Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
We are in a whole new month, but boy was October thrilling! The first full month of the season for most divisions saw a lot of teams begin to dig in to give themselves good early season position. In some divisions, the packs are already extremely tight with teams on winning streaks jostling for positive first quarter milestones.
As always, we’ll take a look at the teams that finished with as many points as games played – in this case in games played between Oct. 25 and 31.
New England Division
Islanders Hockey Club Win Three To Continue On 12-Game Point Streak
The Islanders Hockey Club have not tasted defeat in any game running the standard 60 minutes, as they have come out of the gate with a 10-0-1-1 run, giving them a .917 winning percentage which stands as the best in the New England Division. Recently, they swept their fellow New England representatives at the 2024 Nationals, the Utica Jr. Comets. First, it was an 8-2 victory on Oct. 25, then it was 2-1 on Oct. 26. Four days later, it was a 7-2 defeat of the Worcester Railers JHC.
- Veteran Premier goaltender Kai Rivas (‘05/Surrey, B.C.) remains undefeated in regulation or overtime, 4-0-0-1, and he improved over the past week from 10th in GAA to third with a 1.36 mark.
- As a team, the Islanders also improved their GAA from 2.11 to an even 2.00, ranking them fourth in the league defensively overall.
Springfield Pics Stand In First In New England, Continue Five-Game Win Streak
The Pics put up a 4-2 win over the South Shore Kings on Oct. 26, and came back the next day beating the Thunder Hockey Club 3-1. With their fifth win in a row, the Pics entered Friday, Nov. 1, holding onto first place in New England by a single point against the surging Islanders Hockey Club.
- Nick Zanin (‘04/West Stockbridge, Mass.) registered his 20th point on his 16th assist of the season this past weekend. That put him into a tie for second in assists and he remains tied for third in points among blueliners, one of only four with 20 points or more on the season.
- Cade Rose (‘06/Apex, N.C.) stopped 38 of 40 against South Shore to improve to 5-0 on the season.
Three Teams Come Across October’s Finish Line With .500 Weeks
The South Shore Kings are 9-3-0-1 and in third in New England after falling to the Pics, 4-2, on Oct. 26 and coming back to beat the Northern Cyclones, 3-2 in overtime, on Oct. 30.
The Thunder Hockey Club split the week, including their third win, by beating the Boston Jr. Rangers, 7-6, in a shootout, before falling on Oct. 27 to the Pics. That shootout loss also gave the Jr. Rangers a point in their only action of the week.
The Worcester Jr. Railers were able to move past the Utica Jr. Comets in the standings and move to 5-9-1-1 after defeating the Cyclones, 4-1, on Oct. 26. On Oct. 30, the Railers fell by a 7-2 score to the Islanders Hockey Club.
Atlantic Division
Mercer Chiefs Go 2-0-1-0 Over Week To Nearly Double Points
The Chiefs enjoyed a very productive week, the most for the Atlantic Division for that week. They played three games, going 2-0-1-0 since Oct. 25, and 3-0-1-0 since their final game of the USPHL Jersey Hitmen Classic played on Oct. 21. On the 25th, they fell in OT to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, 5-4. Two days later, Mercer broke out with nine goals in a 9-3 victory against the Hitmen. They followed that on Monday with a 6-2 defeat of the Rockets Hockey Club. They pushed their record from 3-7-1-0 on Oct. 25 to 5-7-2-0 for 12 points, improving from seven. Standings-wise, they moved up a spot from seventh to sixth.
- Peter Kovac (‘06/Zvolen, Slovakia) has been on fire since about the middle of the USPHL Jersey Hitmen Classic, posting 12 points in his last five games. He leads the Chiefs with a 5-11-16 line in 13 games.
- Premier veteran Matiss Bars (‘04/Sussex, N.J.) has two goals and an OT loss in his last three starts, and he improved to 3-2-2-0.
West Chester Wolves Take Share Of First In Atlantic Division
The Wolves are enjoying a 3-0-1-0 run recently, and have used that to tie the Elmira Impact in points heading into Friday’s league-wide action. The Wolves won their first two showdowns with a defending National Champion in the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, winning 4-2 on Oct. 25 and 3-1 on Oct. 26.
