#USPHLPlayoffs: Tampa Bay Juniors vs. Florida Jr. Blades

by Joshua Boyd

March 9, 2024March 9, 2024

Tampa Bay Juniors (1) vs. Florida Jr. Blades (4) All Games At Fort Myers Skatium, Fort Myers, FL Saturday, March 9, 12:30 p.m. EST Sunday, March 10, 9:30 a.m. EST (Jr. Blades are Home Team For Game 2) Monday, March 11, 12:30 p.m. EST (If Necessary) By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com The Tampa […]

#USPHLPlayoffs: Carolina Jr. Hurricanes vs. Hampton Roads Whalers

by Joshua Boyd

March 9, 2024March 9, 2024

Southeast Division Carolina Jr. Hurricanes (1) vs. Hampton Roads Whalers (4) All Games At Pineville Ice House, Pineville, N.C. Saturday, March 9, 11:30 a.m. EST Sunday, March 10, 11:30 a.m. EST Monday, March 11, 11:30 a.m. EST (If Necessary) By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com The old adage “Nothing is given, everything is earned” […]

#USPHLPlayoffs: Florida Eels vs. Atlanta MadHatters

by Joshua Boyd

March 9, 2024

Florida Eels (2) vs. Atlanta MadHatters (3) All Games Played At Fort Myers Skatium, Fort Myers, FL Saturday, March 9, 9:30 a.m. EST Sunday, March 10, 12:30 p.m. EST Monday, March 11, 9:30 a.m. EST By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com The Atlanta MadHatters Elite team would love to recapture what they once had […]

#USPHLPlayoffs: Potomac Patriots vs. Charlotte Rush

by Joshua Boyd

March 8, 2024

Southeast Division Potomac Patriots (2) vs. Charlotte Rush (3) All Games to Be Played At Pineville Ice House, Pineville, NC Rush Are Home Team For Game 2 Saturday, March 9, 8:30 a.m. EST Sunday, March 10, 8:30 a.m. EST Monday, March 11, 8:30 a.m. EST (If Necessary) By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com The […]

#USPHLPlayoffs: Chicago Crush vs. Fort Wayne Spacemen

by Joshua Boyd

March 8, 2024

Midwest Division Fort Wayne Spacemen (4) at Chicago Crush (2) All Games At Addison Ice Arena, Addison, IL Friday, March 8, 7:10 p.m. CST Saturday, March 9, 6:40 p.m. CST Sunday, March 10, 7:10 p.m. CST (If Necessary) By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com Either the Chicago Crush or the Fort Wayne Spacemen will […]

#USPHLPlayoffs: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights vs. Jersey Hitmen

by Joshua Boyd

March 8, 2024March 8, 2024

Atlantic Division Jersey Hitmen (4) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights (1) All Games to Be Played At Revolution Ice Centre, Pittston, PA Friday, March 8, 7:30 p.m. EST Saturday, March 9, 3:45 p.m. EST Sunday, March 10, 3:45 p.m. EST (If Necessary) By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com The Knights have some unfinished business, to say […]

#USPHLPlayoffs: Islanders Hockey Club vs. Springfield Pics

by Joshua Boyd

March 2, 2024

New England Division Springfield Pics (3) at Islanders Hockey Club (2) Saturday, March 2, 1:40 p.m. EST, Skate 3 Rink, Tyngsboro, MA Sunday, March 3, 4:40 p.m. EST, Skate 3 Rink, Tyngsboro, MA Monday, March 4, 12 p.m. EST, Gallant Arena (If Necessary) By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com The Islanders Hockey Club USPHL […]

#USPHLPlayoffs: Fort Wayne Spacemen vs. Chicago Cougars

by Joshua Boyd

March 1, 2024

Midwest Division Chicago Cougars (5) at Fort Wayne Spacemen (4) All Games at SportONE/Parkview Icehouse, Fort Wayne, IN Friday, March 1, 8:30 p.m. EST Saturday, March 2, 7:30 p.m. EST Sunday, March 3, 11 a.m. EST (If Necessary) By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com When the Spacemen and Cougars take the ice on Friday […]

#USPHLPlayoffs: Northern Cyclones vs. Boston Junior Bruins

by Joshua Boyd

February 28, 2024

Boston Junior Bruins (4) at Northern Cyclones (1) All Games To Be Played At Cyclones Arena, Hudson, NH Friday, March 1, 4 p.m. Saturday, March 2, 4 p.m. Sunday, March 3, 1 p.m. (If Necessary) By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com The Northern Cyclones cannot fathom a world in which they don’t make a […]

