The teams in the North American Hockey League Central Division have been competitive all season, from last-place Brookings up through the first-place Austin Bruins.
The depth of talent in the division showed this week at the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Bruins forward and leading scorer Trevor Boyd was one of the standouts for the Central Division team, which won its two games by a combined score of 9-2.
Boyd finished in a tie for second on the team with three points. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound forward from Muskegon, Mich., had one assist in a 4-1 victory vs. Team North on Monday, then had two goals — including the game winner — in a 5-1 victory against Team South on Tuesday.
The Top Prospects Tournament features all-star teams from each of the NAHL's four divisions, as well as a wild-card team, the NAHL Selects, made up of players from across the league. Players in the tournament can not have made a college commitment.
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Boyd, who leads the Bruins with 19 goals and 39 points this season, was one of four Bruins to compete in the Top Prospects Tournament. He was joined on the Central team by fellow forward Luke Dietsch and defensemen Ian Scheid and Cory Dunn.
Dietsch had one assist and a plus-1 plus/minus rating at the TPT, while Dunn was plus-3 with three shots on goal and Scheid was plus-2 with four shots on goal.
Bruins goalie Evan Smith played for the Selects Team. He was peppered with shots and lost his only start, allowing four goals on 43 shots on Monday vs. Team Midwest.
The Central Division-leading Bruins (29-10-11, 69 points) play host to fourth-place Aberdeen (23-24-2, 48 points) at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Riverside Arena.
Austin can clinch home-ice advantage in the first round of the NAHL playoffs if it wins both games this weekend against Aberdeen and the Bismarck Bobcats lose twice at home in regulation against the Minnesota Wilderness.
Zmolek joins Bruins
Rochester Century defenseman Riese Zmolek wrapped up his tremendous high school career last weekend when the Panthers fell to unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Lakeville North in the Section 1AA semifinals.
Zmolek joined the Bruins this week and expects to finish out the NAHL season in Austin. Zmolek finished his high school career, which included missing more than half of a season because of an injury, with 103 points.
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The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder played four games for the Bruins in November, prior to the start of the high school season. He had two penalty minutes and three shots on goal in those games.
• Rochester Mayo senior forward Logan Haskins has also joined an NAHL team. He's in Janesville, Wis., this week, playing for the 40-9-1 Janesville Jets, who have already clinched the NAHL North Division championship.
Haskins had 22 goals and 47 points for the Spartans this season. He finished his high school career with 116 points, including 101 over the past two years. Haskins has played in 14 games this season for the Rochester Ice Hawks, including 13 prior to the start of the high school season. He has totaled five goals and 15 points in those 14 games.
Rochester natives play at
NA3HL prospects showcase
Three former Rochester high school standouts played in the NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament this week. Mayo graduates Ryan Martin and Will Holtan, and John Marshall graduate Jared Bromberg all played for the Central Division team at the TPT.
The Central Division went 1-1 at the tournament, winning its game Monday 5-2 against the East, followed by a 7-3 loss to the West on Tuesday.
Martin led the Central with three total points, on a goal and two assists. Holtan and Bromberg, both defensemen, didn't record a point, but finished with a plus-2 plus/minus rating.
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Martin and Holtan both play for the Wisconsin Whalers, as do fellow Mayo grads Adam Alcott and Tommy Hanson.
Bromberg plays for the La Crosse Freeze and is 17th among all NA3HL defensemen with 29 points.
