Nate Flynn -- Hastings High School
Nate Flynn (Augsburg/MIAC), F, 5-10, 165, Hastings, Minn. (Hastings High School)
Augsburg snapped a seven-game losing streak to St. Thomas behind a hat trick from Flynn, which included the game-winning goal in the third period, which earned the Auggies' rookie the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's hockey Athlete-of-the-Week award.
After dropping a 5-0 decision on the Tommies' home ice, Friday, Flynn and company had a strong answer the next night in Minneapolis.
He scored his first goal late in the second period to tie it up at 2-2, they put Augsburg up 35 seconds into the third and cemented his hat trick - and the 4-3 win - when he scored again at the 11:24 mark. It was the rookie's first career hat trick and his fifth, sixth and seventh goals of the season.
A three-year varsity player at Hastings, Flynn earned honorable mention all-conference honors as a sophomore and served as a team captain as a junior and senior, earning all-conference honors both seasons and the Suburban East Conference Player of the Year Award in 2012.
Following his high school career, Flynn spent two seasons in the North American Hockey League before matriculating to Augsburg this season, where he is fourth among MIAC freshmen in goal-scoring.
Michael Bitzer -- Moorhead High School
Bitzer was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's defensive player of the week after he earned tournament MVP honors for backstopping Bemidji State to a pair of wins and the North Star College Cup championship at the Xcel Energy Center.
In leading the Beavers to a pair of wins, he allowed just one goal in 120 minutes of play against a pair of top-10 opponents, stopping 54-of-55 shots faced for a .982 save percentage.
The 2012 Frank Brimsek Award winner, Bitzer lead the Spuds to the Class AA state tournament, posting a record of 22-8-0 with a a 1.80 goals against average and seven shutouts.
In addition to hockey, in which he was named first-team all state, Bitzer player varsity baseball for Moorhead as well.
He then played two seasons for the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League. After going 22-11-1 with a shutout and a 2.70 goals against average in 2012-13, Bitzer opted to defer enrollment to Bemidji State and return to the Stars again in 2013-14. As the team’s top goaltender, Bitzer recorded a 3.17 goals against average and .903 save percentage.
This season, he was twice won the WCHA's defensive player of the week award and was named league rookie of the week once.
Avery Peterson -- Grand Rapids High School
Avery Peterson (Nebraska-Omaha/NCHC, F, 6-3, 215, Grand Rapids, Minn. (Grand Rapids High School)
For the second week in a row, and third time this season, Peterson was named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference's freshman of the week after lead Nebraska-Omaha in scoring in their weekend split at Colorado College.
In the first game of the series, he scored a power-play goal on three shots as the Mavericks’ comeback bid fell just short in a 4-3 loss to the Tigers. The next night, he scored two goals, including the game winner, and added an assist as the Mavericks bounced back for a 4-1 win.
Last year's Mr. Hockey Award winner, Peterson was selected in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, 167th overall, by Minnesota.
After being drafted, he returned to Grand Rapids for his senior season and scored 37 goals and 67 point, setting a school record with 203 career points, en route to earning the Mr. Hockey Award.
After both his junior and senior seasons, he finish out the year by playing for Sioux City of the United States Junior League. Last season, he scored 21 points in 27 regular-season games and he was the Musketeers leading playoff scorer with five goals and nine points in eight games.
David Backes -- Spring Lake Park High School
David Backes (St. Louis/NHL, C, 6-3, 221, Blaine, Minn. (Spring Lake Park High School)
Backes was named the NHL's first star of the week last week after leading St. Louis to three wins by scoring five goals and eight points.
He opened the week, Tuesday, with a four-goal performance in a 6-0 win at Arizona, scoring the four goals in a span of 17 minutes. He followed that two days later by registering a goal and an assist in a 7-2 win over San Jose and, Saturday, he tallied a pair of assists in a 5-4 shootout win over Carolina.
The 30-year old captain of the Blues graduated from Spring Lake Park in 2002 after playing three varsity seasons for the Panthers. He was a Mr. Hockey finalist as a senior and a first-team All-Metro selection while finishing his high school career with 77 goals and 179 points.
