Games of Jan. 3-9
By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
Welcome to a whole new year, and now, for officially every team, it’s the second half (the Thunder Hockey Club are the last to stand with 27 games played and 27 remaining). Of course, with that, the big news was the announcement of the NCDC All-Star Selections on Monday, Jan. 6! In addition, All-Star Team Coaches were also announced on Jan. 8.
All eyes are on teams looking to maintain their strong positions as they head towards the end of the regular season in March. A few powerhouses from before the holidays remain powerhouses, especially the scary good South Shore Kings with only one regulation loss – in their season opener. The Idaho Falls Spud Kings haven’t left a game pointless since early November. The stretch run will be lively and could contain some surprises – and possibly also some “yeah, I expected that.”
We’re looking here at the teams that have earned at least a point per game played so far in 2025.
Idaho Falls Spud Kings Continue 16-Game Point Streak
The Spud Kings remain a dominant force this season, standing in a tie for third in points heading into this weekend. They have earned points in 16 straight games, putting up a 13-0-2-1 record since Nov. 8, going more than two months without leaving a hockey rink empty-handed.
- Easton Edwards (‘05/Anchorage, Alaska) started scoring at the start of December and hasn’t stopped since. He has scored a 5-6-11 line in his last eight games since Dec. 7, going into this weekend with the league’s second-longest active scoring streak. He also improved from 31 points last weekend to 34 points, currently, lifting him from a tie for ninth in league scoring to a tie for sixth. Along with teammate Andrew Schmidt (‘05/Chicago, Ill.), who has 38 points, the Spud Kings are the only team with two players in the top six of league scoring. Both were also named to the Mountain Division All-Star team for Jan. 27-28 in Foxboro, Mass.
- Charlie Durkin (‘06/Glencoe, Ill.), who was named to the NCDC Prospects All-Star team for the Foxboro event, improved to 17 wins on the season to hold the solitary league lead in wins heading into this weekend. He has not suffered a regulation defeat in his last 14 appearances, going 12-0-1-1 since Nov. 8. He’s also second in minutes (1,392) and fourth in saves (638).
Ogden Mustangs Extend Winning Streak To Five Games
The only force keeping the Spud Kings and their 16-game point streak from the top of the Mountain Division are the Mustangs. They won a pair of games against the Rock Springs Grizzlies, 4-1, and their Salt Lake regional rivals the Utah Outliers by a 4-2 score. They have not tasted defeat of any kind since a Dec. 13 loss to the Spud Kings. With their most recent win, they just jumped over the .500 mark in their two-year all-time NCDC series against the Outliers, standing at 8-7-2-0.
- Dilans Birkans (‘06/Ilskile, Latvia), who will share the NCDC Prospects crease at the All-Star event with the Spud Kings’ Charlie Durkin, improved to a tie for No. 1 in save percentage in the league with a .944 mark, shared with the Northern Cyclones’ Paul Dalessio.
- He joins teammate Hunter Bauer (‘06/Bristow, Va.) in giving the Mustangs the only two goaltenders in the top five for goals against average at Birkans’ league-leading 1.47 and Bauer’s 1.92.
League-Leading South Shore Kings Extend Point Streak To 27 Games
The Kings remain No. 1 and have not left a rink without points since their very first game of the season on Sept. 19. They’ve gone 25-0-2-0 since then. They most recently swept a Friday-Saturday series against the Islanders Hockey Club and beat the Seacoast Spartans. They earned wins of 5-2 and 9-0 against IHC. By going 4-0-1-0 against the Islanders so far this year, they pulled to within one win of .500 for their series going back to 2017-18, as they are 19-20-3-4 all-time against IHC. The Kings beat the Spartans, 4-3, on Jan. 8.
- Will Rassier (‘04/Princeton, N.J.) pushed his way up from eighth to sixth, as he now has 34 points in 28 games. He now has 54 points in 54 games. He also now has the second-most game-winning goals in the season with five.
- Gregor Jennersjo (‘04/Ekero, Sweden) became the league’s top-scoring defenseman over the past week, improving to 27 points in 28 games. He joins Zachary Walsh (‘05/Lake View, N.Y.), who is third with 26 points, as being the only teammates in the top five of this category.
Thunder Hockey Club Earns Two Straight Shutouts
The Thunder have had a great start to 2025, with victories against the Seacoast Spartans, 4-0,and Boston Jr. Rangers, 3-0.
- This marked the first time they’ve had straight shutout wins since Dec. 10 and 11, 2022, when they defeated the former Boston Advantage (3-0). They are fifth in the New England Division, moving up from sixth.
- The shutouts came from two different NCDC veteran goaltenders in Prestyn Carter (‘04/Macomb, Mich.) and Jeffrey Kreidler (‘04/Pittsburgh, Pa.). Carter stopped 35 shots for his shutout and he now has two for his career, both coming this season. Kreidler stopped 32 shots in his shutout, the third in his career.
