SPHL Weekly Recap: Top Performances, Standings and What’s Ahead | Week 3

(10/18/2024 -11/3/2024)

As the SPHL season heats up, fans can look forward to a series of thrilling matchups in the coming days. The Fayetteville Marksmen, currently leading the standings, will face off against the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs and the Knoxville Ice Bears. Meanwhile, the Huntsville Havoc and Birmingham Bulls, both vying for top positions, have crucial games lined up against the Pensacola Ice Flyers and each other. With teams like the Quad City Storm, Peoria Rivermen, and others also in action, the upcoming schedule promises intense competition and exciting hockey action.

Scoring Trends

Consistency Across Periods: Teams like the Fayetteville Marksmen and Peoria Rivermen show consistent scoring across all periods, indicating balanced offensive strength throughout the game. Fayetteville, for example, has strong first-period scoring (10 goals) and maintains steady performance in subsequent periods.

Strong Second Periods: The Peoria Rivermen and Birmingham Bulls have excelled in the second period, with Peoria scoring 11 goals and Birmingham scoring 10. This suggests both teams have remained effective at making adjustments and capitalizing on opportunities after the first intermission.

Defensive Challenges: Teams like the Pensacola Ice Flyers and Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs faced a few defensive challenges, especially in the second and third periods. Pensacola has allowed 13 goals in the second period and six in the third.

Overtime Performance: The Fayetteville Marksmen and Quad City Storm have shown clutch performance in overtime, each scoring two goals and allowing none. Both teams have performed well under pressure and have secured wins in some rather tight situations.

Early Game Struggles: The Knoxville Ice Bears have struggled in the first period, not scoring any goals and allowing eight. This suggests they may need to focus on stronger starts to avoid falling behind early in games.

Balanced Scoring and Defense: The Huntsville Havoc have demonstrated balanced scoring and defense, with relatively even goal counts across all periods and a low number of goals allowed (12 overall). This balance is crucial for sustained success throughout the season for the Havoc.

Top Three Teams: Performance Highlights and Records

In the latest analysis of team performances from the start of the regular season, Birmingham, Evansville, and Fayetteville have emerged as the top three contenders. These teams have demonstrated exceptional consistency and resilience across various game situations. Birmingham stands out with its strong performance when leading after the first and second periods, showcasing their ability to maintain and capitalize on early advantages. Evansville, despite mixed results, has shown significant improvement when tied after the second period, indicating their potential to turn games around. Fayetteville, with its impressive record when leading and outshooting opponents, highlights their strategic gameplay.

Birmingham

Birmingham has shown strong performance when leading after the 1st and 2nd periods, with records of 1-0-0-0 and 4-0-1-0, respectively. They also perform well when tied after the 1st period (3-0-1-0) but struggle when trailing after the 1st and 2nd periods. Birmingham has a balanced record when outshooting their opponents (1-1-0-0) and when being outshot (2-0-1-0). In 1-goal games, they have a record of 1-0-1-0 and excel in 3-goal games with a record of 3-1-0-0.

Evansville

Evansville has mixed results when leading after the 1st period (1-2-1-0) and no record when leading after the 2nd period. They struggle when tied after the 1st period (0-2-0-0) but perform better when tied after the 2nd period (2-1-1-0). They have difficulties when trailing after the 2nd period (0-3-0-0) and a mixed record when outshot by opponents (2-2-1-0). In 1-goal games, they have a record of 2-1-1-0 but struggle in 2-goal and 3-goal games.

Fayetteville

Fayetteville performs well when leading after the 1st and 2nd periods, with records of 3-0-0-0 and 3-0-0-0, respectively. They also have a good record when tied after the 1st period (1-1-0-0) and when tied after the 2nd period (2-0-0-0). They struggle when trailing after the 2nd period (0-1-0-0) but have a strong record when out shooting their opponents (4-0-0-0). In 1-goal games, they have a record of 2-0-0-0 and perform well in 2-goal games (2-1-0-0).

Points Leaders

Here are the points for the top overall points leaders in the SPHL:

1. Carson Rose (Birmingham Bulls) – 10 points (8 goals, 2 assists)
2. Cole Golka (Quad City Storm) – 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists)
3. Leif Mattson (Quad City Storm) – 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists)
4. Nick Ford (Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs) – Nine points (1 goal, 8 assists)
5. Weiland Parrish (Quad City Storm) – Eight points (3 goals, 5 assists)

Leaders in Assists

The top five players in the SPHL have been making significant impacts on their teams this season in just assists. Nick Ford of the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs leads with 1 goal and eight assists in six games, showcasing his playmaking abilities and accumulating nine points. Jake Maynard, a rookie defenseman for the Quad City Storm, has been impressive with six assists in five games, while averaging 1.20 points per game. Grant Loven from the Fayetteville Marksmen has contributed two goals and six assists in six games, totaling eight points and a +6 rating, demonstrating his consistency on the ice. Cole Golka of the Quad City Storm has been a standout with five goals and five assists in five games, giving him 10 points and a +7 rating. He also scored one game-winning goal. Leif Mattson, also from the Quad City Storm, matches Golka’s stats exactly, his including one power-play goal and three game-winning goals. These players have been pivotal in their teams’ successes and are definitely ones to watch as the season progresses.

