#USPHLPlayoffs Series Preview: Northern Cyclones vs. Springfield Pics

by Joshua Boyd

March 3, 2023March 3, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com North Division All Games At Cyclones Arena Friday, March 3, 4 p.m. EST Saturday, March 4, 4 p.m. EST Sunday, March 5, 4 p.m. EST (if necessary) There exists the possibility that, by Saturday evening, we may know our first USPHL Nationals participant. The Springfield Pics will travel to […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 26, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 26, 2023February 26, 2023

An update to yesterday’s Watch List: New Teams that have clinched playoff berths since yesterday P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (NCDC) P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (Premier) Rockets Hockey Club (Elite) New York Aviators (Elite) NCDC All three Sunday games are in the South Division and none of them will change the standings Mercer, Connecticut and the Rockets […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 25, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 25, 2023February 25, 2023

Updating yesterday’s Watch List: Today, we have five NCDC games, 10 Elite and 25 Premier games. In total, we have 39 NCDC, 56 Premier and 23 Elite remaining. A lot should be decided today. A note on playoffs: For Premier Divisions who have multiple rounds, and the New England Elite, playoffs start next weekend. For Divisions […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 24, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 24, 2023February 25, 2023

We continue to post regular updates on games that will have playoff clinching implications in the NCDC, USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite. NCDC has one team that has clinched a playoff berth: Jersey Hitmen Premier teams that have clinched playoff berths include: New York Aviators (clinched division title) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights Rockets Hockey Club Connecticut […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 11, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 11, 2023February 11, 2023

An update to yesterday’s #USPHLPlayoffs Watch List: It’s Saturday, and we have a full slate today with four NCDC, eight USPHL Elite and 23 USPHL Premier games! Three teams have clinched spots since Thursday: South Shore Kings, Hershey Cubs and the Dells Ducks. NCDC North Division Boston Advantage (No. 4) hosts South Shore (No. […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 5, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 5, 2023February 5, 2023

We’ll be posting regular updates on what games each game day will have playoff clinching implications in the NCDC, USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite. A few notes before today’s update: No teams in the NCDC have clinched a playoff berth as of yet. There are, however, some teams that are finding their limits on where […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 3, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 3, 2023February 3, 2023

We’ll be posting regular updates on what games each game day will have playoff clinching implications in the NCDC, USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite. A few notes before today’s update: No teams in the NCDC have clinched a playoff berth as of yet. But we’ll show NCDC games where a team can improve its standings […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: Jan. 29, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

January 29, 2023January 29, 2023

We’ll be posting regular updates on what games each game day will have playoff clinching implications in the NCDC, USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite. A few notes before today’s update: No teams in the NCDC have clinched a playoff berth as of yet. But we’ll show NCDC games where a team can improve its standings […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: Jan 28, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

January 28, 2023

Elite Conference Wilkes-Barre/Scranton won yesterday and secured first place in the Mid-Atlantic. They will host either the Hitmen, P.A.L., Rockets or Aviators. Tampa will clinch in the Florida Division today with a win over Columbia or by gaining a point against Columbia with a Florida Blades’ loss vs. Atlanta. Premier Conference Toledo and Metro are […]

#USPHLPlayoffs: The Watch List – Jan. 16, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

January 16, 2023

We’ll be posting regular updates on what games each game day will have playoff clinching implications in the NCDC, USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite. A few notes before today’s update: No teams in the NCDC have clinched a playoff berth as of yet. But we’ll show NCDC games where a team can improve its standings […]

Midwest East Division

Battle Creek Kernels (6) vs. Chicago Crush (3)

All Games At Addison Ice Arena Olympic Rink

Friday, March 1, 7:30 p.m. CST

Saturday, March 2, 4:10 p.m. CST

Sunday, March 3, 8:05 p.m. CST (If Necessary)

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com

The Chicago Crush have progressed quickly in two seasons, to the point where they are already able to host a playoff series. The Crush rose up from fifth in their inaugural 2022-23 season to third here in 2023-24. The Crush went 25-15-3-1 for their first winning season as well. They will take on another team that saw its first year in 2022-23, the Battle Creek Kernels.

The Kernels saw a slight increase in points year over year, so these are two new USPHL Premier teams looking to make their mark. One or the other will come out of this weekend two wins away from a USPHL Nationals berth.

