The WMHSH Blogger's travels and hectic schedule resulted in me blowing a very important deadline: naming the Players of the Week. That's a shame because there were some standout performances the week I was gone, especially in the McMichigan Cup, the Trenton Showcase and the MCC tournament. The momentum carried forward for a couple of players into this week. So here, readers, is an extended list of Players of the (2) Week(s). Each POW gets an official HNIWM t-shirt. In particular, there have been some standout performances in goal over the past few weeks, which bodes well for teams getting ready for a playoff run. Drum roll, please...
Derek Hess, goalie, Forest Hills Central -- Got a couple nominations for Derek based on his performance in the McMichigan Cup, especially his play in the triple OT win in the championship game. He was named to the All-Tournament team goalie and MVP.
Jeff Musselman, center, Muskegon Catholic Central -- Due to injuries and sickness, Jeff double-shifted against Northview in the first round and logged a ton of ice in the Crusaders' championship game win over Oxford. He collected 2 goals and 2 assists and was named to the All-Tournament team.
Jordan Defever, forward, Big Rapids -- Defever gets the game-winning goal against Midland Dow on Friday night, then comes back on Saturday evening to get the first goal of the game against EGR and then the game-winning assist in overtime.
Joe Ballmer, goalie, Kalamazoo Eagles -- Ballmer had 98 saves and a 1.66 GAA over a three game stretch that included wins over Jenison (23 saves), Mattawan (43 saves) and an OT victory over GR Christian (32 saves).
Jordan Steger, forward, Lowell-Caledonia -- The L/C senior had 3 goals and 2 assists in a 10-0 win over Wayland and had the game-winning goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over South Christian to keep his team on track for the Tier 3 crown in the OK conference.
Dan Spencer & Hunter Kelly, goalies, Traverse City Central -- TCC's goaltending tandem was the key the Trojan's 2-0 performance at the Trenton Showcase. TCC got wins against two of the top teams in the state. On Friday, Spencer had 36 saves in an 3-2 OT thriller against Grosse Pointe North. Not be be outdone, Kelly followed up on Saturday with a 38-save gem to help secure a 3-1 victory over Port Huron Northern.
Scott Simmons, forward, Kalamazoo Blades -- Simmons had a hat trick to help the Blades beat Portage Northern in the SWMHSHL semifinals and earn them a spot in the championship game. He also had 2 PP goals in a 4-3 loss to Mattawan.
Andrew Beeg, forward, Rockford -- The Rockford senior may be one of the hottest hockey players in West Michigan lately. In the McMichigan Cup, he had 7 points for the Rams, who lost in 3 OTs in the championship. This past weekend, he netted a hat trick to help Rockford upset first-place Mona Shores 3-1 in an OK league game.
Honorable Mention: MCC's Adam Pieczynski was MVP in the MCC tournament with a couple of two-goal games...Grandville Defenceman Tom Lorenz had a hat trick and 1 assist Friday against RP and a goal and one assist on Saturday against Portage Northern in the McMichigan Cup...Grand Haven's Luke Reenders had 2 goals and an assist in a 4-3 win over Lowell-Caledonia and a goal in a 3-1 loss to Kenowa Hills...Reeth's Puffer center Adam Hastings Jr. got his first career hat trick in the McMichigan Cup, including the OT winner...Hudsonville's John Kersaan had 5 points and NO time in the sin bin in helping H'Ville win two crucial league games against Muskegon RP and Kenowa Hills...Mona Shores Bret Grevel had 2 assists in an OT win against East Grand Rapids and had the game-winner in a 3-1 win over Forest Hills Northern/Eastern to keep the Sailors atop the OK Tier 1.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Players of the (2) Week(s)
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14 comments:
Are the Hockey Night In West Michigan t-shirts available for sale for the average Joe to buy? Or are they reserved only for the POWs?
I surely hope that these player nominations are coming from the
coaches themselves as opposed to
self nominated parents who thrive on the ink.
Brett Grevel is a sniper. kid has one of the hardest shots i have ever seen. never backs down from a hit. can you say N..H..L?
The nominations are coming from a variety of sources, but not one of the Players of the Week has been nominated by his or her own parent. In fact, I get nominations from parents and coaches about players from other teams (e.g., Derek Hess of FHC was nominated by a Rockford coach, whose team lost to Hess in the finals of a tournament). I also personally select some of the players based on what I hear and read and talk to coaches about.
Bottom line: this IS a totally subjective process and I get the final say. But because I value the opinions of local coaches, hockey fans and parents, I certainly do take their input and give it considerable weight.
As for selling the shirts, I don't do that but you can EARN one by helping the Blog or by doing something awesome for high school hockey in West Michigan. Email me directly at brian.h.edwards@gmail.com if you want to learn more.
do past pow's get t-shirts also?
I would like a shirt.
- John McCain
Andrew Beeg's hat trick against Mona Shores was of the natural variety.
Goalies & Forwards, Goalies & Forwards, Yaaawn
This is AWESOME!!!! You have elevated the hockey coverage in WEST MI to a new level. THANKS for what you do. I am looking forward to playoff coverage. Any picks/prediction coming forth?
Wanted to respond to a few posts: Yes, past players of the week get shirts (I'm still playing catch up on this, but a few went in the mail today). Also, as much as I admire prisoners of war like Senator McCain, those are not the POWs that are referred to by the first poster. Finally, there is an abundance of goalies and forwards this week, but look at past weeks and you'll find several d-men have been tagged including Chris Sandmeyer of PC, Dom Lefere of GRCC, Dan Cruickshank of Rockford, and Ben Grover of Kentwood. I would like to pick more, but need the Wednesday-afternoon yawners to email me on Mondays and tell me about the great defensive performances of the preceding week. If all you want to do is yawn and bitch after the fact, there's a forum for that...it's just not here.
Wahoopsay, I mean Goalscorers and Goalies. Thanks to the "Strict Enforcement" the defensemen have been emasculated. The only recognition they get is from scoring goals or "logging a lot of ice time". This parent thrives on hard work, dedication, loyalty, and perseverance, not ink.
"Not ink" right? "Hard work, dedication and perserverance"...sounds like you are describing Mr. Blogger. If your kid's coach isn't promoting his defensive stars, shame on him. Chill out and enjoy the site.
a goalie is technically a defenseman, as he defends the net. There are plenty of defensemen players of the week.
Jeff Musselman from MCC is a stud on the ice, he is probably one of the top players in West Michigan. He really deserves the recognition.
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