By Kevin Scott
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Team Gold vs. Team Blue |
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Team White vs. Team Red |
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ST. PETERS, MO., March 23, 2024 — The 2024 North American 3 Hockey League’s annual Top Prospects Tournament (TPT) takes place on Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24, 2024, at the St. Peter’s Rec Plex in St. Peter’s, Missouri.
The ‘all-star’ like tournament is played in cooperation with the 2024 North American Hockey League’s (NAHL) Fraser Cup National Tournament at the same facility.
The 2024 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament provides an opportunity for the NA3HL to showcase their best hockey players in front of coaches and scouts from the North American Hockey League (NAHL), the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and the NCAA college levels.
There will be four TPT teams (Team Red, Team Blue, Team Gold, and Team White) that will play two games each day. The teams will consist of 22 players (12 forwards, 8 defenseman and two goalies) and one head coach. Players considered for this prestigious event had to be nominated by their respective coaches and must not be competing in the Fraser Cup this year.
Click here for the full two-day tournament schedule and results.
The Frontier Division will have a total 14 players spread throughout the four teams competing in the ‘all-star like” event including four from the Americans (Ty O’Bey, Luke Pizzey, Aiden Kennedy, and Kaden Ryhder), and four from the Bozeman Ice Dogs (Bodie Shepardson, Wes Innes, Bryce Sturm, and Matthew Ryynanen). There will be two representatives from the Butte Irish (Andrew Browe and Braylon Rogers), Owen Schoonover and Leo Carter (Yellowstone Quake), Tanner Freed and Daniil Viscu from the Sheridan Hawks and Dylan Woolstenhulme and Ryan Jordan from the Badlands Sabres. The Helena Bighorns and the Gillette Wild, the top two finishers in the Frontier Division, do not have any players on the team as they are competing in the Fraser Cup Tournament. Click here for the Americans press release with full rosters, coaches, and schedule for each team.
“We are excited to have four guys represent the Americans in St. Louis this weekend,” said Great Falls Americans Head Coach Greg Sears. “All four guys are very deserving, and I am glad they get the opportunity to represent the Americans.”
Forward Brian Essing (Norwich Sea Captains) was the only player to score in a shootout as Team Blue edged Team Gold, 4-3 in the extra frame during the first day of the two-day 2024 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament in St. Peters, Missouri on Saturday morning. Great Falls American forward Aiden Kennedy made the game tying goal in the third period to help Team Gold get to the shootout. Instead of a five-minute overtime, a 3-on-3 shootout was necessary in the TPT games.
Team Blue led 2-1 after the first period. Matthew Bellopede (Long Beach Sharks) and Nick Jones (El Paso Rhinos) each added a score for Team Blue. Leonardo Kahlhammer (New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings) and Broen Fawcett (Minnesota Loons) earned the assists on Bellopede’s first score with 17:12 remaining. Noble Cook (Texas Roadrunners) scored for Team Gold before the period concluded. Both teams combined for 16 shots-on-goal.
During the first three minutes of the middle period, Team Gold’s Eryk Fancher (Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks) scored off a pass from Texas Roadrunners forward Carson Spear for only goal of the period. The 2-2 game resulted in Team Gold having 11 of the 24 shots in the period.
Team Blue led for the second time in the game with seven minutes left in the third frame. Brian Essing of the Norwich Sea Captains made his first TPT goal with helpers from Massimo Polistina (Peoria Mustangs) and Nick Jones, who scored in the first stanza. Team Gold and Great Falls Americans forward Aiden Kennedy denied a regulation win for Team Blue when he scored on an unassisted tally with 60 seconds remaining.
The TPT rules dictate no five-minute overtime, but they declare a winner by having a shootout. Brian Essing (Team Blue) was the only player from either squad to get the puck past the opposing goaltender, Collin Lemanski of the Wausau Cyclones for the eventual game-winner. Teammate Matthew Bellopede was unsuccessful as was Team Gold’s three players, Ty O’Bey and Aiden Kennedy of the Great Falls Americans and Oregon Tradesmen’s Sam Knight.
Despite coming up short, Team Gold outshot Team Blue, 30-26 including 27 shots taken during the first three periods.
No penalties were called for either squad during the sixty minutes contest.
El Paso Rhinos netminder Ryan Piekarski stopped 24 shots and allowed three Team Gold scoring opportunities. Team Gold’s Collin Lemanski recorded 21 saves in the loss. Great Falls goalie Kaden Ryhder did not play in today’s contest.
Team White hangs on to defeat Team Red, 7-5
ST. PETERS, MO., March 23, 2024 — Mason City Toros standout Luke Robertson provided two goals for Team White’s 7-5 win over Team Red during Saturday’s second game of the Top Prospects Tournament in Missouri. Ricky Nelson also had two scores for Team Red.
Andrew Browe (Butte Irish), Luke Robertson (Mason City Toros) and Brett Phillips (Atlanta Capitals) all scored during the first period for Team White. The Wausau Cyclones Ricky Nelson scored the first of his two goals for Team Red in the first stanza. Payton Fobes of the New Jersey Titans assisted on the first tally of the game on Robertson’s score 3:45 into the period and his teammate from the Titans, George Hinds assisted on Phillips score.
Miles Berg (Mason City Toros) lit up the lamp for the fourth scoring play for Team White off a pass from Joey Crowley (Texas Brahmas) within the first minute of the second stanza. Jax Schauer of the Mason City Toros increased the lead for Team White (5-1) three minutes into the middle period. Team Red pulled to within two goals (5-3) later when Mason Wright and Braydon Buckingham of the St. Louis Jr. Blues and Wisconsin Woodsmen each got the puck by Team White netminder Braylon Rogers of the Butte Irish. Spencer Lund (New Mexico Ice Wolves) and Gus Cantwell (Willmar WarHawks) helped on Wright’s goal while Nick O’Brien helped on teammate Braydon Buckingham’s scoring drive. Before the period concluded, Luke Robertson buried his second goal of the game for the 6-3 lead for Team White. Team White contributed 27 shots while Team Red had 24 after two periods of action.
Both teams traded one goal each in the final period. Ricky Nelson of Team Red scored first followed five minutes later by Team White’s Braeden Whitsell of the New Mexico Ice Wolves. Logan Schwartzhoff (Mason City Toros) earned the assist on the Whitesell goal. Kelly Coldwater (St. Louis Jr. Blues) put in the final goal with five minutes remaining in the contest for Team Red.
Team White outshot Team Red in the first and third periods to finish with 39. Meanwhile, Team Red racked up ten shots in the first and third stanzas to end the game with 34.
No penalties were called by the NA3HL officials.
The goaltending duo of Braylon Rogers (Butte Irish) and Luke Romney (Texas Brahmas) accumulated 29 saves for the winning White squad. Bozeman Ice Dogs goalie Matthew Ryynanen acquired 32 saves for Team Red.
TOURNAMENT NOTES: Fans can also follow the action live at NAHLTV of both games of the Top Prospects Tournament. and see the stats updated live on the NA3HLTop Prospects Tournament Scoreboard.
Click here to view the full roster list (printable PDF version) from each of the four TPT teams.
Click here to view the Americans Press Release with rosters, coaches, and schedule and information for the 2024 Top Prospects Tournament..
To view more information about the 2024 Top Prospects Tournament, please visit the tournament webpage: http://na3hl.com/tpt/
NEXT CONTEST: On Sunday, March 24, the 2024 Top Prospects Tournament concludes with the final day of action. Each team will play for the final time. The NA3HL Team Blue will face off against Team Red at 8:30AM (MST) followed at 11:15AM (MST) with Team White against Team Gold.