USPHL Elite 2023-24 South Region Players Of The Week 

Games of Nov. 1-7, 2023

Forward: Frankie Murano, Palm Beach Typhoon 

The local product Murano (‘06/West Palm Beach) scored three goals and added one assist, and he also scored a shootout goal against the Bold City Battalion on Nov. 4. With that four-point weekend, Murano improved to six points through 16 games for his hometown team. 

Defense: Connor Lynch, Palm Beach Typhoon 

Lynch (‘04/Lindenhurst, N.Y.) registered three assists against the Battalion on Nov. 4 in a 5-4 shootout loss and he also blocked a team-leading nine shots against the Battalion and the Florida Jr. Blades a day earlier. Lynch has seven assists and points in 16 games. 

Goaltender; Jackson Bernier, Atlanta MadHatters

Fresh off being named Elite Florida Goaltender of the Month, Bernier lived up to that by posting a 30-save shutout win against the Florida Eels on Nov. 6, two days after defeating the Eels by stopping 33 of their 34 shots. Overall, his two-game stretch gave him a 0.50 GAA and a .984 save percentage. He also earned the second shutout for this year. 

Southeast Division 

Forward: Mark Pivec, Potomac Patriots 

Pivec (‘03/Maribor, Slovenia) played in just one game but topped all forwards and defensemen in his division by posting four goals and adding one assist in a win against the Columbia Infantry, which included three shorthanded goals. He now has 14 points in seven games this season. He also has one assist in seven Premier games for the Patriots. 

Defense: Yaroslav Alifanov, Potomac Patriots 

Alifanov (‘04/Chelyabinsk, Russia) has been one of the Patriots’ top defensemen – and almost quietly so, mainly because the team’s offense is so potent its defensive excellence might sometimes get lost in the shuffle. He posted three assists in the Nov. 4 win against Columbus and has 12 points in 15 games this year along with a team-leading +18 rating. 

Goaltender: Jean Berthaudin, Hampton Roads Whalers

Berthaudin (‘03/St-Rose-du-Lac, Man.) continues to move up the goaltending leaderboard. A recent 2-0 run where he gave up just two goals on a combined 60 shots sees him with a .946 save percentage, good for seventh in the Elite Conference. With his two wins, he was able to sweep the Richmond Generals.