The USPHL has announced that a pair of Arizona products have collected monthly honors for January.

Utica Jr. Comets defenseman Jackson Lukrofka is the New England Premier Division Defenseman of the Month and Bakersfield Roughnecks netminder Connor Dumesnil is the Pacific Premier Division Goaltender of the Month.

Lukrofka, an ‘05 from Scottsdale, has been huge for helping the Jr. Comets on both the defensive and offensive sides of the coin in January.

His plus-9 was tied for second on the team last month, and he also put up two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 10 games. That gives the first-year junior player out of the North Shore Academy a total of 26 points in 33 games.

Back home, Lukrofka skated for the Jr. Coyotes and Desert Mountain High School (AHSHA).

Dumesnil, a 2004 birth year out of Phoenix, was everything the Roughnecks needed him to be as the Roughnecks try to remain in a playoff spot for the upcoming postseason in March, where just one Pacific Division team will win and make the trip to USPHL Nationals.

In 300 minutes in January, he stopped 119 of 127 shots for a .937 save percentage. He also had a 1.60 goals-against average and a 4-1-0-0 record. Two of those wins were from shutouts (including a huge 39-save performance against Las Vegas).

For the season, the second-year Roughneck has a 12-8-0-0 record and a .922 save percentage.

During his youth hockey days, Dumesnil played for the Jr. Coyotes, Arizona Bobcats, and Pinnacle High School (AHSHA).

(February 8, 2024)