Game 1

Eugene Generals (11-0-1, 23 points) 1st USP3 Pacific Division

Gallant Arena at Merrimack College

9pm

One of the newest members of the USPHL, the Eugene Generals have been off to a great start in 2016-17, posting points in all 12 games to date and sitting comfortably atop the USP3 Pacific division standings at 11-0-1.  Their 76 goals for on the season rank #1 in the Pacific and their 22 goals against also rank 1st.  Baxter Cox has lead the charge for the Generals, ranking 1st on the team and 1st in the entire USP3 in points with 32 on 13 goals and 19 assists.  Their power play unit ranks 4th in the USP3 at 28.6% while their penalty kill sits mid-pack in 17th at 82.2%.

Game 2

Alpena Flyers (4-3-1, 9 points) 5th USP3 Mid-West Division

Skate 3- White Rink

11:10am

Sporting the fewest games played in the USP3 mid-west division, the Alpena Flyers have hung in with the top dogs in the division to this point in the season, sitting 3 points out of 3rd place with 4-5 games in hand on the teams above them in the standings.  The Flyers also have the distinction as the only team this season to have defeated the top ranked Traverse City North Stars (10-1-0).  Their 25 goals for on the season rank #6 in the Mid-West and their 25 goals against rank 2nd fewest in the division.  The Alpena power play ranks 14th at 19.0% while their penalty kill ranks 14th at 83.3%.  Nicholas Baranyai has paced a balanced Flyers offense with 8 on 1 goals and 7 assists.  The Flyers power play unit ranks 14th in the USP3 at 19.0% while their penalty kill sits mid-pack in 14th at 83.3%.

Game 3

West Sound Warriors (2-9-1, 5 points) 4th USP3 Pacific Division

Skate 3- Blue Rink

4:30pm

Another one of the USPHL’s newest teams in the Pacific division hasn’t fared as well as the Eugene Generals.  The West Sound Warriors are off to a rough start, sitting at just 2-9-1 in the early going of the season, the Warriors have struggled to get it together, sitting dead last in the Pacific Division.  Their 35 goals for on the season are the fewest in the Pacific Division and their 77 goals against are the most allowed.  The West Sound power play ranks 23rd at 8.9% while their penalty kill sits in 22nd at 77.6%.  The Warriors have been top heavy on offense, relaying on Chris Mitchell (20 points) and Scotty Perkins (15 points) for over half the teams goals scored as the two have combined to score 22 of the teams 35 goals.  No other Warrior has double digit point totals on the campaign.

Game 4

Springfield Pics (0-16-0, 0 points) 5th USP3 North Division

Skate 3- White Rink

1:00pm

The Springfield Pics are another team off to a rough start, sitting winless at 0-16-0 in the early going of the season, the Pics have struggled keep the puck out of their own net, sitting dead last in the North Division.  Surprisingly though, through their 16 losses, only 3 have been blow outs, the Pics have been a competitive team in most every game this season, but have been unable to pull out the W with multiple 1 or 2 goal losses.  Their 39 goals for on the season are the 2nd fewest in the North Division and their 108 goals against are the most allowed in the North and are 60 more against than any other team in that division.  The Pics power play ranks 23rd in the league at 8.3% while their penalty kill is 26th at 73.0%.  Zakary Magyar is the only Springfield player with double digit points with 11.

Whalers USP3

(9-6-1, 19 points) 5th USP3 South Division

The Whalers USP3 team has found some consistency of late after an inconsistent start to the season.  The Whalers have won 5 of their last 6 games and climbed within 1 point of 4th and 6 back of 3rd in the standings.  Their 71 goals for rank 5th in the 11 team division and their 38 goals against are the 2nd fewest allowed.  The Whalers power play has been very good, sitting atop the league at 30.6% while their penalty kill sits as a top 10 unit in the league at 86.1% in 8th.  Eight different Whalers have posted double digit point totals so far this season, with Matt Hanchon (23), Gary Eastlack (22), and Max Loga (20), each topping the 20 point mark so far on the season.

Game 1

New York Aviators (4-8-0, 8 points) 8th Elite North Division

Skate 3- Red Rink

4:30pm

The New York Aviators season had been below average for a team that has historically been a force, sitting at just 4-8-0 on the season and in 8th out of 10 teams in the North division.  The Aviators have scored 39 goals to date on the campaign, ranking them 7th in the division in goals for, while they have surrendered 59 goals against, which rank them with the 8th most in the North.  The New York power play sits in 13th in the Elite league at 20.4% while their penalty kill unit ranks them 19th at a dismal 77.5%.  The Aviators are paced on offense by CJ Bradburn and Alex Sprague with 15 points each.