- Both forward Max McKay (‘05/Rochester, N.Y.) and defenseman Breydon Webster (‘04/Dartmouth, Mass.) have posted 13 points in 13 games to lead the team, offensively.
- In net, Elijah Wiltshire (‘05/Palm Harbor, Fla.) put up 93 saves on 96 shots against Connecticut and remains the team’s wins leader with four.
Red Bank Generals Take Three-Game Point Streak Into November
The good week for first-year Atlantic Division teams extended to the Red Bank Generals, who won and lost in OT against the Elmira Impact. First was the OT loss on Oct. 27, 5-4, before they rebounded on Monday to win 4-1.
- Ilya Kournoushenko (‘05/Tomsk, Russia) leads the team in scoring with 15 points.
- Third-year Premier veteran Braxton Singleton (‘04/Edmonton, Alb.) earned all three points in net over the weekend. His record includes three of the Generals’ four wins.
Jersey Hitmen Takes Three Points In Three Games
The Hitmen saw three different results, two of those earning standings points, between Oct. 25-27. They won 2-1 against the Brooklyn Aviators on the Friday, and that was followed on Oct. 26 by an OT loss to the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders. They fell 9-3 on Sunday to the Mercer Chiefs. The Hitmen, off from game action until Nov. 9, stand 7-7-1-0 and in fifth place in the Atlantic.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights Pull To .500 With Single Win
The Knights defeated the Mercer Chiefs, 5-4, in their second straight overtime game and the only game played over the past week for the Knights. They improved to .500 at 5-5-1-0 on the season.
Rockets, Impact, P.A.L. Each Split Week At 1-1
The Rockets Hockey Club defeated the Hershey Cubs, 4-1, on Oct. 27 and then fell on Oct. 28 to the Mercer Chiefs, 6-2. At 8-4-0-0, the Rockets stand in third place in the division.
The Elmira Impact split their series against Red Bank, winning 5-4 in OT before falling 4-1. This split gave the West Chester Wolves just enough space to push into a tie for first with Elmira going into the first November weekend.
The P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (9-4-0-1, third in division) defeated the Hitmen, 5-4, on Oct. 26, but then fell in regulation on Oct. 30 to the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, 5-4.
Florida Division
Atlanta MadHatters Earn Sweep, Improve Division Standing
The MadHatters earned a pair of wins against the Palm Beach Typhoon, taking victories of 4-1 and 5-1. The MadHatters were thus able to jump past the Florida Jr. Blades and into fourth place in the Florida Division.
- Sebastian Kaminsky (‘06/Kennesaw, Ga.), a former Elite MadHatters player, has picked up a 5-8-13 line in his first 13 Premier games to lead the MadHatters.
- Two goalies – Dylan Bruce (‘05/Kitchener, Ont.) – a 2022-23 USPHL Elite Florida Division All-Star goalie – and Michael Carden (‘05/Colorado Springs, Colo.) – each registered their first wins as MadHatters in the series against the Typhoon.
Bold City Battalion Unbeaten In Regulation Over Nine Games
The Battalion closed the gap they have with the first place Tampa Bay Juniors by two points, after they came away with a two-game sweep against the Florida Eels, winning 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday and then defeating the Eels, 5-1, on Sunday, Oct. 27. They are just three points back of Tampa Bay, ground they hope to make up in the two teams’ head-to-head series this Friday and Saturday.
- The second-year Battalion improved to 5-3-0-0 in their short all-time series against the Eels, since the Battalion made their debut in 2023-24. They split last season’s series 3-3-0-0 (the Eels earned one more point than Bold City, at 3-2-1-0).
- Raymond Thompson (‘06/Orange Park, Fla.) moved into fourth overall in save percentage with his .949 mark. He is undefeated in regulation at 2-0-1-1.
Florida Eels Earn Four Points Over Four Games
The Eels were quite busy coming off the Florida Cup of a week prior. On Oct. 25, they faced the Tampa Bay Juniors, falling 3-2. The next day, they fell in a shootout, 4-3, to the Bold City Battalion. On Oct. 27, they lost 5-1 in regulation, and then they won on Oct. 30 in regulation against the Florida Jr. Blades, 2-1. They earned four points in going 1-1-1-1 on the week.