After spending parts of two seasons with Lincoln in of the United States Junior League, Backes was selected in the second round, 62nd overall, by St. Louis in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
From Lincoln, he went on to play three seasons at Minnesota State where he was second-team All-American and first-team academic All-American as a junior in 2006, after which he signed his first professional contract and was assigned to Peoria by St. Louis.
Backes joined the Blues on Dec. 19, 2006 and is now in his ninth season with the team. He was named the team's 20th captain in 2011 and is in his fourth season in that role.
In addition to his play with the Blues, Backes has represented his county on five occasions, playing for Team USA in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 World Championships and both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.
Kyle Rau -- Eden Prairie High School
Photo courtesy of University of Minnesota Athletics
Kyle Rau (Minnesota/Big Ten), F, 5-8, 173, Sr., Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie High School)
Rau was named the B1G Second Star of the Week after notching three points over the weekend at the Mariucci Classic.
He tallied an assist, Friday, versus nationally-ranked Merrimack before registering an assist and the game-winning goal in overtime in Saturday's 3-2 win over RIT.
A second-team All-American last season and currently the Gophers' captain, Rau won a pair of state titles at Eden Prairie, in 2009 and 2011, earning first-team all-state honors and the Mr. Hockey Award as a senior after leading the Eagles to the state title, where he scored the championship-winning goal in triple overtime.
Rau finished his senior season at Eden Prairie before playing the final 11 regular-season games of the year with Sioux City, scoring 10 points, before leading the Stampede with 12 points in 10 playoff games.
Jim Kruger -- Minnetonka High School
Jim Kruger (Dartmouth/ECAC Hockey League), G, 6-3, 205, Jr., Minnetonka, Minn. (Minnetonka High School)
Kruger shutout top-ranked Boston University last week and also earned a 3-2 win over American International in non-conference action to earn the ECAC Hockey League Goalie of the Week Award.
The Big Green's number one goalie made 23 shutouts in shuting out the Terriers and turned aside 15 of 17 shots in defeating AIC, raising his record to 4-3-1 on the season.
The Minnetonka grad led the Skippers to the Class AA state title game as a senior in 2010, posting an 18-2-2 record along with a 1.54 goals against average and a 9.35 save precentage along the way.
After his high school career, Kruger made stops in Alexandria and Texas in the North American League before spending the 2011-12 season in the British Columbia Hockey League with Langley.
Charlie Adams -- Mahtomedi High School
Charlie Adams (Hamline/MIAC), F, 6-1, 195, Jr., Mahtomedi, Minn. (Mahtomedi High School)
Adams led Hamline to a pair of overtime ties against last year's conference runner-up with a three-point weekend and a plus-two rating in the two games to help Hamline garner two points in the conference-opening weekend for the Pipers, earning Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference player of the week accolades.
Adams tallied the game's first goal, Friday, then scored again in the second period to give the Pipers a 3-1 lead. He picked up another point a day later, as he assisted on Hamline's first goal in a 2-2 tie.
At Mahtomedi, Adams concluded an outstanding prep career with 74 points in 31 games as a senior, leading the Zephyrs to the third-place game in the 2010 Class A tournament.
He followed that by spending two seasons in the North American Hockey League with the Austin Bruins, scoring 35 goals and 92 points in 116 career games. He also participated in the 2011 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich., before embarking upon his collegiate career.
Alex Lyon -- Lake of the Woods High School
Alex Lyon (Yale/ECACHL), G, 6-1, 200, So., Baudette, Minn. (Lake of the Woods High School)
The 2011 Frank Brimsek winner as the state's top senior goalie is off to a solid start to his sophomore campaign at Yale.
Starting all six of the Bulldogs' games thus far, he has posted a 3-1-2 record with a 1.82 goals against average and a .937 save percentage.
This past weekend, Lyon stopped 59 of 61 shots in picking up two league road wins for the Bulldogs. The Yale goaltender turned in a solid performance with 26 saves against the Dartmouth, Friday.
The following evening he was inaugural recipient of the Tim Taylor Cup, presented to the most valuable player of the Yale-Harvard game, at Bright-Landry Center. He stopped 33 of 34 shots to help Yale take a 2-1 win and knock its rival from the ranks of the unbeaten.
A three-sport standout at Lake of the Woods, Lyon was an all-state selection in hockey as a senior, a two-time all-conference pick in football and a two-time all-section selection in baseball in addition to being an honor roll student.
