SPHL Today: 02-25-23

Contact: awest@thesphl.com

HUNTERSVILLE, NC (February 25, 2023) – The Southern Professional Hockey League continues its 19th season with five games tonight. You can follow all the action this season at www.sphltv.com

Huntsville @ Fayetteville (6:00 p.m. EST, 5:00 p.m. CST)

Huntsville Havoc (25-14-2)

• Goalie Nick Latinovich ranks tied for second in the SPHL with 15 wins, while his 2.72 gaa is the fourth-best amongst netminders
• Sy Nutkevitch is third in the league with 32 assists
• Dominick Procopio is third in the league with a +23 rating
• Huntsville is 3-1-0 against Fayetteville

Fayetteville Marksmen (18-19-6)

• Brian Bowen and Drake Glover are tied for the Marksmen lead with 17 goals
• Bowen also leads the Marksmen in assists (26), and points (43)
• Austin Alger is second in the league lead among rookies with 15 power play points
• Brian Bowen ranks tied for first in the league with 206 shots on goal
• Fayetteville is 1-3-0 against Huntsville

Quad City @ Macon (6:30 p.m. EST, 5:30 p.m. CST)

Quad City Storm (18-22-2)

• Michael Moran leads the Storm with 15 goals
• Tommy Tsicos leads the team lead with 14 assists
• Kevin Resop leads the league in goals against average (2.40 gaa) and save percentage (0.920%)
• Quad City is 1-0-0 against Macon

Macon Mayhem (7-29-2)

• Tommy Munichiello (10g, 14a) leads the Mayhem with 24 points.
• Rhett Kingston leads the Marksmen with 13 goals
• David Nippard’s 17 assists are a team-high.
• Macon is 0-1-0 against Quad City

Knoxville @ Roanoke (7:30 p.m. EST, 6:30 p.m. CST)

Knoxville Ice Bears (25-15-3)

• Center Justin MacDonald leads the SPHL with 74 points (32g, 42a), and his 32 goals are a league-best
• MacDonald’s 42 assists are a league-best
• MacDonald’s 12 power play goals are tied for the most in the league
• MacDonald was named the SPHL player of the Month for January after posting 21 points, 11 goals, and 10 assists in 11 games played
• MacDonald is chasing history as he has the chance to catch or pass Kevin Swider’s team-record 106 points in a single season.
• When outshooting their opponents, Knoxville is 9-3-1
• Knoxville is 3-4-0 against Roanoke

Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (24-14-3)

• Billy Vizzo leads the Dawgs with 17 goals
• Nick Ford (9g, 29a) leads the Dawgs with 38 points
• Nick Ford’s 29 assists are a team-best
• Roanoke defenseman Stephen Alvo is second amongst all blue liners with 98 shots
• Goalie Austyn Roudebush boasts a league-best 19 wins and is tied for second with a 2.47 goals-against average
• The Dawgs sit in fifth in the SPHL standings with 51 points
• Roanoke is 4-2-1 against Knoxville

Pensacola @ Birmingham (8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST)

Pensacola Ice Flyers (21-18-1)

• Garrett Milan is second in the league with 34 assists
• Milan is also second in the SPHL with 57 points (23g, 33a)
• Milan became Pensacola’s all-time points leader on February 3rd, securing his 207th point as a member of the Ice Flyers.
• Kolten Olynek (15g, 18a) is tied for third in rookie scoring with 33 points
• Olynek’s 15 goals are first among rookies
• Ryan Orgel is third among rookies in power-play assists (10) and is tied for fifth with 12 power play points
• The Ice Flyers have the top home power play, converting 35 of 84 chances (41.7%), while also having the top-ranked power play overall with 46 goals in 144 chances (31.9%)
• Pensacola is 3-7-0 against Birmingham

Birmingham Bulls (26-14-3)

• Michael Gillespie is tied for third in the league with 21 goals
• Gillespie is third in the SPHL with 52 points (21g, 31a)
• Gillespie’s 31 assists are third in the SPHL
• Birmingham is a league-best 19-1-0 this season when scoring first
• Birmingham is 7-1-2 against Pensacola

Peoria @ Evansville (8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST)

Evansville Thunderbolts (23-15-2)

• Zane Steeves ranks tied for fifth in the league with 11 wins
• Scott Kirton (19g, 19a), and Aaron Huffnagle (8g, 30a) are tied for the team lead with 38 points
• Aaron Huffnagle leads Evansville and ranks tied for fifth in the league with 30 assists
• The Thunderbolts are 15-3-0 when scoring first
• Evansville is 3-3-1 against Peoria

Peoria Rivermen (31-9-3)

• Alec Hagaman leads the Rivermen in goals (19), assists (30), and points (49)
• Hagaman is tied for fifth in the league with 12 power play assists along with teammate Alec Baer.
• Tyler Barrow is fourth among rookies with 30 points (11g, 19a)
• Zach Wilkie leads the league with a +36 rating
• Eric Levine leads the league with four shutouts
• Peoria is the first team this season to reach the 30-win mark
• Peoria is 4-2-1 against Evansville