Games of Dec. 4-Dec. 12
By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
Atlantic Division
First-Year Red Bank Generals Improve Win Streak To Five Games
The Red Bank Generals rode the elevator in the upward direction, moving from a tie for seventh as of the morning of Dec. 5 to now standing at fifth, thanks to a five-game winning streak they’ve strung between November and December. Most recently, they started their month’s action with a 4-2 win over the defending National Champion Connecticut Jr. Rangers, followed by a 5-4 win over the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders and a 4-3 defeat of the Mercer Chiefs in a shootout.
- In seven games in which they’ve gone beyond regulation, the Generals have won three shootouts, but they’re still looking for their first OT win.
- If you have a shootout to win, your man is Kevin Pico (‘06/Perkasie, Pa.), who leads the USPHL Premier in shootout game-winners with two. He sent home the winner against Mercer, and he is on a nine-game scoring streak where he has 26 of his 32 points on the season.
Elsewhere In The Atlantic Division
- The Rockets Hockey Club won both of their games to just barely stay above the Generals in the standings at fourth place with 28 points. They earned a pair of decisive victories against the Brooklyn Aviators.
- The Hershey Cubs won their only game of the week and are on a 3-0-1-0 point streak, winning 5-0 over the WBS Knights on Dec. 7.
- The Jersey Hitmen enjoyed a big statement victory with a 5-4 defeat of the defending National Champion Connecticut Jr. Rangers on Dec. 8, winning in OT and powered by a hat trick from Connor Wilkerson (‘06/Louisville, Colo.)
New England Division
Springfield Pics’ Five-Game Winning Streak Pushes Them To Top Of New England
Buoyed by their recent announcement that their Premier team will be elevated to the NCDC for 2025-26, the Pics have simply been on a roll. They’ve won five in a row, and that was just enough to push them north of the Islanders Hockey Club by just one point and hold on to first place to start the second week of December. On Saturday, they defeated the South Shore Kings (3-1) and that was followed by a 2-1 victory against the Utica Jr. Comets.
- The Pics’ Frederic D’Amours (‘04/Mont-St-Hillaire, Que.) scored his 10th goal on the weekend and, as a result, he is tied for second in goals among defensemen.
- Troy Huber (‘05/Framingham, Mass.) is enjoying a four-game personal winning streak amid the larger team streak. He’s also given up just three goals over that stretch, including a Nov. 24 shutout of the Canada Division co-leaders the Montreal Black Vees.
Worcester Railers JHC Putting Together Strong 4-0 Run
The Worcester Railers Junior Hockey Club, in their first USPHL Premier season, have enjoyed a strong run of four games in a row as they fight to move up in the tight New England Division. They defeated the Boston Junior Bruins, 3-2, and then the Thunder Hockey Club, 6-2, on Dec. 4 and 12, respectively.
- Liam Marek (‘05/West Tisbury, Mass.) has put up seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points to lead his team in scoring.
- Chad Lowe (‘05/Skaneateles, N.Y.) is on a three-game winning streak in net and has a .927 save percentage to lead the Railers.
Elsewhere In The New England Division
- The Utica Jr. Comets went 2-1-0-0 last weekend, moving from a tie for sixth to fifth place in the division. They defeated the Boston Jr. Rangers, 4-2 and 5-4 at home, and then made a Sunday trip to face the Springfield Pics, against whom they fell 2-1.
- The Northern Cyclones went 1-0-1-0 over the last weekend, defeating the Boston Junior Bruins by an 8-2 score on Dec. 7, and then falling 2-1 in OT against the South Shore Kings. They are well-situated currently in fourth, six points above Utica in fifth and five points behind the third-place Kings.
- The Islanders Hockey Club and Worcester Railers JHC each earned a single win in their only action of December so far. On Dec. 6, the Islanders defeated the Kings 9-3 to give them that small two-point cushion over the Kings and remain in second place.
Canada Division
Universel Sherbrooke Enjoying Three-Win Streak
Sherbrooke drew both of the Canada Division-leading teams, the Hawkesbury Knights and Montreal Black Vees, defeating them 4-3 and 8-3, respectively. Their streak goes back to Nov. 30 against Somang.
- Victor Proulx (‘06/Trois-Rivieres, Que.) remains in the top five of goal-scoring with his 24 goals, and is the clear points leader for Sherbrooke with 39 points. He is on a four-game scoring streak with nine points over four games.
- Alexis Cloutier ( ) remains the leader in wins among Universel Sherbrooke goalies after earning his fifth this past weekend, improving to 5-3-0-0 with a 2.75 GAA.
Elsewhere In The Canada Division
- The Kingston Wranglers earned their second win of the season in their only action of the past week, defeating Somang L-L Hockey, 4-3.
Florida Division
Tampa Bay Juniors Go 2-1-0-0, Increase Division Lead
The Juniors head into their latest venture of a home-and-home against the Florida Jr. Blades with a four-point lead in the Florida Division, after going 2-1-0-0 over the past week. A 5-3 loss on Dec. 7 to Bold City was sandwiched between two decisive wins against Palm Beach. The Juniors hit double digits in both of the victories.
- The Juniors’ two wins drastically improved their goals per game from 5.12 as of Dec. 5 to their current 5.95 average, improving from 10th to sixth in the league.
- Leading scorer Augie Ashley (‘04/Falmouth, N.S.) was kept off the scoresheet for the first time in 10 games against Bold City, but rebounded with two goals in the second win over Palm Beach. He leads the team with 35 points, two off of his full-season 37-point total of last year.
Elsewhere In The Florida Division
- The Bold City Battalion and Florida Eels each played just one game last weekend, and each team picked up a win. On Dec. 12, the Eels defeated the Typhoon by a 6-2 score, which improved their point streak to 6-0-1-0. The Battalion has one win better at 7-0-1-0 after defeating Tampa on Dec. 7. The Battalion stand in second and the Eels are in third, one point behind.
Southeast Division
Charlotte Rush Take Three Points To Stand Second In Tight Division
Three teams are separated by two points in the ever-competitive Southeast Division, but the only squad to earn more than two this past weekend was the Charlotte Rush, who defeated the in-state rival Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, 4-1, on Dec. 7 and then fell 2-1 in OT on Dec. 8. The weekend set was the Rush’s first game action since Nov. 16.
- Goaltender Evan Crawford (‘04/Greenwich, Conn.) has won five of his last six games, and leads the team at 7-1-1-1 with a 1.57 GAA, which ranks him in the top five league-wide. By improving his save percentage from .946 to .947 in the last week, Crawford bumped up from third to second league-wide in that category. Crawford was a former Elite Rush standout, a great example of USPHL Advancement In Action.
- Leading scorer Levente Pakozdi (04/Budapest, Hungary) got right back to scoring despite the long layoff with three points against Carolina and now has a team-leading 28 points in 22 games.