Game 2

Forest Lake Lakers (8-3-3, 19 points) 3rd Elite Mid-West Division

Skate 3- White Rink

7:30am

The Forest Lake Lakers first season as an Elite squad and under a new head coach has started strong, as the Lakers sit in 3rd in the Mid-West at 8-3-3.  The Lakers have scored 64 goals to date on the campaign, ranking them 2nd in the division in goals for, while they have surrendered 42 goals against, which rank them with the 7th most in the Mid-West.  The Forest Lake power play sits in 7th in the Elite league at 24.7% while their penalty kill unit ranks them 18th at a dismal 77.6%.  The Lakers are paced on offense by Dalton L’allier and Cooper Hoheisel with 18 points each.

Game 3

Boston Jr. Bruins (6-6-0, 12 points) 7th Elite North Division

Skate 3- Red Rink

6:40pm

The typical powerhouse Boston Jr. Bruins have been anything but so far in the 2016-17 season, sitting with just a .500 record through 12 games at 6-6-0 in the early portion of the season.  The Bruins have scored 52 goals to date on the campaign, ranking them 5th in the division in goals for, while they have surrendered 45 goals against, which rank them with the 6th most in the North, very un-Bruin-like numbers.  The Boston power play sits in 3rd in the Elite league at 30.3% while their penalty kill unit ranks them 25th out of 29 teams at a brutal 77.6%, which may explain some of their early season struggles.  The Bruins are paced on offense by Louis Stamatakos with 18 points and Mark Barton with 16 points.

Game 4

Islanders Hockey Club (14-0-0, 28 points) 1st Elite North Division

Skate 3- Red Rink

11:55am

The showcase will end with a match-up everyone has been anticipating, the defending USPHL Champs against the undefeated Islanders Hockey Club as the top teams in both the South and North square off in what should be a barn burner.  The Islanders are led by a familiar face in former Palm Beach Hawks head coach Tim Kyrkostas and an Islanders roster which has many familiar former Palm Beach players on it.  The new look Islanders have been on a tear to start the season, sitting at 14-0-0, they are one of only 5 Tier 3 teams in the country with an undefeated record which includes another USPHL team in the Florida Jr. Blades USP3 squad.  The Islanders have scored 96 goals on the season, which ranks them 1st in the North and 2nd in the Elite league only to the Whalers.  The Islanders have scored 32 more goals for than the next closest team in their division.  Even more impressive, the Islanders have only surrendered 20 goals in 15 games played, which ranks them as the fewest in the North and 2nd fewest in the Elite league to only the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings in the Mid-West.  The Islanders power play ranks 5th in the league at 28.3% while their penalty kill unit is the best in the league at 96.2%.  The Islanders are paced by Danny Ferri with 19 points and Joseph Mortillaro with 18 points. 

Whalers Elite

(16-1-1, 33 points) 1st Elite South Division

The Whalers Elite team has picked up right where it left off from last season Championship squad, winning 16 of their first 18 games and securing points in all but one of them, with their lone regulation loss coming against the Carolina Eagles. Their 119 goals for rank 1st in the Elite League, North, South, or Midwest while their 26 goals against are the fewest allowed in the South and 3rd fewest in the entire Elite league.  The Whalers power play has been very good, sitting 4th in the league at 28.4% while their penalty kill sits as a top 5 unit in the league at 90.1% in 3rd.  The dynamic Whalers offense boosts the top 3 scorers in the entire league with Roman Gaudet (35), Brandon Osmundson (35), and Billy Brock (33) leading the charge.  The newest Whaler, goalie Sean Dickson, is 9-0 in 9 starts with 5 shutouts.

The Islanders USPHL Showcase will be played at two different locations.

Gallant Arena at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA is a two sheet facility and Skate 3 Arena in Tynsboro, MA is a 3 sheet complex that will host an action packed weekend of USPHL Hockey.

All games can be seen live online on HockeyTV (formerly Fast Hockey)

News and Notes

Trade Alert: The Whalers have acquired 1997 forward Trevor Byers (Chesterfield, VA) from the Richmond Generals in exchange for 1996 forward Jordan Shannon (Newport News, VA). The 6’0, 190 pound power forward will join the Whalers in time for this weekend’s trip to Carolina.