#USPHLPlayoffs Series Preview: Carolina Jr. Hurricanes vs. Richmond Generals

by Joshua Boyd

March 10, 2023March 10, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com Southeast Division Carolina Jr. Hurricanes (1) vs. Richmond Generals (4) All games at Pineville Ice House, Charlotte Carolina is home team for Games 1 and 3; Richmond home for Game 2 Game 1: Saturday, March 11, 8:30 a.m. EST Game 2: Sunday, March 12, 8:30 a.m. EST Game 3: […]

#USPHLPlayoffs Series Preview: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights vs. Rockets Hockey Club

by Joshua Boyd

March 10, 2023March 10, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com Mid-Atlantic Division Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights (1) vs. Rockets Hockey Club (4) All games played at Revolution Ice Centre Game 1: Friday, March 10, 12 p.m. EST Game 2: Saturday, March 11, 1 p.m. EST Game 3: Sunday, March 12, 4:30 p.m. EST (if necessary) The USPHL Elite’s top dog, the […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Month – February 2023: Mid-Atlantic Division

by Joshua Boyd

March 8, 2023March 8, 2023

Summaries by Marlee Bulman Forwards Eddie Kienzle, New York Aviators With the Aviators, No. 91 left wing Kienzle put up an impressive 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in helping his team to eight wins and the third seed in the division for the upcoming playoffs. For the season, the Brooklyn native […]

#USPHLPlayoffs Series Preview: Islanders Hockey Club vs. Bridgewater Bandits

by Joshua Boyd

March 8, 2023March 8, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com USPHL Elite Conference North Division Islanders Hockey Club (2) vs. Bridgewater Bandits (3) All games at Gallant Arena Wednesday, March 8, 12 p.m. Thursday, March 9, 12 p.m. Friday, March 10, 9:30 a.m. (if necessary) Two USPHL Elite teams will enter Gallant Arena on Wednesday, but only one will […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Month – February 2023: Florida Division

by Joshua Boyd

March 7, 2023March 10, 2023

Forwards Sean Boltin, Palm Beach Typhoon Boltin (‘05/Chicago, Ill.) pulled to within one point of capturing the overall Elite scoring title, finishing with 82 points to John Crowdell (Rockets) with 83. The performance of the young junior rookie playing for the Typhoon was one of the big storylines for this past season. You get plenty […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Month – February 2023: Southeast Division

by Joshua Boyd

March 7, 2023

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com Forwards Jacob Gifford, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes Improving your points total by six times over the prior season is certainly an eye-opener. Gifford (‘04/Cary, N.C.) put up an 8-8-16 line in just six games, putting his season total to 56 in 39 games. As a bonus, Gifford got his […]

USPHL Elite Players Of The Month – February 2023: North Division

by Joshua Boyd

March 7, 2023March 7, 2023

Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com Forwards Gabriel Leduc, Islanders Hockey Club A man on mission down the stretch, Leduc (‘04/Montreal, Que.) tore it up with nine goals in his final nine games of the season. And then he added 12 assists for good measure – and 21 points, the fourth best point total […]

By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com

The Islanders Hockey Club have attained that category that so many USPHL teams are seeking – they’re “Nationals staples.” With their fourth straight qualification, earned way back on March 3 following a 2-0 series victory against the Springfield Pics, the Islanders are no surprise to anyone when it comes to the end-of-year tournament.

The Islanders finished at 29-13-2-0, second to the New England Division’s other qualified team, the Northern Cyclones. The Islanders, who won the regular season division title in 2021 and 2022, have been second to the Cyclones the past two seasons.

The Islanders reached the Elite Nationals in the inaugural season of 2017-18, but missed that mark in 2018-19. The Islanders Elite program was dormant during 2019-20, but roared back to life in 2020-21 with its first of two straight New England titles and a return to Nationals for the first time in three years.

After going 1-2 at Nationals in 2021 – made the semifinals, falling to the host Northern Cyclones. In 2023, the Islanders finished 1-2 in the Round Robin.

