By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com
Games of Nov. 22-27
New England Division
Islanders Hockey Club Sweeps Four IHC Showcase Games, Part Of Seven-Game Win Streak
The Islanders were winners of all four of their games at their hosted showcase in Tyngsboro and North Andover, Minn. That also gave the Islanders a perfect 7-0 November record. The Northern Cyclones still remain first in the division, but the Islanders pulled to within four points of the defending National Champions, with a 12-6-1-0 record on the season. At the showcase, they defeated two teams from the North American Prep Hockey League – College Universel by an 8-2 score and Le Sommet Faucons by a 3-2 OT score, both on Nov. 23. They came back to win two more games on Nov. 24, defeating the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, 4-1, and the league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights by a 5-2 victory.
- Two IHC defensemen – Justin Pniewski (‘04/North Haven, Conn.) and Gavin O’Keefe (‘05/Reading, Mass.) moved into a tie for sixth place in scoring by Elite defensemen as they moved up to 14 points apiece. Pniewski is two games shy of his 100th USPHL game and has 72 points for his career, while O’Keefe is a newcomer to the team.
- The Islanders improved from sixth to a tie for third in goals scored per game, from 4.13 to 4.32 per game.
Elsewhere in the New England Division
- The division-leading Northern Cyclones went 3-1-0-0, falling only to the North American Prep Hockey League’s Le Sommet Faucons on Nov. 24, 3-1. Prior to that, they had defeated the Montreal Black Vees, 2-0, and College Universel, 4-1, also from the North American Prep League, and additionally defeated the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, 5-3, on Nov. 23.
Atlantic Division
Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights Finish IHC Showcase With 3-1-0-0 Record
A week ago, the Knights held onto a tenuous one-point lead in the Elite Conference, but they’ve since extended that to four points. This was thanks in large part to a big performance over just two days at the IHC Showcase. Weather issues delayed the Knights’ arrival to games until Saturday, forcing them to play 2-and-2 for Saturday and Sunday. They won their first three in a row, 6-2 over South Shore, 4-2 over the Springfield Pics, and 6-3 over College Universel. Only the undefeated-in-November Islanders Hockey Club bested the Knights in their fourth game in two days, 5-2.
- Samvel Barsegyan (‘08/Moskva, Russia) improved from a tie for eighth among Elite defensemen in scoring to a tie for third with a four-point showing in Massachusetts. Barsegyan now has 16 points in 19 games.
- The Knights got wins from three different goaltenders, including two making their Knights debuts at the showcase – Connor Blondel (‘05/Marana, Ariz.) and Jadyn Clark (‘06/Buffalo, N.Y.) – along with Anthony Shaw (‘06/Wilkes, Pa.), who improved to 4-1.
Midwest Division
Fort Wayne Spacemen Win Three Of Five At USPHL Detroit Showcase
The Spacemen won three in a row to finish the USPHL Detroit Showcase and maintain their lead in the Midwest, holding a three-point gap over second. They fell 2-1 to the Chicago Crush and 4-3 to the Chicago Cougars on Nov. 22. The next day, they defeated the Decatur Blaze in a decisive shutout win. They also shut out the Metro Jets, 3-0, on Nov. 24, and closed out with a 4-2 win over the Motor City Gamblers on Nov. 25.
- Three points at the showcase helped Dylan Davis (‘06/Fort Wayne, Ind.) move from a tie for 11th in league scoring to a tie for seventh, with 24 points. He played only two games with the Elite team in Detroit, closing with two Premier games on Nov. 24. Davis has earned seven games with the Premier team on five different call-ups. USPHL Advancement In Action!
- Veteran goaltender Brendan Kusbel (‘05/Mount Pleasant, Mich.) moved into first overall in goals against with a 1.28 mark. He improved to 13-7-1-3 with his Nov. 24 game in Detroit.
Elsewhere In The Midwest Division
- The Chicago Cougars bounced back from a Nov. 21 4-3 loss to the Metro Jets and an early Nov. 22 loss to Motor City by winning their next two games, 4-3 against Fort Wayne and 4-2 against the Hershey Cubs. They remain tied for third in the division.
- Also remaining tied for third were the Chicago Crush, who went 2-1-0-0 on Friday and Saturday after a Thursday win to finish 3-1-0-0 at the event. On nFriday, they defeated the Spacemen, 2-1, before falling to the North American Prep Hockey League’s Somang Prep, 3-1, on Nov. 23. They closed Nov. 23 with a 4-3 shootout win over the Hershey Cubs. They are tied with the Cougars for third.
Southeast Division
Hampton Roads Whalers Take First With 11-Game Point Streak
The Hampton Roads Whalers were looking powerful in their new spot of first place in the Southeast Division, leap-frogging Charlotte (idle from game action) by earning a sweep of the Jersey Hitmen in Wayne, N.J. They defeated the Hitmen, 4-1 and 6-0.
- Blake Marvici (‘05/Colorado Springs, Colo.) pushed his way into the top 10 of league scoring by improving to 23 points in 22 games on the season. He put up a five-point weekend against the Whalers.
- Veteran Janic Kennedy (‘04/Mission Viejo, Calif.) continues to lead the league in wins with eight, and he also improved his spot in the GAA over the last week from eighth to seventh, improving from 1.82 to 1.76 after playing his part in the 4-1 victory.
Florida Division
Atlanta MadHatters Improve By Three Points With 1-0-0-1 Weekend Performance
The Atlanta MadHatters picked up three points in a back-and-forth weekend with the host Bold City Battalion, first winning 5-2 and then falling 3-2 in a shootout on Nov. 24. They remained third, but improved their lead over fourth place by a point going into the holiday.
- Jesse Zonana (‘05/Nashville, Tenn.) has put up 15 points in 17 games this season, giving him the Atlanta scoring lead. He is only one point short of his previous Elite career high of 16 points set with the 2022-23 Nashville Spartans.
- Ryan Tolbert (‘05/St. Louis, Mo.) won his third straight victory when he stopped 21 of 23 for the 5-2 win against Bold City. He is now 3-2-0-0 on the season.
Elsewhere In The Florida Division
- In their only action over the past week, the Florida Eels won 2-1 against the Tampa Bay Juniors on Nov. 22 to improve to a tie for first place with Tampa in the Florida Division as the teams hit the Thanksgiving break.
- The Palm Beach Typhoon also won their only action of the past week, defeating the same Tampa Bay Juniors by a 5-2 score on Nov. 23 in one of the bigger upsets of the first half. It was the first Typhoon win over TBJ since Nov. 12, 2022, helping the Typhoon break a 12-game losing streak to the Juniors.