#USPHLPlayoffs Preview: Motor City Gamblers vs. Decatur Blaze

by Joshua Boyd

February 28, 2024February 28, 2024

Decatur Blaze (6) at Motor City Gamblers (3) All Games At Big Boy Arena Friday, March 1, 2:30 p.m. EST Saturday, March 2, 7:30 p.m. EST Sunday, March 3, 12 p.m. EST (If Necessary) By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com Welcome to the first-ever USPHL Elite Midwest Division playoffs, and the Motor City Gamblers […]

Congratulations to all 10 of our #USPHLElite qualifiers for the 2024 #USPHLNationals, which will kick off in EIGHT Days at the @UticaNexus!

On Wednesday evening, every team will receive their Seeding Round Schedule as part of @The_DanKShow Elite Seeding Show at 7 p.m. Wednesday on @FloHockey

7 p.m.: Elite Live Selection Show – https://www.flohockey.tv/live/98469

8 p.m.: Premier Live Selection Show – https://www.flohockey.tv/live/98468

Check back on this space for team-by-team Nationals previews coming soon!

Midwest Division

Decatur Blaze (6) at Metro Jets (1)

All Games To Be Played At Mount Clemens Ice Arena, Mount Clemens, MI

Sunday, March 10, 12 p.m. EST

Monday, March 11, 11:30 a.m. EST

Tuesday, March 12, 11:30 a.m. EST (If Necessary)

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL Elite

The Metro Jets are looking for an organizational trifecta for the first time. After three straight years of the Metro Jets-MJDP duo making it to the USPHL Nationals, the Jets for the first time have a chance to bring three teams to the “big dance.”

This is the first season of the USPHL Elite’s Midwest Division, and thus the first season of the Metro Jets Elite team, along with that of their opponents, the Decatur Blaze. The Blaze also have a Premier team within their organization, one that earned the organization’s only Nationals berth in 2020, before that year’s Nationals were canceled.

The two teams come together after very different seasons, with the Jets finishing at 31-12-2-1 for 63 points, while Decatur’s Elite team was only able to win once during the regular season before eking out two first round wins against the No. 3 seed Motor City Gamblers last week.

The Jets, by virtue of finishing first in the division, earned a first round bye.

“We are fortunate that we earned a weekend off by winning the division,” said Jets Associate Head Coach Tina Ciraulo. “We took advantage of the break to heal up and focus on approaching our first playoff series. For many of our guys this is their first taste of playoffs, so we have been prepping for this for a while now and the guys are excited.”

During the regular season, the series went entirely to the Jets, 7-0, but the Blaze did push them once to overtime, as recently as Feb. 3, when the Jets won 3-2.

The Jets finished the season as the only team with three players in the top 10 of league scoring, led by Peter Spiridonakos (83 points), Blake Botterill (66 points) and Peter’s twin brother John Spiridonakos (64 points). Defenseman Avery Byron, with 30 points, was one of four defensemen to register at least 20 points. In net, always a strong point across the Jets organization, saw Elliot Duerr finish 9-5-0-0 and Zachary Robert finish 11-4-1-0, with save percentages of .916 and .911, respectively.

The Blaze’s leading scorer in the playoffs Jakub Tomecek was acquired from the Premier’s Hudson Havoc and played in five Blaze Elite games before registering four points in the two-game playoff series. Morgan Heck, who played in 18 games for the Elite season, went 2-0 in net against the Gamblers after stopping 79 of 88 shots during the season.

We know this is a different Decatur team than what we have seen all season. Our concern is “our approach to details and the most important is to stay disciplined,” added Ciraulo. “They are riding a high coming off an upset in their first series and our job is to ensure it stops with us.”

Atlantic Division

P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (2) vs. Rockets Hockey Club (3)

All Games At The Rinx, Hauppauge, NY

Saturday, March 9, 7:10 p.m. EST

Sunday, March 10, 11:40 a.m. EST

Monday, March 11, 10:40 a.m. EST (If Necessary)

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

The Rockets Hockey Club were getting to that point where they were enjoying being part of “the Nationals crowd,” making the national tournament in 2021 and 2022. Last season, they fell just a bit shy of their goal after running into a WBS Knights buzzsaw.

This year, the Rockets are facing an all-new opponent. The P.A.L. Jr. Islanders just opened their Elite program in 2022-23 and already this year, they have attained the second seed in the Atlantic Division.