He followed his high school career with two outstanding seasons in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers, where he was a two-time team MVP, USHL All-Rookie Team member in 2012 and a second-team All-USHL pick in 2013.
Travis Morin -- Osseo High School
Travis Morin (Texas/AHL), C, 6-1, 190, Brooklyn Park, Minn. (Osseo High School)
The reigning American Hockey League scoring champion, regular-season and playoff MVP, Morin is off to a fast start in his eighth professional season with 18 points in his first 11 games to tie for the league scoring lead.
He assisted on a power-play goal in the Stars' 3-1 win, Wednesday, over Toronto before registering three assists and being named the game's second star in an 8-2 win at Charlotte, Saturday.
Morin was named the Metro Player of the Year by the Minneapolis StarTribune as a senior in 2002 at Osseo High School, where he scored 66 points as a senior to become the school's all-time leading scorer.
Drafted in the ninth round, 263rd overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Morin spent part of the 2001-02 season and all of 2002-03 with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League before embarking on a four-year career at Minnesota State, Mankato, where he scored 133 points in 151 career games and was named second team All-WCHA as a senior.
Since then, he has won AHL and East Coast Hockey League titles and been named an all-star in both leagues.
Justin Kloos -- Lakeville South High School
Justin Kloos (Minnesota/Big Ten), F, 5-9, 178, Lakeville, Minn. (Lakeville South High School)
The Gopher sophomore posted his first career hat trick in No. 1 Minnesota's 4-3 win over No. 7 St. Cloud State, Saturday. For his efforts, he has named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week.
The 2012 Mr. Hockey Award winner from Lakeville South shares the Big Ten lead with five goals in six games this season and led the Gophers in goals last season, when he was named the NCAA West Regional Most Outstanding Player while leading the Gophers to the NCAA championship game.
Kloos was named Mr. Hockey after leading Lakeville South to a third-place finish at the 2012 Class AA State Tournament. He scored 41 goals and 103 points during his senior campaign, the 11th highest point total in state history.
After finishing his career with 238 point to rank 21st on the state's all-time list, Kloos went onto spend the 2012-13 season with Waterloo of the USHL, where he finished second in the league with 87 points and earned first team All-USHL honors.
Mitch McLain -- Brainerd High School
Mitch McLain (Bowling Green/WCHA), F, 6-0, 190, Baxter, Minn. (Brainerd High School)
The Falcons' rookie forward was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Rookie of the Week as he tallied two goals, one assist and a team-high plus-3 rating as Bowling Green went 1-0-1 in a non-conference series at Clarkson.
His goal at 11 minutes, 31 seconds of the second period, Friday night, erased a 2-1 deficit as Bowling Green skated to a 2-2 tie.
McLain played a key role in Saturday night’s 5-4 victory, helping the Falcons score twice in a 3:34 span of the first period. He scored at the 14:12 mark and picked up an assist on the second goal of the span.
He also ran his point-scoring streak to four games, having tallied three goals and five points during that stretch.
The last two seasons have seen McLain playing in the British Columbia Hockey League for the Langley Rivermen, where he served as a captain for two years and totaled 104 points (43 goals, 61 assists) in 125 games including 71 points in 67 games in his final season with the Rivermen.
At Brainerd, McLain was a three-sport standout. In addition to being an all-conference hockey player for two years, he was a three-year letter winner in football, serving as a captain for the Warriors as a senior, and a two-year letter winner in baseball.
Sam Becker (Hill-Murray High School)
Sam Becker (Minnesota Magicians/NAHL), D, 6-0, 175, Roseville, Minn. (Hill-Murray High School)
Second-year NAHL defenseman Sam Becker played in two of the three Magicians games last week, but made his presence known as he racked up six assists in a split with Brookings to earn the Easton Midwest Division Star of the Week award.
On Friday, the former Hill-Murray standout totaled four assists in a 6-5 shootout win. On Saturday, Becker picked up two more assists in a 5-4 loss. He was also +3 during the two games.
For the season, Becker second on the Magicians in scoring with 13 points, which are all assists. His 13 points is tops for all NAHL defensemen.
“Sam has grown quite a bit as a person and a player. He can move the puck, make plays and he has been playing very well. He plays to his strengths and works on his weaknesses,” said Magicians head coach Tom Upton.
