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Weekly winners in final poll

By Loren Nelson, MN Lax Hub editor, 06/10/12, 11:25AM CDT

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Top Player of the Week nominees are candidates for Player of the Year honors

Week 1: April 9-15

Connor Simpson
Eagan

A junior attackman who was nicknamed "The Future" as a freshman scoring wunderkind, Simpson proved his is more than ready for the next step in monikers. "The Present" opened the season with a three-goal performance against Totino-Grace, then scored three more goals and added an assist in the Wildcats' 10-9 victory over then No. 1-ranked Benilde-St. Margaret's, ending the two-time defending state champion Red Knights' 24-game winning streak.

Week 2: April 16-22

Chloe Kinsel
Cretin-Derham Hall
A senior attacker with uncanny scoring instincts and a high-revving motor, Kinsel planted her name in the consciousness of Division I college lacrosse recruiters with an eight-goal, three-assist onslaught against two-time defending state champion and No. 1-ranked Blake on April 20. That game for the ages capped a week that also included three goals and four assists against East Ridge on April 16 and three goals and three assists against Roseville on April 18.

Week 3: April 23-May 6

Dan Bausman
Eagan
A senior attackman, Bausman grabbed the then-No. 1-ranked Wildcats' team scoring lead with a massive week that included a four-goal performance against Burnsville on April 23 followed by a six-goal effort against Lakeville North and star goaltender Grant Wilson. Bausman also notched two assists, giving him 24 points in the Wildcats’ first six games. Bausman is Eagan’s second STX Player of the Week, following Week 1 winner Connor Simpson.

Week 4: May 7-13

Thomas Gilligan
Benilde-St. Margaret's
A senior goaltender, the unflappable Gilligan allowed a combined 11 goals in victories over longtime rivals and state powerhouses Blake and Eden Prairie. Gilligan made 13 saves in a 7-4 victory over Blake on May 1 and stopped 13 shots again on May 5 in a 9-7 victory over then No. 2-ranked Eden Prairie. Gilligan, who has commited to play at NCAA Division III Amherst next season, had played every minute in goal for the Red Knights, who had won six straight and vaulted to No. 2 in the state rankings by the end of the week.

Week 5: May 14-20

Gabbi Stienstra
Minnehaha Academy
A senior midfielder, Stienstra scored 11 goals in three games – two of them wins – as the Redhawks navigated  a brutally difficult schedule against teams (Mahtomedi, Roseville and Apple Valley) with a combined 25-9 record. Stienstra, who is also a girls' basketball standout, scored four goals on May 8 against Mahtomedi and again scored four goals and tacked on an assist on May 10 against Roseville. She completed the week with three goals and two assists on May 12 in a victory over Apple Valley.

Week 6: May 21-27

Bryan Kennedy
Blake
The sophomore midfielder scored six goals in two games, notching hat tricks against Breck and Orono. He accounted for more than a third of the Bears’ combined 16 goals in the two games, tacking on two assists and five ground balls in a 10-3 victory over Breck on May 15 and one assist and six ground balls in a 7-6 loss to Orono on May 17. Kennedy won a combined of 11 of 15 faceoffs in the two games. He finished the season with a team high 31 ground balls and was second in faceoff wins with 44. 

Week 7: May 28-June 3

Max Harrington
Blake
The senior midfielder scored a combined 12 goals in two playoff victories as Blake earned a surprise appearance in the Section 5 semifinals. Harrington opened the week in jaw-dropping fashion, scored seven of the Bears’ goals in their 10-3 first-round victory over Breck in a game that started on May 23, was suspended because of lightning and completed on May 24. Harrington racked up five more goals on May 25 as No. 6-seeded Blake avenged a regular-season loss to Holy Angels by upending the No. 3-seeded Stars 14-9. Harrington is the Bears’ scoring leader with 44 points (29 goals, 15 assists) in 14 games.

Week 8: June 4-10

Emma Claire Fontenot
Eden Prairie
A junior midfielder with a full array of skills, Fontenot scored four goals and added three assists and three ground balls in Eden Prairie’s Section 6 semifinal victory over Holy Family Catholic on May 29. Fontentot’s all-around excellence was on display again in the section championship on May 31, as she scored four goals and set up four more in the unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Eagles' 15-7 triumph over rival Minnetonka. Fontenot finished the season with 48 goals and 61 assists in 18 games for the state runner-up Eagles. She has committed to play at the NCAA Division I level at Notre Dame.

Submit your nomination

Know of an Lax player who is deserving of the STX Player of the Week honor? Use the form below to make your nomination today. All nominees will be considered for use in the next poll. Players will be nominated based on their performances Monday through Sundays each week. The previous poll closes and a new one is published each Sunday. 

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