2024-25 SPHL Season Thread

[VaCaps Fan]

What is the condition of the Macon franchise?

 

[JMCx4]

What is the condition of the Macon franchise?

Too early to call. New ownership as of March 2024, same owners as Fayetteville. The latter relationship should offer some hope of a more successful future than previous eras of Macon pro hockey.

 

[JMCx4]

From: Inside The Rink > SPHL

SPHL Weekly Recap: Top Performances, Standings and What’s Ahead | Week 4
Karen Zehner
November 13, 2024

The past week in the SPHL was filled with action and significant movement in the standings. Fayetteville continued to dominate, extending their winning streak to five games and solidifying their position at the top of the league. Huntsville and Birmingham also showcased strong performances, maintaining their spots in the top three. Notable games included Huntsville’s decisive 5-1 victory over Macon and Roanoke’s narrow 2-1 win against Birmingham. As teams battle it out on the ice, fans are treated to intense matchups and standout individual performances, making for an exciting season so far. ...

Read more at:

SPHL Weekly Recap: Top Performances, Standings and What’s Ahead | Week 4 | Inside The Rink

The past week in the SPHL was filled with action and significant movement in the standings. Fayetteville continued to dominate, extending their winning streak to five games and solidifying their position at the top of the league. Huntsville and Birmingham also showcased strong performances...

insidetherink.com

 

[JMCx4]

From: The SPHL > News

Inside the SPHL – Thursday, November 21
November 21, 2024

HUNTERSVILLE, NC (November 21, 2024) – The SPHL has four days of hockey this week as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. Catch all the action on FloHockey at www.sphltv.com. ...

Read the News & Stats & Matchups for All 10 Teams at: Inside the SPHL – Thursday, November 21 | TheSPHL.com

 

[JMCx4]

Historic win record goes well beyond the ice for Peoria Rivermen hockey coach

Dave Eminian
Peoria Journal Star
Published 12:53 a.m. CT Nov. 24, 2024 | Updated 9:06 a.m. CT Nov. 24, 2024

PEORIA — The Peoria Rivermen put themselves in the win column Saturday and put head coach Jean-Guy Trudel in the history books.

Trudel became the SPHL all-time coaching victories leader, earning his 369th with a 4-1 win over the Pensacola Ice Flyers before 3,825 at Carver Arena. ...

Players and coaches from past and present sent videos or messages to the Journal Star for a tribute to the coach, who now is 369-129-64 all-time at Peoria's helm. It's the most wins for a coach in league history, and also a .713 win rate that is best all-time. ...

Read more at:

Historic win record goes well beyond the ice for Peoria Rivermen hockey coach

With a win Saturday in Peoria, no one has won more hockey games in the SPHL than Rivermen coach Jean-Guy Trudel.

www.pjstar.com

 

[JMCx4]

B'ham Bulls being hosted this evening by Hu'ville Havoc for a Thanksgiving hockey feast. Appropriate that they are skating on the "Roto-Rooter Ice" rink, just in case the boys overindulged with their pre-game holiday meals.

ETA: Bulls eked out a 5-4 overtime victory, moving them to 4th in the standings ahead of the Ice Bears. Havoc are now in the top spot ahead of the Marksmen, giving thanks for their OT loser point.

 

[JMCx4]

Inside The Rink seems to be the only media source beyond the League feeding any link-worthy SPHL content. It may be time for a merger with The Fed, to offer an ice-cold spicy combo to bottom tier North American pro hockey fans.

ITR - SPHL Weekly Recap: Top Performances, Standings and What’s Ahead | Week 8

 

[JMCx4]

From: The Pensacola Ice Flyers > News

Ice Flyers Create Special Moment In “My Wish” Day for Young Boy
By Bill Vilona, IceFlyers.com Correspondent
DECEMBER 12, 2024

PENSACOLA, FLA. – Nine-year-old Dalton White had never held a hockey stick, put on a helmet or attended an Ice Flyers game. The young local boy, who is battling through an illness, got to experience all of that on December 6th through Covenant Care’s My Wish program.

The day served as a heartwarming reminder of how sports can create unforgettable memories and bring joy to those who need it most. For White, what started as a simple wish to experience hockey turned into an extraordinary day filled with surprises, smiles, and the warmth of the Ice Flyers family. ...

Read more Extracurricular Celebration Details at: https://iceflyers.com/ice-flyers-create-special-moment-in-my-wish-day-for-young-boy/

 

[JMCx4]

SPHL play resumes on Boxing Day, with 5 games on the schedule. Here's the League's alphabetic look at each of its teams at this point in the season ...

Inside the SPHL – Thursday, December 26

December 26, 2024

HUNTERSVILLE, NC (December 26, 2024) – The holiday break is already long gone, as we have 15 games over the next three days for your post-Christmas viewing. Catch all the action at www.sphltv.com, powered by FloHockey.


Birmingham Bulls (9-7-3, T-5th overall)
• Carson Rose leads the SPHL with 17 goals in 15 games
• Taylor Brierley is second among defensemen with 12 assists and tied for third with 15 points
• Corson Green is second among rookies with a +9 rating
• Birmingham leads the league with a 27.1% conversion rate on the power play

LAST WEEK: Lost to Knoxville 3-2 on Thursday and 4-1 on Friday, lost 4-0 to Roanoke on Saturday
NEXT UP: Hosts Peoria on Thursday and Friday, hosts Macon on Saturday


Evansville Thunderbolts (8-11-4, T-7th overall)
• Tyson Gilmour leads all rookies with nine goals, 19 points, and five power-play assists
• Logan vande Meerakker leads all rookies in shots (68)
• Goaltender Ty Taylor ranks third in the SPHL with a 0.927 save percentage, while his 2.45 goals against average is fourth lowest
• Evansville is 5-0-0 when leading after two periods

