Absolutely incredible Kyle Ziemba has been tearing up the league with his two way defensive play. He is a stalwart on the Eels blue-line. in 40 games he has an impressive 5 goals and 29 assists. He is without doubt a top college prospect. He will lead his team into playoff’s and march into Nationals.
Summaries by Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com
Florida Division
Forward: Maverick Crupi, Florida Eels
Crupi (‘03/St. Petersburg, Fla.) has been a key part to the Eels’ Florida Division-clinching success all season long, and that certainly continued over the last couple games. Crupi scored three goals and added four assists as the Eels climbed to 11 straight victories. He has 47 points in 38 games.
Defense: Giovanni Grassi, Atlanta MadHatters
The ‘03 from Bologna, Italy, keeps showing up here for a reason, because he puts up massive performances on a regular basis now. He put up four goals and an assist over two games as the playoff-bound MadHatters cruised past the Columbia Infantry last weekend. Grassi has 15 points in 18 games since joining out of the NCDC.
Goaltender: Adam Rouleau, Florida Eels
Rouleau (‘04/Rouyn-Noranda, Que.) keeps wowing the Eels faithful, most recently by earning back-to-back shutouts against the Florida Jr. Blades and Palm Beach Typhoon. The goaltender with QMJHL experience put up 38 saves combined between the two games for his second and third shutouts since joining the Eels in December. He is 7-0 with a 0.71 GAA and a .970 save percentage.
Breaking News
The Florida Eels Premier team moves up 1 spot to the number 2 position in the National Rankings.
Way to go guys.
The Eels Elite Team did it again!!!!!!! The USPHL Regular Season Divisional Champs. They took down the Palm Beach Typhoon 6-4 who were looking to gain some daylight and climb the latter in the standings. The Eels were not prepared to give up a win. They are on a roll. They have momentum and want to carry it into the playoffs. We have a few remaining regular season games to play. All cylinders are firing. All teh boys are contributing.
The Typhoon sit in 4th place just below the Madhatters. The Eels are in 1st place and will take on the 4th place seed. As far as the Eels are concerned they care less who they play in the playoffs. They take one opponent at a time. One shift one period one game. They have their eye on the big picture that is nationals but they are fully aware our 1st job is to win the playoffs. We wont get too far ahead.
Yesterday’s game was a 6-4 win. We had goals from a bunch of different guys It was great Outstanding job boys
The Eels Premier team delivered a crushing blow to the Palm Beach Typhoon. A hammering 8-0 loss. Ouch. The Eels were not healthy. Many guys were out with the flu and it was not your typical hi octane flying offense. No it was game that was tight on the Eels part,. Strict structure. The goal was to take opportunities given to us. To force turn overs and puck retrieval. And the plan was extremely well executed.
The Typhoon needed this win as it would have piloted them up in the standings. But rather the loss left everything stagnant. The Jr Blades remain on the Typhoon heels. There is a dog fight between 2-5th place teams and it is so up in the air for those 4 teams it has to be unnerving.
In any event, the Eels climbed to 20 points ahead of the Madhatters who are in 2nd place. But the Madhatters have Tampa on their heals with 45 points.
So buckle up for the ride.
On an interesting note, just look at the Eels players stats. But be careful. Be very cautious clicking that button. As the milestones are RED HOT. Our guys are tearing it up and in one of the toughest divisions in the USPHL Indeed, this is one of the toughest Divisions to score in. Have fun and enjoy
An update to yesterday’s #USPHLPlayoffs Watch List:
It’s Saturday, and we have a full slate today with four NCDC, eight USPHL Elite and 23 USPHL Premier games!
Three teams have clinched spots since Thursday: South Shore Kings, Hershey Cubs and the Dells Ducks.
Premier Conference
Florida Division
We have a first place lock (Eels) and four teams in the middle fighting for second through fifth.
Third-place Tampa hosts the Florida Jr. Blades (fifth). Second place Atlanta hosts the Infantry.
An Atlanta win keeps them in second. A loss, coupled with a Tampa win, drops them to third. A Jr. Blades win will springboard them into fourth over the idle Palm Beach.
Great Lakes Division
Toledo (first) hosts Columbus (third) and the Jets (second) host Cincinnati (fourth). Toledo needs a three-point swing to lock up the first seed, which could happen today with a Cincinnati upset.
Mid-Atlantic Division
The top five teams can finish no worse than fifth. Hershey and Elmira battle for sixth and seventh.
Three teams are fighting for the eighth and final spot.
Four games today:
A P.A.L. (eighth place) win will eliminate the Jersey Hitmen, and leave P.A.L. to fight with Buffalo (ninth) for the last seat on the bus. Buffalo hosts sixth-place Elmira today.
Utica (No. 4) hosts Connecticut (fifth) and the WBS Knights (second) host the Rockets Hockey Club (third). A Connecticut win would put them in a tie with Utica, who will still have four games in hand.
