
Defense: Blake Tierney, Twin City Thunder
In a pair of season-opening wins for the Thunder against the Boston Junior Bruins, Tierney (‘03/Chicago, Ill.) was the ice time leader (21:29) and provided two assists, one in each game, and a +4 rating over the course of the victorious weekend.
Goaltender: Nolan Mahaffey, Boston Advantage
Mahaffey (‘03) is a third-year USPHL and Advantage veteran who is in his second NCDC season. He is also currently tied for the best save percentage at .970. This comes from stopping 32 of 33 Junior Bruins shots from the Advantage’s season-opening 5-1 victory.
South Division
Forward: Jack Arizo, Connecticut Jr. Rangers
It was effectively a draw between a good number of players in the South Division who held six points after three games. However, Arizo’s 3-3-6 line helped the Rangers earn two wins, including one in overtime, in a 2-1 opening weekend series against the Utica Jr. Comets. Arizo is an ‘03 out of Royal Oak, Mich.
Defense: Jack Hewitt, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
Hewitt (‘03/Toronto, Ont.) helped the Jr. Islanders earn their first win of the season and take a point from their only other game from a shootout loss to the Mercer Chiefs. He posted two goals and one assist to stand as the Jr. Islanders’ leading scorer through two games and was a +2 on the weekend.
Goaltender: J.J. Cataldo, Jersey Hitmen
Nobody’s done it better in net than Cataldo, a returning member of the 2022 Dineen Cup Champion Jersey Hitmen. The ‘03 from Stuart, Fla., leads all goaltenders in both goals against average (0.98) and save percentage (.970), and he remains the only goalie with a shutout thus far. He won Game 1 of the season against the WBS Knights with 37 saves, including overtime. He then put up a 28-save shutout in Game 2 against the first-year Knights.
