Jersey Hitmen Classic: Day 2 Recap

The second day of the NCDC Jersey Hitmen Showcase came to a close. 12 action packed games were lined up at the Ice Vault in Wayne, NJ. 

Boston Jr. Bruins (2) vs. Wester Chester Wolves (3) OT: The Boston Jr. Bruins and West Chester Wolves went down to the wire in an overtime thriller where West Chester won, 3-2. After a scoreless first period, West Chester’s Lukas Holmgren (11:02) scored to get the Wolves on the board, 1-0. Nearing the end of the period, William Michetti (19:33) evened the game with a Bruins goal, 1-1. In the third frame, Eric McHale (13:06) brought back the lead to the Wolves, 2-1. Quickly after that, Drew Carr (13:52) netted another Boston goal to tie the game, 2-2. In the extra frame, Grant Lucas (3:17) got the Wolves howling to an overtime victory, 3-2. West Chester goalie Sebastian Pribula was great in between the pipes, stopping 26 shots on net. 

Springfield Pics (3) vs. Mercer Chiefs (7): The Mercer Chiefs took down the Springfield Pics in a 7-3 final. In the opening frame, Nicholas Rockey (5:19) scored to get the Chiefs ahead 1-0. Soon after, Mercer’s Tristan MacCormick (7:12) added to the lead, 2-0. Later in the period, Mercer scored with Justin Ouellet (16:38) to make it a 3-0 score. In the second, Dylan Rovetti (3:30) got Springfield on the board for a 3-1 score. Later on in the period, Edward Mirigliano (12:41) extended the Chiefs lead, 4-1. Springfield went on the attack scoring back-to-back goals with Joseph Jubb (16:31) and Oleg Bitus (19:16) to get within a goal, 4-3 to end the second period. The Chiefs dominated the third period scoring three unanswered goals. Brent Beswick (7:04, 18:38) notched two, and Maverick Secours (19:50) scored for a final score of 7-3. Chiefs goaltender Noah Pfab stopped 37 shots in the contest. 

New York Dynamo (3) vs. Lewiston MAINEiacs (2) OT: The New York Dynamo edged the Lewiston MAINEiacs in an overtime thriller, 3-2. Lewiston kickstarted the scoring with the lone goal in the first period from Ethan Brochu (11:26). The second period saw a goal from New York’s Adam Godfrey (1:01) to even the game 1-1. Early in the third period, New York took their first lead of the game with a goal from William McDonald (1:22) for a 2-1 score. Nearing the end of regulation, Ethan Abram-Hale (17:28) scored to even the game 2-2, forcing overtime. In the overtime period, Time Esperi (3:23) earned the Dynamo win for a 3-2 final score. Dynamo goalie Joseph DiMitrio turned away 37 tries on net in the overtime win. 

Thunder Hockey Club (4) vs. Universel Quebec (1): Thunder Hockey Club picked up a 4-1 win over Universel Quebec. The action picked up in the second period where Mario DeMaria (2:52) and Briggs Beam (4:43) scored for a 2-0 Thunder lead. In the third, the Thunder kept striking the back of the net with Owen Khuong (4:55) and Ethan Miller (10:40) for a 4-0 lead. Later in the period, Viktors Klabis (13:21) got Universel on the scoresheet for a 4-1 final. Kieron Wise was near perfect in net for the Thunder as he stopped 30 shots. 

Islanders Hockey Club (4) vs. Jersey Hitmen (3) SO: The Islanders Hockey Club and Jersey Hitmen decided the winner in shootout fashion. In the opening period, Liam Normann (5:26) got the Islanders up 1-0. Quickly after, Jersey answered back with Derek Tremblay (6:44) evening the score, 1-1. The Islanders went on to score back-to-back with Jason Johnson (15:06) scoring shorthanded and Gio Rhoads (15:51) to get the Islanders ahead 3-1. In the second, Derek Tremblay (16:07) netted his second of the game to get the Hitmen within a goal, 3-2. As the period continued, David Ambuhl (17:33) would even the game for Jersey, 3-3. The Islanders would go on to win in the shootout. Islanders goalie Blake McMeniman stopped 41 shots. 

Universel Academy (6) vs. Woodstock Slammers (3): Universel Academy defeated the Woodstock Slammers by a score of 6-3. Woodstock started the first period off hot with back to back goals with Bauer Arbeau (2:17) and Jackson Shaddick (13:21) scoring for a 2-0 lead. Later in the period, Universel scored with Ty Mulcahy (14:14) to get on the scoreboard, 2-1. In the second, Woodstock extended their lead to 3-1 as Ivan Garkusha (4:18) netted a shorthanded goal. Universel Academy went back on the attack as they evened the game 3-3 with goals from Ludovic Lapoint-Perreault (4:51) and Arthur Sevigny (6:11). The third period belonged to Universel as they netted three unasnswered goals with Tyl Mulcahy (4:10), Milan Turena (17:16) and Charles-Eric Leger (19:42) to seal the win, 6-3. Universel netminder Marcus Gomes turned away 21 shots in the win. 