“Season records are just numbers on paper, and in playoff hockey, it’s a whole new game,” said Crush GM/Head Coach Steve Maltais, a well-known name in Chicago hockey circles – he was the 11-year Captain of the AHL Chicago Wolves. “We’ve had success against the Kernels in the regular season, but that means nothing now. In the playoffs, every team is hungry, and the Battle Creek Kernels will fight tooth and nail. We won’t rest on our laurels – it’s time for the Chicago Crush to elevate our game.”

“We are playing some of our best hockey of the year right now,” said Kernels Owner/GM/Head Coach Triston Jensen. “Goaltending has been stellar, we’re finding ways to score and we’re locking down our defensive zone. All the games with the Crush have been close. I am excited to see what this series will bring.”

The Crush went 4-0 against the Kernels this year, quite a feat when you see that every game was decided by either two goals or one. Maltais knows that his team needs to be ready for a close game – and they need to give that extra mile needed in the playoffs to come out on top of such games.

“From the first shift to the last, it’s about giving 110 percent,” said Maltais. “The Kernels won’t make it easy, so every player on the bench needs to be ready to lay it all out on the ice. In the playoffs, it’s do or die, and we’re aiming to advance to the next round with everything we’ve got.”

Up front, the Crush were powered by scoring leader Caden Day, a local product of the West Dundee Leafs who put up a 26-26-52 line in playing all 44 games. Next up was second-year Crush veteran Nick Zehelein, who had 35 points in 42 games, and second-year Premier player Ryan Hammer produced 34 points in 41 games. Day was the plus-minus leader at +15 (and he also led in hits with 59), and second-year blueliner Jonathan Wood blocked 83 shots, 36 more than his closest teammate.

For Battle Creek, the second-year forwards Ryan Jaros and Connor Hasse not only went 1-2 in scoring this year, they’re also tops for the Kernels in their short franchise history. Jaros finished with 53 points in 42 games, and Hasse went point-per-game with 44 points in 44 games. They have 71 and 70 points, respectively, over two regular seasons. Second-year defenseman Caleb Dunuroglu was the plus-minus leader with a +3, though he was only able to get into 15 games this year. Hasse won an amazing 544 faceoffs this year (52 percent), and Hasse also led in blocked shots with 74.

Premier veteran Sebastien Wigfield led the way in net for Battle Creek, making 24 appearances and racking up a very impressive .927 save percentage. The most frequent crease visitor for the Crush was another Premier veteran in Jack Sundhall, who went 17-7-2-1 with a .923 save percentage.

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 trip to the USPHL Nationals. The Cyclones missed making the mark for the first Elite Nationals in 2018, but they’ve qualified every year since, earning five berths in a row between 2019 and 2023. They know they have to win at least two games to get there every year, so they go into the divisional playoffs focused on the now, but knowing anything less than a Nationals berth is not acceptable in Hudson, N.H.

“I think simply put we have one team standing in the way of us and the National Tournament,” said Head Coach Tim Plummer. “The guys are taking each day of practice to prepare and make sure we are ready to do whatever it takes to move on. We understand nothing comes easy this time of year, so we are ready to face whatever sort of adversity is thrown our way to complete the task and move on to the National Tournament.”

The Boston Junior Bruins would obviously love to pull off a huge upset. The Cyclones have won the division twice in a row, and that’s coming off a trip to the 2022 national final, where they fell to the former Richmond Generals. In their season series, the Cyclones went 7-0-1-0. The sole blip was a 2-1 OT win for the Junior Bruins on Nov. 12. Their other games were all decided by four goals or more, so Junior Bruins head coach Dan Pelletier knows they will have their hands full.

“Obviously, our work is cut out for us. We know how good the Cyclones are. I can’t promise that we’ll beat them, but we’re going to do our best to make it interesting,” said Pelletier.

The Cyclones’ Noah Malcolm finished in the top 10 of scoring this season, with a 34-36-69 line, and Josh Bruno was right outside the Top 10 with 63 points. Third in scoring for the Cyclones was defenseman Matthew Taylor, who put up a 54-point total in 42 games, which ranked him second overall in the league. Also defensively, the Cyclones were No. 2 among full-time Elite members in goals against per game (2.07) and shots against per game (23.64). They were also offensively potent in putting up the second most shots on their opponents’ goals with 46.89, almost exactly twice the amount of shots they surrender on average. Later arrival Austin Larson (14 points) and Adam Kulick (47 points) also topped a point-per-game this year.

