NOTE: A Special Thanks to Greg Sears/GF Americans Facebook for providing the photos.
By Kevin Scott
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Team Gold vs. Team White |
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Team Red vs. Team Blue |
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ST. PETERS, MO., March 24, 2024 — On Sunday, the St. Peter’s Rec Plex in St. Peter’s, Missouri hosted the second and final day of the prestigious 2024 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament (TPT) where four teams squared off in the ‘all-star’ like tournament.
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.
The four TPT Teams (Team Red, Team Blue, Team Gold, and Team White) played on Saturday morning where Team Blue edged Team Gold, 4-3. Great Falls Americans forward Aiden Kennedy score a third period goal for Team Gold. Ty O’Bey, Luke Pizzey and Kaden Ryhder also suited up for Team Gold. In the second game, Team White led 3-1 after the first period and ended up with a 7-5 victory over Team Red. Click here for the game summary from those contests.
Each squad played once on Saturday and Sunday. The teams consisted 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.
A total of 14 players represented the Frontier Division with players spread among the four TPT teams. Four Great Falls Americans (Ty O’Bey, Luke Pizzey, Aiden Kennedy and Kaden Ryhder), four from the Bozeman Ice Dogs (Bodie Shepardson, Wes Innes, Bryce Strum an Matthew Ryynanen) along with two players from the Butte Irish (Andrew Browe and Braylon Rogers), Owen Schoonover and Leo Carter from the Yellowstone (WY) Quake, Tanner Freed and Daniil Viscu from the Sheridan Hawks and Dylan Woolstenhulme and Ryan Jordan from the Badlands (SD) Sabres were the players from the Frontier Division competing this weekend.
Click here for the Americans press release with full rosters, coaches, and schedule for each team.
Americans standout Kennedy scores to lead Team Gold to 4-2 win over Team White
ST. PETERS, MO., March 24, 2024 — Great Falls Americans standout Aiden Kennedy scored a goal for the second time this weekend while Dylan Woolstenhulme (Badlands Sabres) and Andrew Browe from the Butte Irish each assisted to lift Team Gold to a 4-2 win over Team White on the final day of competition at the 2024 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament in Missouri on Sunday morning.
Team Gold held a 2-0 advantage after the first period thanks to goals by Arys Perardi (Austin Ice Bats) and Carson Spears from the Texas Roadrunners each put the biscuit in the basket. Sam Knight (Oregon Tradesmen), Dylan Woolstenhulme (Badlands Sabres) and Erik Masengill (Norwich Sea Captains) assisted on the soring plays for coach Eric Fenton (Oregon Tradesmen).
Team White needed five minutes of the second period before they found the back of the net to cut the deficit to 2-1. New Jersey Titans forward Payton Fobes scored with 15:05 remaining in the middle period. Fobes’ teammate from the Titans, George Hinds and Andrew Browe from the Butte Irish set up the first score for Team White. Both teams combined for 29 shots after two full periods of action.
In the third, Mason City Toros standout Luke Robertson, who scored two goals on Saturday for Team White, added a third score midway through the final period to even the game (2-2). Jax Schauer (Mason City Toros) and the Brett Phillips representing the Atlanta Capitals assisted on the second Team White scoring drive.
The game looked like it might go into a shootout (since the TPT does not do a five-minute overtime) but Aiden Kennedy (Great Falls Americans) and Easton Simpson (Oregon Tradesmen) lit up the lamp for two goals with under a minute remaining to help Team Gold go 1-1 on the weekend. Easton Simpson collected the assist on Kennedy’s score while Reid Watson (Oregon Tradesmen) assisted on Simpson score with 21 seconds left in regulation.
Team Gold scored four goals utilizing just 19 shots. Team White made ten of their 24 shots in the second period.
Kaden Ryhder got the start and the win for Team Gold in his first action of the weekend. The first-year goaltender for the Americans swatted away 22 shots. Braylon Rogers from the Butte Irish made 15 saves for Team White.
Team Red easily defeats Team White, 9-2
ST. PETERS, MO., March 24, 2024 — Bazl Cook, one of four players from the Alexandria Blizzard, scored two goals and Team Red ran away from Team Blue, 9-2 to conclude the Top Prospects Tournament on Sunday afternoon. Bozeman Ice Dogs standout Bodie Shepardson scored once and assisted on a play for Team Red.
Team Red outshot Team Blue, 13-2, in the first period and racked up four goals while allowing one. Bodie Shepardson (Bozeman Ice Dogs), Bazl Cook (Alexandria Blizzard) and two players from the Willmar WarHawks, Hudson Zinda and Gus Cantwell added the scores for the Red squad while William Heskett (Mid Cities Jr. Stars), Justin Wasvick (Alexandria Blizzard), Mason Wright (St. Louis Jr. Blues) and Wausau Cyclones forward Ricky Nelson earned the assists in the period. The White received one score from Massimo Polistina from the Peoria Mustangs.
Team Red had two goals scored by Spencer Lund (New Mexico Ice Wolves) and Ricky Nelson (Wausau Cyclones). Mason Wright from the St. Louis Jr. Blues assisted on both tallies after having one in the first frame. El Paso Rhinos forward Nick Jones acquired the lone goal for Team White with Brian Essing of the Norwich Sea Captains setting up the scoring play. Team Red led 6-2 before the second break.
Team Red scored three goals in a nine-minute span in the final period to ensure the victory. Bazl Cook scored his second goal of the game with assistance from Joe Gronholz (Alexandria Blizzard). Before the game ended, Mason Wright and Kelly Coldwater, both from the St. Louis Jr. Blues, had lamplighters. Bazl Cook, Mason Wright and Bodie Shepardson helped make the goals possible.
A total of 28 shots were taken between these two teams on Sunday.
A day after getting 32 saves for Team Red, Bozeman Ice Dogs goalie Matthew Ryynanen had an easy day in the net stopping six of eight shots by Team White. Ryan Piekarski (El Paso Rhinos) started for Team White allowing two goals in five minutes before being replaced by backup Manny Pantow (New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings) who had 11 saves in 54 minutes in the loss.
To view more information about the 2024 Top Prospects Tournament, please visit the tournament webpage: http://na3hl.com/tpt/