“We’re expecting this to be a good series,” said Islanders Asst. Coach/Asst. GM Rob Antonucci. “Our goal is to play simple, fast and hard hockey. We know we’ve split with the Rockets over the course of the season and know how they play and what they’re capable of, but we also know our strengths are and look to play to them this weekend.”

The Rockets and P.A.L. did exactly split the year at 3-3, including splitting the final weekend of February, in which P.A.L. won 5-4 and then the Rockets won 4-0 on the 24th and 25th.

“The match-ups this season against P.A.L. have been fairly even in terms of wins and losses, but we know we control our own destiny and that’s been the message all season,” said Rockets Head Coach Todd Wagenbach. “Our guys have gone through it this season and we are now healthy enough to win this series and go to Utica. Anything less would be extremely disappointing.”

Let’s just say the Rockets have some good offense and leave it at that. Moving on. Just kidding. We have to mention that two-year Rocket John Crowdell is the USPHL Elite’s all-time leading scorer for a career (191 points). He scored 108 points this year, as well which was the second highest single season total in the Elite’s seven-year history – the first was set by Crowdell’s teammate and fellow Staten Island, N.Y., resident Jace Lombardo with 113 points.

Defenseman Justin Modzelewski with 34 points in 42 games was the third-leading scorer after the two century club members.

Rockets goalie Joseph Auletti put up a .940 save percentage to rank third in the USPHL Elite this year, and he went 12-3-0-0 in the season. He finished on a five-game winning streak. Eric Rosati had the 32-save shutout against P.A.L. on Feb. 25, and Tony Macaluso has also earned a win over the past couple weeks.

“We’ve known for a couple weeks now that we would face P.A.L., we just didn’t know where,” said Wagenbach. “We’ve been preparing for this all season and now it’s win or go home. Getting to Nationals has been the ultimate goal for this group since Day 1. We are ready.”

“Our team quote,” added P.A.L.’s Antonucci, is ‘Being ready is not what only matters. What matters is winning now that we are there,’” he said.

The group that will have to be fully there at the Rinx has been led offensively by Justin Morrissey all year – he had 82 points in 42 games. Lucas Lewin (65 points) and Bobby Trites (47 points in 32 games) provided outstanding depth. Second-year defenseman Peter Allen had 37 points this year from the blue line to rank in the top 10 of defenseman points in the league.

Goaltender Christopher Lucente went 15-7-1-0 with a .922 save percentage, and Luke Pavone went 8-5-0-0 on the year.

Tampa Bay Juniors (1) vs. Florida Jr. Blades (4)

All Games At Fort Myers Skatium, Fort Myers, FL

Saturday, March 9, 12:30 p.m. EST

Sunday, March 10, 9:30 a.m. EST (Jr. Blades are Home Team For Game 2)

Monday, March 11, 12:30 p.m. EST (If Necessary)

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

The Tampa Bay Juniors Elite program have had a great run since the formation of the current USPHL Elite conference in 2017. They have qualified for five of the first six Nationals, and the one year they would have missed the event, it ended up being canceled (2020).

The regular season Florida Division champions get a chance to make it four Nationals in a row if they can get past a Florida Jr. Blades team that is not taking this opportunity lightly.

A Nationals team in 2018, the Jr. Blades Elite program experienced some lean years since then, missing the divisional playoffs in 2020, 2021 and 2023. While the Jr. Blades’ chances for the top spot faded earlier in the season, they were able to build plenty of space between themselves and the non-playoff fifth and sixth positions to safely earn a postseason berth.

Tampa Bay won all six of their 2023-24 regular season meetings this year, but the final one on Feb. 10 was a 6-5 OT victory.

“We are expecting a tough series,” said Tampa Head Coach Garrett Strot. “Last time we played them it went to overtime. They have a few players that played a little bit of Premier this season, so will be a dangerous team.“

“Tampa has been the team to beat this season. We have played them tough all season however, falling short each game. Our last game against the Juniors we were able to force them into overtime taking a point,” added Doug Rose, Jr. Blades Head Coach. “We’ve watched our team improve immensely this season as the boys became used to the pace of the Florida Division.

Florida’s Vincent Faggioli-DeLong became a huge offensive contributor towards the end of the season, scoring 17 points in a point streak over his last eight games of the season, one he certainly hopes to extend on Saturday in Fort Myers. He finished the season with 32 points in 39 games.

Max Stek was second with 29 points, and both Sebastian Mason (22 points) and Joshua Mason (20 points) split the season between Premier and Elite. Sebastian Mason led in plus-minus with a +13, while defenseman Maksymilian Matys blocked 68 shots this year.