On the Junior Bruins side, forward Hunter Couture and defenseman Andrew Chandler lead the team with 13 points apiece. In goal, Jason Conlan set the USPHL Elite single season record for saves with 1,229, an average of 37.2 per game over his 33 games this year.

The Cyclones utilized a three-goalie approach that worked wonders. Nick Cowles, Vincent Arata and Michael Anstey each played a minimum of 12 games this year. Cowles and Arata each made the top five league-wide in goals against average, with Cowles leading at 1.48 and Arata at 1.73. Cowles finished seventh in save percentage at .931.

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 and Decatur Blaze will be the first two Midwest Elite teams to hit the ice to eventually decide which two out of six division teams will qualify for the 2024 USPHL Nationals in Utica, N.Y.

The two teams set to hit the ice at 2:30 p.m. had very different seasons. The Gamblers finished only six points short of second place, which earned the No. 2 team the Chicago Crush a first round bye. The Blaze struggled in Year 1 of their Elite program, winning a single game. However, they also pushed the No. 1 team in the division, the Metro Jets, to an overtime as recently as Feb. 3, falling 3-2. Blaze Head Coach Justin Cohn is excited to start essentially from a blank slate for the playoffs.

“I expect a great, hard and physical series. It’s going to come down to who wants to work harder. Motor City is a great program and has gotten the better of us all year long,” said Cohn. “They are a team that will compete and outwork their opponent. We are coming in with the mindset that’s it a fresh start and we are 0-0. We have a great chance if we compete and win the effort battle.”

The Gamblers won all seven of their games against the Blaze this year, the closest being by a margin of six goals. Nevertheless, he knows that the Blaze will come out with that “new season” mentality and do everything they can to make life tough for the Gamblers.

“We are excited to have our Elite team participate in the division’s first playoffs,” said Gamblers Head Coach Logan Wilt. “We have had two successful series against Decatur this season so far and are looking to have a third. They have made some big roster moves since we have seen them last, so we must be prepared to face those changes.”

Some of the Gamblers players have been among the Elite Division’s top performers. Trevor Touchton’s 59 points in 41 games ranked him in the top 15 of all Elite players this year. Among Elite blueliners, ‘06 standout Jack Squire was third in scoring with 45 points in 40 games, and Carter Schluckbier’s 35 points in 44 games ranked ninth. Mark Bonnay (45 points) and Nick Allen (41 points) were also among a crowd of seven racking up over a point per game.

Gavin Meisner’s 14 points led the way for the Decatur Blaze, who faced struggles generating offense during the season. Morgan Heck was most frequently in net for Decatur this year, and had a personal highlight in stopping 59 of 62 shots in their 3-2 OT loss to Metro on Feb. 3.

Braedyn Sullivan and Trevor Houle had nearly identical time in net during this season, with the ‘07 Sullivan putting up an 8-3-0-0 record with a .921 save percentage to lead the team, statistically.

By USPHL Staff

In The Playoff Push, we will take a look at the busiest game days’ most integral games in regards to teams clinching playoffs or clinching specific playoff berths, as we head down the stretch toward the end of the regular season in March.

USPHL Premier

1 game today, 5 remaining in total

Midwest West Division: The Mullets looked just about to jump up to clinch seventh but fell by one goal in the end to the Minnesota Squatch. The Mullets (No. 8) will thus visit the top-seeded Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings, and the Squatch (No. 2) will host Isanti (No. 7). Additionally, Hudson (No. 3) will host Steele County (No. 6) and the Minnesota Blue Ox (No. 4) will host the Minnesota Moose (No. 5).

Florida is now set as well. Bold City (No. 1) will be the home team against Atlanta (No. 4) and the Florida Eels (No. 2) will host Tampa (No. 3). All these games will be played at the Fort Myers Skatium beginning March 9.

Atlantic Division: Hershey defeated the Hitmen in a come-from-behind effort to finish third. The Cubs will host the Rockets in the playoffs.

