Contact: awest@thesphl.com
HUNTERSVILLE, NC (January 5, 2024) – The SPHL continues its 20th season with five games this evening. You can follow all the action this season at http://sphltv.com/
Knoxville @ Fayetteville (7:00 p.m. EST, 6:00 p.m. CST)
Knoxville Ice Bears (8-13-2, 18 pts, 9th)
• Brady Fleurent leads the Ice Bears with 12 goals
• Dawson McKinney (2g, 11a) ranks eighth among rookies with 13 points
• Tyler Rollo (4g, 8a) ranks ninth (tied) among rookies with 12 points
• Knoxville is 1-3-1 against Fayetteville
Fayetteville Marksmen (16-5-3, 35 pts, 3rd)
• Simon Boyko was named the SPHL Player of the Month for December after posting 16 points (8g, 8a) and a +3 rating over 10 games played.
• Boyko leads the SPHL with 102 shots
• Boyko leads all rookies with 28 points (14g, 14a)
• Boyko is third (tied) in the SPHL with 28 points (14g, 14a)
• Boyko is fourth (tied) in the SPHL with 14 goals
• Ryan Leith is second among rookies with a +13 rating
• Home opener record 4,711 fans packed the Crown Coliseum
• Fayetteville is 4-1-0 against Knoxville
Pensacola @ Macon (7:00 p.m. EST, 6:00 p.m. CST)
Pensacola Ice Flyers (13-12-0, 26 pts, 5th)
• Zac Herrmann is third among defensemen with four goals and is sixth in points with 14 (4g, 10a)
• Recently acquired Joseph Widmar ranks second in the SPHL with 30 points (6g, 24a)
• Widmar’s 24 assists are the most in the SPHL
• Brett Mercones is seventh (tied) with 24 points (15g, 9a) and his 15 goals are the third most in the SPHL
• Garrett Milan is sixth (tied) with 25 points (8g, 17a). Milan’s 17 assists are the fourth most in the league (tied)
• Ivan Bondarenko’s 16 assists are the fifth most (tied) in the league
• Pensacola is 4-0-0 against Macon
Macon Mayhem (5-13-4, 14 Pts, 10th)
• Josh Boyko leads the SPHL with 663 saves
• Alex LaPlante (7g, 8a) ranks sixth (tied) among rookies with 15 points
• Michael McChesney is third overall (tied) with four power-play goals, and leads all rookies
• McChesney also ranks fourth among rookies with 19 points (9g, 10a)
• Macon is 0-3-1 against Pensacola
Birmingham @ Roanoke (7:05 p.m. EST, 6:05 p.m. CST)
Birmingham Bulls (17-4-3, 37 pts, 1st)
• Stewart leads the SPHL in GAA (1.51), sv% (.945), wins (13) and leads the league lead in shutouts (3).
• Nikita Kozyrev is second among all rookies with 24 points (8g, 16a). His 16 assists are the most among rookies
• MacGregor Sinclair ranks fifth (tied) among rookies with 16 points (4g, 12a)
• Drake Glover ranks fourth in the SPHL with 27 points (17g, 10a). His 17 goals are the second most in the SPHL
• Birmingham is 0-0-1 against Roanoke
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (13-7-3, 29 pts, 4th)
• Nick Ford ranks eighth (tied) with 23 points (5g, 18a)
• Ford’s 18 assists are tied for third in the SPHL
• Xavier Filion leads all rookies with three game-winning goals
• Austyn Roudebush is second in the SPHL in goals against average (2.06) and save percentage (.925)
• Brenden Pepe ranks third among defensemen with 17 points (5g, 12a)
• Hoisted their 2023 Presidents Cup banner in front of their home crowd for the first time in franchise history
• Roanoke is 1-0-0 against Birmingham
Quad City @ Evansville (8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST)
Quad City Storm (11-11-0, 22 pts, 7th)
• Matt Ustaski (18g, 13a) leads the SPHL with 31 points and his 18 goals lead the league
• Leif Mattson is seventh (tied) in the SPHL with 24 points (12g, 12a)
• Defenseman Dillion Fournier is fourth amongst all blueliners with 16 points (1g, 15a). His 15 assists are tied for the second most among defensemen
• Tommy Tsicos scored a goal in his 200th appearance for the franchise in a 4-1 defeat to the Rivermen earlier this season
• Quad City is 5-1-0 against Evansville
Evansville Thunderbolts (8-13-3, 19 pts, 8th)
• Bair Gendunov is sixth (tied) in the SPHL with 25 points (10g, 15a)
• Matt Dorsey ranks sixth among rookies with 15 points (6g, 9a)
• Chays Ruddy ranks eighth (tied) among defensemen with 10 points (4g, 6a)
• Evansville is 1-4-1 against Quad City
Peoria @ Huntsville (8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST)
Peoria Rivermen (17-6-2, 36 pts, 2nd)
• Zach Wilkie leads all defensemen with 26 points (6g, 20a), his 20 assists are the most among blue liners
• Mike Gelatt (6g, 7a) is seventh (tied) in points among rookies with 13
• Tristan Trudel is second (tied) among all rookies with nine goals
• Coach’s son Tristian Trudel suits up for the Rivermen this season, becoming the first-ever father-son coaching and playing duo in SPHL history
• Franchise record, 8,701 fans vs Quad City on December 14th
• Peoria is 1-1-0 against Huntsville
Huntsville Havoc (11-10-4, 26 pts, 6th)
• Brian Wilson is fourth among SPHL goaltenders with a 2.31 gaa and a .920 save percentage.
• Wilson also ranks third in the SPHL with 401 saves
• David Thomson is third (tied) with three game-winning goals
• Alex Kielczewski is second among defensemen with 18 points (3g, 15a) while his 15 assists are also second (tied) among blueliners.
• Huntsville is 1-1-0 against Peoria