Contact: awest@thesphl.com
HUNTERSVILLE, NC (March 11, 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
Fayetteville @ Birmingham (8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST)
Fayetteville Marksmen (18-20-8 | 8th, 44 pts)
• 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 tied for first in the league lead among rookies with 17 power play points
• Brian Bowen ranks second in the league with 206 shots on goal
• Fayetteville is 1-3-0 against Birmingham
Birmingham Bulls (30-14-3 | 2nd, 63 pts)
• *Clinched playoff berth*
• Mike Davis is third in the league with 22 goals
• Michael Gillespie is tied for second in the league with 24 goals
• Gillespie is third in the SPHL with 56 points (24g, 32a)
• Gillespie’s 31 assists are tied for the fifth most in the SPHL
• Goalie Austin Lotz is second in the SPHL with 18 wins and his 2.93 gaa is sixth-best in the league.
• Birmingham is a league-best 21-1-1 this season when scoring first
• Birmingham is 3-1-0 against Fayetteville
Macon @ Evansville (8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST)
Macon Mayhem (9-32-3 | 10th, 21 pts)
• Rhett Kingston leads the Marksmen in points (26) and goals (17)
• David Nippard’s 18 assists are a team-high.
• Goalie Nick Latinovich ranks fourth in the SPHL with 15 wins, while his 2.72 gaa is the fifth-best amongst netminders (Traded to Macon from Huntsville)
• Macon is 1-1-1 against Evansville
Evansville Thunderbolts (26-16-2 | 6th, 54 pts)
• Zane Steeves ranks sixth in the league with 11 wins
• Aaron Huffnagle (9g, 32a) lead the Thunderbolts with 41 points
• Aaron Huffnagle leads Evansville and is fourth in the league with 32 assists
• The Thunderbolts are 17-3-0 when scoring first
• Evansville is 2-1-0 against Macon
Roanoke @ Huntsville (8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (26-15-4 | 5th, 56 pts)
• Billy Vizzo leads the Dawgs with 17 goals
• Nick Ford (11g, 31a) leads the Dawgs with 42 points
• Nick Ford’s 31 assists are a team-best
• Roanoke defenseman Stephen Alvo is second amongst all blue liners with 101 shots
• Goalie Austyn Roudebush boasts a league-best 20 wins and is second with a 2.50 goals-against average
• Roanoke is 2-2-0 against Huntsville
Huntsville Havoc (28-15-2 | 3rd, 58 pts)
• Sy Nutkevitch is third in the league with 35 assists
• Nutkevitch leads the Havoc with 50 points (15g, 35a)
• Derek Perl (+24) and Dominick Procopio (+24) are tied for second in the league in +/- rating
• Huntsville is 2-2-0 against Roanoke
Knoxville @ Pensacola (8:05 p.m. EST, 7:05 p.m. CST)
Knoxville Ice Bears (27-16-3 | 4th, 57 pts)
• 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
Pensacola Ice Flyers (22-19-4 | 7th, 48 pts)
• Garrett Milan is second in the league with 38 assists
• Milan is also second in the SPHL with 62 points (24g, 38a)
• Milan became Pensacola’s all-time points leader on February 3rd, securing his 207th point as a member of the Ice Flyers.
• Kolten Olynek (17g, 19a) is tied for first in rookie scoring with 37 points
• Olynek’s 18 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 50 goals in 158 chances (31.6%)
• Pensacola is 1-0-1 against Quad City
Quad City @ Peoria (8:15 p.m. EST, 7:15 p.m. CST)
Quad City Storm (20-25-2 | 9th, 42 pts)
• Michael Moran leads the Storm with 18 goals
• Moran was named the SPHL Player of the Week for the second time this season after posting three goals, two assists, and a +1 rating.
• Tommy Tsicos leads the team lead with 16 assists
• Kevin Resop is third in the league in goals against average (2.53 gaa) and is fourth in save percentage (0.917%)
• Quad City is 5-9-0 against Peoria
Peoria Rivermen (33-11-3 | 1st, 69 pts)
• *Clinched Playoff Berth*
• Alec Hagaman leads the Rivermen in goals (19), assists (31), and points (50)
• Alec Hagaman is fifth in the league with 13 power play assists
• Tyler Barrow is sixth among rookies with 30 points (11g, 19a)
• Zach Wilkie leads the league with a +32 rating
• Eric Levine leads the league with five shutouts
• Peoria is the first team this season to reach the 30-win mark
• Peoria is 9-3-1 against Quad City
