USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: North Region

by Joshua Boyd

January 12, 2023January 17, 2023

Games of Jan. 1-9, 2023 North Division (Summaries by Joshua Boyd) Forward: Hunter Stockseth, Springfield Pics Stockseth was in on all of the Pics’ offense when they fought a tough battle with the Bridgewater Bandits but came up just short at 5-3. He scored one goal, which started a three-goal unanswered rally attempt by […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: South Region

by Joshua Boyd

December 23, 2022December 23, 2022

Games of Dec. 13-19 (Summaries by Joshua Boyd) Florida Division Forward: Alexander Clingerman, Florida Eels Clingerman (‘03/Marriottsville, Md.) got his mojo working at the USPHL Florida College Showcase, racking up three goals and four assists, including a 2-3-5 performance against the Columbia Infantry to start the event. Clingerman now has 28 points in 22 games […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: North Region

by Joshua Boyd

December 23, 2022

Week of Dec. 13-19 North Division (Submitted by Joshua Boyd) Forward: Quirino DoCanto, Bridgewater Bandits DoCanto pushed himself into fourth place in USPHL Elite scoring with a recent run of five goals and two assists for seven points in his last three games to close the 2022 portion of the season. He had a […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: South Region

by Joshua Boyd

December 15, 2022

(Games of Dec. 6-12) Summaries By Joshua Boyd Southeast Division Forward: Nathan Fishman, Nashville Spartans Fishman (‘02/Gainesville, Ga.) has been a highly valuable voice of experience for the first-year Spartans, bringing three prior years in the USPHL to the locker room and to the ice as well. He showed his experience by posting six […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: North Region

by Joshua Boyd

December 15, 2022December 15, 2022

(Games of Dec. 1-6) North Division (Submitted by Joshua Boyd) Forward: Liam Norton, Bridgewater Bandits A pair of wins against the Junior Bruins over the week helped the Bandits stand in a tie for second place overall in points for the entire Elite conference. Norton (‘04/Newark, N.J.) was huge in the wins with two […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: North Region

by Joshua Boyd

December 8, 2022December 8, 2022

(Games of Dec. 1-5) North Division (Summaries by Joshua Boyd) Forward: Jameson Harrington, Bridgewater Bandits Harrington (‘05/Billerica, Mass.) picked up goals in consecutive wins on Dec. 2 and 3 for the Bandits against the Junior Bruins and Springfield Pics. He also added an assist for a three-point weekend in the two contests. He now […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: South Region

by Joshua Boyd

December 7, 2022December 8, 2022

Dec. 1-5 (Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com) Southeast Division Forwards: Brayden Strong, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes Strong (‘04/Wake Forest, N.C.) lived up to his name this past weekend in a sweep of the Columbia Infantry. He posted two goals and four assists for six points, helping him bypass his 21 points scored in 42 […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: South Region

by Joshua Boyd

November 23, 2022November 23, 2022

Games of Nov. 15-22 Southeast Forward: Nathan Clark, Potomac Patriots A homegrown product, Clark (‘05/Haymarket, Va.) has come up through the Patriots’ past USPHL 16U teams to now stand as a second-year contributor at the Elite level. He posted three goals and one assist over a weekend sweep against the Hampton Roads Whalers. He […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: North Region

by Joshua Boyd

November 23, 2022

Games Of Nov. 15-22 North Division (Summaries By Joshua Boyd) Forward: Hunter Stockseth, Springfield Pics Stockseth (‘05/Blandford, Mass.) was a scoring machine for the Pics, setting up six goals and scoring a pair of his own for an eight-point showcase performance in just three games. Stockseth joined the Pics when he was 14 years […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Week: South Region

by Joshua Boyd

November 18, 2022November 18, 2022

Games Of Nov. 8-14 Summaries by Joshua Boyd Florida Division Forward: Jake Marcoux, Columbia Infantry Marcoux, a brand new ‘03, rang up four assists in his first two games with the Infantry, including three helpers in his debut on Nov. 12. Defense: Chris Maybury, Palm Beach Typhoon Maybury (‘04/Viera, Fla.) put up a […]

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.

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 early March.

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.