Logan Millar was the leading goalie for the Jr. Blades by putting up a .913 save percentage this year. Chase O’Dea also registered a win late in the season, while Giordan Gulati rounds out the goaltending trio.

“We have been keeping practices intense, video sessions focused, and time in the weight room disciplined,” said Rose. “The Juniors move the puck well and have great skill. I am expecting a fast-paced game from both teams! Our guys are excited for the challenge ahead of them coming in as the fourth seed. We’ve done our preparation now it’s up to them to come together for the logo.”

The Juniors were loaded with some of the division’s top performers overall, many of whom are local Tampa-area products. This includes locals Dylan Hineman (54 points), Kevin Rosello (52), and Mookie Killen (40 points). Defenseman Jacob Munkwitz (41 points in 40 games) joined from New York this year and has been a fantastic two-way player. Hineman and Colorado’s Lucas Gonzalez were the plus-minus leaders with a +38. D-man Andrew Wagenhauser, out of Ohio, led the way in blocked shots with 41.

In the net, Tampa is led by Ethan Carlone, Marcus Benzrihem and Shane Passaro. Carlone lost only three games in the season for his second straight year. His two-year career record is 23-6-0-1 and he put up a .924 save percentage this year. Passaro led the trio with 13 wins, and Benzrihem had a .945 save percentage in going 8-2-0-0. Coach Strot certainly feels confident in the group he’s bringing to the ice.

“We had a very good week of practice,” said Strot. “The guys had good jump and are excited to get going.”

Southeast Division

Carolina Jr. Hurricanes (1) vs. Hampton Roads Whalers (4)

All Games At Pineville Ice House, Pineville, N.C.

Saturday, March 9, 11:30 a.m. EST

Sunday, March 10, 11:30 a.m. EST

Monday, March 11, 11:30 a.m. EST (If Necessary)

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

The old adage “Nothing is given, everything is earned” will certainly apply to the USPHL Elite’s No. 1 team this year, the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes – who also just happen to be the defending National Champion from 2023.

A 37-5-0-0 record gave them a league-leading 74 points and the No. 1 seed in the Southeast Division and overall in the USPHL.

The Hampton Roads Whalers enter the 2024 playoffs after missing the postseason in 2023, so this is big redemption time for the first USPHL Elite Champions (in 2018).

“Carolina is the defending National Champions and again the No. 1 team in the USPHL Elite this season. Coach [Brad] Gaylord does a tremendous job and his team is loaded for a run at another title with plenty of experience,” said Whalers GM Brad Jones.

“What I expect from Hampton is I expect them to come out ready to go. They’ll come hard and finish checks,” said Carolina Head Coach Brad Gaylord. “They’re a young team that’s gotten better and we can’t take them lightly.”

The Jr. Canes won each of the two teams’ seven games this season, though that’s only a black and white number, because the real story is the fact six of the games were decided by three or fewer goals. If the Jr. Whalers’ goaltender Jean Berthaudin, who set the single season and career record for shutouts this year with eight, can get red hot, it might spell serious trouble for the Jr. Canes.

“We came into the season knowing we had a young squad with loads of potential. Coach [C.J.] Sweigart has pushed our guys all season and their development has been fun to watch,” said Jones. “We come into this series well-prepared, and expect to take the experiences that have galvanized our group all season and challenge the top dog for a bid to Nationals.”

Up front, Robbie Rajnys came in for the last 19 games of the season and registered 19 points to lead the way in terms of points per game. Defenseman Hudson Hinich (26 points in 39 games) finished as the top scorer for the Whalers.

For the Jr. Canes, they had a number of veterans who earned championship rings last year come back, and five of these players averaged better than a point per game for the whole season. Luke Moses led the team in scoring with 51 points in 33 games (1.55 per game), while Carter Radosta (50 points), Nathan Rhodes (47) and the 40-point duo of Zackary Rich and Jakson Furlotte were absolute leaders throughout the regular season. Gian Khani was a newer player who also put up 40 points on the season. Colby Markham once again led the defense, this time with 39 points in 35 games.

Carolina was the only team to have two goalies in the top 10 for wins, in Ryan Kalina (13) and Anthony Trantas (14). They were also there in save percentage, with Kalina posting a .934 and Trantas putting up .930.

“I expect our guys to execute our systems, play with speed, especially in transitional play,” said Gaylord. “We’ve been cleaning up our systems on both sides of the puck in all three zones [in practices this week]. Most important, and they all know this, and that is to play together and enjoy the moment and have fun!”