LAST WEEK: Lost 6-0 to Peoria on Thursday, defeated Roanoke 6-2 on Friday, lost 4-3 (SO) to Knoxville on Saturday
NEXT UP: At Quad City on Thursday and Friday, hosts Quad City on Saturday


Fayetteville Marksmen (13-7-1, 3rd overall)
• Goaltender Ryan Kenny leads the SPHL in saves while ranking second with 11 wins
• Dalton Hunter’s 13 goals are tied for third-most in the SPHL
• Khristian Acosta and Alex Gritz are tied for second among rookies with ten assists
• Fayetteville has the league’s best road (93.8%) and overall (89.1%) penalty kill

LAST WEEK: Defeated Macon 3-1 on Friday, lost to Macon 5-2 on Saturday
NEXT UP: At Knoxville on Thursday and Friday, hosts Huntsville on Saturday


Huntsville Havoc (16-3-2, 1st overall)
• Huntsville is 8-1-1 in their last ten games and holds a five-point lead in the standings
• Jack Jaunich is tied for fourth in scoring with 24 points
• Goaltenders Brian Wilson (2.12) and Mike Robinson (2.51) are third and fifth in goals against average, while Robinson’s ten wins are third-most (tied)
• Huntsville is a perfect 6-0-0 when outshot by their opponent

LAST WEEK: Defeated Pensacola 5-4 (SO) on Friday, lost to Pensacola 3-2 on Saturday
NEXT UP: Hosts Roanoke on Thursday, at Roanoke on Friday, at Fayetteville on Saturday


Knoxville Ice Bears (12-8-1, 4th overall)
• Goaltender Stephen Mundinger is fourth in the SPHL with nine wins, a league-leading two of which have come in a shootout
• Tyler Williams leads all rookies with 12 assists and is second in rookie scoring with 17 points
• Dalton Skelly is second among defensemen with six goals while ranking third in points (15 – tied)
• Knoxville is 8-0-0 when scoring first and 9-1-0 when outshot by their opponent

LAST WEEK: Defeated Birmingham 3-2 on Thursday and 4-1 on Friday, defeated Evansville 4-3 (SO) on Saturday
NEXT UP: Hosts Fayetteville on Thursday and Friday, at Roanoke on Saturday


Macon Mayhem (7-12-1, 9th overall)
• Goaltender Dysen Skinner has the league’s best save percentage at 0.940
• Skinner also ranks second with a 2.03 goals against average
• Macon has three players in the top 15 rookie scorers (Tao Ishizuika, Zach Tyson, and Matteo Ybarra)
• The Mayhem are 7-1-0 when leading after two periods

LAST WEEK: Lost to Fayetteville 3-1 on Friday, defeated Fayetteville 5-2 on Saturday
NEXT UP: At Pensacola on Thursday, hosts Pensacola on Friday, at Birmingham on Saturday


Pensacola Ice Flyers (5-14-2, 10th overall)
• Pensacola is second in league attendance, averaging 6,076 fans per game
• Matt Wiesner is tied for second in the SPHL with two shorthanded goals
• Greg Smith leads all rookies with two shorthanded assists
• Smith also had a six-game assist streak in November, tied for the second-longest in the SPHL this season

LAST WEEK: Lost to Huntsville 5-4 (SO) on Friday, defeated Huntsville 3-2 on Saturday
NEXT UP: Hosts Macon on Thursday, at Macon on Friday, hosts Peoria on Saturday


Peoria Rivermen (12-4-3, 2nd overall)
• Colby Muise leads all netminders with 12 wins, a 1.79 goals against average, and four shutouts
• Zach Wilkie leads defensemen with 20 assists and 23 points
• Zack Nazzarett is second in rookie scoring with 15 points
• Peoria set a new team record for attendance last week, drawing 8,701 for their Education Day game on Thursday.

LAST WEEK: Defeated Evansville 6-0 on Thursday, lost to Quad City 7-4 on Friday and 4-3 (SO) on Saturday
NEXT UP: At Birmingham on Thursday and Friday, at Pensacola on Saturday


Quad City Storm (9-10-2, T-7th overall)
• Leif Mattson earned Warrior SPHL Player of the Week honors, scoring two goals and adding five assists to lead Quad City to a sweep of Peoria as the Storm extended their winning streak to four games.
• With his seven-point week, Mattson currently leads the league in points (36) while ranking second in goals (16), assists (20 – tied), and power-play goals (five – tied).
• Weiland Parrish leads the SPHL in assists (21), while his 27 points are second to his teammate.
• Rookie Johnny Witzke leads all defensemen with eight goals while ranking second in scoring from the blue line with 16 points

LAST WEEK: Defeated Peoria 7-4 on Friday and 4-3 (SO) on Saturday
NEXT UP: Hosts Evansville on Thursday and Friday, at Evansville on Saturday


Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (10-6-1, T-5th overall)
• Nick Ford ranks second in assists (20 – tied) and is third in points (26)
• Gustav Muller leads rookies with four power-play goals and is tied for fifth among first-year players with 14 points
• Austyn Roudebush ranks third among netminders in wins (10 – tied) and minutes
• The Rail Yard Dawgs are 9-1-0 when leading after two periods

Last Week: Lost to Evansville 6-2 on Friday, defeated Birmingham 4-0 on Saturday
Next Up: At Huntsville on Thursday, hosts Huntsville on Friday, hosts Knoxville on Saturday

 

[JMCx4]

2025 arrives, as does this League Standings snapshot ...

Top 8 teams will enter the playoffs after the first weekend of April. Based on recent past SPHL history, the Thunderbolts & Storm will just need to pick up a bi-weekly regulation win and occasional OT points to hold onto the final two spots.