Contact: awest@thesphl.com
HUNTERSVILLE, NC (November 4, 2023) – The SPHL continues its 20th season with four games tonight. You can follow all the action this season at https://flosports.link/SPHL
Knoxville @ Fayetteville (6:00 p.m. EST, 5:00 p.m. CST)
Knoxville Ice Bears (0-5-0, 0 pts, 10th)
• Justin Portillo leads the league with 33 penalty minutes in three games
• Finished with a 32-22-3 record last season, 6th seed in SPHL playoffs
• Brady Fleurent returns after finishing top five in shooting percentage last season (21.5%)
• Goaltender Zane Steeves comes to the Ice Bears after playing last season in Evansville where the netminder posted a 2.97 GAA and a .912 sv%
• Kristian Stead also returns after finishing top five in wins (20), minutes played (1,818.00), and saves (956)
• Knoxville is 0-1-0 against Fayetteville
Fayetteville Marksmen (3-1-1, 7 pts, 3rd)
• Simon Bokoyo ranks tied for second among rookies with six points (2g, 3a)
• Brendon Michaelien ranks second among defensemen with three points (1g, 2a)
• Max Johnson is tied for third with six points (4g, 2a)
• Goaltender Conor O’Brien returned to the Marksmen and stopped 31 of 32 shots faced on Friday (.970 sv%)
• Home opener record 4,711 fans packed the Crown Coliseum
• Fayetteville is 1-0-0 against Knoxville
Pensacola @ Roanoke (7:05 p.m. EST, 6:05 p.m. CST)
Pensacola Ice Flyers (2-2-0, 4 pts, 7th)
• Brett Mercones is tied for second with five goals
• Ivan Bonderenko ranks tied for third in the league with six points (1g, 5a)
• Dallas Comeau ranks tied for third with 4 goals
• Stephen Mundinger ranks fourth among goaltenders with a 1.85 goals-against average
• Bondarenko returns after his 55-point season (15g, 40a)
• Mitch Adkins returns, following his career-best point season in which the Center tallied 46 points (9g, 37a)
• Pensacola is 0-1-0 against Roanoke
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (4-0-1, 9 pts, 1st)
• Nick Ford ranks tied for first with eight points (2g, 6a)
• Ford ranks tied for first with three power-play assists
• Alvo collected two points (1g, 1a) in their 4-0 win on opening night
• Austyn Roudebush collected the first shutout in the 2023-24 season, stopping all 27 shots he faced on opening night
• Hoisted their 2023 Presidents Cup banner in front of their home crowd for the first time in franchise history
• The Dawgs return their top three leading scorers from last season in Nick Ford (54p), Mac Jansen (49p), and CJ Stubbs (47p)
• Roudebush returns for his sixth season, fresh off his President’s Cup MVP award.
• Roanoke is 1-0-0 against Pensacola
Macon @ Evansville (8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST)
Macon Mayhem (2-2-1, 5 Pts, 6th)
• Jake Goldowski ranks tied for first in the SPHL with eight points (3g, 5a)
• Alex Laplante and Goldowski are tied for the league lead with a +8 rating while teammate Jamie Dorsey is second with a +7 rating
• Joey Berkopic and Laplante are tied for the league lead in shooting percentage (33.3%)
• Tommy Munichiello ranks tied for third in the SPHL with 17 shots
• Josh Boyko returns to the Mayhem alongside newcomer Jimmy Poreda as the tandem between the pipes
• CJ Hayes returns to Macon after collecting 28 points on 12 goals, and 16 assists in 27 games last season for the Mayhem
• Macon is 0-0-1 against Evansville
Evansville Thunderbolts (1-2-0, 2 pts, 9th)
• Evansville is second in the SPHL with an average of 20 penalty minutes through two games
• Bair Gendunov ranks tied for second with seven points (2g, 5a)
• Chays Ruddy ranks tied for fourth among defensemen with two points (1g, 1a)
• Brandon Harrogate returns after posting a 42-point season (17g, 25a) last season for the Thunderbolts
• Goalies Hayden Lagvine and Sean Kuhn will be the tandem in net to start the season
• Evansville is 1-0-0 against Macon
Birmingham @ Huntsville (8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST)
Birmingham Bulls (3-2-0, 6 pts, 5th)
• Drake Glover (3g, 5a) and Carson Rose (2g, 6a) rank tied for first with eight points
• Kishaun Gervais leads the league with six goals *Gervais is currently on loan in the ECHL*
• Hayden Stewart leads the SPHL with two shutouts
• Gervais and Stewart were named SPHL Co-Players of the Week after Gervais’ five-goal weekend and Stewarts two shutouts
• Troy MacTavish is tied for third with a +6 rating
• Rose is tied for second with six assists
• Birmingham is 1-1-0 against Huntsville
Huntsville Havoc (3-1-1, 7 pts, 4th)
• Brothers, Doug and Phil Elgstam both tallied goals against the Ice Flyers. With Doug netting a hat trick in their 5-2 victory on Friday night
• Doug Elgstam is tied for second with five goals, and also ranks tied for second with six points (5g, 1a)
• Dominick Procopio returns after posting the second highest +/- last season (+29)
• Brian Wilson (1.44 gaa) and Matt Peitzan (1.50 gaa) have combined to go 3-0 between the pipes, stopping 126 of 132 shots combined, placing both in the top five in goals against average.
• Huntsville is 1-1-0 against Birmingham