Boston Jr. Rangers (4) vs. CT Chiefs North (1): The Boston Junior Rangers defeated the CT Chiefs North by a final score of 4-1 thanks to a strong second period. In the middle frame, the game saw three goals in a row from the Jr. Rangers. Rhyle Shevlin (2:49), LUke VanderRoest (14:30) and Owen Robitaille (17:32) all scored for Boston. Late in the period, Ryan Sikorski (19:17) got the Chiefs on the scoreboard for a 3-1 game heading into the second intermission. In the third, Hayden Newman (18:52) added an insurance goal for the Jr. Rangers to take the win, 4-1. Goaltender Stephen Chen stopped 27 shots he faced in the contest. 

Northern Cyclones (1) vs. P.A.L. Junior Islanders (3): The P.A.L. Jr. Islanders took a 3-1 win over the Northern Cyclones after being tied going into the third period. In the second, Keishawn Thompson (11:31) got the Cyclones on the board for a 1-0 score. Later in the period, Joe Gaffney (16:11) evened the game with an Islanders goal, 1-1. In the third, Ivan Zelenov (1:46) got an early goal to get the Islanders ahead 2-1. Soon after, Micheal Papapyros (7:21) scored for a final of, 3-1. Islanders goalie Max Pitts turned away 35 of the 38 shots he faced in the win. 

Utica Jr. Comets (3) vs. Rockets Hockey Club (6): The Rockets Hockey Club lit up the second period to take a win over the Utica Jr. Comets by a final score of 6-3. The first period saw a goal from Utica’s Tyler Lokker (14:53) for a 1-0 Comets lead. In the second, Utica extended their lead to 2-0 with a goal from Owen Young (7:08). Soon after, the Rockets opened the offensive flood gates as they scored four unanswered goals. Maksym Pastukh (12:11), Jed Lake (13:42), Noah Sampson (19:29) and Beckett Homlish (19:41 – Shorthanded) all scored. With a 4-2 lead heading into the third, Beckett Homlish (6:40) added another one under his belt and extended the Rockets lead to 5-2. Just past the halfway mark, Tanner Wisniewski (10:34) netted a Comets goal, to make the score 5-3. A few minutes later, Noah Sampson (12:17) scored his second of the night, for a final score of 6-3. Rockets goalie Jakub Sirhal was strong between the pipes stopping 14 shots. 

Worcester Railers JHC (2) vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights (4): The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights topped the Worcester Railers JHC by a score of 4-2. In the first period, the Knights got on the scoresheet with a goal from Jackson Chicola (8:34) for a 1-0 score. The Railers tied the game later on in the period with Ben Lees (12:35) finding the back of the net. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton took back the lead heading into intermission with Caleb Rashleigh (13:41) scoring for a 2-1 score. The action picked up again in the third period with Jackson Chicola (6:39) scoring his second of the night to make it 3-1 Knights. Ben Lees (18:46) netted a late Railers goal for a 3-2 score. With time about to expire, Connor Lawrence (19:56) found the back of the net to seal the win for the Knights, 4-2. 

Boston Dogs (5) vs. Connecticut Jr. Rangers (6): In a high scoring affair, the Connecticut Jr. Rangers edged the Boston Dogs by a score of 6-5. Connecticut scored in the first period with Edgor Sapozhnikov (18:33). In the second, the Jr. Rangers added to their lead as Evan Jones (4:57) scored for a 2-0 lead. The action picked up in the third with the Jr. Rangers scored back-to-back goals with Gaber Jovanovic Sorn (2:23) and Magnus Turcotte (3:32) for a 4-0 score. The Dogs went on the attack scoring three unanswered goals with Matthew O’Connor (4:33) and Lowe Johansson (8:18, 14:02) making the score 4-3. Artis Skrebels (14:39) netted a goal to get Connecticut ahead again, 5-3. Boston soon went back on the attack to tie the game 5-5 as Beckett Trado (15:11) and Illia Biesiedin (16:16) lit the lamp. Nearing the end of the period, Thomas Harnett (17:23) scored the game winner to extend the Jr. Rangers to a 6-5 victory. 

Here is the schedule for the rest of the weekend: 

Fans can catch every moment of the action on USPHL+ powered by Black Bear TV. Visit blackbearsports.tv for streaming details.

The post Jersey Hitmen Classic: Day 2 Recap appeared first on USPHL – United States Premier Hockey League.