P.A.L. Jr. Islanders Win Two In A Row, Hold Onto Atlantic Lead
The Jr. Islanders aren’t on the massive point streak they were on during the fall, but they are still a force to be reckoned with. Recently, the Islanders have been on a two-game winning streak going into January’s second win after starting 2025 with a loss. The Rockets Hockey Club defeated the Jr. Islanders, 2-1, before the Jr. Islanders rebounded with back-to-back wins against the West Chester Wolves, 4-3 in overtime and 4-2.
- Lukas Vejmelka (‘04/Trebic, Czechia) has recently improved from a tie for fourth to third in the NCDC in save percentage, with a .941 mark on the season. He has been a great addition for a team with a heritage of great goaltenders in recent years such as Cameron Smith, currently at St. Lawrence University, and Nick Bevilacqua, currently at Bentley University.
- Carson Nickulas (‘04/Barnstable, Mass.) moved up into the Top 10 after a strong three-game run with four assists. He currently has 21 points in 29 games and is tied for seventh league-wide in defenseman scoring. He was one of 84 NCDC players named to the NCDC 2024 All-Star event Jan. 27-28 in Foxboro.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights Enjoying Two-Game Winning Streak
The Knights are looking to pickup steam on the second half here by winning their first two 2025 games. After opening with a 3-1 loss to the Mercer Chiefs on Jan. 3, they defeated the Rockets Hockey Club, 4-1, on Jan. 4, and then defeated the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, 4-3, in a shootout on Jan. 9.
- The Knights have the second best winning percentage in the league beyond regulation, going 3-0 in overtimes and 1-1 in shootouts this season, for nine points and an .800 percentage.
- Scoring two goals and adding the shootout winner on Thursday night was recent NCDC All-Star Game selection Zackary Chouinard (‘04/Trois-Rivieres, Que.), who is the active leading scorer for the Knights with 14 points. He was a key part of the Knights’ USPHL Premier team last year and is a great example of #USPHLAdvancement In Action.
Jersey Hitmen Earn Points In First Three 2025 Games, And Last Seven Overall
The Hitmen have been neck-and-neck with the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders as both race down the second half to try to seal up No. 1 in the division. Recently, they’ve been on a seven-game streak of earning points, for 6-0-1-0. This includes their first meeting against the new Boston Dogs, resulting in a 4-2 win. Recently, they also split against Connecticut in a three-point weekend for the Hitmen, falling 4-3 in OT but coming back to pick up a 6-0 shutout win.
- Another NCDC All-Star selection, Aiden Ryan (‘04/Raleigh, N.C.) came away with three more points to push him to 39 on the season, leading the Hitmen and moving from a tie for third in league scoring to currently second league-wide. His next game will be his 100th overall NCDC regular season contest for his career.
- Goaltender Nick Bunch (‘05/Canton, Mich.) also continues to impress, going 1-0-1 this past weekend, including a 26-save shutout against the Rangers, the first of his NCDC career. He moved up a rung in the league’s GAA leaderboard from ninth on Jan. 1 to eighth with his 2.27 mark.
Rockets Hockey Club Go 2-1-0-0 Out Of The 2025 Gate
The Rockets, in fifth place in the Atlantic Division, are looking to put early pressure on the fourth place West Chester Wolves as the second half picks up and teams work for playoff positions. They earned wins recently against the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders, 2-1 on Jan. 3, fell to the WBS Knights, 4-1 on Jan. 4, and defeated the Boston Dogs, 3-2, on Jan. 7.
- We’ll shine a spotlight on the NCDC’s leading goal-scorer among defensemen, NCDC All-Star selection Dylan Margel (‘05/Potomac, Md.), who remains No. 1 in blueliner goals with seven. He also pushed up to seventh in defenseman scoring from ninth on Jan. 1, standing with 21 points overall. Every one of Margel’s goals this year have come on the power play, as he also leads all NCDC “D” in that category.
- The Rockets remain the least penalized team in the NCDC, averaging just 10.87 minutes per game, while on the power play, they’re fifth at 20.9, taking good advantage of other team’s PIMs.
Elsewhere In The NCDC
- The Connecticut Jr. Rangers earned points in two of their three games, going 1-1-0-1, including the split with the Hitmen and their shootout loss against the WBS Knights.
- The Utah Outliers have also been on a point-per-game pace since the start of the new year. On Jan. 3, they fell 3-2 in OT to the Pueblo Bulls, and lost 4-2 on Jan. 4 to the Ogden Mustangs. They bounced back Jan. 9 with a 4-1 win over the Casper Warbirds.
- The Mercer Chiefs only had one game so far in 2025 entering Jan. 10, winning 3-1 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to improve their point streak to four games at 3-0-1-0.
- The Pueblo Bulls played in just one game entering this weekend, defeating the Utah Outliers, 3-2 in overtime. They hold a 4-2-0-0 record in the season series, currently.