USPHL Premier

11 games today

In the Great Lakes, Buffalo jumped into fifth place. A Buffalo win today over the Cyclones will ensure home ice for the Columbus Mavericks (No. 4). They will host the team that emerges as fifth.

In the Pacific, Fresno clinched first and will host Bakersfield (No. 4). Ontario (No. 2) will host Las Vegas (No. 3).

In the Atlantic. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton clinched second yesterday and will host the Jersey Hitmen (No. 7).

Hershey (No. 3), Elmira (No. 4) and P.A.L. (No. 5) are all tangled vying for two home ice advantages. Only P.A.L. play today…this may go down to the last games.

In the Midwest West, the Dells Ducks (No. 8) and Isanti Outlaws (No. 9) are battling for that eighth and final Midwest West spot. Isanti hosts Steele County (No. 6) this afternoon. A win catapults them into eighth, but they’d need to seal it on Feb. 24 against the Moose. The Ducks’ last game is on Wednesday at Steele County.

A Squatch win today puts them in first above the idle Riverkings. There is still a three-way race for first in the MWW, but the Hudson Havoc (No. 3) need to get two points vs. the Minnesota Moose today to keep pace.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Moose (No. 4) will face the Minnesota Blue Ox (No. 5) in Round 1. It’s too tight to have the venue decided today and the Ox are idle until Friday.

Southeast Division: A Potomac win over Carolina (No. 3) clinches first place. Anything less has idle Charlotte needing a big finale next weekend in their three-game set.

New England Division: Today, the Northern Cyclone (2) visit Springfield (6) in the only game.

The idle Islanders Hockey Club (No. 3) are a point away from clinching home ice. That could come on Thursday against the Pics or anytime Gatineau gives up a point in their three-game finale vs. Utica Jr. Comets (No. 1). We already know that Utica gets the bye and the Cyclones (No. 2) will host the Junior Bruins (No. 7)

Potomac, and Bellingham will both end their regular seasons today.

USPHL Elite

6 games today

The WBS Knights and P.A.L. Jr. Islanders are tied for first in the Atlantic. WBS has a game in hand. The Hitmen, who are locked at fourth, play the Rockets Hockey Club (No. 3) today. P.A.L. hosts the Elmira Impact (No. 6).

The Florida Jr. Blades have 25 points. Palm Beach (No. 5) and Bold City (No. 6) each can achieve at most 25 points. Blades (4) play the Eels (3) today. The Blades hold the head-to-head tiebreaker on Palm Beach 10 points to 2, so the Jr. Blades only have to worry about Bold City. The Jr. Blades have a three-game set against Bold City next week, and a single point will get the Jr. Blades into that fourth playoff spot.

Potomac and Carolina are tied for first in the Southeast. They play today in Potomac’s final game of the season. A Carolina win locks them into first. A loss means they need to take care of business next weekend vs. Charlotte. First place draws Hampton, second draws the aforementioned Charlotte.

In the Midwest, the Fort Wayne Spacemen (No. 4) visit the Motor City Gamblers (No. 3). The Spacemen are four points behind with 3 games in hand.

The Crush (No. 2) magic number vs. Fort Wayne for a first round bye is 3. The Crush host Decatur (No. 6) tomorrow.

Week of Feb. 17, 2024

Games of Feb. 8-13, 2024

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Atlantic Division

Forward: John Crowdell, Rockets Hockey Club

Crowdell (‘03/Staten Island, N.Y.) made some #USPHLHistory last weekend when he posted his 177th career point during a Friday win against the Springfield Pics. His first goal for a hat trick plus one assist in that game was the record breaker for USPHL Elite career points. He added one more assist during the Rockets’ trip to the Northern Cyclones Showcase.

Defense: Ryan Wavra, Elmira Impact

Elmira played hard and, despite not coming out with a win from the Northern Cyclones Showcase, saw their ‘06 defenseman Ryan Wavra (Vestal, N.Y.) chip in on both their goals for the weekend with a goal and an assist. That helped Wavra to improve to six points on the season as he continues to develop in the Impact’s multi-tiered system.

