T1ER announces Peak Performers for the T1ER / T1EHL Invitational
The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) has announced the T1ER League Peak Performers from the T1ER / T1EHL Invitational event in Blaine, Minnesota. Players were chosen based on their performances in the 18U,16U, 15U and 14U regular season games that took place from December 13th to 16th.
18U:
Forward: Salvatore Viviano, Biggby Coffee
Salvatore Viviano, the top scorer for Biggby Coffee, remains a standout player, recording seven points across four games. With these seven points, the Wyandotte, MI has tallied at least one point or more in his last seven games, including a four-point contest on the 14th against the Jr. Flyers. During the team’s 7-5 victory, Viviano scored the team’s first goal to tie things up at one to end the first period. He would then go on to assist on the next three Biggby goals. In addition to his standout game, he also netted one goal against Chicago Fury and tallied an assist against the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes and St. Louis Blues.
Defense: Braden Franck, Maine Nordiques
Not only does ‘06 blueliner Braden Franck lead his team in points for defensemen, he also leads the entire 18U division in terms of point production on the backend. This event was the Holly Springs, NC best stretch of games to date as he racked up 6 points in four games. After dishing out one assist to kick things off, Franck went on to post back to back two-point games against the Anaheim Jr. Ducks and Florida Alliance. During each of those games, he scored one goal and tallied one assist, including a shorthanded goal against Anaheim. To wrap up the event, Franck found the back of the net one last time on the powerplay as his team defeated the Colorado Thunderbirds.
Goaltender: Alex Borgert, Indiana Elite
2007 netminder Alex Borgert was lights out for Indiana Elite, posting three conductive wins in Minnesota. Over the course of the event, the Fishers, IN native was faced with a total of 89 shots, averaging just under 30 shots per game. After making 82 saves, Borget’s overall T1ER season record improves to a perfect 5-0, this includes his best game of the event against the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals. The squad from Wisconsin tested Borgert a total of 32 times, only allowing two goals against.
16U:
Forward: Dace Rhea, Wasatch Renegades
The second overall leading scorer in the 16U age bracket, Dace Rhea, remains a key contributor for the Renegades and kept up his strong performance during the December event. The 2008 forward was able to find his way onto the scoresheet during three out of four contests, recording a total of five points. During the Renegades’ first game with Philadelphia Hockey Club, Rhea scored his team’s second goal of the game and followed up by assisting on the game winning goal. Things didn't stop there as he scored his second game winner of the 2024-25 season at the 5:25 mark in the third on the power play as his squad defeated PHC’s 15U squad by a final score of 3-1. To cap off the calendar year, Rhea had another one goal and one assist showing, as he scored his second power play goal of the weekend.
Defense: Adam Charrafi, Philadelphia Hockey
As the leading scorer for defensemen at the 16U age level, Adam Charrafi continues to find his way onto the scoresheet for PHC from the blueline. The Philadelphia, PA native recorded at least one point in each game over the weekend, including two performances with multiple points. Of his six points, Charrafi scored a trio of goals and tacked on three assists, with two of his goals being scored on the man advantage. With 14 points through 16 games, Charrafi is truly having a breakout year and has proved himself to be a vital member of PHC’s lineup.
Goaltender: Patrick McCabe, Pittsburgh Stars
Pittsburgh Stars netminder Patrick McCabe posted a 2-1 record in Blaine, securing victories over the Seattle Kraken and Madison Capitols. Over the course of three games, the Allison Park, PA native was faced with 76 shots, making 68 saves. McCabe’s standout performance of the T1ER season came on the 14th against Madison. During this contest, he was heavily tested as the Capitols fired 39 shots, with the 5'11" goaltender stopping 37 of them for a .949 save percentage.
15U:
Forward: Maksim Popienko, Pittsburgh Stars
Maksim Popienko, the second overall leading scorer at the 15U level, had another strong performance in Minnesota, tallying an impressive six points in four games. After notching one assist during game one, the New Kensington, PA native went on a scoring frenzy, finding the back of the net in each of the remaining three games. Of these three games, Popienko netted a pair of goals against the Orange County Ice Dogs and Tri-State Spartans for a total of five goals over the course of the weekend.
Defense: Dominic Liberati, Philadelphia Hockey Club
2009 blueliner Dominic Liberati had a breakout performance at the December event, posting an impressive five points, doubling his point total from September’s Showcase. The Mt. Royal, NJ native was an assist machine dishing out a pair of assists during Friday’s games against the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights and CarShield, including the helper on the game winning goal during PHC’s 4-2 victory over CarShield. He would then go one to tally two more assists over the course of the weekend, bringing his season point total to nine points in nine games.
Goaltender: Jacob Johnson, Pittsburgh Stars
Pittsburgh Stars netminder Jacob Johnson posted back to back wins against the Orange County and Philadelphia Hockey Club, improving his season record to 3-1. Over the course of the weekend, the Johnstown, PA averaged just over 33 shots per game as he faced 67 shots. Of these two wins, Johnson earned his first shutout of the season after turning away all 31 shots against the Ice Dogs. His second game of the weekend was also quite impressive as he averaged a .972 save percentage after being faced 36 shots.
14U:
Forward: Declan Henes, Philadelphia Hockey Club
14U's leading scorer, Declan Henes, put on another impressive performance, tallying 10 points with three goals and seven assists. After a quiet first contest, the 2010 forward had three, multi-point games highlighted by a standout four point showing against the Omaha Mastery. During his 4-0 victory, Henes scored a pair of goals and notched a pair of assists, picking up all four possible points on the day. Henes has continued trending in the right direction and tallied two or more points in six out of eight games played with PHC.
Defense: Cooper Lamia, CarShield
Cooper Lamia was strong on the blueline during his first four T1ER games of the season, averaging 1.5 points per game as he totaled six points on the weekend, including two, two-point showings. Lamia kicked things off with a strong showing against Philadelphia Hockey Club as he scored his team’s final goal on the power play in addition to tallying one assist. After scoring one more goal and tallying one more assist, Lamia concluded the weekend by dishing out a pair of assists as his team defeated the Danbury Hat Tricks.
Goaltender: Bryan Schwartz, Philadelphia Hockey Club
Bryan Schwartz was a brick wall for Philadelphia Hockey Club, picking up a pair of wins to maintain a perfect T1ER record of 4-0. The Monroe Twp.,NJ native began the event by posting his second shutout of the season against the Omaha Mastery. Schwartz continued his hot streak as his team battled things out with their in-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Stars as they came away with a 8-2 victory. During this game, the 2010 netminder was faced with 33 shots, only allowing two goals against.
