Who can stop the Tornado? a 5-0 win gives Texas their 11th straight win

Talk about dominating the NAHL.

The amazing winning streak continues for the Tornado continues as the Tornado had no problems winning their 11th straight with a 5-0 shutout of the New Mexico Mustangs.

The Tornado were lead tonight by Alex Boyer's 2 goals as well as 2 assists from Nathan Slinwinksi, also props goes out to Czech Native Pavel Hurtik who scores his first goal as a member of the Texas Tornado and also picked up an assist in the 3rd period as well.

In all, the team is flexing its muscles and sending a message to the rest of the league that the team can contend for the NAHL Robertson Cup this season. Everything is clicking on all clyinders right now and it's been paying off in all sorts of ways.

First earlier this week, four Tornado Players as Rock Einersen, David Rigatti, Ralfs Freibergs and Jimmy Kruger will be competing at the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament next month in Boston. In addition to the players on the ice, head coach Tony Curtale will also be behind the bench at the event.

Right now with the long homestretch and the way their playing, it will take a combo of a great effort and catching the Tornado on an off night to end this streak and send a message that they can challenge the Tornado to win the South Division and keep the Tornado from getting a shot of heading to Kansas in May to play for the NAHL Robertson Cup.

Also yesterday, Tornado Goaltender Jimmy Kruger had the achievements continue as he was named the Goaltender of the Month for October where he had an impressive 1.63 GAA and a .933 SV%.

The Tornado and Mustangs will play again tonight and theirs no reason in my mind that the Tornado can't make it a dozen in a row. Also the team has the top record in the league at 13-2-3 with 29 points and is just one point up on the Wichita Falls Wildcats who beat the Corpus Christi Icerays 4-2 last night.

"Jimmy has worked very hard since his arrival to become a better goalie and better athlete and he's helped solidify our defense, which is already a solid group," said Tornado Head Coach Tony Curtale, whose team is riding a 10 game winning streak. "He has great size (6'3", 190 pounds) and ability and makes key saves during key moments of the game, which is important."


Here's the Tornado Players at the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament

Jimmy Kruger named NAHL Goaltender of the Month

Game Story from the Texas Tornado Website

New Mexico Mustangs 0  Texas Tornado 5  (0-2, 0-1, 0-2)

From Frisco, Texas: Two goals from Axel Boyer, two assists from Nathan Slinwinski and 14 saves from Jake Stafford led the Tornado to a workman like 5-0 win over the New Mexico Mustangs on Friday Night. For the Tornado, it was there 11th straight win continuing the NAHL's longest winning streak this season. The Tornado and Mustangs will will finish out the series in Frisco on Saturday, November 6th at 7:30 PM. Tickets for the game are still available at the box office, by calling 972-335-9800 or online at http://www.tornadohockey.com/ An official tailgate party will take place prior to the game beginning at 4:00 PM in the South Parking Lot in between the parking garage and the baseball stadium.

The Tornado skated the scoring just over a minute into the game as Jackson Leef got a loose puck off a Mustangs turnover and decked the Mustangs goalie Matt Madore for his 8th goal of the season. Late in the period the Tornado made it 2-0 as some nifty stick work by Nate Slinwinski got the puck in the low slot to Axel Boyer, who one-timed a drive past Madore. Tyler Rostenkowski also assisted on the goal.

The 2nd period was the Mustangs best of the night, but every chance was met by a save Stafford including a few odd man rushes. The Tornado increased the lead to 3-0 as Pavel Hurtik scored his first goal in a Tornado Uniform as he blasted a slap shot from the point just as a Tornado Power Play expired past a screened Madore. J.D. Howard and Marc Biggs assisted on Hurtik's bomb. The 2nd period also saw two fights within a second of another as Mike Fleming and Mark Zagari both threw down for Texas.

The 3rd period was all Tornado as they out-shot the Mustangs 20-2 in the period and got one more on the stick of Boyer, who again was the recipient of some magic stickhandling by his line-mate Sliwinski. Boyer deked Madore for his second of the night and a 5-0 Tornado lead, which would end up being the final score. Hurtik assisted for his 2nd point of the night.

Higby Proving his Point(s)

From Matt Mackinder of the North American Hockey League Website: www.nahl.com

Once Erik Higby graduated high school in his native Michigan in 2008, his family uprooted and moved down to Texas to follow his mother's new job.

