By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com
Many of the USPHL Elite teams in action this past week were fully involved in the USPHL Jersey Hitmen Classic, which saw some huge performances, including a 4-0 stand by the Elite Hampton Roads Whalers to match their Premier team’s undefeated performance. Other teams, such as the Charlotte Rush and Potomac Patriots made big gains with six points apiece at the event. Elsewhere, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights remain the most dominant team at 10-0 overall. The Tampa Bay Juniors – winners of the 2024 Elite Florida Cup – are enjoying a seven-game point streak to stay dominant in the Florida Division. In the Midwest, the Metro Jets are enjoying a four-game point streak.
We have a lot to unpack here, and we’ll focus on the teams with as many points as games played between Oct. 18-24.
Southeast Division
Hampton Roads Whalers Surge To Second In League After Classic Sweep
The Hampton Roads Whalers ran through the USPHL Jersey Hitmen Classic with flying colors (Green, Blue and White at least) and along with a prior OT loss, they’ve improved to second overall in the league points race with 21 points (10-5-1-0). At the Classic, they defeated the Somang Prep – a North American Prep Hockey League team – by a 3-2 win, followed by wins over the Connecticut Jr. Rangers (4-0), P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (2-1) and the Jersey Hitmen (3-1).
- The Whalers are good at sweeping showcases. They swept their appearances at both the 2023 BJB Shootout and the USPHL Florida College Showcase last season, and they fell only once all last season in a showcase game at each of the 2023 and 2024 USPHL Southeast Showcases. That gives them a 18-2 record in their last five showcases.
- Goaltender Janic Kennedy (‘04/Mission Viejo, Calif.) won two more games to tie for the league lead in goaltender victories.
Charlotte Rush Remain In First Overall After 3-1-0-0 Showing
The Rush started their Hitmen Classic run with a showdown against the then-second place team the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders. The Jr. Islanders defeated the Rush, 5-4, but from there, the Rush gave up no further points. They defeated the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, 2-0, and Somang Prep, 3-2, both on Oct. 18. They closed with a 2-1 victory against the host Hitmen. The Rush are now 12-3-0-1 and go into this weekend’s series against Hampton Roads on a three-game winning streak.
- The Rush are the only team with two goalies in the top five of wins, as Cale Puzey (‘05/Calgary, Alb.) put up six wins so far this year. Nicholas Grosso (‘05/Malverne, N.Y.) has five to sit in a tie for second-most.
- Ashton Lesher (‘05/Hamburg, Pa.) scored a shorthanded goal in the win against Connecticut to make him one of just three defensemen this year with a SHG.
Potomac Patriots Go 3-1-0-0 At Jersey Hitmen Classic
The rich haul for Southeast Division teams continued with the Patriots, whose 3-1-0-0 run brought them closer to a .500 mark, as they are now 6-7-0-1 overall. The Patriots arrived on Saturday and started with a 3-2 defeat of the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders. Sunday saw wins against Somang Prep (5-4) and the Connecticut Jr. Rangers (5-1), before the Jersey Hitmen got a 3-1 over the Patriots on Monday.
- Braylen Cox (‘05/Nashville, Tenn.) scored a 3-3-6 line at the showcase and moved into the top five overall in scoring at 19 points. He is also second in goals with 12 on the season.
- The Patriots got wins from each of their three goalies at the showcase – Liam Kelly (‘04/Harleysville, Pa.), Trevor Walmsley (‘07/Medway, Mass.) and Benico Castellucci (‘07/Springfield, Va.)
Carolina Junior Hurricanes Finish .500 At Hitmen Classic
The Jr. Hurricanes started their run in Wayne, N.J., with an Oct. 20 2-1 win against Somang Prep. They played twice on Oct. 21, splitting with a 7-4 loss to P.A.L. and a 3-2 win over the Connecticut Jr. Rangers. In the final Elite game of the Classic on Oct. 22, they fell 4-3 to the host Jersey Hitmen. Going 2-2 there was enough to keep them in third place with an 8-5-1-0 record.
Atlantic Division
Elmira Impact Comes Away With 2-0 Weekend
The Elmira Impact put up a 4-3 overtime win and a 5-4 regulation win for a sweep of the Hershey Cubs on Oct. 19-20. They improved to third in the Atlantic Division with a 6-5-1-0 record for 13 points.