P.A.L. (No. 4) and Elmira (No. 5) both finish with 53 points. P.A.L. holds the head-to-head in points, 6-3, so the Impact is off to Long Island.

There is nothing riding on the only Monday Premier game, as Charlotte (No. 2) will face Hampton Roads (No. 4) in a Southeast Division bragging rights match-up. Charlotte is already set to face Carolina in the playoffs, and Hampton Roads will be the away team against top-seeded Potomac. Those playoff series will all be held in Charlotte beginning March 9.

USPHL Elite

2 games today, 8 remaining in total

The Atlantic is still not settled, but the picture is clearer. Wilkes-Barre Scranton finished first overall. They will host the Hitmen.

The P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (No. 2) and the Rockets Hockey Club (No. 3) will play each other in the playoffs. The Rockets defeated P.A.L. yesterday to end PAL’s season. The Rockets hold the tiebreaker – not head-to-head, not most wins, but down to goal differential. Currently 44 to 42. The Rockets need a win on Saturday vs. the Hitmen (No. 4) and on Sunday vs. the Rangers (No. 5). Anything less and they visit P.A.L. instead of hosting the Jr. Islanders.

Those are the only meaningful games, playoff-wise, remaining from the final eight.

The Florida Division is now set: Tampa (No. 1) will host the Jr. Blades (No. 4), and the Florida Eels (No. 2) will host Atlanta (No. 3).

Week of Feb. 25, 2024

Games of Feb. 14-21, 2024

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Forward: John Spiridonakos, Metro Jets

Spiridonakos (‘05/Laval, Que.) posted three goals and four assists for seven points as the Jets tied up the first-ever Elite Midwest Division championship. Spiridonakos put up a 36-28-64 line this season.

Defense: Caleb Simpson, Metro Jets

The Jets’ Simpson (‘05/Davison, Mich.) was a big part in the Jets’ three-game sweep of the Chicago Cougars, during which he posted two goals and three assists for five points. He now has 26 points in 42 games.

Goaltender: Johnny Augusta, Chicago Crush

Augusta (‘04/Medinah, Ill.) put up a 25-save shutout for his first USPHL blanking when the Crush defeated the Decatur Blaze on Feb. 17. This helped him to improve to a 9-3-0-1 record with a .924 save percentage.

Week of Feb. 25, 2024

Games of Feb. 14-21, 2024

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

New England Division

Forward: Adam Hadi, Islanders Hockey Club

Hadi (‘05/Coppell, Texas) put up three goals and four assists for seven points in wins against the Boston Junior Bruins and Springfield Pics to end the Islanders’ regular season as the No. 2 seed in the New England Division. The former Coppell High and Texas Tigers player finished on a four-game goal streak and stood with 53 points in 44 games.

Defense: Owen Kneeland, Northern Cyclones

Kneeland (‘05/Methuen, Mass.) put together a 1-3-4 run in three games against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and the Springfield Pics. The Cyclones, who are No. 1 in the New England Division, have one final game before their playoff series with the Boston Junior Bruins. Kneeland goes in with 21 points in 38 games at the Elite level, plus one assist in nine games up with the Premier team.

Goaltender: Tagger Tamburo, Islanders Hockey Club

Tamburo (‘04/Phoenix, Ariz.) has racked up four wins in a row, including his most recent to close the regular season. He stopped 27 of 28 against the Springfield Pics on Feb. 21. That gave him a 15-6-2-0 with a 1.95 goals against average and a .928 save percentage.

Atlantic Division

Forward: John Crowdell, Rockets Hockey Club

The all-time leader in USPHL Elite scoring for a career now has also set the single season scoring record with his 106th point, passing former Northern Cyclone Danny Woods’ 105 points set in 2018-19. He did this recently by putting up five goals and four assists for nine points against Connecticut and the Jersey Hitmen. He has improved to 189 points in his 84-game Elite career. He also recently played up with the Premier team and earned his eighth and ninth points in seven games at that level.

Defense: Peter Allen, P.A.L. Jr. Islanders

Allen (‘06/Oceanside, N.Y.) has been one of the Jr. Islanders’ most steady contributors all season long and has helped them to a tie for first place in the Atlantic in the final regular season weekend. He had four assists in the Jr. Islanders’ most recent three-game stretch to improve to 37 points, more than doubling the 18 points he posted as a junior rookie with P.A.L. in 2022-23.

