All games from September and October
Forward: Tyler Zembrzycki, Springfield Pics
Zembrzycki (‘03/East Islip, N.Y.) is a third-year junior veteran who seems hell-bent on changing games as he sees fit, posting 16 goals in 13 games and adding eight assists for 24 points, good for a division-best 1.85 points per game. His 16 goals place him sixth overall in the USPHL Premier.
After scoring 28 points in his first season with the Pics last year in 30 games, he’s just four points from matching that already. Additionally, he is the Pics’ top center man, winning 62 percent of his draws.
Forward: Jake Hall, Utica Jr. Comets
Hall (‘03/Rome, N.Y.) has blasted past his 2023-24 point total of 13 points by already putting up 23 points to help lead the Jr. Comets to the top of the New England Division in their first campaign on that circuit. He has 13 goals and 10 assists for those 23 points over 15 games, and is also top 10 in power play goals league-wide with five.
They have started out with a 12-2-1-0 record and their most recent win against the Buffalo Stampede on Halloween Night leap-frogged the Jr. Comets into first place ahead of College Universel Gatineau.
Forward: Remi Dionne, College Universel Gatineau
The newcomers from north of the border have jumped right into the top of the mix, standing at first place until Halloween (see above) even while playing every single game this season on the road. Dionne, an ‘04 from Baie-Comeau, Que., has ripped through 15 goals and added 10 assists for 25 points in his 17 games. He enjoyed a four-goal game on Oct. 6 at the Jersey Hitmen Classic.
Dionne is also the team’s plus-minus leader at +11.
Defense: Brady Bomal, Northern Cyclones
The third-year Cyclones veteran has jumped up to Premier after two seasons with the Elite team, both with trips to Nationals, including the final in 2022. He has since become the defending National Premier Champion Cyclones’ time on ice and shifts leader. The ‘03 from Westford, Mass., has also been successful offensively, putting up two goals and six assists for eight points in his first nine Premier contests.
Defense: Joey Demiglio, Utica Jr. Comets
Demiglio (‘03/Niles, Ill.) is helping the Jr. Comets in his second year with the team to a great start, standing at first place in the New England Division entering November. Offensively, he is the division’s top producer, clicking along at a 1.21 points per game pace, which has seen him post a 6-11-17 line in 14 games. Defensively, he is second in plus-minus on the Jr. Comets with a +11, while leading in hits (11) and blocking 17 shots.
Goaltender: Marcus Gomes, College Universel Gatineau
Gomes (‘05/Beaconsfield, Que.) has been a tough gatekeeper, giving up just a mere 1.76 goals per game, and his .940 save percentage also leads the New England Division. He has put together a 6-1-0-0 record, with the six wins putting him into the top 10 league-wide for that category.
Gomes earned a 25-save shutout win in his second game, helping his team blank the Buffalo Stampede at the BJB Shootout on Sept. 29. In his most recent game, he turned away 41 of 43 shots to help defeat the defending National Champion Northern Cyclones.
Top Performers of the Week (Oct. 24-31):
Forward: Jake Hall, Utica Jr. Comets – The Jr. Comets were busy, first with two games in New Hampshire against the Cyclones and then in a single game in a visit against the Buffalo Stampede on Halloween. Hall led the way throughout, posting a 4-3-7 line in the three games.
Defense: Jackson Lukrofka, Utica Jr. Comets – Lukrofka (‘05/Scottsdale, Ariz.) was super scary on Halloween, registering a hat trick and adding an assist. He also had an assist on Oct. 29 vs. the Cyclones to give him five points in two games.
Goaltender: Chad Lowe, Utica Jr. Comets – Lowe helped stop the bleeding during a tough game against the Cyclones – he came in after a 6-0 Cyclones lead and shut them down, stopping all 26 shots faced. He later stopped all 29 shots he faced on Halloween night for a #ShutoutShoutout. Overall, he gave up zero goals on 55 shots faced in 93 minutes of action.
Method of selection: The USPHL Media Team shares a first set of nominees from among statistical leaders with division coaches and accepts alternate nominations from coaches, where applicable. From these, the USPHL Media Team selects the final “starting lineup.”
