Short Shifts: Through Week 12

Winning streaks and big individual performances highlight this week’s Short Shifts

HAVERHILL, MA — In the Eastern Hockey League, the month of December is usually known as a sprint. Teams take a break during Thanksgiving weekend, then come back for a jam-packed schedule for a few weeks in December before a showcase to close out the calendar. Afterwards, teams head home for the holiday break.

The Mid-Season Snowdown showcase in Connecticut is right around the corner, and teams are wrapping up their final slate of games before they close out the calendar year at the league-wide event.

With this week’s edition of Short Shifts, here are some of the top stories from the late-November and early-December sprint towards the holiday break.

Grand Central

• HC Rhode Island took down the Connecticut RoughRiders on Wednesday to extend their winning streak to 14 games. 
• Three of their players are currently in the top 10 in points among EHL skaters. Ernests Muska is second in the league with 38 (15g, 23a), Aiden Forcier is fifth with 36 points (17g, 19a), and Austin Haldane is 10th with 20 points (14g 15a).
• The leading scorer, however, is New York Apple Core forward Gage Winter. The second-year EHL vet has 40 points in 21 games with 18 goals and 22 assists.
• Winter put up seven points in Apple Core’s win over the Connecticut RoughRiders on Tuesday, recording two goals and five assists. He followed that performance with a goal and an assist in New York’s 3-2 victory over the Connecticut Nor’Easter on Wednesday.
• Apple Core has won six of their last eight games, and the team is now seven points behind the second-place Providence Capitals.
• Meanwhile the Caps are 2-0-1 in their last three. Last Friday, the Caps took down the Bridgewater Bandits, 5-4 in overtime, thanks to a game-winning goal from Vladimir Zhakarov. On Wednesday, Maddax Watson scored a pair of goals in the Caps’ 4-2 win against the Seahawks Hockey Club.

Full Steam Ahead

• The Express Hockey Club started out the year 5-5-0, and have since won eight in a row. They are only one point behind the first-place Seahawks in the East Division with four games in hand.
• Ville Bodin scored two more goals on Thursday, leading the Express to a 5-3 win over the Seahawks. Bodin now has 23 goals in 18 games, and he’s three goals away from matching his total from last season.
• Nate Brissette has also been on fire as of late, recording eight points (3g, 5a) in four games over the past week.
• In the North Division, the New Hampshire Avalanche have won four in a row as they sit in first place with a 17-3-1 record.
• Their latest win came on Tuesday, a 4-2 victory over the Bridgewater Bandits. Ben Carfora and Danny Storella each had a goal and two assists.
• In the South Division, Philadelphia Hockey Club has won seven straight. Forward Ryan Jaffe has six points in his last three games (3g, 3a).
• The 87’s, who are coming off back-to-back shutout wins over the Philadelphia Little Flyers, will take on PHC on Friday and will be featured as the EHL Game of the Week on FloHockey.

Around the EHLP

• The New Hampshire Avalanche is on a 12-game heater and leads the Northeast Conference with a 19-3-0 record. Their most recent win was a 4-1 victory over the Seahawks, and Avs leading scorer Ryan Dube had three helpers.
• The Avs’ winning streak will be put to the test on Saturday as they go up against the second-place Express at the Cadillac Ice Arena.
• The Mid-Atlantic Conference is highly contested right now; the gap between first and fourth place is only seven points. The Union Jr. Thunder is still in first with a 13-5-1 record, but the New Jersey Bears are gaining ground with five straight wins.
• Dominic Moushon leads the league with 47 points (19g, 28a) in 20 games, including a three-goal performance last Saturday in the Bears’ 5-4 overtime win over the Thunder. He completed the hat trick by roofing a shot upstairs for the OT winner.
• Speaking of highlight reel goals, New Jersey 87’s forward Colin Grantham submitted his goal-of-the-year candidate in Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Atlantic City Seals. Down on the penalty kill in the final minute of regulation, Grantham corralled a loose puck in front of the Seals’ net and went between the legs for a shorthanded, game-winning goal.