What intrigued Higby is that even though he was going from a hockey hotbed to the Sunbelt, he still found plenty of hockey opportunities along the way. Higby, a 20 year old native from Shelby Township, Michigan played last year for the Mahoning Valley Phantoms in their final NAHL Campaign and then joined the Topeka Roadrunners.

Higby is Topeka's leading scorer by a wide margin and has also been near the top of the league's scoring chart for much of the season. As of Mid-January, Higby had 62 points through 46 games (2nd in the NAHL) and led the league with a +23 rating. Landing in the NAHL was at the urging of Chris Coury, a longtime Midget AAA coach in Michigan. Higby played for Coury's Belle Tire Squad in 2007-08.

"After our season was over, Chris told me about some teams that were interested in me," explained Higby. "I went to Mahoning Valley's Tryout and made the team, so I decided to play there."

Higby said he was impressed with the level of play in the NAHL. "I think the talent in our league is very good, maybe a little underrated compared to other leagues. " said Higby. "All the teams in our league have top players and lines that compete very strong."

Still, moving south from the Detroit area was hard at first, but when Higby stepped aside and looked at the situation, it really wasn't all that much of a life changing situation.

"Hockey in Michigan is bigger of course, but down in San Antonio (where Higby now calls home), I live close to an ice rink and there are a lot more hockey players then I was expecting." Higby said.

"Having to move from Michigan was a big decision for my family after living there my whole life. "I miss seeing friends and family the most, but most of the time, I was away from home for hockey anyways, so it wasn't that big of a deal for me."

In Topeka, Higby is still far from Texas, but road trips to his adopted home state make it all worthwhile. "I like playing in Topeka," said Higby. "The fans and people here are great. I like being closer to so my family and friends can come to see me play. When we make trips to Texas to play Wichita Falls and the Tornado is when I see my family the most. Topeka is still a good distance away from San Antonio, through".

With the potential to play college hockey, Higby played in the Sherwood/NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in Ann Arbor, Michigan, last month.

"I plan on attending school next fall and play hockey as well," Higby said. "I've talked to a few schools so far and, hopefully, there are more to come.

"Top Prospects gave me more exposure. There were a lot of schools and all the teams we played were really good. "Top Prospects was very exciting and I think it'll help a lot of players out in the long run."

North Division wins NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, while the South clinches 3rd

Central Division VS. North Division

This year's Top Prospects Tournament came down to the event's final game as the North used a 3 goal 3rd period to run away from a tight game that was tied at 2-2 after the 2nd intermission. A bulk of the North Division's scoring came from 2 players in particularly that were huge today.

Rui Encarnarcao and Brent Bain each scored twice in this game while the Central Goals came from Cory Thorson and Marian Fiala to keep the Central in the game during the 1st and 2nd periods that it looked like for a while that this game could go either way and would have earned the Top Prospects Tournament Title against the North Division with the win today.

The goalies from both teams split the time today as Kevin Kissaw and Matt Wichorek split the time basically down the middle as the North Goalies stopped 22 of 24 shots. For the Central Division, they also did the same thing with the goalies as Ryan Faragher and Chris Kamal together stopped 29 of 33 shots in the game.

For the full tournament, the North scored an impressive 13 goals where the North won this thing because of big time outbursts against the West and Central Divisions.

Central Division 2 North Division 5 (1-1, 1-1, 0-3)
1-0: Marian Fiala (Bournazos, Nehring) 4:51 1st
1-1: Rui Encarnarcao (Jacobsen, Mauermann) 7:13 1st
1-2: Brent Bain (Clifford, Kolb) 3:22 2nd
2-2: Cory Thorson (Klein, Fiala) 8:55 2nd
2-3: Rui Encarnarcao (Jacobsen, Mauermann) 4:47 3rd
2-4: Brent Bain (Kolb, Clifford) 16:06 3rd
2-5: Ross Mauermann (EN) (Gibson) 18:53 3rd

SOG: Central 24 North 33
PIM: Central 4 MIN on 2 PEN North 2 MIN on 1 PEN

Goalies
Central: Ryan Faragher 15 SVS on 17 Shots Chris Kamal 13 SVS on 15 Shots
North: Kevin Kissaw 10 SVS on 12 Shots Matt Wichorek 12 SVS on 12 Shots

ATT: N/A


West Division VS. South Division

In what was basically the 3rd place tournament, the South Division used a fast start and then a quick response in the first period. Then afterword, strong goal tending duo of Dan Sullivan and Evan Karambelas helped protect the lead throughout the 2nd period.

