By Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com
There will be plenty of action in the USPHL Elite this weekend, especially with two showcases going on in Michigan and Massachusetts – the USPHL Detroit Showcase and the Islanders Hockey Club Showcase. Several teams are enjoying good runs, and there are no longer any undefeated teams.
Below, we will take a look at the top teams from each division from the results of games played between Nov. 15-21.
New England Division
Boston Jr. Bulldogs Enjoy Four-Game Point Streak
The Jr. Bulldogs ended their November portion of their schedule by going 3-0-1-0 going back to Nov. 10, which included three points earned against the defending National Champion and current division-leading Northern Cyclones. They’ve only lost one regulation game in November, falling to the Islanders Hockey Club on Nov. 4. Between Nov. 15-17, they defeated the Springfield Pics in a 3-2 shootout and also by a 6-0 score, both on the Pics’ home ice, and they fell 4-3 to the Cyclones in OT on Nov. 16.
- Georgios Timeliadis (‘06/Montreal, Que.) was tapped for two straight shorthanded goal attempts against the Pics and sank them both to move into second in the league in shootout goals with two. Timeliadis has also seen time with the USPHL Premier’s Worcester Railers JHC this year.
- Andrew Libby (‘05/Essex Junction, Vt.) moved into the top 10 of goals against average and remains there after stopping 34 of 36 in 65 minutes. He currently stands at 2.14.
Elsewhere In The New England Division
- The Northern Cyclones continue to win enough to keep a three-point lead for the division, and they enjoyed two straight wins going into the IHC Showcase. They recently beat the Bulldogs, 4-3, in OT and then on Nov. 17, put up a 10-3 win over South Shore, who had defeated the Cyclones just four days earlier.
- The Islanders are enjoying a three-game winning streak, giving them distance at third place over the fourth place Pics. The teams were a point apart a week ago, but the IHC now has a three-point lead heading into their showcase. They beat the South Shore Kings, 9-2, on Nov. 18 in their most recent action.
Southeast Division
Potomac Patriots Win Two In A Row In Mission To Turn Corner
The Patriots went up to Hershey, Pa., and picked up a pair of victories against the first-year Cubs, both by a 3-2 score, with the second of those scores coming in overtime. They hit the 20-point mark and are hoping for a big weekend against the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, who are one of the two teams tied for second eight points above Potomac.
- Patriots veteran Braylen Cox (‘05/Nashville, Tenn.) had a big weekend, scoring four points – all goals. He moved to a tie for first in goals league-wide with 19, and into third on the overall scoring leaderboard with 27 points on the season. He has 53 points in 97 career USPHL games.
- Liam Kelly (‘04/Harleysville, Pa.) won the Nov. 16 game against the Cubs, and has five wins on the season with a .936 save percentage. He moved into the third-most minutes played with that game, at 683. He remains third in saves with 379.
Elsewhere In The Southeast Division
The Carolina Jr. Hurricanes won the only other game involving Southeast Division teams, as they beat the division-leading Charlotte Rush, 2-1. They are also now 2-1-0-0 against their in-state rivals the Rush this season. The win helped put them into a tie with the Hampton Roads Whalers, who were idle from game action last weekend. The Whalers travel north to face the Jersey Hitmen this weekend.
Florida Division
Tampa Bay Juniors Win Two More, Remain On 12-Game Point Streak
The Tampa Bay Juniors’ world is very bright, with both their teams entering Friday with either a share of first (in the Premier) or first outright (in the Elite). For the Elite team, it’s been especially sweet as they’re on an 11-0-1-0 point streak going back to the USPHL Southeast Showcase in Virginia. Their last – and still only – regulation loss was on Sept. 27 against the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. Most recently, they traveled to Atlanta and defeated the MadHatters, 6-2 and 7-2.
- Veteran defenseman Carter Trussler (‘06/Land O’ Lakes, Fla.) put up his fifth power play assist on Nov. 17, the third-most in the league. He currently has 57 points in 94 career games. He is two assists away from 50.