Goaltender: Eric Rosati, Rockets Hockey Club

Rosati (‘05/Mineola, N.Y.) stopped 44 of 46 shots in a 6-2 Rockets victory over the Connecticut Jr. Rangers on Feb. 17, his best performance of the season with his most saves as well. Splitting time between the Rockets 18U AAA program and the USPHL Elite teamt his year, he has five Elite wins.

USPHL Premier

24 games today

In the Midwest East, Fort Wayne and MJDP are tied for first. The Spacemen – who have completed their regular season – hold the head-to-head, so MJDP needs a point today vs. the Chicago Crush (3) to take the honors.

In Florida, none of the slots are settled even though the four teams are in. Two of those teams will be home teams, and two series winners will go to Nationals.

Great Lakes Division: Numbers 1 through 6 are now set. Cincinnati (No. 6) will visit Toledo (No. 3), Buffalo (No. 5) will visit Columbus (No. 4). The Metro Jets (No. 1) and Nashville (No. 2) watch the scoreboard next weekend to see who comes to visit on March 8.

Atlantic Division: Three teams are knotted in the 3-4-5 spots. The WBS Knights (No. 2) visit Elmira (No. 5); Hershey (No. 3) visits the Jersey Hitmen (No. 7); and Brooklyn (No. 8) visits P.A.L. (No. 4).

A Hershey win gives them first round home ice and, with an Elmira loss, they’d place third at the end.

Today is P.A.L.’s last game of the season. A win, with an Elmira loss, gives them home ice. P.A.L. holds the head-to-head tie breaker. Hershey/P.A.L./WBS Knights, on the plus side, will settle it today.

Midwest West Division:

Wisconsin (No. 1) at Hudson (No. 3)

Mullets (No. 7) at Blue Ox (No. 5)

Isanti (No. 8) at Moose (No. 4)

With a win today, Wisconsin captures first. Hudson needs a win today and a Squatch loss in regulation tomorrow to take second. The Blue Ox and Moose are tied. If the tie doesn’t break today, the Moose will visit the Ox in round 1 based on head to head.

The Mullets are up by a point on Isanti with a game in hand. An Isanti regulation loss or a Mullets win gives the Mullets seventh place.

New England Division: The Gatineau (No. 4), Springfield (No. 5) and South Shore (No. 6) placement is still unresolved. A Gatineau point today in Utica (No. 1) gives them uncontested fourth.

The Pics (No. 5) are hosting the Kings (No. 6). A Pics point today keeps the Kings in sixth. The Pics need two wins and a Gatineau regulation loss to finish fourth.

USPHL Elite

11 games today

In Florida, Atlanta (No. 3) visits Tampa (No. 1) for the second game of their three-game set. Atlanta won yesterday.

To grab second, Atlanta needs to win out and hope that Palm Beach (No. 5) wins on the road tomorrow vs. the Eels (No. 2).

The Eels (No. 2), idle today, need a regulation Atlanta loss to nail down second permanently and get last change in their first playoff game. Either way, the game is in their building.

The Blades (No. 4) won yesterday and secured 4th place. They will face Tampa (No. 1) in March.

Midwest Division: The Jets took sole possession of first with their win over the Crush (No. 2) yesterday. Both clubs have a first round bye.

Fort Wayne (No. 4) visits Motor City (No. 3) in the last game of the season for both. Fort Wayne needs a regulation win to clinch third. Motor City grabs third with a single point.

The Cougars (No. 5) visit Decatur (No. 6). They need their own win and a Spacemen regulation victory to keep their slim hopes for home ice alive.

Atlantic Division: P.A.L. and WBS are tied for first with two games left. WBS visits Elmira (No. 6) while P.A.L. travels to the Rockets (No. 3). WBS holds the tiebreaker, so a WBS sweep guarantees them bragging rights and a home set with the Hitmen (No. 4).

The Rockets are four points back with two games in hand. They can’t control WBS, but they need to sweep P.A.L. this weekend to stay in the discussion for first. The Rockets will likely face P.A.L. in March, but the where is to be decided.

