Week of Jan. 12, 2024
Games of Jan. 1-9, 2024
Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHLElite.com
Southeast Division
Forward: Patrick Comose, Columbia Infantry
The Columbia, S.C., native has played in as far flung locations as Erie, Pa., and Helena, Mont., but he’s been a huge boon for his hometown squad putting up 24 points in 33 games. In the USPHL Tampa Showcase, Comose (‘04) put up three goals and added two assists for five points. In the team’s game against the Great Lakes Division powerhouse Nashville Spartans, he scored two goals and added an assist on Ryan Hughes’ dramatic game-tying third period goal that made it 5-5, before Nashville pulled away for the win in the end.
Defense: Peter Keese, Charlotte Rush
Keese (‘03/Minnetonka, Minn.) continues to be the Rush’s heart-and-soul leader, and was very much that during the USPHL Tampa Showcase, leading the way with 23:39 per game of ice time, nearly four minutes more than his closest teammate. During that time on ice, he posted three goals and added two assists for five points as the Rush went 2-1-0-1. His +6 tied for the team lead at the event. Keese is two games away from tying for the all-time lead in games played in the USPHL Premier, standing at 171. The Rush next play Potomac on Jan. 20-21. He could set the new record on Feb. 3 against Hampton Roads if he plays in the Rush’s next three games.
Goaltender: Rocco Stolz, Charlotte Rush
Stolz (‘03/Denver, Colo.) was huge for the Rush, picking up a 39-save shutout victory against the Rockets Hockey Club as his top performance at the USPHL Tampa Showcase. He also stopped 41 of 43 in 65 minutes against the Metro Jets in a marquee match-up on Saturday, eventually falling in a shootout. For the weekend, he had 79 total saves and a 975 save percentage. Overall this season, the second-year Premier player has a 9-1-0-0 record, 2.44 GAA and a .928 save percentage.
Florida Division
Forward: Igor Pastukhov, Palm Beach Typhoon
Pastukhov (‘05/Manorville, N.Y.) was huge for the Typhoon, who went 2-2 at the USPHL Tampa Showcase. He registered four goals and added four more assists for an eight-point showing at the event. The rookie junior player out of the Ontario Hockey Academy scored a 3-2-5 line against the Fort Wayne Spacemen in a 7-6 “track meet” that the Spacemen eventually won. Overall, Pastukhov has 26 points in 30 games this season.
Defense: Hugo Rova, Bold City Battalion
Rova (‘03/Sweden) played an outstanding first couple USPHL Tampa Showcase games for his team – before suffering a terrible eye injury that sent him to the hospital and into surgery. While with the team, he put up two goals and two assists for four points, and was also a +6. Rova has put up 35 points through 28 games, and the USPHL wishes him the best in his recovery.
Goaltender: Savva Serdiuk, Tampa Bay Juniors
The third-year Premier goaltender Serdiuk (‘04/Kyiv, Ukraine) put up three W’s during a huge stand for the Juniors as they hosted the USPHL Tampa Showcase and went 3-1-0-0 during the event. He stopped 107 out of 113 shots and went 3-0, which included a 35-save shutout against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, another 2023 USPHL Nationals competitor along with Tampa. He is 11-6-0-0 with a .911 save percentage this year and has played in 44 games, winning 23.
