Week of Oct. 18
Oct. 10-16, 2023
Pacific Division
Forward: Josiah Gronholz, Las Vegas Thunderbirds
The ‘03 from Alexandria, Minn., was massive for the Thunderbirds and was one of the league’s leading scorers from Oct. 10-16, leading the way with three goals and six assists for nine points in a 2-1 weekend against the visiting Long Beach Shredders. He opened with a 2-3-5 line on Oct. 13, then chipped in two assists on Oct. 14 and a 1-1-2 line on Oct. 15 in their only loss of the weekend. He currently has 18 points in 12 games for 2023-24.
Defense: Konstantin Los, Long Beach Shredders
A newcomer, the 2004-born Russian blueliner is a relative newcomer having only played with the Shredders since Oct. 4. However, he’s already had a huge impact, with four points in four games. He scored the game-winner as part of the team’s Oct. 15 victory against Las Vegas.
Goaltender: Sam Peterson, Las Vegas Thunderbirds
Peterson and Naomi Baechler split the wins in the three-game series with Long Beach. Baechler made history of her own as the first female to play a game (and get a goaltending win) in USPHL Premier, and Peterson posted a fantastic 43-save victory, stopping all but two shots for a win on Friday the 13th. He stands at 4-2 with a .923 save percentage for the season.
Northwest Division
Forward: Mario Paganini, Vernal Oilers
The sixth-year USPHL veteran Paganini (‘03/Harrison, N.Y.) posted five goals and three assists for eight points in three games. On Sunday, Paganini put up four goals and an assist, one day after putting up a 1-2-3 line. His 11 points in six game are helping him approach a two-points-per-game average for his Premier career (currently 66 points in 37 games).
Defense: Logan Baum, Vernal Oilers
Baum (‘05/Orange, Calif.) enjoyed a strong weekend with a goal and four assists for five points spread over the three-game victory run against the Rogue Valley Royals. He stands with a 1-5-6 line in six games.
Goaltender: Daniel Cleofe, Seattle Totems
Cleofe (‘04/Seattle, Wash.) is a third-year Totem in his second USPHL Premier season, and has posted a 2-0-1-0 record after a 24-save shutout of Bellingham on Oct. 13. He has a 1.66 GAA and a .945 save percentage.
