By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
Here we are in the middle of October, and a sense of order is beginning to form in each division. Not that this order is likely to remain with more five months left to the season. The NCDC is generally an “anyone can beat anyone” league, and that has mostly been the case. However, the USPHL Jersey HItmen Classic hosts, the Hitmen, enter the Classic – starting Thursday – with an 8-0 undefeated record. At second in the overall standings, the South Shore Kings are riding a seven-game winning streak, while in the Mountain Division, the Ogden Mustangs are unbeaten in regulation through six games.
We will take a closer look below at all the teams who put up at least as many points as games played over the past week.
Jersey Hitmen Continue To Get The Job Done At 8-0
The Hitmen may be hosting this week’s Hitmen Classic, but don’t expect the hosts to be at all charitable to the opposition. They’re enjoying their first place position heading into the Classic, as they’ve started out 8-0 for the fourth time in their eight-year NCDC history (also in 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2022-23). Recently, the Hitmen defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, 2-1, on Oct. 11 and 5-1 the next day.
- Both ends of the ice are controlled by the Hitmen. They are first in goals for (4.5 goals per game) and third in goals against (1.63).
- The two-goal game by third-year NCDC veteran Aiden Ryan (‘04/Raleigh, N.C.) put him at No. 1 overall in goals for the NCDC at seven, one past a group of four players with six.
Mercer Chiefs Enjoying Four-Game Winning Streak To Pull Even
The Chiefs have matched their best winning streak over their three-year NCDC existence, that being four games – a streak they enjoyed three times last year. This most recent time, wins against the Rockets Hockey Club (3-2 on Oct. 11) and the West Chester Wolves (2-0 on Oct. 12) were their third and fourth in a row.
- Dominick Gatto, a 2023-24 All-Star Game selection, jumped into a four-way tie of goaltenders leading the league with two shutouts apiece.
- William Filteau (‘05/Napierville, Que.) leads the Chiefs in scoring with a 4-3-7 line, and all of those have been scored on an active four-game point streak.
Ogden Mustangs Sweep Weekend, Earn Points In Last Six
The Ogden Mustangs earned back-to-back victories against the Rock Springs Grizzlies (6-2) on Oct. 11 and then the Idaho Falls Spud Kings (5-0) on Oct. 12. The Mustangs have gone 5-0-1-0 since Sept. 27. They haven’t lost in regulation since falling twice to the Spud Kings in the Sept. 20-21 opening weekend.
- The Spud Kings have a little bit of a ways to go to equal their best points streak in their two-year NCDC history, which was 9-0-1-1 during the 2023-24 season.
- William Cherniak’s four assists in the last two games gave him eight assists on the year, ranking him in a tie for second in that statistic.
P.A.L. Junior Islanders Win Two To Pull Above .500
The Jr. Islanders came off the weekend as two-game winners, taking victories of 5-2 against the West Chester Wolves at home, and then 5-1 against the Connecticut Jr. Rangers on the road.
- The Jr. Islanders’ skaters are definitely hungry for offense. They lead the league with 41.14 shots on goal per game.
- Arthur Mirante (‘04/Garden City, N.Y.) had a career weekend, putting up six points in two games last weekend. He has eight points on the season, one more than his point total in last year’s full season.
Pueblo Bulls Win Three Straight To Climb Mountain Standings
The Bulls have won three straight since taking their only loss at the NCDC Frozen Futures Showcase to the Utah Outliers on Oct. 3. Most recently, they picked up wins of 4-3 and 5-4 in a shootout against the same Outliers in Colorado.
- Former USPHL Premier All-Star Matsvei Marshchanok has taken the team’s scoring lead with a line of 3-6-9. He joins twin brother Siamion Marshchanok and the Thunder Hockey Club’s Joshua Itri as the only three NCDC players with two shorthanded points so far.
- Devin Peck, an ‘05 from nearby Colorado Springs, has the best shootout performance so far, stopping all five out of five attempts that the Outliers put on him on Oct. 12.
South Shore Kings Stand Tall With Seven-Game Winning Streak
Ever since falling in Game 1 of their season, the Kings have been on absolute fire, winning seven in a row dating back to Sept. 20. They played a home-and-home last week against the Islanders Hockey Club and won 5-0 in Foxboro on Oct. 10 followed by a 3-2 OT win on Friday in Tyngsboro.
- The Kings have only done better than 7-1-0-0 once before, and that was a year ago at this milepost, where they were 7-0-0-1. That season obviously worked out quite well for the Kings, as they are defending Dineen Cup Champions.
- Lukas Fursten, an ‘05 from Ilava, Slovakia, won both of the past two games to improve to a league-leading six wins.
Worcester Railers Junior Hockey Club Wins Twice, Improving To 4-2-0-1
The Railers went to extra time for the first time twice, with a 2-1 victory against the Northern Cyclones being their first shootout victory on Oct. 10. The Railers won 3-2 in overtime on Oct. 11, their first OT win.
- Ben Jarosz (‘05/Orlando, Fla.) scored the first game-winning shootout goal for the Railers. Brett Wall (‘04/Washington, Mich.) scored the first shootout goal, and Cole Scullion (‘06/Burlington, Ont.) registered the first goaltending shootout win. He stopped 63 of 64 shots in 65 minutes, and then stopped four of five shots in the shootout. Scullion’s 63 saves in 65 minutes are a season high so far.
- Colby Dobek (‘05/Buffalo, N.Y.) scored the Railers’ first OT goal, his sixth of the season.
Cyclones Gather Three Points With Win, Shootout Loss
The Northern Cyclones went into their second shootout of the season, but came out on the losing end by a 2-1 score to the Worcester Railers JHC. They came right back around on Oct. 11 with an 8-1 victory against the Boston Jr. Rangers. They are now 4-1-0-2 overall.
- The Cyclones’ eight goals scored on Oct. 11 exceeds any single game output of the 2023-24 season. They scored eight three times during the 2022-23 season.
- With his two goals against the Boston Jr. Rangers, Michael Markowski (‘04/Spring Lake, N.J.) tied with three others for second in goals with six.
Casper Warbirds Jump Above .500 With Fourth Win
The Warbirds were 3-1 winners on Saturday against the Rock Springs Grizzlies in their only action over the past week.
- Over 28 times shorthanded opportunities, the Warbirds have given up just one goal while killing penalties, for a 96.4 percent rate.
- Ryan Henry (‘04/Wayne, N.J.) has the league lead in saves made with 211.
Four Teams Finish .500
The Rockets split the week between a 4-2 victory against the Connecticut Jr. Rangers and a 3-2 loss to the Mercer Chiefs. Jared Rothman (‘06/Chappaqua, N.Y.) is on a seven-game point streak, second longest in the league behind the Hitmen’s Wilson Farrow.
The Thunder Hockey Club won 3-2 against the Utica Jr. Comets on Oct. 11, and then fell 4-0 on Oct. 12. On Oct. 11, the Thunder’s Joshua Itri (‘06/Sandwich, Mass.) scored his league-leading second shorthanded goal. For Utica, Zach Groleau (‘06/St-Constant, Que.) has been a key playmaker with six assists over six games, five coming in his last three matches.