Current Streaks

Goals:

• Tyler Barrow (Fayetteville): two goals in two games
• Phil Elgstam (Huntsville): two goals in two games
• Matt Wiesner (Pensacola): two goals in two games
• Jordan Ernst (Peoria): four goals in two games

Assists:

• Alec Baer (Peoria): five assists in five games
• Cole Golka (Quad City): five assists in five games
• Leif Mattson (Quad City): five assists in five games

Points:

• Alec Baer (Peoria): eight points in six games

Rookie Points Leaders

1. Tim Kent (Roanoke): 6 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 PTS
2. Gustav Müller (Roanoke): 6 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 PTS
3. Jake Maynard (Quad City): 5 GP, 0 G, 6 A, 6 PTS

Goaltending

Goaltending Leaders

1. Brian Wilson (Huntsville Havoc): two games played, 123 minutes and 51 seconds, 1 win, 1 overtime loss, 4 goals against, 1.94 goals against average, 65 shots against, 61 saves, 0.938 save percentage.
2. Mike Robinson (Huntsville Havoc): four games played, 241 minutes and 51 seconds, 3 wins, 8 goals against, 1.98 goals against average, 129 shots against, 121 saves, 0.938 save percentage.
3. Mason Beaupit (Peoria Rivermen): one game played, 60 minutes, one win, 2 goals against, 2.00 goals against average, 34 shots against, 32 saves, 0.941 save percentage. (Rookie)

Special Teams Breakdown

Overall Power Play Record (Top 3)

1. Peoria Rivermen: six games, 26 advantages, 7 power-play goals, 26.9%
2. Birmingham Bulls: sixgames, 17 advantages, 4 power-play goals, 23.5%
3. Quad City Storm: five games, 17 advantages, 4 power-play goals, 23.5%

Overall Penalty Killing Record (Top 3)

1. Evansville Thunderbolts: seven games, 24 times shorthanded, 1 power-play goal against, 95.8%
2. Huntsville Havoc: six games, 22 times shorthanded, 2 power-play goals against, 90.9%
3. Fayetteville Marksmen: six games, 20 times shorthanded, 2 power-play goals against, 90.0%

Scores

(10/28/24-11/3/2024)

• October 29:
  • Peoria 5, Evansville 2 at Ford Center
• November 1:
  • Pensacola 3, Roanoke 1 at Berglund Center
  • Huntsville 3, Evansville 1 at Ford Center
  • Macon 1, Birmingham 4 at Pelham Civic Complex
  • Peoria 9, Quad City 3 at Vibrant Arena at The MARK
• November 2:
  • Knoxville 0, Fayetteville 2 at Crown Coliseum
  • Pensacola 2, Roanoke 7 at Berglund Center
  • Evansville 2, Huntsville 1 at Roto-Rooter Ice at Propst Arena
  • Macon 4, Birmingham 1 at Pelham Civic Complex
  • Quad City 4, Peoria 3 at Peoria Civic Center
• November 3:
  • Pensacola 3, Fayetteville 4 at Crown Coliseum (OT)

Upcoming Games:

• November 8:
  • Macon vs. Huntsville at Roto-Rooter Ice at Propst Arena – 8:00 pm EST
  • Knoxville vs. Pensacola at Pensacola Bay Center – 8:05 pm EST
  • Roanoke vs. Birmingham at Pelham Civic Complex – 8:05 pm EST
  • Fayetteville vs. Quad City at Vibrant Arena at The MARK – 8:10 pm EST
  • Evansville vs. Peoria at Peoria Civic Center – 8:15 pm EST
• November 9:
  • Knoxville vs. Pensacola at Pensacola Bay Center – 8:05 pm EST
  • Macon vs. Evansville at Ford Center – 8:05 pm EST
  • Fayetteville vs. Quad City at Vibrant Arena at The MARK – 8:10 pm EST
• November 10:
  • Knoxville vs. Huntsville at Roto-Rooter Ice at Propst Arena – 6:00 pm EST

Fines and Suspensions

On November 2, 2024, the SPHL announced that Birmingham’s Filimon Ledziankou had been suspended for one game under Rule 28, Supplementary Discipline. This suspension followed his actions in Game 21 against Macon, where he was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for boarding at 3:13 of the third period. As a result, Ledziankou missed Birmingham’s game against Macon that evening.

Kolby Johnson from Pensacola has been suspended for two games following his actions in Game 25 against Roanoke on November 2. He received a major penalty for fighting and a game misconduct for being the aggressor. Johnson missed the game against Fayetteville and will also miss the upcoming game against Knoxville.

Meanwhile, Patriks Marcinkevics from Macon has been suspended for one game due to his actions in Game 27 against Birmingham, also on November 2. He was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and received a game misconduct for making an obscene gesture. Marcinkevics will miss Macon’s game against Huntsville on Friday.

Recent Transactions

Huntsville: Left winger Phil Elgstam had been activated from injured reserve (IR), while defenseman Terry Ryder was placed on the 14-day IR. (11/2)

Peoria: Goaltender Mason Beaupit was released from his PTO. (11/2) Defenseman John Aonso was placed on waivers and the team signed right winger Frank Trazzera to a contract. (11/4)

Roanoke: Left winger Ryan Hunter had been signed to a contract. Defenseman Filip Hlavac and left winger Tobias Odjick have both been placed on the 14-day IR. (11/2)

Birmingham: Defenseman Parker Allison was activated from the injured reserve and traded to Macon for future considerations. (11/3)

Evansville: Right winger Carson Gallagher was released from his PTO. (11/4)

Macon: Goaltender Zach Denny, who was serving as an emergency backup, was released. (11/4)

Quad City: The team placed defenseman Connor Mullins on waivers and activated defenseman Michael Greco from IR. (11/4)