By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
We are nearing Thanksgiving here, but already there are some extremely tight races shaping up that will make the later portion of the season a must-watch as teams begin to try to solidify strong positions en route to the playoffs. From a tie for first in the Florida Division to one-point races in both the Canada and New England Divisions, it’s already a thrill-ride for these teams that just don’t want to lose a good thing before the bulk of the holiday season.
We’ll take a look here at the top performing teams in each division from games played between Nov. 15-21.
Florida Division
Tampa Bay Juniors Take Pair Of Wins to Remain Atop Florida
The Tampa Bay Juniors put up wins against the Atlanta MadHatters, 9-3 and 5-2, which helped them to their current 5-0 winning streak. That helped keep them right atop the Florida Division. Their only challenge is that the Florida Eels have likewise won exactly five in a row and have the exact same points. And guess who the Juniors will be facing on Friday night to settle this? One team has to come out with more points than the other.
- Out of the Juniors’ 13 wins, they’ve scored the first goal in nine of those – and are 9-0 when starting the scoring.
- The Juniors are led in scoring by both Augie Ashley (‘04/Falmouth, N.S.) and Jakub Koudelny (‘04/Ostrava, Czechia), with 22 points apiece. In net, Peyton Anderson (‘05/Orono, Minn.) improved to 4-0 on the season with a win against Atlanta.
Florida Eels’ 5-0 Run Has them In First In Florida, On Collision Course With Tampa
The Eels defeated the Palm Beach Typhoon, 5-1, on Nov. 15, and then came back two days later to defeat the Florida Jr. Blades on Nov. 17; giving them the two most recent of their five straight victories to remain tied with the Juniors for first in the Florida Division after 18 games.
- Anthony Zebley (‘04/Estero, Fla.) recently improved to 19 points in 10 games for this season, and continues to maintain an exactly even scoring line of 35-35-70 for his 103 games with the Eels.
- In goal, Noah Van Herik (‘04/Kideer, Ill.) is on a five-game winning streak of his own, dating back to Nov. 2. For the season, he has a 5-2-1-0 record.
Elsewhere In The Florida Division
- The Bold City Battalion have earned points in five straight games (4-0-1-0) and they stand with the second-most points in the Florida Division, just two back of the Eels-Tampa duo. They recently defeated the Florida Jr. Blades, 5-2, and the Palm Beach Typhoon, 4-0. Two weeks after hosting the Atlanta MadHatters, they’re heading to Atlanta for a Nov. 23-24 series.
Canada Division
Somang L-L Hockey Wins Three In A Row
Somang had entered last week tied for fourth in the Canada Division, and now they are fourth alone, pulling four points above the team they were previously tied with – because they defeated this team twice. Somang beat Universel College Gatineau, 7-2 and 8-4, in a home-and-home series on Nov. 15-16.
- Sharing the Somang lead are Lucas Choteau (‘06/Saguenay, Que.) and Janis Labanovskis (‘06/Riga, Latvia), with 25 points apiece. Choteau has 16 points in his last seven games, while Labanovskis is coming off a seven-game, 12-point streak from Oct. 26 to Nov. 15.
- Goaltender Alexis Viel (‘06/L’Assomption, Que.) is on a four-game winning streak, including both victories against Gatineau. He is 6-2-0-0 overall on the season.
Hawkesbury Knights Win Three In A Row To Pull Within A Point Of Division Lead
The Knights are rocking and were able to pull back to within a point of the division-leading Montreal Black Vees. They are on a three-game winning streak, with the two most recent victories coming against the Kingston Wranglers, winning two decisive shutout victories.
- Defenseman William Cotton (‘07/Marieville, Que.) moved up within the defenseman scoring leaderboard, improving to eighth in the Premier with 22 points, and he has five points over each of his last three games.
- Picking up the back-to-back shutouts last weekend were Taniel Karaboghossian (‘05/Laval, Que.) and Anthony Gervais (‘07/St-Jerome, Que.) Both are from the North American Prep Hockey League, originally.
Elsewhere In The Canada Division
- The Montreal Black Vees maintained their first place spot against two wins by Hawkesbury by beating Universel Sherbrooke by a 5-1 score on Nov. 16.
Atlantic Division
Mercer Chiefs Win Three In A Row, Move Up To Fifth Place In Division
The Chiefs are on a roll and have improved from eighth in the Atlantic to fifth over the past week. After earlier defeating the Brooklyn Aviators, 10-6 on Nov. 8, the Chiefs defeated the division-leading Elmira Impact, 7-4 and 2-1 in overtime.
- Blaise Lucosky (‘05/Holmdel, N.J.) and Michael Bonino (‘06/Atlantic Beach, N.Y.) each scored a game-winning goal in the past two games against Elmira, including the OT winner by Bonino. It was the third game-winner for each of the two defensemen, giving them a share for the lead in GWG’s with three apiece.