As a senior at Hill-Murray, Becker was one of the state's top defensemen and helped lead the Pioneers to the 2013 Class AA championship game, scoring 10 goals and 32 points in 30 games.
Besides hockey, Becker was also a standout football and lacrosse player at Hill-Murray. He was a U.S. Lacrosse All-American as a Pioneer.
Spencer Naas (Benilde-St. Margaret's School)
Spencer Naas (Connecticut/HEA), F, 5-10, 185, Minnetonka, Minn. (Benilde-St. Margaret's School)
Naas made the jump from high school to college very smoothly as he registered a goal and an assist in his debut weekend for UConn in the Hockey East/Big Ten Challenge.
His first collegiate point came in Friday's 2-2 tie at Penn State when he and BSM teammate Johnny Austin teamed up to set up the Huskies' go-ahead goal with less than five minutes remaining in the third period.
Saturday, he collected his first collegiate goal as UConn dropped a 7-1 decision to the Nittany Lions.
Besides registering a goal and an assist, the only Husky player with a multiple-point weekend, he also had a team-high nine shots on goal in the two-game series.
Last season, Naas, who finished 18th in goal scoring and tied for 41st in career points in Minnesota high school history, was a Mr. Hockey finalist after scoring 31 goals and 60 points in 27 games while leading the Red Knights to the Section 6AA title game.
Dylan Steman (Maple Grove High School)
Dylan Steman (Michigan Tech/WCHA), F, 5-10, 185, Hanover, Minn. (Maple Grove High School)
Steman's collegiate career began in style as he registered a goal and an assist in Michigan Tech's 5-1 win at Lake Superior State, Sunday, completing a season-opening series sweep.
Steman won eight of 15 faceoffs and recorded two shots on goal in the Huskies 5-3 win, Saturday. He then scored a goal and added an assist, Sunday, while winning 11 of 20 faceoffs and recording three shots on goal.
For his efforts, Steman was named the WCHA's rookie of the week.
Last season, he served as an assistant captain for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League. In two seasons, he scored 24 goals and 62 points in 114 games.
In 2012, Steman led Maple Grove to a Class AA state tournament appearance, scoring 29 goals and 67 points in 30 games. He tallied 44 goals and 115 points in 58 career games for the Crimson.
Besides hockey, Steman player football and tennis at Maple Grove. He earned all-conference honors in football and finished fifth at the state tennis tournament in 2012.
Mason Bergh (Eden Prairie High School)
Mason Bergh (Chicago/USHL), F, 6-0, 173, Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie High School)
Bergh began his second full season in the United States Hockey League in style, registering six points in Saturday's season-opening, 8-2, win at Green Bay.
The six-point performance set a Chicago Steel record were the most point in a game by a USHL play in nearly two full years. He scored a goal and registered five assists while also recording a plus-three rating on the night, earning the league's Forward of the Week honor.
The 2013 graduate of Eden Prairie is committed to play for Colorado College next season.
After completing his senior hockey season at Eden Prairie, Bergh played two games for Waterloo before spending his first full season in the USHL with Chicago in 2013-14.
Last season, he scored 11 goals and 25 points in 58 games for the Steel.
In three varsity seasons at Eden Prairie, Bergh tallied 39 goals and 78 points. He was also a member of the Eagles' 2011 Class AA state championship team.
Adam Lovick (Centennial High School)
Adam Lovick (Coulee Region/NAHL), F, 6-0, 185, Lino Lakes, Minn. (Centennial High School)
Lovick began his third season with Coulee Region by posting an eight-point weekend in the Chill's four games at the North American Hockey League Showcase, earning the NAHL Midwest Division Star of the Week honor.
He was named the game's first star as Coulee Region opened the season with a 5-2 win over Odessa, in which he tallied two goals and three points to help account for all five Chill goals.
He had a multiple-point game in the next contest, a 6-3 win against Rio Grande Valley. He also chipped in a goal in a 3-2 shootout loss on the final day against Aberdeen.
“Adam was awesome at the Showcase and really has become a leader of this team,” Chill head coach A.J. Degenhardt said. “I think he has gotten to the point where he is in his development because he is a very hard worker.”
The 2012 Centennial grad scored 27 goals and 86 points in 78 games during a three-year career for the Cougars.