Topeka Roadrunner and New Braunfels native Erik Higby scored his 1st and only goal of the tournament which helped kick off the scoring 7 minutes into the game from a great passing play from Martin Sundstedt to make it 1-0 South. The South's lead stood for 5 min until the West Division scored their only goal of the game with Justin Kirchevel at 12:01 of the 1st, but just a 37 seconds later, Blake Edwards who scored his only point of the tournament to make it 2-1.

It stood as the game changer until early 3rd when Craig Kitto scored the first of 2 goals in the 3rd period to make it 3-1. He later made it 4-1 on a strong one timer from Higby to give the South Division their first and only win of the tournament and secured 3rd place from this year's Prospects Tournament.

West Division 1 South Division 4 (1-2, 0-0, 0-2)
0-1: Erik Higby (Sundstedt, Raley) 7:20 1st
1-1: Justin Kirchevel (Scott, Mckellar) 12:01 1st
1-2: Blake Edwards (Hochsprung, Sheehan) 12:38 1st
1-3: Craig Kitto (Hagaman, Ledford) 5:10 3rd
1-4: Craig Kitto (Higby) 12:18 3rd

SOG: West 39 South 30
PIM: West 6 MIN on 3 PEN South 8 MIN on 4 PEN

Goalies
West: Brandon Jeager 18 SVS on 20 Shots Kale Robertson 8 SVS on 10 Shots
South: Dan Sullivan 14 SVS on 15 Shots Evan Karambelas 24 SVS on 24 Shots

ATT: N/A

Final Tournament Standings

1. North Division 3-0-0 6 PTS 13-6

2. Central Division 2-1-0 4 PTS 11-9

3. South Division 1-2-0 2 PTS 7-9

4. West Division 0-3-0 0 PTS 6-13

North Division wins the 2010 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament


Scoring Leaders

Goals: Rui Encarnarcao & Brent Bain (3)

Assists: Doug Clifford (5), Ross Mauermann (4), Several tied with 3


Goaltending Leaders

GAA: Evan Karambelas & Matt Wichorek Tied with 1.34

SV%: Evan Karambelas .963

North and Central Win Tight Games on Day 1

Day 1 of the 2010 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament featured 2 very close and tight games as the North Division and Central Division took 1 goal victories against the South and West Divisions as Nick Shkreli of the Traverse City North Stars, while Owatonna Express teammates Cory Thorson and Dan Cecka each had 2 point nights to help their divisions have the early advantage in this year's tournament.

Press Release from the North American Hockey League Website. www.nahl.com

North Division VS. South Division

The North and Central Divisions skated to day 1 wins on the opening day of the Sherwood/NAHL Top Prospects Tournament on Monday at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In the early game, Nick Shkreli (Traverse City North Stars) put home a goal and assisted on RJ Kleiman (Motor City Metal Jackets) game winner as the North Division beat the South Division 3-2. Scott Henegar (Marquette Rangers) tallied the other North Division Goal and Marquette Rangers goalie Kevin Kissaw turned aside 22 shots.

For the South Division, Rock Einersen and Chris Ciotti scored goals just 18 seconds apart from each other late in the 2nd period which at the time gave the South Division a 2-1 lead.

Game Summary

North Division 3 South Division 2 (1-0, 0-2, 2-0)
1-0: Nick Shkreli (Brancheau, Gibson) 0:25 1st
1-1: Rock Einersen (Bourgonje, Schaber) 18:19 2nd
1-2: Chris Ciotti (Kitto, Bertsch) 18:37 2nd
2-2: Scott Hengar (Fritsche, Saint-Onge) 15:03 3rd
3-2: RJ Kleiman (Shkreli, Clifford) 16:12

PIM: North 2 Min on 1 PEN/South 2 Min on 1 PEN
SOG: North 28 South 24

Goalies:
North Kevin Kissaw 22 SVS on 24 Shots
South Dan Sullivan 12 SVS on 13 Shots Evan Karambelas 13 SVS on 15 Shots

Att: 413


West Division VS. Central Division

Cory Thorson (Owatonna Express) rang up a goal and assisted on Dan Cecka's (Owatonna Express) game winner in the Central Division 4-3 triumph over the West late in the game. Zach Vierling (Alexandria Blizzard) chipped in with two assists in this one, one on Cecka's goal and Bismarck Goalie Ryan Faragher made 37 saves between the pipe to clinch the win for the Central.


