Three Bomber players have received high praise from the SJHL for their play in October. Jacob Vockler, Alexi Sylvestre and Noah Houle each earned monthly awards from the league Nov. 1.
Vockler received the league's MVP of the month honour. Following close behind is Sylvestre, who was named the league's forward of the month - and not to be outdone, Houle was named the league's defenceman of the month.
The trio's awards come after a massive month for the team, which ended with the team atop the SJHL standings and ranking first in the most recent CJHL top 20 national team rankings.
Nobody in the SJHL scored more goals than Vockler did last month - the Sioux Falls, South Dakota-born forward put up nearly a goal a game last month. Vockler has scored 12 times in 14 games, adding 11 assists along with those numbers for 23 total points. That includes a stretch of three games from Sept. 29-Oct. 6 where Vockler put up 13 points, including nine goals, and a weekend series against La Ronge last month where he scored seven times in just two games.
Vockler is committed to play next season at NCAA Division I school Merrimack College.
Sylvestre's numbers are just as eyepopping. No SJHL player has scored more points than the Ste-Martine, Que. product, who has 24 points in 15 games. That includes 15 assists and seven games where he's scored at least two points, along with three game-winning goals, the most of any SJHL player. Sylvestre is not currently committed to a college or university hockey program.
Houle is third in the SJHL scoring race behind only teammates Sylvestre and Vockler and leads all SJHL defenders in scoring. Houle also has the most assists of any SJHL player - with 19 assists, he has more assists than all but four other SJHL players have points. Houle also now has twice as many points this season as he had for the Bombers last year, doing so despite playing in barely half the games he had last season.
The Montreal, Que. born player, the brother of former Bomber star Donavan Houle-Villeneuve, is not currently committed to any college or university program for next season.
Along with the three Bombers, Humboldt Bronco defenceman Connor Thue was named the league's rookie of the month. The Manhattan Beach, Calif. native put up 18 points in 13 games, including 14 assists for the Broncos, who he leads in scoring along with team captain Cage Newans.
A second Bronco, goalie Benjamin Motew, was named the SJHL's goalie of the month. Motew has started 11 games and did not lose any in regulation, going 8-0-2-1 with a shutout, a 1.78 goals-against-average and a .932 save percentage - the best goals-against-average and the third-best save percentage among all SJHL starters.
La Ronge Ice Wolves forward Mason Bueckert was named the league's Saskatchewan player of the month. Bueckert, who hails from Saskatoon, played 16 games in October and scored 21 points. Buecker is the only non-Bomber in the top five of the SJHL scoring race - he is currently fourth, behind Sylvestre, Vockler and Houle and just ahead of Bomber captain Justin Lies.