Week of Feb. 23, 2024

Game of Feb. 14-21, 2024

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Florida Division

Forward: Vincent Faggioli-Delong, Florida Jr. Blades

Faggioli-Delong (‘06/Fort Myers, Fla.) is a local-area product who came up through the Jr. Everblades Midget teams and had an outstanding performance in putting up four goals and one assist in the Jr. Blades’ close 6-5 loss to the Florida Eels on Feb. 18. He also had two assists in a Feb. 14 7-1 victory over Palm Beach, and his +6 was the Jr. Blades’ best showing for a three-game set. He also saw his first USPHL Premier action on Feb. 17 in a 4-2 loss to the Eels. For the Elite side, he has a team-leading 26 points in 36 games.

Defense: Spencer Hambling, Florida Eels

Hambling (‘07/North Fort Myers, Fla.) had a fantastic pair of games for the Eels against the Tampa Bay Juniors and Florida Jr. Blades, and not only for posting a 1-1-2 line in the games. He was also the team’s leader in hits (five) and his two blocked shots tied for the team lead during the series of games. His +3 was tied for the lead among Eels blueliners. As a rookie with the Eels, Hambling has six points in 28 games after previously playing for the Gulf Coast Flames Midget program.

Goaltender: Ethan Carlone, Tampa Bay Juniors

Carlone (‘04/Tecumseh, Ont.) is a second-year Elite goaltender who has been tremendous for the Juniors since joining the team in late October. He is on a five-game winning streak, the most recent of which was a 23-save victory on 24 shots against the Florida Eels on Feb. 15. For the season, he is 11-1-0-1 with a .926 save percentage.

Southeast Division

Forward: Luke Moses, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

Moses (‘03/Fort Bragg, N.C.) put up three goals and added a pair of assists for five points to help the Jr. Canes not only to win two games against Hampton Roads and Potomac, but also to capture the 2023-24 USPHL Elite Regular Season Championship. With 103 points in 102 career games, Moses is the second all-time leading scorer in the Jr. Canes’ team history. He improved his season total to 47 points in 31 games.

Defense: Albin Jansson Lindberg, Potomac Patriots

Jansson Lindberg (‘03/Stockholm, Sweden) hit the ice for the Patriots’ game against the Hampton Roads Whalers and earned two assists, giving him his second multipoint game of the season. His +3 tied for the team lead on the weekend. For the season, Jansson Lindberg has 13 points in 30 games. He’s also played in eight USPHL Premier games this year, putting up a goal at that level.

Goaltender: Christian Nalle, Potomac Patriots

Nalle (‘04/Huntington Beach, Calif.) was able to get a 31-save shutout victory against the Hampton Roads Whalers for his first USPHL Elite blanking. Nalle improved to 12-2-0-0 with a .937 save percentage.

USPHL Premier

18 games today

A lot to unpack here.

In Florida, none of the slots are settled, even though the 4 teams are in. Bold City (No. 2) has 54 points and four games in hand on the Florida Eels (No. 1). Bold City (No. 2) host the Blades (No. 5) for three this weekend.

Great Lakes Division: Buffalo (No. 5) visits Columbus (No. 4). Cincinnati (No. 6) visits Nashville (No. 2). Buffalo’s magic number vs. Cincinnati is 1. A Buffalo point or a Cyclones loss sends Cincinnati to Toledo (No. 3). Buffalo will start the playoffs in Ohio one way or another.

In the Midwest East, Fort Wayne is finished with its regular season and the Spacemen are first with 66 points. MJDP is second with 64 points and with two games in hand vs. the Chicago Crush. Fort Wayne holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, so MJDP needs three points to topple the Spacemen.

Everyone is in action except the Ducks. Everyone finishes this weekend. All have two games remaining except Steele County with one and the Mullets with three.

Tonight:

Wisconsin (No. 1) at Hudson (No. 3)
Moose (No. 4) at Blue Ox (No. 5)
Steele County (No. 6) at Mullets (No. 7)
Isanti (No. 8) at Squatch (No. 2)

A regulation Moose win will send the fifth place Ox to the fourth place Moose for Round 1.

The Mullets magic number vs. Isanti is 3. A Mullets point today with an Isanti regulation loss would give them seventh and eighth respectively. Same result with a Mullets win and an Isanti loss.

The top three teams are separated by a point (63-62-61). They all have first round home ice so we’re looking for which of the bottom three matches with which of the top three.

