HUNTERSVILLE, NC (November 21, 2024) – The SPHL closes out November with a four-day holiday feast of games. Catch all the action on FloHockey at www.sphltv.com.
Birmingham Bulls (6-2-2)
• Birmingham hosted Macon for their only game of the week, securing a 5-2 win on Friday
• Five different players found the back of the net for the Bulls as Corson Green and Taylor Brierley each scored their first of the season, while Carson Rose netted his league-leading ninth goal
• Michael Gillespie, Ryan Romeo, and Drake Glover all chipped in with a pair of assists in the win
NEXT UP: Birmingham heads up I-65 on Thanksgiving for a pair of games against Huntsville (7:00 p.m. CT Thursday and Friday) before ending their weekend at Pensacola on Saturday (7:05 p.m. CT)
Evansville Thunderbolts (6-5-2)
• Evansville faced Quad City in a home-and-home series, winning 3-1 on the road Friday and 8-3 in front of their home crowd on Saturday
• Ty Taylor earned both wins, including his first of the season on Friday when he stopped 29 of 30 shots
• Scott Kirton recorded a goal and three assists on Saturday, breaking the all-time franchise record for points by collecting his 115th as a Thunderbolt
NEXT UP: Evansville has a three-game road trip as they travel to Quad City on Wednesday (6:10 p.m. CT) before heading to Knoxville for a two-game series on Friday and Saturday (7:05 p.m. ET)
Fayetteville Marksmen (8-3-1)
• Fayetteville was on the road this past weekend, falling 4-3 in overtime at Knoxville on Friday at 3-1 Macon on Saturday
• On Friday, Fayetteville rallied from a three-goal deficit to force overtime against the Ice Bears. John Moncovich scored twice, including the tying goal, and assisted Austen Long on the first goal of the comeback.
• Despite the loss on Saturday, Austen Long extended his point streak to three games, while Mason Emoff scored his fifth goal of the season
NEXT UP: Fayetteville welcomes Knoxville to the Crown Coliseum on Wednesday (7:00 p.m. ET) before heading to Roanoke on Friday (7:05 p.m. ET)
Huntsville Havoc (8-2-1)
• Huntsville hosted Roanoke on Friday in their only game, scoring a 3-2 win to move them into second place in the standings and extend their winning streak to three games
• Huntsville rallied from a 2-0 deficit after one period, as Jack Jaunich, Austin Alger, and Giovanni Procopio scored in the comeback win
• Procopio scored his fifth goal of the season with just 1:26 remaining in the third period to give Huntsville a 3-2 lead
NEXT UP: Huntsville travels to Pensacola on Wednesday (7:05 p.m. CT) before returning home to host in-state rival Birmingham on Thursday and Friday (7:00 p.m. CT)
Knoxville Ice Bears (7-5-1)
• Knoxville had a three-game week, winning 2-1 against Roanoke on Thursday and 4-3 in overtime over Fayetteville on Friday before falling 4-0 to Macon on Sunday
• Goaltender Stephen Mundinger made 44 saves on Thursday to lead Knoxville to the 2-1 win
• Mike Eagan scored his first SPHL goal to put Knoxville up 3-0 in the first period on Saturday.
• Derek Osik scored Knoxville’s overtime goal after Fayetteville rallied from a three-goal deficit
NEXT UP: Knoxville travels to North Carolina to play Fayetteville on Wednesday (7:00 p.m. CT) before hosting Evansville on Friday and Saturday (7:05 p.m. ET)
Macon Mayhem (5-6-1)
• Macon played three games last week, falling 5-2 to Birmingham on Friday before winning 3-1 against Fayetteville on Saturday and 4-0 over Knoxville on Sunday
• Zach Tyson scored two goals on Saturday to lead the Mayhem, as five of his six goals this season have come in the last four games, and all five have been against the Marksmen.
• Goaltender Tyson Skinner earned Warrior SPHL Player of the Week honors after seeing his first action of the season with the Mayhem. Skinner went 2-0-0 with a 0.44 goals against average, a 0.986 save percentage, and one shutout.
• After stopping all nine shots in a relief appearance against Birmingham on Friday, Skinner got the start on Saturday against first-place Fayetteville and led the Mayhem to a 3-1 win, making 28 saves. Skinner was between the pipes again on Sunday and recorded his first professional shutout, making 31 saves in Macon’s 4-0 blanking of Knoxville.
NEXT UP: Macon travels to Roanoke on Wednesday (7:05 p.m. ET) before returning home to host Pensacola at the Macon Centreplex on Friday (7:00 p.m. ET)
Pensacola Ice Flyers (2-9-1)
• Pensacola traveled to Peoria this past weekend, falling 5-0 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday
• Cayden Cahill scored Pensacola’s only goal on Saturday, his third of the season
• Cameron Cook and Cory Dennis picked up the assists on Cahill’s goal
NEXT UP: Pensacola hosts Huntsville on Wednesday (7:05 p.m. CT) and Birmingham on Saturday (7:05 p.m. CT) with a Friday trip to Macon in between (7:00 p.m. ET)
Peoria Rivermen (7-2-2)
• Peoria swept Pensacola at Carver Arena last weekend, shutting out the Ice Flyers 5-0 on Friday and posting a 4-1 win on Saturday to extend their winning streak to four games
• Alec Baer scored once in Peoria’s win on Friday and extended his point streak to a league-high 11 games on Saturday with his seventh goal of the season
• Goaltender Colby Muise stopped all 31 shots on Friday to record his first shutout of the season
• With Saturday’s triumph, Peoria head coach Jean-Guy Trudel became the winningest head coach in SPHL history with his 369th regular season victory. Trudel also holds the record for most playoff wins with 31.
NEXT UP: Peoria faces Quad City in a weekend series as they host the Storm on Friday (7:15 p.m. CT) before traveling to Vibrant Arena at The Mark on Saturday (7:10 p.m. CT)
Quad City Storm (4-6-1)
• Quad City faced Evansville in a weekend series, falling 3-1 on Friday at home and 8-3 on Saturday at the Ford Center
• Lukas Lacny, acquired earlier in the week from Evansville, scored his first SPHL goal on Friday.
• Leif Mattson scored his eighth goal of the season on Saturday to maintain second place in SPHL scoring with 16 points
NEXT UP: Quad City hosts Evansville on Wednesday (6:10 p.m. CT), heads to Peoria on Friday (7:15 p.m. CT) before finishing the weekend at home against the Rivermen on Saturday (7:10 p.m. CT)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (5-5-1)
• Roanoke was on the road this past week, falling 2-1 in Knoxville on Thursday and 3-1 in Huntsville on Friday
• Tommy Munichiello scored Roanoke’s only goal on Thursday and would add a power play tally on Friday, while Jacob Kelly had a goal and an assist against the Havoc
• Austyn Roudebush stopped 36 of 39 shots on Friday as the Dawgs were outshot 39-20
NEXT UP: Roanoke stays home for the Thanksgiving holiday as they welcome Macon on Wednesday and Fayetteville on Friday (7:05 p.m. ET both nights)