- Third-year Impact veteran Eian Robinson (‘05/Horseheads, N.Y.) put up a 1-2-3 line to build his team-leading points total to 14 points in 12 games.
- The team’s leader in goaltending wins, Andrew Coston (‘07/Beaver Dams, N.Y.) earned his fourth win of the season in relief, coming on in the third to help lead the Impact to their OT win.
Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights Take Another Sweep To Stand 10-0
No other team in the USPHL Elite is completely undefeated, and no one’s winning streaks have come close to the Knights’ 10-game run. Over this past weekend, the Knights earned big wins of 9-0 over Hershey on Oct. 18, and 8-3 over the Rockets Hockey Club on Oct. 19.
- Not surprisingly, WBS is No. 1 both offensively (5.25 goals for per game) and defensively (0.88 goals against per game).
- Knights leading scorer Ilya Baldin (‘08/Russia) added four assists in the series to improve to 13 on the season, good for a tie for second in that category. Roberts Kravalis (‘08/Latvia) earned yet another win for a league-leading six.
Jersey Hitmen Go 2-2 At 2024 Hitmen Classic
The Hitmen had some tough times in the front end of their 2024 USPHL Jersey Hitmen Classic schedule, but ironed those out to win their final two. The Charlotte Rush defeated the Hitmen on Oct. 19, 2-1. The Hitmen came back to action two days later and fell to the Hampton Roads Whalers, 3-1. Later that day, they defeated the Potomac Patriots, 3-1, and wrapped up the proceedings on Tuesday with a 4-3 victory against Carolina.
P.A.L. Jr Islanders See 2-1-0-1 Run In Wayne, New Jersey
The Jr. Islanders started out with the biggest victory up front, defeating the first place Charlotte Rush, 5-4, a win reported in this column last week. They came back to Classic action on Saturday and fell 3-2 to the Potomac Patriots in a shootout. They lost 2-1 on Oct. 20 to the Hampton Roads Whalers, and rebounded for their second win of the event with a 7-4 defeat of the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes on Monday. At 9-2-0-1, they are at 19 points and a point behind the undefeated WBS Knights in the Atlantic Division.
Florida Division
Tampa Bay Juniors Sweep Weekend To Claim 2024 Elite Florida Cup
The Juniors were in outstanding form as they won both of their Florida Cup games this weekend to improve to an 8-1-1-0 record, which gives them more points (17) than double of any other team in their division at this time. The Juniors defeated the Florida Jr. Blades, 4-2, on Saturday and then beat the Palm Beach Typhoon, 10-5, in Sunday’s final. That puts the Juniors on a fantastic 6-0-1-0 point streak since their last regulation loss on Sept. 27.
- The Juniors are a very offensively-inclined team, as they fire 45.5 shots on goal per game, tops in the Elite.
- The Juniors scoring lead is tied between Max Ratliff (‘06/Tampa, Fla.) and Kelan Jamison (‘06/Flint, Mich.), with 11 points apiece. Shane Passaro (‘04/Palm Springs, Calif.) entered Friday with a 4-0 record and a .941 save percentage.
Atlanta Mad Hatters Get Two Points Out Of Single-Game Florida Trip
The MadHatters made the Saturday trip to Jacksonville, Fla., and defeated the host Bold City Battalion, 4-2. The win was the MadHatters’ fourth of the season and tied them for second in points with eight with the Eels (4-2).
Florida Eels, Palm Beach Typhoon Go 1-1 At Florida Cup
The Florida Eels and Palm Beach Typhoon each won a game and lost a game in the 2024 Florida Cup in-season tournament. After the Eels defeated Palm Beach in an Oct. 17 game, the Typhoon got their vengeance by taking down the Eels, 7-5, in the semifinal of the Florida Cup on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Eels defeated the Florida Jr. Blades, 3-2, in the Elite consolation game, while the Typhoon took a 10-5 loss in the Elite title match on Sunday.