Game Summary

West Division 3 Central Division 4 (1-0, 0-2, 2-2)

1-0: Jon Schreiner (Politz) 1:12 1st
1-1: Cory Throson (Vierling) 2:19 2nd
1-2: Brian Nehring (Klein, Bohrer) 11:44 2nd
2-2: Christian Hilbrich (Beck, Mingo) 5:49 3rd
2-3: Derek Docken (SH) (Unassisted) 14:37 3rd
3-3: Michael Di Puma (Smith) 15:27 3rd
3-4: Dan Cecka (Thorson, Vierling) 17:46 3rd


PIM: West 2 Min on 1 PEN/Central 2 Min on 1 PEN
SOG: West 40 Central 26

Goalies:
West Kyle Robertson 22 SVS on 26 Shots
Central: Ryan Faragher 37 SVS on 40 Shots

ATT: N/A

Tournament Standings After Day 1

1. North Division 1-0-0 2 PTS 3-2

2. Central Division 1-0-0 2 PTS 4-3

3. South Division 0-0-1 0 PTS 2-3

4. West Division 0-0-1 0 PTS 3-4

Day 2 Schedule

North Division VS. West Division 4:30 PM EST

South Division VS. Central Division 7:30 PM EST

NAHL Top Prospects Tournament Rosters

The opening game of the NAHL Top Proscpets Tournament will start in about a half hour from now from the Ann Arbor Ice Cube in Michigan which is the home of the USNTDP program where this event is in the 3rd year.

Last year, over 30 players from this game got Division 1 Scholarships after playing in this event where they will get a chance to impress infront of NCAA and Professional Scouts over the next 3 days and will get a chance to get a better look at them as we go through the rest of the season as most teams have about 25 games left in the regular season from Friday night till the end of the NAHL Regular Season in late March.

For a lucky few, they could find themselves playing for the NAHL Robertson Cup which is in early May in Wenatchee, Washington.

As for the Southewest talent, the big name this year is Erik Higby who's from New Braunsful, Texas who is among the league's leading scores for the Topeka Roadrunners. Also Martin Sundstedt of Mckinney and Blake Coleman of Arlington are also going to the big tournament this week in Michigan.

Here's a look at the rosters for the Division All Star Teams.