Goaltender: Erik Werkhoven, Elmira Impact

Werkhoven (‘05/Santa Fe, N.M.) was put in front of one of the league’s top overall teams in the Northern Cyclones Showcase host team. He was electric in stopping 49 of the 53 shots he faced, but the Impact were unable to get the win in the end. He has stopped 104 of 109 shots faced in his last two starts, both in February, for a combined .954 save percentage.

New England Division

Forward: Josh Bruno, Northern Cyclones

Bruno (‘04/Glendora, Calif.) was immense in going with four goals and seven assists for 11 points in just four Northern Cyclones Showcase games last weekend. He helped his team clinch the New England Division title as they went 3-0-1-0 at their own hosted event. Bruno improved to 58 points in 30 games this season.

Defense: Justin Pniewski, Islanders Hockey Club

Pniewski (‘04/North Haven, Conn.) set up a pair of goals and scored one more for three points in three games played at the Northern Cyclones Showcase. The second-year Islander now has 24 points in 38 games for the Islanders, who locked in second place in the New England Division.

Goaltender: Nick Cowles, Northern Cyclones

Cowles (‘05/Irvine, Calif.) doesn’t take no for an answer. He stopped all 20 shots he faced against the Rockets Hockey Club, helping the team shut out the eventual career record-breaker John Crowdell on Feb. 8. Two days later, he came in on relief during what was a 3-3 game against the North American Prep Hockey League’s Crystal Beach Academy. He stopped all 10 shots he faced the rest of the way in that game and the Cyclones won decisively in the end.

By USPHL Staff

USPHL Premier

15 games today

With a Decatur loss yesterday, the Battle Creek Kernels clinched the sixth and final spot in the Midwest East.

In the Midwest West, the Dells Ducks (No. 8) and Isanti Outlaws (No. 9) are battling for that eightth and final Midwest West spot. Both are idle today.

The Fresno Monsters (No. 1 Pacific) host the Vernal Oilers (No. 1 Northwest). The Monsters need a win today or tomorrow to lock up first in the Pacific.

In the Atlantic, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights (No. 2) host the Northern Cyclones (No. 2 New England). WBS are on their way to clinching second and hosting the Hitmen. Their magic number vs. Elmira is 2.

Also in the Atlantic, the Hershey Bears (No. 3), Elmira Impact (No. 4) and P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (No. 5) are in a three-way battle for two home ice slots in March. P.A.L. hosts Elmira for two this weekend.

Three Elmira points will give the Impact home ice. Four points will do it for Hershey as well. Hershey is idle this weekend.

The College Universel Gatineau watch is always on in the New England Division. They visit the Islanders HC (No. 3) today and finish up with three games at Utica (No. 1) next weekend. Springfield (No. 6) is chasing Gatineau. The Pics host the Junior Bruins (No. 7) today.

In general, these teams clustered at 3-4-5-6 will make for the best first round match-ups, where a three-game series could actually go three games.

USPHL Elite

6 games today

In the Florida Division, you almost have to start looking at tiebreakers. The Florida Jr. Blades have 25 points. Palm Beach (No. 5) and Bold City (No. 6) each can achieve at most 25 points. The Jr. Blades (No. 4) play the Eels (No. 3) today. A Blades point today means the tiebreaker conversation ends at “Hello.”

But humor us: The Blades hold the head-too-head tiebreaker on Palm Beach eight points to two, so Palm Beach will not be able to make the playoffs. The Blades have a three-game set against Bold City next week, so head-to-head there becomes useless. Again, just one point for the Jr. Blades ends this conversation.

In the Southeast – and overall in the Elite – Potomac is in first place this morning. A Carolina Jr. Hurricanes (No. 2) win over the Hampton Roads Whalers (No. 4) today will see Carolina leapfrog Potomac. In that case, Potomac would need to win tomorrow over Carolina to get back to first. Potomac finishes tomorrow. Should they be in first in the club house, their fate will rest on how Carolina does at Charlotte next weekend. Fate is actually a strong word. They will either face Charlotte or Hampton on their quest for Utica.

Nothing will be settled in the Midwest Division today. The Chicago Crush (No. 2) play at Decatur (No. 6) in today’s only Midwest game. A win today will leave only Fort Wayne blocking their way to a first round bye.

