1. Alex Robb - Sr. - F | Kyle Helgestad - So. - G- Chaska Hawks
I am giving the first star to two players on the Chaska Hawks team.
Co-first star #1: If you've paid attention to Chaska this season, you would know that they have been delegating the goaltender position. There may be less delegating after this past week. After an 8-2 loss to Burnsville on Tuesday, they brought in a sophomore, Kyle Helgestad. Helgestad faced a good Owatonna team on Thursday. He stopped 30 shots and allowed just two goals in a 6-2 win over the Huskies. He topped that performance on Saturday. He faced, at the time, a ranked Apple Valley squad where he stopped 40 more shots and allowed only one goal in a Chaska 5-1 win. In recap, in Helgestad's first two varsity games of his career, two wins, stopped 70 shots, and had a 1.50 GAA against two quality teams. Nice.
Co-first star #2: The Hawks have a well kept secret in forward Alex Robb. The senior has 15 goals and nine assists in 14 games. In three games this past week, he scored seven goals and had one assist. He scored the only two Chaska goals in their loss to Burnsville, had a hat trick and one assist against Owatonna, and added two more goals in their win over Apple Valley. Impressive.
2. Reid Mimmack - Jr. - Goaltender - Brainerd/Pillager/Pierz Warriors
Brainerd/Pillager/Pierz has not had a lot to cheer about so far this season. The young Warriors are 3-7-0 and have been averaging just 1.4 goals per game prior to this past week. They scored seven total in two games against #1 in Class A Little Falls (3) and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (4). One of those seven goals were scored by the junior goaltender Reid Mimmack. Of course, it was an empty net goal to seal the win against Cloquet. Scoring a goal was impressive in itself. He was actually more impressive in goal. In two games, Mimmack saved 92 out of 99 shots, 54 out of 59 against Little Falls and 38 out of 40 against Cloquet. That is a .929 save percentage. On the season, Mimmack is 3-7-0 with 3.52 GAA but has a .912 save percentage. Solid.
3. Blake Schammel - Jr. - Forward - Red Wing Wingers
In three wins for Red Wing last week, Schammel scored 5 goals and added 5 assists. In a 9-1 win against Farmington, he had a hat trick and three assists. Schammel has led the the Wingers back to three games above .500 and a spot back in the FollowThePuck.com Top 20 Class A Rankings.
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Honorable Mentions:
Phil Paquette - Sr. - Forward - Luverne - Nine goals in two games, six in one, three in the other
Tyler Prihoda - Sr. - Forward - Albert Lea - Five goals, one assist in three games
Connor Gaarder - Sr. - Forward - Edina - Four goals, one assist in one game
Marshall Everson - Sr. - Forward - Edina - Two goals, four assists in one game
Gus Miller - Sr. - Defenseman - St. Cloud Tech - A hat trick in one game, four assists in the other
Joe Rubbelke - Jr. - Forward - North St. Paul - A hat trick, two assists in one game and 2 goals with one assist in another
Tommy Burke - Jr. - Goaltender - Academy of Holy Angels - One shutout and 47 saves out of 48 in two games
Connor Reilly - Jr. - Forward - Academy of Holy Angels - Four goals, 2 assists in two games
Craig Lindegard - Jr. - Forward - Kittson Central - Seven goals, 3 assists in two games
Casey O'Connor - Sr. - Goaltender - Bloomington Jefferson - Two shutouts, two games, 28 saves
Trevor Ness - Sr. - Forward - Wadena-Deer Creek - Six goals, four assists in three games
Cody Hotchkin - Sr. - Forward - Duluth Denfeld - Two game-winning goals in three games
Dan DeLisle - Sr. - Forward - Totino-Grace - Five goals (1 shorthanded), 2 assists in two games
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Note: Like every week, there are several players from across the state that deserve recognition. I have to limit the list somehow. Believe me, it is not easy. The players I have chosen are ones that stuck out to me.