Florida Eels (2) vs. Atlanta MadHatters (3)

All Games Played At Fort Myers Skatium, Fort Myers, FL

Saturday, March 9, 9:30 a.m. EST

Sunday, March 10, 12:30 p.m. EST

Monday, March 11, 9:30 a.m. EST

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

The Atlanta MadHatters Elite team would love to recapture what they once had and lost, and that was only due to a global pandemic. They had beaten Tampa Bay in the Florida Division playoffs to advance to the USPHL National Championship – which was canceled the same day as Major League Baseball, NASCAR, NCAA sports and the NHL also all canceled their seasons.

The Florida Eels have been one of the staples of the USPHL Elite National Championships, making it the last two seasons in a row after also reaching the mark in 2019. Both teams have something to prove.

“I am expecting this series with the Florida Eels to be a battle. They are a very well-coached team that has always been one of the best programs in the USPHL. Throughout the season we have played hard fought games going back and forth with the Eels. I feel this playoff series will be the same,” said Atlanta Head Coach Tyler Casillo. “If we stick to our game and stay disciplined in all three zones, I am expecting us to have a great showing. Our team is hungry to make a statement to the league that we don’t only belong here but expect to win in big series like this one. This is one of the best matchups in all of the country at the Elite level.”

“We are expecting a great matchup,” added Eels Coach Mitch Hill. “Both teams match up very well against one another and they all have been close games. They are a good team that can roll four lines so we are expecting this to be a fun competitive series this weekend.”’

The series was split at 3-3-0-0 during the regular season. In their last meeting, Atlanta came away with a 3-0 shutout – one day after an Eels 1-0 shutout win. Throw a dart and you might hit the winner and the score on any given day.

In terms of shutouts, the MadHatters got four out of veteran netminder Jackson Bernier, who finished 9-5-2-1 with a league-leading .952 save percentage. Christian Amato was also in the top 10 for save percentage with a .928 mark.

“The Florida Elite Division is one of the most competitive in the country, and this year was no different. As an organization we feel great about the growth our group has had throughout the season,” said Casillo. “The team was built from the net out with Jackson Bernier and Christian Amato both having stellar seasons. This season, we came in with the expectation to compete for a chance to go to Nationals, and we did just that.”

The MadHatters’ top four scorers were all Elite veterans, starting with Will McLaughlin and Colby Sims (39 points apiece), William Blair (35) and Gordon Shindelman (32). Hayden Spencer, with 22 points in 33 games, was a huge presence on D.

For the Eels, a trio of newcomers set the offensive tone. Fynn O’Neill was the leader in points with 51 in 43, while Zayn Haddon-Harris and Alex Cochran each scored 42. Julian Gagnon returned to the team at midseason and scored 16 points in his 14 games. Sean Burke led the defense in scoring with 23 points in 24 games, while veteran J.J. Diaz led in blocked shots with 49 and plus-minus with +39.

In net, Nate Haas (15-3-0-0) and Anthony LaCroix (10-7-1-0) were a formidable tandem throughout the year.

“We’ve been approaching the postseason with preparation in our details,” said Hill. “Being sharp structurally in our systems and making sure our habits are playoff ready to compete.”

Southeast Division

Potomac Patriots (2) vs. Charlotte Rush (3)

All Games to Be Played At Pineville Ice House, Pineville, NC

Rush Are Home Team For Game 2

Saturday, March 9, 8:30 a.m. EST

Sunday, March 10, 8:30 a.m. EST

Monday, March 11, 8:30 a.m. EST (If Necessary)

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

The Potomac Patriots experienced some hard times in the USPHL Elite, but since the start of the 2022-23 season, they have been an absolute force to be reckoned with, putting up 67 wins in the past two years. The Patriots challenged for much of the year for the league and Southeast Division title, before the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes pulled away.

The Charlotte Rush have reached the Elite National Championships four times – 2018 and 2021 through 2023, and they’re hoping to make it four in a row.

“We are excited for a rematch of last year’s series vs Charlotte at the Elite level,” said Patriots Head Coach Alex Grose. “We have spent a lot of time preparing for these games, both on and off the ice. Our guys know what’s at stake and with a chance to be the first Patriots Elite team [to reach Nationals] they are ready to take it.”

“In preparing for Potomac, we know there’s a ton of skill in their lineup,” said Rush Head Coach Trevor Kleckner. “They have a high-flying offense that can put the puck in the net at will and a lethal power play as well. We have to defend hard and make sure we play a disciplined game. If we can execute on those two things, I believe we’ll find success. Right now we’ve prepared enough and it comes down to ‘us vs. us.’ Our focus is on our game and what we need to execute on in order to win two games this weekend.”