- Matiss Bars (‘04/Sussex, N.J.) registered his team-leading fourth victory, and he is now 4-3-2-0.
Elsewhere In The Atlantic Division
- The Red Bank Generals have gone 2-1-0-0 over the last week, improving from fifth to a tie for fourth in the division as a first-year team. The Generals fell on Nov. 16 to the West Chester Wolves, 5-1, and then bounced back with a 7-6 shootout victory on Nov. 17. They closed their three-game week with a 7-3 win against the Brooklyn Aviators, their final game until Dec. 6.
- The P.A.L. Jr. Islanders earned three points in their last week and they are on a five-game point streak (3-0-0-2). They fell on Nov. 15 to the Jersey Hitmen in a 4-3 shootout and then rebounded to beat the Rockets Hockey Club, 5-1, on Nov. 17.
- Both the Jr. Islanders and West Chester Wolves were tied for second a week ago, and they remain in that same spot, as the Wolves also had a three-point week. The Wolves beat Red Bank, 5-1, and then lost 7-6 in a shootout.
- The Connecticut Jr. Rangers, WBS Knights and Jersey HItmen each won their only games of the past week. The defending National Champion Jr. Rangers defeating the Rockets, 5-4, in OT on Dec. 20 and the Hitmen winning 4-3 against P..A.L. The Jr. Rangers are headed to the IHC Showcase in Massachusetts, while the Hitmen will host the Hampton Roads Whalers for two games Nov. 22-23. Wilkes-Barre defeated Brooklyn, 6-1, on Nov. 15.
Southeast Division
Potomac Patriots Make Leapfrog Move Into Second Place In Division
With two wins against the Atlantic Division’s Hershey Cubs, and with the Hampton Roads Whalers idle from game action last weekend, the Potomac Patriots moved into second place in the Southeast. With a 14-7-1-0 record, they have 29 points to the Whalers’ 27 (and they’re just two points off the leading Charlotte Rush’s 31) They defeated the Hershey Cubs with back-to-back scores of 6-0.
- The Patriots’ Yovanni Flores (‘04/Los Angeles, Calif.) put up three goals against Hershey to improve to 20 goals on the season, good for a tie for third, league-wide. His 27 points on the season are also already a three-year career-best, and his eighth power play goal scored this weekend is tied for first.
- Goaltender Kirill Guryev (‘06/Moskva, Russia) stopped all 48 shots he faced against Hershey. He is fourth in league minutes played at 846, and tied for third in wins with 15.
Elsewhere In The Southeast Division
The Carolina Jr. Hurricanes won the only other game involving Southeast Division teams, as they beat the Charlotte Rush by a 3-1 score on Nov. 16. Carolina, winners of two straight, face Potomac, also winners of two straight, this weekend. The Hampton Roads Whalers head up to New Jersey to face the Jersey Hitmen in a cross-divisional series, and the Rush are off from game action until Dec. 7.
New England Division
South Shore Kings Enjoy Three-Game Point Streak To Remain In Third
The tight New England Division is already showing an exciting nip-and-tuck race even before Thanksgiving, with the better part of a half season to go. The jostling for playoff position will be truly fascinating to watch down the stretch, especially after New Year’s Day. The Kings are doing their best to remain in a solid position well before that, as their 2-0-1-0 recent stretch gave them sole possession of third place after sharing that honor a week ago. They beat the Boston Jr. Rangers, 6-3, on Nov. 15, and the Junior Bruins, 3-0, on Nov. 18.
- The Kings are enjoying their best start after 18 games since 2021-22. They currently have 26 points and are just off their best 18-game milepost of 31 points from three seasons ago.
- Matthew Dore (‘04/Dartmouth, Mass.) enjoyed a 43-save shutout on Nov. 18 against the Boston Jr. Rangers and entered the top 10 league-wide in goals against average with a mark of 1.82. He is 6-1-1-0 this year with a .943 save percentage, and 14-11-2-1 for his two-year Premier career.
Elsewhere In The New England Division
- The Islanders Hockey Club finished a two-game set against the Utica Jr. Comets on Nov. 15, helping the Islanders continue a 16-game point streak of 14-0-1-1. They will put that streak to the test on Friday when they face the Connecticut Jr. Rangers in a 2024 Premier National Championship rematch at Merrimack College.
- The Northern Cyclones are entering the Islanders Hockey Club Showcase on a six-game point streak of 5-0-1-0, having defeated the Thunder Hockey Club, 4-1, in their only action of the past week.
- The Worcester Railers Junior Hockey Club also won their only game of the past week, but it was a big one as they defeated the division-leading Springfield Pics by a 4-3 score. They will play three games at the IHC Showcase beginning Saturday.