Tampa Bay Juniors Win, Carry Division Lead Into December
The Juniors hit the ice for just one game over the past week, defeating the Florida Eels 3-2 in overtime in another exciting game between the longtime rivals. As mentioned above, they’re heading into a two-game series against Bold City that could see a division lead change depending on the results.
Southeast Division
Hampton Roads Whalers Enjoying Six-Game Winning Streak
The Whalers put up a massive sweep of the first place overall Charlotte Rush, defeating them 3-1 on Oct. 26 and 4-1 on Oct. 27. Coming off of their 4-0 run at the USPHL Jersey Hitmen Classic, the Whalers are on a six-game point streak, and they are 11-5-1-1 and tied for fourth overall with 24 points.
- It’s been almost exactly three years since the last time the Whalers picked up a two-game sweep of Charlotte, over Oct. 30-31, 2021.
- Newcomer Timo Johner (‘05/Brutten, Switzerland) has risen to fifth in saves league-wide at 340, and he is currently enjoying a four-game winning streak.
Potomac Patriots Win Second And Third In A Row
The Patriots earned a sweep of the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, defeating the Jr. Canes by scores of 6-5 in overtime and 3-1 in regulation on Oct. 26 and 27. This puts them on an active three-game winning streak going into November. They are also tied for sixth in league points with 23.
- Kirill Guryev (‘06/Moskva, Russia) earned his fifth straight win on Oct. 26 in the first game of the Carolina series, giving him eight wins overall for the season. That ranks him tied for second overall in the Premier.
- The Patriots are led offensively by both Lucas Angelstrom (‘04/Leksand, Sweden) and Illya Biesiedin (‘05/Kharkiv, Ukraine), who have 20 points apiece.
Canada Division
Hawkesbury Knights Are On 3-0-1-0 Run
The Knights have been able to remain third place overall in the overall Premier points race, as the entered November on a 3-0-1-0 points streak. Recently, the Knights rang up back-to-back shutouts and double-digit goal output for the first time in their existence, winning 16-0 against Kingston on Oct. 26 and 10-0 against Somang L-L Hockey on Oct. 27.
- The Knights outshot both their opponents this past weekend, and are tied for the lead in wins when outshooting their opponent with 11 (all but one of their 12 total wins). Vernal is the other team with as many.
- Goaltender Jeremie Barron (‘04/Vaudreuil, Que.) registered his first shutout against Somang, making 32 saves. He moved to No. 1 in minutes played this year with 667, and he holds a 6-4-1-0 record for the Knights.
Montreal Black Vees Extend Winning Streak To Eight Games
The Black Vees pulled up to just one point behind Hawkesbury both in the overall and division standings. At 11-4-1-1, they have 24 points, and they actually lead Hawkesbury in winning percentage at .706. Recently, the Black Vees registered a 6-4 win against Somang L-L Hockey on Oct. 26, and then they beat the Kingston Wranglers, 11-2, on Oct. 27.
- The Black Vees’ Theo Faucher (‘04/L’Assomption, Que.) and Odile Grenier (‘07/Levis, Que.) each registered a pair of assists on the Black Vees’ three shorthanded goals scored this weekend, moving into a tie for the league lead on shorthanded helpers with three apiece. Montreal is third in the league with five shorthanded goals on the season.
- Nathan Rutter-Richardson (‘06/Rockland, Ont.) put up his fifth straight win, coming against Somang, to remain undefeated in regulation for the Black Vees this year. He stands at 7-0-1-1 overall.
Universel Sherbrooke Maintains Third Place With Single Win
Coming out of the USPHL Jersey Hitmen Classic of the prior weekend, Universel Sherbrooke only took the ice once over the past week, defeating Somang L-L Hockey, 2-1. They bumped a game over .500 at 7-6-1-0 and remain in third place in the division to start November.
Note: There will be no “USPHL Premier This Week” article next week, as we will be running the divisional Players Of The Month throughout next week. Look for the next USPHL Premier This Week to be published on or before Nov. 15. Follow the USPHL’s X (@USPHL) and Instagram (@usphlhockey) accounts for game-by-game highlights.