Week of Feb. 16, 2024

Games of Feb. 8-13, 2024

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

Southeast Division

Forward: Spencer Barrow, Charlotte Rush

Barrow (‘04/Massapequa, N.Y.) sent home his third career Elite hat trick in a win against the Columbia Infantry on Feb. 10. This was his only Elite game of the weekend, as he’d also gotten called up for a Premier game with the Rush on Feb. 9, in which he had an assist. He has 46 points in 25 games this year and has 94 points in 64 career games.

Defense: Isaac McGregor, Charlotte Rush

McGregor (‘04/Toronto, Ont.) was the division’s leading scorer, even from the blue line. He put up a goal and four assists for five points in the two-game sweep of Columbia. He skated a team-high 23:14 per game during the weekend, and he also blocked three shots, tied for the team high. The third-year Rush now has 38 points in 93 games on the Elite side. He’s also played nine Premier games and has scored a goal.

Goaltender: Jack Nahf, Columbia Infantry

Nahf (‘06/Northampton, Mass.) made 40 saves on 42 shots in just 35 minutes of action in relief against Charlotte, in a game where the Rush posted 98 shots on goal. After Nahf went into the net, it was a 2-2 game for the duration until its end. Since Jan. 1, Nahf has gone 2-1 with a .940 save percentage.

Florida Division

Forward: Kevin Rosello, Tampa Bay Juniors

Rosello (‘03/New Port Richey, Fla.) put up a goal and was even more generous on the passing side with five assists in a pair of games. He has 47 points in 32 games this year, ranking him second on the Juniors with 47 points in 33 games this year. That last game in which he had three points on Feb. 10 marked six straight with a point (6-9-15).

Defense: Jacob Muknwitz, Tampa Bay Juniors

Munkwitz (‘04/Smithtown, N.Y.) put up five assists on the weekend and was a leader for the Juniors in both hits (five) and blocked shots (four). Munkwitz improved to better than a point per game average on the season with 39 points in 36 games.

Goaltender: Isaac Tillman, Palm Beach Typhoon

Tillman (‘03/Dubuque, Iowa) put up 21 assists on 22 shots in a game against the Bold City Battalion to put up a division-best .955 save percentage.

By USPHL Staff

USPHL Premier

7 games today

The New England Division is getting interesting. The Cyclones have locked up second and will host the Boston Junior Bruins (No. 7). Division Champions the Utica Jr. Comets (No. 1) have a first round bye.

South Shore (currently No. 5) has only two games left and can finish no higher than fifth. The Islanders Hockey Club (No. 3) and College Universel Gatineau (No. 4) are battling to settle the last two home slots. Springfield (No. 6) are also in that race to host, but have about five points to make up with five games left. Gatineau likely will travel to South Shore or Springfield and play as the home team.

Gatineau visits the Junior Bruins today. South Shore visits the IHC. They can’t move today, but IHC could slide back to fourth with a loss and a Gatineau win.

To the Midwest West! A Moose (No. 5) win at the Mullets (No. 7) will consign Steele County to locking up sixth place. It will also lock in the Minnesota Moose playing the Blue Ox (currently fourth) in the first round – we just don’t know where yet.

USPHL Elite

3 games today

A point gained by Tampa (No. 1) over the Florida Eels (No. 3) ensures that Tampa will finish first. That would leave the Eels playing Atlanta (No. 4) the second weekend in March although we won’t know who gets last change until later this month. That Tampa point, when it comes, will mean that Tampa hosts whomever emerges from the Florida Jr. Blades-Bold City Battalion-Palm Beach Typhoon dogfight for the final spot. Current fourth place holders the Jr. Blades play the local rival Eels this weekend. The other two are idle. A Blades point will eliminate Bold City.

The New England Division is completely settled, so the Junior Bruins (No. 4) at the Islanders Hockey Club (No. 2) is just a bragging rights game.

Metro Jets Elite (No. 1) faces the Chicago Cougars (No. 5). The Jets can keep extending the gap between them and No. 2 Fort Wayne, while Chicago can improve to a tie for fourth with a win.