“I’m very excited for the boys to earn their way to Nationals this year. It’s a huge accomplishment to be one of the final 10 teams playing and it’s a great event every year,” said Head Coach Kevin Smith. “With the number of players we have moving up [to the USPHL Premier Islanders Hockey Club] every year, each season is a new challenge with a new group. We have a handful of players who have experienced Nationals before, so we’ll be leaning on them heavily. But I’m looking forward to having our first year players see what the atmosphere and competition are like.”

The Islanders may have finished 26 points higher than the No. 3 seed Springfield Pics, but both games were one-goal defensive showdowns. The Islanders won Game 1 on March 2 2-1 in OT, and then just barely eked out a 1-0 win the next day. They faced a stellar goaltender in the Pics’ Shane McKone, who stopped 123 of 126 shots in the two games, including 55 of 56 in 1-0 loss.

“Our series against the Springfield Pics was the definition of playoff hockey. Both games were hard-fought one-goal games,” added Smith. “We had to battle a hard working team with a hot goalie and it was certainly a challenge for us. In the end, it was great preparation for what the team will face in Nationals.”

Though the Islanders only scored three goals in that series, the points were spread out among nine players each earning one assist, so there was great depth for the IHC in the postseason. Tagger Tamburo put up a 28-save shutout, and Kyle Mahan won Game 1 with 27 saves on 28 shots.

The Islanders have one of the longest stretches between games of any USPHL team, facing 18 days until their first seeding round game on March 21.

“After a difficult series, we took a few days off to recharge the batteries. From there, we’ve been working every day to nail down the details in all facets of our game,” said Smith. “We’ll try to play a scrimmage as we get a little closer to Utica but we want to make sure we are fresh and hit the ground running at Nationals.”

It’s required, because every team that got there went through the grinders of their division over 44 games apiece, then a playoff series to make it where they are, i.e. packing bags for Utica.

“There are a lot of teams who have a history of success in Nationals so we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on them,” said Smith. “But if a team can get through the grind of the regular season and playoffs, they’ve already proven themselves to be tough. It’s a deep field this year and all 10 teams have a chance to hold the trophy on the 25th.”

The Islanders will face the Tampa Bay Juniors and the defending National Champion Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. They haven’t faced either team this year, but played both at the 2023 Nationals, falling to the Jr. Canes 5-2 and defeating Tampa Bay, 6-4, in the former three-game round robin format.

The Dan K Show, the USPHL’s Broadcasting and Podcasting Partners, held the inaugural USPHL Nationals Selection Show on FloHockey on Wednesday night, and picked at random the Seeding Round match-ups (with the proviso that no teams in the same division can play each other).

All games will be played at the Utica University Nexus Center in Utica, N.Y. All games will be broadcast on FloHockey, the Exclusive Streaming Platform Of The USPHL.

Those match-ups are:

DAY ONE: (THURSDAY, MARCH 21st)
10 AM EST – Atlanta Mad Hatters @ Metro Jets
1230 PM EST – Rockets Hockey Club @ Northern Cyclones
3 PM EST – Potomac Patriots @ Wilkes Barre Scranton Knights
530 PM EST – Chicago Crush @ Carolina Jr Hurricanes
8 PM EST – Islanders Hockey Club @ Tampa Bay Juniors

DAY TWO: (FRIDAY, MARCH 22nd)
10 AM EST – Metro Jets @ Potomac Patriots
1230 PM EST – Northern Cyclones @ Atlanta Mad Hatters
3 PM EST – Carolina Jr Hurricanes @ Islanders Hockey Club
530 PM EST – Tampa Bay Juniors @ Rockets Hockey Club
8 PM EST – Wilkes Barre Scranton Knights @ Chicago Crush

From the Seeding Round, the top eight teams will be placed into a March 23 quarterfinal round, with the remaining two teams playing in a Consolation Game. The Elite semifinals will be played March 24, and the Elite National Championship Game will be played March 25.

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.”