BOSTON, MA -- We've officially hit the holiday break, and the end of the 2022 calendar year in both the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and the Eastern Hockey League Premier (EHLP).
Below you'll find the 14th/15th set of weekly top performers for the 2022-23 season. The forward and defensemen awards are presented by Verbero Hockey, while the goalie honors come courtesy of Vaughn Custom Sports.
The EHL is pleased to announce that Alex Bauvais (HC Rhode Island), Tristan Boyer (Railers Jr. Hockey Club), and Jack Boschert (Express Hockey Club) have been named the Top Performers for Week #14 and #15.
Bauvais and HC Rhode Island ended 2022 on a high note by claiming five out of a possible six points at the December Showcase in Newington, CT. As for the leading scorer of Rhode Island, the '02 native of France led the way by scoring three goals to go along with a pair of assists. Included in his tallies was the game-winner against the Warriors last Tuesday, his 5th GWG of the season, which ranks him 2nd in the league in that category. Overall, Bauvais has notched 22 total points in 26 games to date so far this season.
Coming out of the break in January, Rhode Island finds themselves in 3rd place and right in the thick of things in the Central Division standings. With 20 games on the schedule over the final 9+ weeks of the regular season, Bauvais will look to continue to lead his team down the stretch and into the postseason.
Speaking of teams from the Central Division, Boyer and the Railers hit the break in 1st place, having won six of their last seven games dating back to Thanksgiving. As for the '03 native of Canada, Boyer tallied a trio of points to his name as well over the past week, including the game-winning goal against the Protec Jr. Ducks. For the season, Boyer now has 18 points in 27 total games to date, which ranks him tied for 5th amongst all defensemen in the EHL.
Coming out of the break, the 17-11-0 Railers will look to maintain their position at the top of the Central Division standings with 18 games remaining on their 2022-23 regular season schedule. After winning the Central Division this past year, Boyer is looking to help the Railers go back-to-back, and then earn a little revenge if they can also return to Providence, RI, and the 2023 EHL Frozen Finals.
Wrapping things up with the hottest team in the EHL, Boschert and the Express are probably wishing the holiday break was still a week or two away, after winning six of seven games in December and hitting the new year on a five-game winning streak. All five of those wins came over the last week and a half, dating back to the start of the Newington Showcase, with Boschert getting the nod between the pipes for four of those victories. The '02 native of Florissant, MO was nearly unbeatable over that stretch, owning a 0.73 GAA and a .976 save percentage.
For the season, Boschert is now 11-6-0 and owns a 2.01 GAA and a .940 save percentage, which ranks him as one of the top goaltenders in the EHL. After making a name for himself in the 2022 EHL postseason, and carrying the Express to the Frozen Finals, Boschert will look to do the same thing again this year in his age-out season of junior hockey.
The EHLP is pleased to announce that Zach Needham (New Hampshire Avalanche), John Bellantoni (New Jersey Renegades), and Nick Giuliano (Philadelphia Little Flyers) have been named the Top Performers for Week #14 and #15.
Needham and the Avalanche were busy over the final stretch of games in 2022, hitting the ice for four games over a six-day stretch from December 13th through 18th. As for the '03 native of Bangor, ME, Needham set the pace for his team offensively, tallying 11 total points over the four-game stretch, and closing out 2022 by tallying at least a point in 11 straight contests.
For the season, Needham is putting together a great rookie campaign in junior hockey, having notched an even 19 goals and 19 assists to his credit through the first 27 games of the year. For the season, the Avalanche are 16-10-1 and are currently battling for position in the ever-difficult New England Division. New Hampshire is one of three teams in their division with 33 points, which puts that collective group one point behind the Vermont Lumberjacks for the top spot.
Keeping with the trend of teams hitting the break with momentum on their side, Bellantoni and the Renegades are feeling good heading into 2023, after closing out 2022 with a sweep of their final three games. As for the '05 native of Waldwick, NJ, Bellantoni tallied seven total points over the weeked, with a pair of goals plus five assists. For the season, the young defenseman now has 11 total points through 23 games to date.
Coming out of the break in January, Bellantoni and the Renegades have 18 regular season games remaining, as they battle for playoff positioning in the hopes of claiming the #3 seed and avoiding the Play-In Round for the Mid-Atlantic Division.
Sticking with the Mid-Atlantic, and wrapping up all of our Star of the Week honors for the 2022 calendar year, Giuliano and the Little Flyers hit the ice for just a single game this past weekend. However, Philadelphia and the '04 native of Ridley Park, PA, made it count by knocking off the Pennsylvania Huntsmen for the first time this season. As for Giuliano, the young netminder closed out 2022 by stopping 44 of the 46 shots he faced en route to his 4th straight victory between the pipes.
The solid finish to the calendar year has helped improve Giuliano's record up to 5-6-1, to go along with a 3.35 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Giuliano and the Little Flyers will return to action next at the January Showcase, when they take on a trio of New England Division opponents in the Adirondack Jr. Thunder, the Avalanche, and the New England Wolves.