First through third cannot change today.
Midwest East Division
Ft. Wayne (first) hosts MJDP (second).
The battle for Chicago sees the Cougars (fourth) host the Crush (fifth)
Decatur Blaze (seventh) hosts Battle Creek (sixth)
None of these games will change the standings.
Midwest West Division
Isanti Outlaws (sixth) host the Minnesota Moose (third)
Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings (fourth) host the Hudson Havoc (first).
The Minnesota Squatch (second) host the Minnesota Blue Ox (seventh).
– Hudson can clinch first with a win.
– The Squatch can clinch second with a win and a Moose loss.
– The Moose can clinch third with a win and a Wisconsin Rapids loss.
– A Wisconsin win would put them permanently ahead of Isanti or the Ox if either of them lose.
Mountain Division
Provo (fifth) is still vying for fourth place. A loss against Northern Colorado (third) would relegate them to fifth.
New England Division
The Northern Cyclones (first) host the fourth-place Springfield Pics in the only action. The outcome won’t change the standings
Northwest Division
Vernal Oilers (first) host the Rock Springs Prospectors (third)
Seattle Totems (second) host Rogue Valley Royals (fourth)
A win by Rock Springs or a loss by Rogue Valley will clinch the third seed for Rock Springs and a playoff trip to Seattle.
Rogue Valley will be left to battle Bellingham (fifth) to visit Vernal in the first round.
Pacific Division
We have four teams in and three teams out.
Ontario (fourth) could leapfrog idle Las Vegas (third) with a win over Bakersfield (fifth).
The other games will not affect the standings.
Southeast Division
Nashville (fourth) host Carolina (fifth)
Nashville has two games remaining, both this weekend, both vs. Carolina
Nashville can’t fall out of fourth this weekend, but they will be done tomorrow and will sit and wait for Carolina to play their last five games. They have to bank four points this weekend and cheer for Richmond next weekend and Charlotte at the end.
Elite Conference
Florida Division
Tampa (second) host the Blades (sixth). Tampa are chasing the idle Eels for first place. The next Eels win or Tampa loss will clinch first for the Eels.
Atlanta (fourth) are chasing idle Palm Beach (third). A win over the Infantry will put them in third by two points, but the Typhoon will have three games in hand.
Mid-Atlantic Division
We have a first place lock (WBS Knights), and four teams in the middle fighting for second through fifth.
The Hitmen (second) host P.A.L. (third) and the results of this game won’t change standings, unless P.A.L. loses and the Rockets (fourth) beat WBS on the road and shift into second.
New England Division
Northern Cyclones (first) host Springfield (fourth).
Junior Bruins (fifth) host Islanders Hockey Club (second)
Both underdogs need a win to postpone elimination. The Cyclones could clinch the No. 1 seed and the Islanders the No. 2seed today.
Southeast Division
Four teams are in, and two teams are out. Eight points separate first from fourth.
These four teams all meet at Pineville on March 10. We’re just trying to see who they each play.
A Carolina Jr. Hurricanes (first place) win over Nashville will help them retain first. It would also eliminate Richmond (fourth) from being able to clinch first.
A Potomac (third place) win over Hampton Roads Whalers won’t change their position.
The Rush (second) are idle.
Well the Premier team have locked up 1st place and the Elite team has its eye on doing the same thing. What we need is simply a win or tie Yes 1 point and 1st place belongs to the Eels. Look to the Eels to bring home the win. This ought to be a very exciting game.
Southeast Division
Forward: Matthew Hamacher, Richmond Generals
The Premier veteran Hamacher (‘03/Corona, Calif.) put up three goals and an assist as the Gens swept the Charlotte Rush and then beat the Potomac Patriots on Tuesday. The Generals qualified for the Premier playoffs this past weekend, and they’ll bring Hamacher who now has 65 points in 93 career contests.
Defense: Cutter Lewis, Charlotte Rush
Lewis (‘03/Salt Lake City, Utah) posted a goal and blocked six shots during the Rush’s hard-fought series against their rivals the Rush. He has picked up seven points over 23 games this season for Charlotte, a team that is ranked second in league points.
Goaltender: Lenny Perno, Richmond Generals
Perno (‘02/Rochester, N.Y.) has a long history with the USPHL, going back to the 16U level in 2018-19. Now in his third Premier season and second with the Generals, Perno put up 53 saves on 54 Charlotte Rush shots and then stopped two Rush shootout attempts for the big win on Feb. 5 in a 2-1 Generals win.
Florida Division
Forward: Liam Hennessy, Florida Eels
Hennessy (‘02/Calgary, Alb.) had a fantastic three-game stretch since the start of February, putting up four goals and three assists. His first Premier hat trick came on Feb. 3, when he put up a 3-1-4 line in a 7-6 OT win over the Columbia Infantry. Overall, he has 45 points in 37 games.
