The National Ice Hockey League are pleased to announce the October winners of the Player of the Month awards.
Each division in the NIHL – Moralee, Laidler, Britton and Wilkinson – sees a player recognised for their performances throughout the month, as chosen by a panel of ice hockey media who focus on NIHL hockey.
This month’s winners are:
South 1 (Britton) – Frantisek Bakrlik (Bracknell Bees)
South 2 (Wilkinson) – Shaun Yardley (Peterborough Phantoms 2)
North 1 (Moralee) – Matty Davies (Hull Pirates)
North 2 (Laidler) – Warren Gilfoyle (Sutton Sting)
Frankie Bakrlik, Bracknell’s Czech power forward, scored 15 goals in the month and chipped in with five assists, meaning he was directly involved in exactly half of the Bees’ 40 goals in October. He scored in all eight of their games, including four braces and one four goal game, as he helped the Bees rise up to second place in the league table.
Shaun Yardley had a massive part to play in a month where the Phantoms won five out of five games. He tallied seven goals and 18 assists for a total of 25 points in the month – an average of five points per game. However, it is not only his points output that makes the veteran stand out – his leadership and work ethic on the ice also set a great example to his young teammates. As a superb play-maker, he uses his experience to full effect to create chances for both himself and his colleagues.
Matty Davies returned to his hometown Hull this season and has been instrumental in the Pirates’ offence. During October he had seven multi-point games in nine starts – also scoring a point in the other two games – totalling 7+21 for 28 points in the month. His haul included a four point game (0+4) and three five point games (all 1+4).
Warren Gilfoyle backstopped Sutton Sting to five wins from five starts in their rise up the table. Sutton are third with 8-1 record and games in hand on the sides above them. Gilfoyle’s performance between the pipes included a 34-shot shutout at Bradford and 45 saves at league leaders Altrincham. All told he posted a .919 save percentage with 2.80 goals against average.
The players will be presented with their trophies at their next home game.
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