LEIGHTON, HINOSTROZA GARNER TOP HONORS FOR 2015-16 �3 STARS� RANKINGS

Rockford, Ill- The tradition of presenting the “3 Stars of the Game” to the most worthy players after a hockey game has been common practice since the 1936-37 NHL season. At the conclusion of the contest, three players are awarded these merits depending on their performance. The first star recipient is thought to be the player who had the largest impact on that game.

In 2015-16, Rockford IceHogs goalie Michael Leighton led all IceHogs players in “3 Star” point accumulation with 31. Points were awarded to players who received either a first star, second star or third star after the completion of the game. The 35-year old net minder was chosen as the first star of the game eight times, second star two times and third star three times. Like clockwork, Leighton had another strong season with the IceHogs as he registered a 28-8-8 record with five shutouts accompanied by a 2.44 goals against average and a .918 save percentage in 46 games. Leighton is repeating as the “3 Stars” champion as he won the title with 33 points in the 2014-15 season.

Center Vince Hinostroza, the top scoring IceHogs player in 2015-16, came in second place with 22 star points in 66 games. The next leading star point getter was winger Bryan Bickell with 19 star points, finishing with five first star outings. Rounding out the rankings was winger Pierre-Cedric Labrie and goalie Mac Carruth with 18 star points.

Since 2007-08, a goalie has been named the “top star” six times over the past nine seasons:

2015-16 3 Star Rankings:

*3 points awarded for #1 star, 2 points awarded for #2 star, and 1 point awarded for #3 star

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