YET another member of the Thunder Bay Queens rep program has earned herself a scholarship to play collegiate hockey in the U.S.
Sportop midget AA Queens goaltender Amanda Makela has signed a letter of intent to attend Mercyhurst College next fall.
She’ll be joining a Lakers hockey program that is currently ranked third overall among all NCAA division one women’s programs.
Mercyhurst in located in Erie, Penn., which will be the site of the 2011 women’s Frozen Four championship.
Makela will also be busy in the coming weeks as she’ll join former Queens’ forward Brittany Zuback in Toronto Dec. 17-19 as the duo are among 31 hopefuls invited to attend the Canadian national women’s team under-18 selection camp.
Following that three-day event a 20-player roster will be chosen to represent Canada at the IIHF women’s world U-18 championship Jan. 1-8 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The pair was also recently picked for the Team Ontario roster that will represent the province at the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax this February.
700 CLUB: Thunder Bay’s Derek Landmesser reached a significant milestone in his lengthy professional career this past week.
An assist in a Central Hockey League victory over Wichita on Nov. 24 gave the Mississippi River Kings defenceman his 700th point as a pro.
The perennial CHL all-star, who is now in his 15th season overall, reached the 700-point plateau in just 883 games scoring 133 times and assisting on 567 others.
WCHA ACCOLADES: Seven points in just two games earned Thunder Bay’s Haley Irwin the most recent Western Collegiate Hockey Association women’s player of the week award.
The junior forward at the University of Minnesota Duluth was recognized for her on-ice efforts that included a six-point contest vs. Ohio State that feature a hat-trick and three assists.
That offensive effort also set a career personal best for most points in a game for the UMD star and 2010 Canadian Olympic gold medalist.
NAHL HONOUR: Fort Frances product Ryan Faragher picked up his second North American Hockey League goaltender of the week award this past Monday.
The Bismarck Bobcats netminder led his club to a two-game sweep over division-leading Owatonna, turning aside 55 of 57 shots he faced in regulation and overtime as well as stopping five additional shots in a shootout.
The former Superior International Junior Hockey League top goalkeeper award recipient, who is off to St. Cloud State on scholarship next season, currently ranks in the top five among all NAHL puck stoppers in both goals-against average (2.32) and save percentage. (.918)
BACK TO BELFAST: The defending champions of the English Elite Hockey League have brought back a piece of the puzzle that helped lead them to a title last season.
Recently returning to the Belfast Giants line-up was defenceman Mike Jacobsen.
He rejoins a club that is once again atop the EEHL table as they sit in first place in the 10-team league.
The former Lakehead Thunderwolves D-man has three points since his return.
One player Jacobsen won’t be going up against in the league will be his former L.U. teammate Dan Speer who opted for his release from the Newcastle Vipers after just 21 games.
Speer had 12 points in his brief overseas tenure.