New England Division
Boston Jr. Bulldogs Go 2-1-0-0 To Even Out Overall Record
The Boston Jr. Bulldogs started a run of three games in three days with a 4-1 win over the defending National Champion Northern Cyclones on Oct. 19. They continued on Sunday with a 5-4 win against the Springfield Pics, but then fell short Monday against the Islanders Hockey Club by a 4-2 score.
- Sean Myers (‘06/Townsend, Mass.) has registered a 6-5-11 line in nine games to take the team scoring lead.
- Andrew Libby (‘05/Essex Junction, Vt.) leads the team in goaltender wins with three, and went 1-1 over this past weekend. He is 3-1 with a .922 save percentage.
Northern Cyclones Go 2-1-0-0 To Keep Hold On First
The Cyclones entered the final weekend of October in first place in the New England Division by just one point over the Boston Jr. Bulldogs and Islanders Hockey Club – and just two points over the Springfield Pics. Their recent action has seen a 4-1 loss to the Bulldogs on Oct. 19, followed by wins of 6-4 over the South Shore Kings and 5-4 in overtime against the Islanders on Oct. 23.
- Matteo Johnson (‘05/Laguna Niguel, Calif.) scored two power play goals in their win against the IHC to move into a tie for third among blueliners with five power play points.
- Nick Cowles (‘05/Irvine, Calif.) put up his third and fourth win to remain 4-0 on the season after going just 13-1-0-2 last year.
Islanders Hockey Club Take Three Points From Win, OT Loss
The Islanders are one of the two teams tied with nine points, just one behind the Cyclones heading into Friday’s action. The Islanders defeated the Boston Jr. Bulldogs, 4-2, on Oct. 21 and then fell 5-4 to the Cyclones in overtime on Oct. 23.
- The IHC has gotten exactly 5-5-10 from each of two players to lead the team – John Duffy (‘05/Potsdam, N.Y.) and Zach Greer (‘04/Milford, N.H.)
- Joseph Toporowych (07/Phoenix, Ariz.) is undefeated in regulation in his last three starts and has a 2-1-0-1 record on the season.
Springfield Pics Go 1-1 To Keep In Close Early Race
The Pics stand at 4-5 overall, but their eight points are only two off the division-leading Northern Cyclones. The Pics won 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 19 against the South Shore Kings, and then fell 5-4 the next day to the Boston Jr. Bulldogs.
Midwest Division
Chicago Crush’s Three Points Keep Them Over .500
The Chicago Crush earned a 7-2 win on Oct. 19 and then fell to the same Decatur Blaze, 4-3, in overtime on Oct. 20. The three points kept them over .500 (4-3-1-0) and they are on an active 2-0-1-0 streak.
- The Crush are third in shots on goal per game at 44.13.
- The Crush are led in goal by ‘06 goalie Daniel Gurtner (2-0), and up front by Mac King (‘07), who was recently called up to the Premier Crush after posting 10 points in his first six games with the Elite team. USPHL Advancement In Action!
Metro Jets Elite Continue Five-Game Point Streak
The Jets started this past week on Oct. 20 with a 1-0 shutout win of the Fort Wayne Spacemen, and played another defensive game on Oct. 24, where they fell 2-1 in overtime to the Motor City Gamblers. They are 3-0-1-1 going back to Oct. 6, their final game of the Decatur showcase.
- Through 10 games, the Jets are led offensively by Cory Anderson (‘05/Hartland, Mich.), who has a 6-3-9 line.
- Cameron Cyrus (‘06/Leonard, Mich.) had the best single-game performance of the Elite last week when he stopped all 37 Fort Wayne shots. He is 2-1 with a .949 save percentage.
Motor City Gamblers’ OT Win Evens Up Record
The defeat of the Jets on Oct. 24, a 2-1 Gamblers win, put the Gamblers at 3-3-0-0 for the season so far. Veteran Isaac Bunk (‘06/Leonard, Mich.) scored the overtime winner, his first OT goal for his career and third overall game-winner.
Decatur Blaze Go 1-1, Remain Above .500
The Blaze took a 7-2 loss to the Chicago Crush on Oct. 19, but came back the next day to defeat the same team, 4-3, in overtime to salvage two points for the two-game series. That kept them at 4-3 overall in a tight division where the six teams stand just six points apart from top to bottom in the first month of competition.