The Patriots went 5-1-0-0 in the season series, including weekend sweeps on Dec. 9-10 and Jan. 20-21. They’ve already seen what it takes to win, even in the three one-goal games the teams played out of their six.

“Our expectations this year are to beat Charlotte,” said Grose. “We know we are the faster, stronger, and more skilled team in the series, and we are determined to go prove that this weekend.”

Patriots Noah Ribeiro (72 points in 37 games) and the Elite program’s all-time scorer Liam Hanna (64 points in 39 games) both finished in the Top 10 league-wide in scoring, while on the D end, ‘07 star-in-the-making Kirill Golubev scored a league-leading 56 points in 34 games while also playing in the NCDC Young Guns prospects game at Boston University – and scoring the first goal in that game! Forward Ilya Biesiedin (22:00) led in ice time and faceoff wins (325, 58 percent), Ribeiro led in plus-minus (+34) and defenseman Yaroslav Alifanov led in blocked shots with 40.

In goal, Christian Nalle went 12-2-0-0 with a .937 save percentage, both top 10 stats.

For the Rush, Nicholas Grosso and Cy McCrink were the regulars in net during the season, with Grosso leading the way at 11-3-1-1.

Up front, the Rush had outstanding seasons from veterans like Spencer Barrow (51 points), Yianni Tsatsoulis (48 points), Charles Norris (46) and Luke Vega (31 points in 24 games). Isaac McGregor was nearly a point-per-game producer this year.

“In preparing for this postseason, I think we’ve been extremely detailed in teaching our structure. In the playoffs, it’s those little details that can be the difference between moving on or going home. For our group, we know that if we execute our systems and not get so tied up with our opponents tendencies, that we’ll have a ton of success,” said Kleckner. “These guys have battled extremely hard going all season long in buying into our systems and our culture. They should have all the confidence in the world heading into this weekend.

“I think another huge part of it is how we handle adversity. Every playoff game there’s adversity to handle whether you go up a goal, down a goal, or a puck doesn’t bounce your way,” he added. “This group has done a tremendous job lately of handling adversity and staying the course. That will play dividends for us this weekend as well.”

Midwest Division

Fort Wayne Spacemen (4) at Chicago Crush (2)

All Games At Addison Ice Arena, Addison, IL

Friday, March 8, 7:10 p.m. CST

Saturday, March 9, 6:40 p.m. CST

Sunday, March 10, 7:10 p.m. CST (If Necessary)

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Either the Chicago Crush or the Fort Wayne Spacemen will be among the first two USPHL Elite Midwest Division teams to reach the USPHL Nationals. The teams are two wins away from reaching the Utica University Nexus Center for the “big dance” between March 21-25 for the USPHL Elite National Championship tournament.

Both teams’ coaches understand just how huge this weekend’s series is in the grand scheme of their historic first season.

“This series is going to be even harder than the first. The Chicago Crush are a great team. We battled with them all year, maybe got the best of them in the season series, but that doesn’t matter anymore,” said Spacemen Head Coach Cam Wirick. “We know we will see their best hockey and we will be ready for it.”

“The series with the Spacemen this weekend will be a hard-fought battle. We have played them a number of times this season, and they have been a tough opponent,” added Crush Head Coach Phil Bushbacher. “They are well coached, have a lot of skill, a lethal power play, and compete for 60 minutes.

“We know that it is going to be a series won on the small details of the game,” Bushbacher added. “We know it is going to be a fast, physical, and emotion-filled series. They have gotten the better end of our season series, and we have something to prove on our way to Utica.”

The Spacemen finished 22-16-3-3 for 50 points, literally one point out of the third place spot. They were matched up in the first round with the No. 5 Chicago Cougars and came out of it with a 2-1 series victory. The two teams swapped one-goal wins, the Spacemen taking Game 1 4-3 before the Cougars won 3-2 in OT in Game 2 to extend their season. The Spacemen capped the series with a 5-2 victory to pave their way to Round 2.

“I am very pleased with how we performed this past weekend,” said Wirick. “We were faced with adversity all weekend long and I am very proud at how our guys handled it. We faced it head-on and prevailed. I have to give credit to the Cougars for battling hard all weekend.”

The Spacemen also faced the Chicago Crush eight times and went 6-2-0-0 against the Spacemen. The Spacemen won the closest games, a one-goal game and a two-goal game, and the Crush won 5-2 and 4-1 games in November and January.