Defense: Artjoms Kadnikovs, Tampa Bay Juniors
Kadnikovs (‘03/Riga, Latvia) was a +3 and he had a goal and two assists for three points, as the Juniors defeated the Palm Beach Typhoon in two games straight. He has already equaled his 2021-22 points (20) in 32 games this season.
Goaltender: Blake Mons, Tampa Bay Juniors
Mons (‘02/Charleston, S.C.) is currently second on the list of Premier games played by a goalie with 78 in his four-year career in Tampa, and Charleston prior to that. Recently, he showed just how much experience can provide leadership by putting up 28 saves in a shutout over the Palm Beach Typhoon. His career save percentage is a .914.
Forward: Wesley Wilding, Richmond Generals
Three games down, three wins in the standings. The defending National Champions have already clinched their playoff berth to begin a whole new quest for hardware, and a lot of that will have to do with the production of players like Wilding (‘04/London, Ont.), who put up 4-3-7 in two wins over Charlotte and an additional W against Potomac.
Defense: Wesley Sweitzer, Charlotte Rush
Sweitzer and the Rush fought valiantly against a very determined Richmond team, including putting up two assists, along with a team-leading 14 shots on goal over the weekend as well as four blocked shots. Sweitzer has registered points in nine of their last 10 games, and has collected 28 points in 31 games.
Goaltender: Aidan Mirra, Richmond Generals
Mirra (‘03/Malvern, Pa.) was on fire with 43 saves on 44 shots in one of the Generals’ two victories against the Rush, good for a .977 save percentage. He has improved to 5-4-0-1, and he hasn’t given up more than two goals in his last four games. He also has a .924 save percentage and 2.10 goals against average.
Florida Division
Forward: Cole Taylor, Florida Eels
Taylor (‘05/Plainfield, Ill.) put together a great run of four goals and one assist in their first three February contests. He had his four games spread out over three games for a nice mini-streak. He has helped the Eels to a winning streak of 6-0, while posting five of his eight points between Feb. 1-7.
Defense: Frederick Bonebrake, Tampa Bay Juniors
Bonebrake (‘05/Lithia, Fla.) has been one of the top defensive players from the Florida Division, putting up 39 blocked shots this season. Recently, in the team’s first couple of February games – both wins against Palm Beach – he put up a goal and two assists. Overall, he has 17 points in 31 games.
Goaltender: Loic St. Denis-Lacombe, Florida Eels
St. Denis-Lacombe (‘04/Ruoyn-Noranda, Que.) put up 23 saves on 24 shots, and he improved to 4-4-1-1 overall on the season with the win. The Eels’ goaltending corps have helped them win 27 of 39 games this year.
Florida Division
Lorenzo Marchetta, Florida Eels
The top point-producer of the whole South Region (and second in the league), Marchetta ran through teams left and right, north and south. He posted nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points in a 6-2-2-1 month for the Eels. The Fort Myers squad leads the division by 11 points. Overall, Marchetta has 60 points in 36 games.
Colby Sims, Atlanta MadHatters
Sims (‘04/Rocky Mountain House, Alb.) jumped right out on 2023 with a 10-point run at the USPHL Tampa Showcase, and just kept on rolling to end up with 9-8-17 by the end of the month. Atlanta qualified for the Elite playoffs during the month, and Sims is third on the team with 40 points.
Lucas Nichols, Palm Beach Typhoon
Nichols was on a roll with a 14-point month (6-8-14) through January, putting up points in all but one of the playoff-bound Typhoon’s games. He ended January on an eight-game, 12-point scoring streak as well – and extended that to nine games with his first February action. Overall, Nichols has 43 points in 37 games to rank second on the Typhoon.
Defense
Jachym Cermak, Florida Eels
Always a two-way threat, Cermak had his best month of the season, with his 16 points more than his November and December output combined. He scored the bulk – 12 points – in his final five games of the month. Along with a +4, he has posted 40 points to stand in a tie for the league lead with Carolinas Colby Markham.
Carter Trussler, Tampa Bay Juniors
Trussler (‘06/Land O’Lakes, Fla.) helped the Juniors to remain at second in the Florida Division with a 4-3-0-1 record for the month. Putting up a +6 rating, he also had six assists in eight games. That point total helped him place in a tie for second on the Juniors in the month of December. Trussler leads the Tampa defense with 21 points in 37 games.
Goaltender
Jake Mork, Florida Eels
Mork emerged as the only completely undefeated goaltender on the Florida Division’s top team, going 4-0 in the month of January. He stopped 98 of 107 shots over the course of January for a .916 save percentage. Mork remains on a six-game winning streak since rejoining the Eels in December.
Tagged: Florida Division, Players Of The Month, USPHL Elite
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