Kauffeldt, Vetri, Trentowski earn FHL “Player of the Month” honors for January

WAYNE, NJ – Pro Hockey News, in conjunction with the Federal Hockey League, is pleased to announce the FHL’s “Players of the Month” for January 2012.
As they did in December, the Brooklyn Aviators, Danbury Whalers and New Jersey Outlaws had players take top honors for best player, goalie and rookie in the second year league over the past 30 days.
Veteran forward Travis Kauffeldt of the Outlaws was selected as the top skater for January. The Bancroft, Ontario native joined the expansion New

Jersey squad after an outstanding career in the SPHL. Wearing the captain’s “C”, Kauffeldt is just one reason why New Jersey has been at or near the top of the standings all season.
The change in leagues hasn’t done anything to alter Kauffeldt’s reputation as a scorer. In eleven games during the past month, Travis notched nine goals and added 12 assists for a total of 21 points. For the season, Kauffeldt has scored seven power play goals, one short-handed goal and chipped in with six game winners for the first place Outlaws. He is currently second in the league in scoring with 70 points while sporting a plus-36 rating.
The Whalers posted a 6-2 record during January to position themselves for a playoff run with about a month left in the season. If you ask any of the Danbury players or head coach Phil Esposito, one member of the team deserves a lot of credit – January’s goalie of the month Peter Vetri.
The 26-year old from Windham, NH has started each of the last 14 Danbury games and come up a winner in ten of those. During January, he posted that 6-2 record while recording a 2.29 goals against average and a .944 save percentage. Vetri notched his first shutout as a Whaler against the Cape Cod Bluefins on the 20th of the month, winning a thrilling 1-0 decision on the road. Eight days later, he made 47 saves on 50 Brooklyn shots as the Whalers topped the Aviators 8-3 at home.
For the season, Vetri ranks in the top three for active goalies in wins (13), goals against average (3.26) and save percentage where he leads the FHL at .920.
Sitting in between New Jersey and Danbury along the Interstate 95 corridor is Brooklyn, home of January’s rookie of the month, the Aviators’ Ken Trentowski.
The 23-year old defenseman who hails from Ronkonkoma, NY has been a steady force on the blue line for head coach Rob Miller. In eleven games during the month, he posted one goal and ten assists for ten points. Trentowski scored at least one point in eight of the contests.
Trentowski started the season in the camp of the SPHL’s Augusta RiverHawks where he played a handful of games and had two assists before being cut. He played his college hockey for Yale University, scoring two goals and adding 15 assists in 93 career games for the Bulldogs between 2007 and 2011. Since arriving in Brooklyn, he has six goals and 22 assists for 28 points in 33 games to go along with a solid plus-3 rating.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at bill.thebert@prohockeynews.com