A Wisconsin win in regulation will mean that Hudson can’t catch them. Coupled with a Squatch win, Hudson would be permanently third and would host Steele County.

A Hudson regulation win and a Squatch OT loss would leave three teams tied for first at 63 points.

Head-to-Head Points:

Havoc:Squatch, 6:4

Wisconsin:Squatch, 4:4

In New England, Gatineau (No. 4) visits Utica (No. 1) today for the second of a three-game set. Gatineau lost yesterday. Utica will be a tough out for anybody. The Islanders HC has locked up third. They will host South Shore unless South Shore defeat the Pics in regulation tomorrow and the Bruins defeat the Pics in regulation on Sunday.

Should those two results manifest, Gatineau would travel to South Shore as the home team. A single Pics point has Gatineau playing as the home team at Springfield. Should the Pics win out, Gatineau would be a visitor at Springfield unless they eke out a point in Utica.

USPHL Elite

8 games today

In Florida, Atlanta (No. 3) visits Tampa (No. 1) and Bold City (No. 6) visits the Blades (No. 4). Both games are the first of a three-game set to finish out the season.

The Eels (No. 2), idle today, need a regulation Atlanta loss to nail down second permanently and get last change in their first playoff game. Either way, the game is in their building.

The Blades need a win to take sole possession of fourth, in which case Bold City’s playoff hopes would come to an end.

In the Midwest Division, the Chicago Crush (No. 2) visit the Jets (No. 1) for the first of three. The Jets magic number to clinch first is 4. A regulation win today will do it. Both clubs already have a first round bye.

Decatur (No. 6) visits the Chicago Cougars (No. 5). Fort Wayne (No. 4) visits Motor City (No. 3). Someone will get two points and cement the Cougars into fifth. That means that Fort Wayne and Motor City are guaranteed home ice. A Gamblers regulation win will have them hosting Decatur, while the Cougars would visit the Spacemen.

In the Atlantic, a WBS Knights (No. 2) win over the host Jersey Hitmen (No. 4) will tie them for first with the idle P.A.L. Jr. Islanders. WBS finishes up this weekend with two at Elmira (No. 6). P.A.L. goes to the Rockets (No. 3) for their last two. The Rockets are fighting for home ice, but that’s tomorrow’s topic.

Week of Feb. 18, 2024

Games of Feb. 8-13, 2024

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Midwest Division

Forward: Joshua Roman, Chicago Cougars

Roman (‘05/Covina, Calif.) put up four goals and two assists for six points in a busy stretch of four games for the Cougars, over which they went 3-1 including two wins over Fort Wayne Spacemen, a team they’re chasing for better playoff positioning. Roman now has 28 points in 29 games in this, his first junior season.

Defense: Rhys Vincill, Fort Wayne Spacemen

Vincill (‘06/Knoxville, Tenn.) put up a goal and two assists for three points, accounting for half of his team’s offense in their series against the Chicago Cougars. Vincill, who formerly played with the Tri-State Spartans 16U AAA program, improved to 18 points in 35 games.

Goaltender: Braedyn Sullivan, Motor City Gamblers

Sullivan (‘07/Manchester, N.H.) stopped 53 of 54 shots on Feb. 10 against the Chicago Crush, which was his fifth win in his last six games. Overall, he is 8-3-0-0 with a .921 save percentage.

North American Prep Hockey League Division

Forward: Derek Bird, Le Sommet Faucons

Bird (‘06/St-Basile-Le-Grand, Que.) was all over the Faucons’ opponents at the Cyclones Showcase, scoring two goals and seven assists for nine points in just four games. That helped him finish his USPHL Elite stint with 14 points in seven total games.

Defense: Felix Couture, Le Sommet Faucons

Couture (‘05/Lachine, Que.) is a second-year blueliner for Le Sommet, and his experience showed as he rang up three goals and two assists for five points in four games. He finished his USPHL Elite games with eight points in seven contests.

Goaltender: Jayden Carr, College Universel Gatineau

Carr (‘07/Montreal, Que.) stopped 42 of 43 shots that he faced at the Northern Cyclones Showcase, including a 19-save shutout against the Rockets Hockey Club. He also defeated the Metro Jets Elite team with 23 saves on 24 shots. He came out of the weekend with a .977 save percentage with a 0.50 goals against average.