The Crush went 27-14-0-3 to capture the second seed and the first round bye, six points behind the division champion Metro Jets and six points ahead of the third place Motor City Gamblers (who fell to the Decatur Blaze last weekend).

“We had an opening round bye, so this will be our first action of the postseason,” said Bushbacher. “We had a great regular season, grew a lot as a group, and have really found our stride in the second half. We have a deep team that plays their best hockey when we push the pace, are combative in all three zones, and remain disciplined.”

The Spacemen were led offensively by Joseph Richardson, who had 34 points in 27 games (and he also had three assists in five Spacemen Premier games). Oleksandr Zinoviev was second with 30 points and the two top scorers were among a crowd of eight players who had more than 20 points this year. This included the leading scorer among defensemen, Landyn Ringenberg, who had 27 points.

Goaltenders Justin Mackley and Brendan Kusbel both played the lion’s share of Spacemen games. Kusbel led the way with seven wins and Mackley led with a .910 save percentage. Ryan Tolbert (7-1-0-0) also had a strong season in the crease.

All five goalies who suited up for the Crush this year finished with an either winning or even record, led by Johnny Augusta (9-3-0-1, 2.27, .924). Kyle Tyszkiewicz led the team with a .937 save percentage.

Depth is a trait that both teams had in common, as the Crush had 11 players with 20 or more points, including Jaden Yuknis (43 points in 44 games) and Joseph Coglianese (38 points in 40 games). Defenseman Tyler Rentner had 28 points in 37 games to lead the blue line crew.

“I’m very proud of how far we have come together, and I am thrilled for our guys to have the opportunity to play this weekend. Our growth on the ice and off has put us in a great position to accomplish some goals that we all knew were ambitious at the start of the year,” Bushbacher added. “We know it may require 180 minutes of effort, or more, and we are excited to have a chance to play a team like Fort Wayne.”

Atlantic Division

Jersey Hitmen (4) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights (1)

All Games to Be Played At Revolution Ice Centre, Pittston, PA

Friday, March 8, 7:30 p.m. EST

Saturday, March 9, 3:45 p.m. EST

Sunday, March 10, 3:45 p.m. EST (If Necessary)

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

The Knights have some unfinished business, to say the least. They went all the way to the Elite National Championship Game, and nothing was decided after 60 minutes. Or 80 minutes.

The Carolina Jr. Hurricanes eventually ended the game 29 seconds into the second overtime, but the Knights had fully arrived as a league power to be reckoned with.

Joining the Knights at the 2023 Nationals were the Jersey Hitmen, who reached the semifinal where they were defeated by WBS, 3-2. But that was after the Hitmen defeated the higher-seeded Florida Eels and Charlotte Rush in the round robin portion of the Nationals. And that was also after the Hitmen survived being on the verge of elimination in the division playoffs, defeating the former New York Aviators, two games to one.

So it all comes down to this weekend, where only one of last year’s Elite Atlantic Division representatives will be moving on to Nationals.

“We are excited at the opportunity our team earned,” said Knights First-Year Head Coach Jason Zaleski. “Having home ice for playoffs is something we are proud of. We have worked all season to prepare for the playoffs!”

Veteran Hitmen Head Coach Jim Raymond talked about how his team should be in a good position to make life especially tough for the Knights, having improved over the year.

“We had a rough start. It took us some time to come together as a group. Wins were tough to come by early on, but in late December/early January we went on a 9-1-1-0 heater that helped secure a playoff position,” said Raymond. “During that time we were fortunate enough to beat all of the top teams from our division and others from the southern divisions while at the USPHL Tampa Showcase.”

One big mountain for the Hitmen to climb is seen in the Knights themselves, as WBS nearly swept the season series by finishing at 6-1-0-0. The Hitmen won their lone game in a breakout 7-4 victory on Dec. 17, part of that 9-1-1-0 run that bridged 2023 and 2024.

“WBS is a very good team, well coached and well managed. You don’t finish in first place in the division by not being ready and prepared,” Raymond said. “I anticipate the series will be hard-fought, and the Nationals berth well-earned. We’re the underdogs for sure, but if we stick to the plan and get some puck luck you never know what could happen. I wouldn’t be surprised if the series went all three games.”

Knights GM Dominick Manochio also knows that with the stakes of the series raised, his team will also have to raise its level of play to push past an always feisty Hitmen team.