- Shane Passaro (‘04/Palm Springs, Calif.) won his sixth straight game on Nov. 16, helping him remain as one of the few completely undefeated goaltenders in the league. The only goalie with more wins without taking a loss is the WBS Knights’ Roberts Kravalis, at 7-0.
Elsewhere In The Florida Division
- The Florida Eels and Florida Jr. Blades, both of whom met on Nov. 21, have each gone 2-1 over the past week. The Eels defeated the Palm Beach Typhoon, 5-2, on Nov. 15 and the Blades, 7-5, on Nov. 17, before the Blades avenged that loss with a 6-3 win in Estero on Thursday. They stand two points behind the Tampa Bay Juniors entering the two top teams’ Friday night game.
- The Jr. Blades are currently alone in fifth place, where they were tied a week ago with Palm Beach. Their Thursday night upset win against the Eels was their last action for a four-game November before a run of nine games in 15 days in December. The Blades also beat the Bold City Battalion, 4-1, on Nov. 15 before falling on Nov. 17 to the Eels.
Atlantic Division
Elmira Ends Knights’ Winning Streak, Improves To .500 With 2-1 Week
In one of the biggest upsets so far this season, the Impact defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, who entered the game on a 15-game winning streak, by a 5-2 score in Ithaca, N.Y. Still feeling good, the Impact went right back out the next day in Ithaca and shut out the Jersey Hitmen, 3-0. The Hitmen came back on Sunday at the Murray Athletic Center in Elmira, winning 5-2 over Elmira. The 2-1 week helped Elmira stand at 9-9-1-0 to end their November schedule.
- Three-year veteran Eian Robinson (‘05/Horseheads, N.Y.) had three assists in the win over the Knights and one more against the Hitmen, surging to 17 helpers on the year – he is now tied for the league lead in that category. He has 47 points in 90 career games.
- William Drouin (‘06/St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que.) had the game-winning goal against WBS in a three-goal weekend. He is currently second in game-winners by an Elite defenseman with two.
Elsewhere In The Atlantic Division
- The Rockets Hockey Club picked up three points to remain in third place in the division, defeating the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, 3-2, on Nov. 16, before falling to the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders in overtime, 3-2, on Nov. 17. The Rockets will carry their four-game point streak (3-0-1-0) into a Nov. 30 game against the WBS Knights to close out their November duties.
- As seen above, P.A.L. won their only game in OT against the Rockets, which was their only game action since Nov. 15, and their last for November. They remain just one point behind the 15-1 Knights in both the division and overall league standings, though Charlotte is tied with the Jr. Isles in points at 29 apiece.
Midwest Division
Fort Wayne Spacemen Improve Winning Streak To Four Games, Hold First By One Point
The Spacemen, who were entering the USPHL Detroit Showcase on Friday, have won their past four games in a row, including their most recent ahead of the showcase – a 9-1 defeat of Motor City on Nov. 16. They hold 22 points heading into the showcase, just one ahead of the Metro Jets and five against the Chicago duo of the Crush and Cougars. Everyone will be busy in Motown, so it’ll be intriguing to see who comes out on top in the end.
- The Spacemen as a team improved from fifth to third in goals per game, with 4.35, up from 4.27 last week.
- Veteran goaltender Brendan Kusbel (‘05/Mount Pleasant, Mich.) inched up from third to second in goals against average over the past week to second at 1.36, and he also moved from fifth in save percentage on Nov. 15 to third Friday morning at .951. He is 12-6-1-3 for his career with a .914 save percentage.
Elsewhere In The Midwest Division
- On Nov. 21, the Chicago Crush played their first game since the last showcase – the USPHL Fort Wayne Showcase – ended for them on Nov. 9. The Crush are 6-0-1-0 in their last seven games, including the three-game sweep of the Fort Wayne event. They defeated the Motor City Gamblers, 4-0, on Thursday and will face the Fort Wayne Spacemen on Friday.
- The Metro Jets will finish a 13-game November with the showcase of which they are the host team. They started on Thursday by defeating the 4-3, and they will play in five total games at the event.
