Contact: awest@thesphl.com
HUNTERSVILLE, NC (April 16, 2023) – The Southern Professional Hockey League continues the 2023 SPHL Presidents Cup Playoffs with Fayetteville visiting Birmingham in a winner-take-all game tonight. You can follow all the action this season at www.sphltv.com
Fayetteville @ Birmingham (7:00 p.m. EST, 6:00 p.m. CST)
Fayetteville Marksmen (26-22-8 | 7th Seed)
• Austin Alger led the Marksmen with 21 goals.
• Alger was named to the SPHL All-Rookie team after his 51-point season (21g, 30a).
• Alger led all rookies with 51 points, while also ranking second with 19 power play points.
• Set SPHL single-game attendance record with 9,500 in attendance on education day vs. Pensacola on March 16th.
• Fayetteville was 1-4-0 against Birmingham in the regular season. They are 1-1-0 in the playoffs.
Birmingham Bulls (37-16-4 | 2nd Seed)
• Michael Gillespie finished tied for second in the league with 27 goals.
• Gillespie was named to the All-SPHL 1st team after recording 60 points (27g, 33a)
• Mike Davis finished tied for sixth in the league with 23 goals.
• Goalie Austin Lotz finished tied for the league lead with 24 wins and his 2.73 gaa was seventh-best in the league.
• Hayden Stewart became the first goalie in SPHL history to score a goal when he netted an empty-net goal in the waning seconds against Evansville on March 18, 2023.
• Birmingham was a league-best 28-2-1 this season when scoring first.
• Head coach Craig Simchuk was named the SPHL Coach of the Year after having the best single-season point turnaround (36-point differential) in SPHL history after going from 42 points last year to 78 points this season.
• Birmingham was 4-1-0 against Fayetteville in the regular season. They are 1-0-1 in the playoffs.
