EHL Season Gets Into Full Swing with Ice Breaker Showcase in Massachusetts
WALPOLE, MA — With the start of the Eastern Hockey League season comes the start of the showcase series. This weekend, all EHL and EHLP teams will head to Massachusetts for the Ice Breaker Showcase.
All EHL games will take place at Cadillac Ice Arena in Walpole, MA – home of the Express Hockey Club, while most EHLP games will be played at the New England Sports Village in Attleboro, MA. This will be the first of three showcases this season.
Here are some of the top stories to keep an eye on, as the EHL season officially kicks into high gear with the first showcase of the season.
Hit the ground running
A handful of EHL teams will head to Walpole with a 2-0-0 record, including three teams from the South Division.
The New Jersey 87’s started their title defense with a pair of wins over New York Apple Core, as veteran forwards Ivan Kulagin (3g, 1a) and Alex Haar (5a) are leading the charge. Philadelphia Hockey Club also swept a back-to-back with 3-2 and 6-2 victories over the New Jersey Bears, Liam Kansler and Jaydon Jones each recorded two goals plus an assist between those two games. Rounding out the South, the Little Flyers won a pair of close games against the Pennsylvania Huntsmen with 3-1 and 1-0 victories. Ross Temple scored in both games while Tadeas Bezdek pitched a 19-save shutout in the second win.
In the North Division, the East Coast Wizards and New England Wolves won their first two games of the season. The Wizards opened the season with a 4-3 win over the Valley Jr. Warriors and followed that up with a 5-3 victory against the Connecticut Nor’Easter. Cayden Miceli leads the team with three goals and five points, including game-winning tallies in each win. The Wolves opened their season with a thrilling 6-5 overtime win against the New Hampshire Avalanche. Charles-Etienne Roy tied the game in the final second of regulation while Emils Toms Terlins scored the game-winning goal in the closing moments of OT. They kept that momentum going with a commanding win over the Bridgewater Bandits as Flavio Commusset notched two goals and an assist.
The Nor’Easter is the only EHL team that played three games prior to the showcase. Despite the aforementioned loss against the Wizards, they picked up a 5-1 win against the Connecticut RoughRiders and a 5-3 victory over the Providence Capitals. Josh Hauser (2g, 5a) and Samuel Strand (3g, 3a) are two leading scorers in the league thus far.
Matchups to watch
The Ice Breaker Showcase will have no shortage of quality matchups throughout the weekend. The hosting Express will open things up on Thursday morning with a game against the Nor’Easter before taking on the Little Flyers on Friday.
This showcase will also feature a rematch of last year’s Regional Final between the 87’s and Capitals; New Jersey will also face HC Rhode Island and the Nor’Easter throughout the weekend.
The Avs will also take on the Capitals with a 1pm puck drop on Thursday, and will follow that up with a marquee matchup against Philadelphia Hockey Club on Friday. Staying in the North Division, the Wizards will have three great matchups as they face PHC on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Huntsmen on Friday and HC Rhode Island on Saturday.
Premier Division showdown in Attleboro
In addition to the EHL games, all Premier teams will participate in the Ice Breaker Showcase. Most games will take place at the New England Sports Village, but some will also be played at Cadillac Ice Arena.
Heading into the weekend, the Providence Capitals (3-0-0) and Union Jr. Thunder (2-0-0) lead the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Conferences respectively. The Caps won a pair of games against the Nor’Easter along with a 4-3 overtime win against the Seahawks Hockey Club. AJ Bauchrowitz (2g, 5a) and Mason Czaban (3g, 2a) have driven the Caps’ offense and are the two leading point-getters in the EHLP at the end of week one. In the showcase, Providence will take on the 87’s, the Atlantic City Seals and the Wolves.
Union started their season with a 4-3 win over the Bears and a 6-3 win against the Seals last week. Matej Denk, Radek Jenik and Simon Zavorka all have two goals and two assists each for Union, as the team will take on the Seahawks, Nor’Easter and Wolves this weekend.
Speaking of the Seals, they will be a team worth keeping an eye on for the Premier games. In their first-ever game, they turned a 2-0 deficit into a 7-4 win over the Little Flyers. Rick Sandman had a pair of goals while Ryan Vanderhoff had a goal and three helpers. Coming into the showcase with a 1-1-0 record, the Seals will take on the Nor’Easter, Caps and Express this weekend.
How to catch all the action
All of the games this weekend will be streamed on FloHockey. Be sure to keep up with the EHL on social media (X: @EHL_Hockey / Instagram: @easternhockeyleague). Recaps of all the games will also be posted right here on the EHL website throughout the showcase.