Central Division

Goalies

1. Chris Kamal: 5'10" 180, Alpharetta, Georgia

31. Chris Faragher: 6'2" 187, Ft. Frances, Ontario


Defensemen

2. Marian Fiala, 5'11" 185, Bratislava, Slovakia

3. Derek Docken, 5'11" 190, Northfield, Minnesota

6. Jacob Sloat: 6'0" 190, Louisville, Colorado

10. Chris Franks: 6'2" 185, Apple Valley, Minnesota

11. Ben Danford: 6'0" 185, Stillwater, Minnesota

20. John Avino: 5'11" 185, Mount Prospect, Illinois


Forwards

7. Casey Kleisinger, 5'10" 170, Edwards, Colorado

8. Kyle Clay, 5'10" 170, Henderson, Nevada

12. Ryan Bohrer, 5'11" 192, St. Paul, Minnesota

14. Zach Vierling, 5'9" 170, Coon Rapids, Minnesota

15. Nick Jensen, 6'3" 210, Copenhagen, Denmark

16. Cory Thorson, 6'1" 190, Crystal, Minnesota

18. Sean Mckenzie, 5'9" 185, Howell, Michigan

22. Steve Zierke, 5'10" Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

24. Dan Cecka, 5'10" 190, Woodbury, Minnesota

88. Brian Nehring, 6'2" 210, Hopedale, Mass.

Head Coach: Bryon Pool, Bismarck Bobcats

Assistant Coach: Pat Cullen, Owatonna Express


North Division

Goalies

1. Kevin Kissaw, 6'0" 175, Goodrich, Michigan

33. Matt Wichorek, 5'11" 193, Anchorange, Alaska


Defensemen

2. Austin Accettura, 6'0" 170, Novi, Michigan

3. Travis White, 5'9" 180, Sterling Heights, Michigan

4. Mike Monfredo, 6'4" Shirley, New York

5. Mike Schenfeld, 5'9" 185, Littleton, Colorado

13. Joel Benson, 6'1" 180, Marquette, Michigan


Forwards

8. Rui Encarnarcao, 6'1" 185, White Plans, New York

9. RJ Kleiman, 6'1" 205, Dewitt, Michigan

10. Derek Jacobsen, 5'11" 185, Sioux City, Iowa

11. Collin Saint-Onge, 6'1" 170, Marquette, Michigan

15. Brent Bain, 5'8" 175, Toledo, Ohio

17. Scott Henegar, 6'0" 175, Trenton, Michigan

18. Nick Shkreli, 5'11" 180, Romeo, Michigan

19. Andrew Klob, 5'10" 175, Toledo, Ohio

20. Doug Clifford, 5'11" 165, Woodhaven, Michigan

22. Steve Brancheau, 5'8" 155, River Rouge, Michigan

27. Kevin Gibson, 6'0" 175, Gross Point, Michigan


Head Coach: Kenny Miller, Traverse City North Stars

Assistant Coach: Dane Litke, Marquette Rangers


South Division

Goalies

30. Dan Sullivan, 6'2" 185, York, Penn.

31. Evan Karambelas, 6'2" 205, St. John, B.C.


Defensemen

2. Blake Edwards, 5'9" 183, Columbus, Ohio

3. Patrick Raley, 6"0" 195, Inverness, Illinois

5. Jacob Poe, 6'3" 195, Arlington, Texas

6. Zach Ledford, 6'1" 193, Folsom, California

22. Bob Marx, 6'1" 196, Sioux City, Iowa

24. TJ Poganski, 6'1" 190, St. Cloud, Minnesota


Forwards

4. Justin Hochsprung, 6'2" 190, Alexandria, Minnesota

7. Brian Sheehan, 5'10" 185, St. Louis Missouri

10. Jack Prince, 6'4" 200, United Kingdom

11. Chris Ciotti, 5'10" 170, Romeo, Michigan

13. Martin Sundstedt, 5'11" 178, Mckinney, Texas

14. Craig Kitto, 5'10" 170, Ashburn, Virigina

16. Jordan Bourgonje, 5'11" 185, Alberta, Canada

17. Mike Schaber, 6'0" 185, Blaine, Minnesota

18. Rock Einersen, 5'10" 195, Chicago, Illinois

19. Alec Hagamen, 6'1" 195, Peoria, Illinois

26. Erik Higby, 5'11" 170, New Braunfels, Texas


Head Coach: Jeff Brown, Topeka Roadrunners

Assistant Coach: Scott Langer, St. Louis Bandits


West Division

Goalies

30. Brandon Jeager, 5'9" 161, Champlin, Minnesota

31. Kale Robertson, 5'11" 175, Sanford, Mass.


Defensemen

2. Josh Nelson, 6'0" 185, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

4. Jon Schreiner, 6'0" 195, Chicago, Illinois

6. Jake Williams, 5'9" 175, Duluth, Minnesota

7. Brandon Kinnebrew, 5'11" 190, Anchorange, Alaska

9. Jake Parenteau, 6'0" 195, Shafer, Minnesota

24. Chris Rumble, 6'1" 202, Chesapeake, Virginia


Forwards

3. Michael Di Puma, 6'0" 204, Chicago, Illinois

8. Duncan Mckellar, 6'3" 187, Phoenix, Arizona

10. Doug Beck, 6'1" 195, Canton, Michigan

11. Zach Smith, 5'7" 160, Anchorange, Alaska

12. Kyle Politz, 5'10" 195, Elko, Minnesota

14. Shawn Pauly, 5'11" 173, Bellingham, Washington

15. Brad Fusaro, 5'7" 150, Soldotna, Alaska

16. Justin Kirchevel, 5'10" 185, Brookings, South Dakota

19. Berkley Scott, 6'3" 200, Anoka, Minnesota

21. Johan Skinnars, 5'11" 190, Leksand, Sweden

25. Lajon Mingo, 5'10" 170, Canton, Michigan

27. Christian Hilbrich, 6'6" 192, Claredon Hills, Illinois


Head Coach: Paul Baxter, Wenatchee Wild

Assistant Coach: Dave Bolitz, Fairbanks Ice Dogs

U.S.A. Junior Standings as of 12/20

Here's a look at the standings for the United States Hockey League and the North American Hockey League as we reach the Christmas Break for both leagues. For the USHL, the league will return to action on December 29, as for the North American Hockey League, they will return on December 28. In addition for the NAHL, the standings will be used to determine how many players from each team will get to play in the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament which will be played in Ann Arbor, Michigan from January 18-20.