“Our team has continued to grow throughout the season. Winning our third division title in three years [of existence], we feel we are hitting our stride at the right time,” said Manochio. “Every game in our division is a battle, and that was evident as playoff seeding came down to the final few games. We know the Hitmen will be prepared, but our group is determined, and regardless of who we play, the ‘Wilkes Wagon’ will be going full steam ahead.”

Offensive leaders for the Knights include one of last year’s prime movers in Jason DiMatteo. He rejoined the Knights in January and posted a 13-10-23 line in 12 games to close out the regular season. Tyler Hamlin was the wire-to-wire offensive leader this year, with 42 points in 42 games, while William Prange was always strong with 36 points in 37 games. In goal, the Knights got a great year out of Elite veteran Chase Ebeyer (10-4-0-1, .917 save percentage), while Andrew Zang has been spectacular in his nine games with a 7-1-0-0 record and a .949 save percentage.

The Hitmen are led offensively by Patrick Devaney (58 points in 42 games) and Aleksandr Gorbushin (40 points in 36 games), along with a later infusion of offense from December signee Lucas Infusino (23 points in 12 games). Christopher Kobayashi led the defense with 28 points in 40 games. In net, Jonathan Hager (11 wins) and Thomas Tedeschi (eight wins) mostly split the starts on the year.

Limited March regular season games were also taken into statistical account.

Selection Process: The league media office sends top candidates to divisional coaches for review and coaches either approve or challenge the nominations.

Summaries By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Forward: Vincent Faggioli-Delong, Florida Jr. Blades

A homegrown player out of the Jr. Blades youth program, Faggioli-Delong (‘06/Fort Myers, Fla.) was absolutely on fire towards the end of the season. He scored nine goals and five assists for 14 points in seven games, averaging 2.0 points per game. That was nearly half of his season output, as he came across the regular season finish line with 32 points in 39 Elite games. He also saw two Premier games during the month of February, so it would appear he’s definitely in the Premier Jr. Blades plans for the future. He co-led the Jr. Blades in plus-minus in February with a +9, and he outright led the Jr. Blades last month with 74 wins in the faceoff circle, which gave him a 69 percent success rate.

Forward: Mookie Killen, Tampa Bay Juniors

Continuing the local theme, the ‘06 from Tampa and Steinbrenner High Killen was absolutely killing it offensively during the month, posting six goals and seven assists for 13 points in just six games. He helped the Juniors close out the season as the Florida Division champions and the top seed in the division heading into this weekend’s playoffs in Fort Myers. They’ll be facing Faggioli-Delong’s Jr. Blades. Killen, a former Tampa Crunch 16U player, closed the regular season with 40 points in 37 games to rank him fourth in team scoring.

Forward: Dylan Hineman, Tampa Bay Juniors

And then we have Killen’s Steinbrenner High and former Tampa Crunch teammate Hineman, another ‘06 from Tampa, who led the Juniors in scoring for 2023-24 with 54 points in 41 games. His February output was five goals and nine assists for 14 points in seven games. Also during February, he finished as the co-leader in plus-minus (+13) and hits (eight). He was also aces in the faceoff circle, claiming 74 victories for a 61 percent success rate on the month.

Defense: Jacob Munkwitz, Tampa Bay Juniors

Munkwitz (‘04/Smithtown, N.Y.) finished fourth in defenseman scoring in the USPHL Elite this year, coming across the regular season finish line with 41 points in 40 games, and was a huge find for the Juniors after several Midget and two USPHL Premier seasons with the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders prior to this year. During February, Munkwitz put up a 3-8-11 line in eight games. He was the TBJ leader in blocked shots last month with nine, he was a co-leader in hits (eight) – tied with Hineman, and he led the Juniors in average ice time in February with 21:22 per game.

Defense: Reid Wilson, Florida Eels

In his second Elite season, Wilson (‘04/Lacombe, Alb.) put up 17 points in 41 games after registering eight points as a rookie in 2022-23. He hopes to be able to return to the USPHL Nationals, after playing there last year. The Eels are moving on to play the Atlanta MadHatters this weekend. Wilson put up six assists in seven games, and was second on the Eels in hits in February with six.

Goaltender: Ethan Carlone, Tampa Bay Juniors

Carlone (‘04/Tecumseh, Ont.) finished his second USPHL Elite season with a record of 11-3-0-1, with a 2.30 goals against average and a .924 save percentage. He stopped 144 of 152 shots in February, playing 302 minutes and going 3-2-0-0 during the month with a .929 save percentage. Carlone was a Southeast Division Elite All-Star last year and is hoping to make his Nationals debut if he can help the Juniors past the Jr. Blades this coming weekend.