Contact: awest@thesphl.com
HUNTERSVILLE, NC (March 17, 2023) – The Southern Professional Hockey League continues its 19th season with four games tonight. You can follow all the action this season at www.sphltv.com
Pensacola @ Fayetteville (7:15 p.m. EST, 6:15 p.m. CST)
Pensacola Ice Flyers (23-20-5 | 7th, 51 pts)
• Garrett Milan is tied for the top spot in the league with 40 assists
• Milan is also second in the SPHL with 64 points (24g, 40a)
• Milan became Pensacola’s all-time points leader on February 3rd, securing his 207th point as a member of the Ice Flyers.
• Kolten Olynek (18g, 21a) is third in rookie scoring with 39 points
• Olynek’s 18 goals are tied for first among rookies
• Ryan Orgel is third among rookies in power-play assists (10) and is fifth with 12 power play points
• The Ice Flyers have the top home power play, converting 36 of 94 chances (38.3%), while also having the top-ranked power play overall with 53 goals in 175 chances (30.3%)
• Pensacola is 1-1-1 against Fayetteville
Fayetteville Marksmen (19-21-8 | 8th, 46 pts)
• Drake Glover leads the Marksmen with 18 goals
• Brian Bowen leads the Marksmen in assists (26), and points (43) (Loaned to ECHL Norfolk on February 13th)
• Bowen ranks second in the league with 206 shots on goal
• Austin Alger is tied for first in the league lead among rookies with 18 power play points
• Set SPHL single-game attendance record with 9,500 in attendance on education day vs. Pensacola on March 16th.
• Fayetteville is 2-1-0 against Pensacola
Huntsville @ Macon (7:30 p.m. EST, 6:30 p.m. CST)
Huntsville Havoc (30-15-2 | 3rd, 62 pts)
• Clinched playoff berth
• Sy Nutkevitch is fourth in the league with 36 assists
• Nutkevitch leads the Havoc with 51 points (15g, 36a)
• Derek Perl (+23) and Dominick Procopio (+23) are tied for second in the league in +/- rating
• Huntsville is 3-0-0 against Macon
Macon Mayhem (9-33-3 | 10th, 21 pts)
• Rhett Kingston leads the Marksmen in points (27) and goals (18)
• David Nippard and Kyle Soper are tied for the team lead with 18 assists
• Goalie Nick Latinovich ranks tied for fourth in the SPHL with 16 wins, while his 2.78 gaa is the sixth-best amongst netminders (Loaned to ECHL Florida on March 14th)
• Macon is 0-3-0 against Huntsville
Roanoke @ Knoxville (7:35 p.m. EST, 6:35 p.m. CST)
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (26-16-4 | 6th, 56 pts)
• Billy Vizzo leads the Dawgs with 17 goals
• Nick Ford (13g, 32a) leads the Dawgs with 45 points
• Ford’s 32 assists are a team-best
• Roanoke defenseman Stephen Alvo is second amongst all blue liners with 104 shots
• Goalie Austyn Roudebush boasts a league-best 21 wins and is third with a 2.44 goals-against average
• Roanoke is 5-3-1 against Knoxville
Knoxville Ice Bears (28-17-3 | 5th, 59 pts)
• Center Justin MacDonald leads the SPHL with 72 points (32g, 40a), and his 32 goals are a league-best (Currently on 21-day IR retroactive to March 8th)
• MacDonald’s 40 assists are tied for the 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
• When outshooting their opponents, Knoxville is 10-4-1
• Knoxville is 4-5-0 against Roanoke
Evansville @ Birmingham (8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST)
Evansville Thunderbolts (28-17-2 | 4th, 58 pts)
• Trevor Gorsuch and Zane Steeves rank tied for fifth in the league with 12 wins
• Aaron Huffnagle (10g, 37a) lead the Thunderbolts with 47 points
• Aaron Huffnagle leads Evansville and is third in the league with 37 assists
• The Thunderbolts are 19-3-0 when scoring first
• Evansville is 1-3-1 against Birmingham
Birmingham Bulls (31-14-3 | 2nd, 65 pts)
• Clinched playoff berth
• Mike Davis is tied for fourth in the league with 22 goals (Placed on 21-day IR retroactive to March 10th)
• 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 32 assists are tied for the fifth most in the SPHL
• Goalie Austin Lotz is second in the SPHL with 20 wins and his 2.82 gaa is seventh-best in the league.
• Birmingham is a league-best 23-1-1 this season when scoring first
• Birmingham is 4-1-0 against Evansville