United States Hockey League

East Division

1. Green Bay 27 GP 18-6-3 39 PTS 91-64

2. Indiana 26 GP 14-11-1 29 PTS 77-70

3. Cedar Rapids 27 GP 13-12-2 28 PTS 89-91

4. Youngstown 25 GP 12-11-2 26 PTS 90-99

5. Chicago 26 GP 11-11-4 26 PTS 88-93

6. Waterloo 24 GP 9-14-1 19 PTS 89-110

7. USNTDP 25 GP 8-14-3 19 PTS 78-100


West Division

1. Omaha 27 GP 21-5-1 43 PTS 117-65

2. Sioux Falls 25 GP 14-4-7 35 PTS 100-75

3. Fargo 26 GP 16-9-1 33 PTS 100-91

4. Tri-City 26 GP 11-9-6 28 PTS 80-85

5. Sioux City 24 GP 12-11-1 25 PTS 62-72

6. Des Moines 27 GP 12-14-1 25 PTS 102-111

7. Lincoln 25 GP 9-15-1 19 PTS 57-88


These would be the Playoff Matchups in the USHL Right now as we hit the Christmas Break.

East Division

#1 Green Bay Gamblers VS. #4 Youngstown Phantoms

#2 Indiana Ice VS. #3 Cedar Rapids Roughriders


West Division

#1 Omaha Lancers VS. #4 Tri-City Storm

#2 Sioux Falls Stampede VS. #3 Fargo Force


North American Hockey League

North Division

1. Marquette 28 GP 18-10-0 36 PTS 87-70

2. Janesville 28 GP 16-10-2 34 PTS 93-80

3. Traverse City 29 GP 16-11-2 34 PTS 100-94

4. Motor City 28 GP 10-12-6 26 PTS 76-87

5. Alpena 29 GP 11-18-0 22 PTS 76-91


Central Division

1. Bismarck 32 GP 18-8-6 42 PTS 97-79

2. Owatonna 29 GP 15-11-3 33 PTS 95-103

3. North Iowa 30 GP 13-15-2 28 PTS 92-122

4. Alexandria 26 GP 10-13-3 23 PTS 65-74

5. Albert Lea 30 GP 8-20-2 18 PTS 73-126


South Division

1. Topeka 31 GP 23-5-3 49 PTS 130-74

2. St. Louis 27 GP 21-5-1 43 PTS 95-57

3. Springfield 34 GP 14-15-5 33 PTS 104-106

4. Texas 30 GP 14-14-2 30 PTS 90-101

5. Wichita Falls 30 GP 9-16-5 23 PTS 96-127


West Division

1. Wenatchee 34 GP 27-5-2 56 PTS 109-71

2. Fairbanks 35 GP 22-12-1 45 PTS 137-105

3. Alaska 31 GP 17-8-6 40 PTS 102-83

4. Kenai River 35 GP 7-26-2 16 PTS 79-138


Here's a look at the Playoff Matchups as where they stand right now going into the Christmas Break

North Division

#1 Marquette Rangers VS. #4 Motor City Metal Jackets

#2 Janesville Jets VS. #3 Traverse City North Stars


Central Division

#1 Bismarck Bobcats VS. #4 Alexandria Blizzard

#2 Owatonna Express VS. #3 North Iowa Outlaws


South Division

#1 Topeka Roadrunners VS. #4 Texas Tornado

#2 St. Louis Bandits VS. #3 Springfield Jr. Blues


West Division

#1 Wenatchee Wild VS. #4 Kenai River Brown Bears

#2 Fairbanks Ice Dogs VS. #3 Alaska Avalanche


Here's a look at how many players that each team will get in the Prospects Tournament.

North Division

Marquette Rangers (6)

Janesville Jets (5)

Traverse City North Stars (3)

Motor City Metal Jackets (3)

Alpena Ice Diggers (2)


Central Division

Bismarck Bobcats (6)

Owatonna Express (5)

North Iowa Outlaws (3)

Alexandria Blizzard (3)

Albert Lea Thunder (2)


South Division

Topeka Roadrunners (6)

St. Louis Bandits (5)

Springfield Jr. Blues (3)

Texas Tornado (3)

Wichita Falls Wildcats (2)


West Division

Wenatchee Wild (6)

Fairbanks Ice Dogs (5)

Alaska Avalanche (4)

Kenai River Brown Bears (4)