(Summaries by Grace Mello)
Forwards
Noak Persson, Fresno Monsters
Persson (‘03/Sollefteå, Sweden) arrived in Fresno in late November and has been a driving force for the Monsters ever since. He has earned points in every game played, including four game-winning goals. In just half the amount of games as some of his teammates, he has landed fourth in points for Fresno with 34 (17 goals, and 17 assists). In December, Persson had his highest scoring games. On Dec. 3, in a 6-5 win over Ontario, Persson picked up two goals and four assists for a total of six points and on Dec. 19 in a shutout win at the Las Vegas Showcase he picked up three goals and three assists for a total of six points.
Christopher Miraldo, Fresno Monsters
Earning his second Player of the Month recognition, Miraldo (‘02/Montreal, Que.) continues to lead the Monsters in scoring, he also is tied for first in points in the USPHL Premier with 69 and holds the league’s longest scoring streak at all 27 games he’s played. Miraldo scored points in every game of the month of December including three game winning goals. He also earned a season-high six points in Fresno’s Dec. 3 6-5 win over Ontario with three goals and three assists. In December, the Monsters assistant captain picked up 22 points in seven games. Miraldo continues to be a key player for the division-leading Fresno team.
Max Kathol, Ontario Jr. Reign
Helping the Jr. Reign stay tied for second in the Pacific Division is forward Max Kathol (‘02/Chestermere, Alb.) with 52 points (20 goals, 32 assists). This puts him in second for points on the team and tied for seventh in the entire USPHL Premier. In December, Kathol scored points in 10 of his 11 games played adding up to a total of 18 points with nine goals and nine assists, including two game-winning goals. On Dec. 11, he helped the Jr. Reign in a thrilling, come from behind, win over the Las Vegas Thunderbirds, scoring the GWG that solidified the game.
Defense
Jacob Gagnon, Fresno Monsters
Monsters captain Jacob Gagnon (‘02/Fresno, Calif.) is close to surpassing his 46 total points with Fresno last season with 37 to round out the end of this year. In the month of December, Gagnon picked up eight points with two goals and six assists, including the game-winning goal in Fresno’s Dec. 2 6-3 win over Ontario. He has been leading his team to victory on and off the ice as the Monsters remain the leaders of the Pacific Division. In December, he was a +9 with 18 blocked shots and three hits.
Nevio D’Alessandro, San Diego Sabers
Defense has been key for the Sabers to remain tied for second in the Pacific Division and D’Alessandro (‘04/Pointe-Claire, Que.) has played a big role in that. In the month of December, he was a +5 with 10 blocked shots and nine hits. He also managed to pick up 13 points with three goals and 10 assists. He currently has 29 points (six goals and 23 assists) and is ranked fourth on the Sabers in points.
Goaltender
Connor Dumesnil, Bakersfield Roughnecks
In the month of December, Dumesnil (‘04/Phoenix, Ariz.) played six games and earned wins in three of them. These included three overtime wins during the Las Vegas Showcase. He first picked up 26 saves on 28 shots in the Roughnecks 3-2 OT win over Lake Tahoe, then 19 saves on 20 shots in their 2-1 OT win over the Rogue Valley Royals, and finally 35 saves on 38 shots in their 4-3 OT win over the Seattle Totems. This month, he had 185 saves on 202 shots faced giving him a .916 save percentage. So far this season, he has faced 823 shots in 19 games and blocked 753 of them. His current season save percentage is .915.
