The road to Providence has one final stop in the Eastern Hockey League playoffs, as the Regional Finals will take place this weekend
HAVERHILL, MA — Eight teams remain between the EHL and EHLP, as the Northeast Conference will play their Regional Final at the Babson Skating Center in Wellesley, Mass. The Mid-Atlantic Conference will play their Regional Final at the Toyota SportsPlex in Wilkes-Barre, Penn. All four matchups will be a best-of-three series spanning from Friday to Sunday.
The Northeast Conference will feature the same two organizations at the EHL and EHLP level; the New Hampshire Avalanche and Seahawks Hockey Club will fight for a Frozen Finals appearance at both levels. Four different organizations will compete in Wilkes-Barre, and three out of those four teams are looking for its first-ever trip to Providence.
Here’s a preview of all the matchups that will take place this weekend.
EHL
Northeast Conference
New Hampshire Avalanche vs. Seahawks Hockey Club
How the Avs got here: New Hampshire’s second-round series against the East Coast Wizards went the distance and then some. Two games of the three games went into overtime and Game 3 went into double OT.
The Avs dropped Game 1 with an overtime 3-2 loss, but the team bounced back two days later with a 7-4 win. Kacper Gach picked up the hat trick in Game 2 while Danny Storella had two goal and an assist. In Game 3, the Avs took a 4-1 lead into the third period, but saw their lead evaporate as the Wizards scored three goals in the final half of the third period; two of them coming from Wizards forward Cayden Miceli, including the tying goal with 17 seconds left in regulation. New Hampshire managed to shake it off as Alex Ravikovich, who scored twice in Game 1, came through with the overtime winner and series-clinching goal.
How the Seahawks got here: The Seahawks also went to a deciding Game 3 in their second round against the Express Hockey Club. Things started well in Game 1 with a 7-1 victory as Brendan Agnew (3g, 1a) and Nicky DeGeorge (3g, 2a) each recorded a hat trick in the offensive onslaught.
The Express bounced back with a 4-2 victory in Game 2, forcing the series back to Tony Kent Arena for Game 3. In the first period, the Express jumped to a 3-0 lead with goals from Ville Bodin, Erik Bjornson and Nate Brissette. The Seahawks got a goal in the second period from Garrett Bouschor, and an early third-period goal from DeGeorge pulled the Seahawks to within one.
Sonny Arsenault restored a two-goal lead for the Express moments after DeGeorge’s goal, but the Seahawks continued to dominate the third period as Bouschor scored his second goal of the game and Aidan Cruz made it 4-4 with just under eight minutes to go in regulation. Just as it seemed like the game was destined for overtime, Adam Quinn scored the go-ahead goal with six seconds left in the third period, completing a come-from-behind 5-4 victory.
What to Expect: These are two teams that can put the puck in the net and score at will. The Avs led the league in goals during the regular season while the Seahawks were third, and both teams showed no signs of slowing down in the postseason.
New Hampshire will look to continue its streak of making the Frozen Finals while sporting a roster of countless returning players. Danny Storella leads the team with five points (3g, 2a) in three games, and he’s flanked by other veterans like Ravikovich, Brody Andriole among others.
The Seahawks, on the other hand, are looking for its first Frozen Finals appearance since joining the EHL in the 2017-18 season. DeGeorge is playing like a man on a mission, recording four goals and 10 points in just three playoff games, but the team is also seeing production from players like Agnew (3g, 3a), Bouschor (3g, 2a) and Danny Kehoe (1g, 5a). Regardless of how many goals are scored, this series will likely be high-pace with plenty of back-and-forth action between two heavyweight teams.
Mid-Atlantic Conference
New Jersey Bears vs. Hockey Club Rhode Island
How the Bears got here: The Bears took on the top team in the South Division, Philadelphia Hockey Club, and won both of their games on the road. In Game 1, the Bears and PHC were tied 2-2, and the Bears would go on to score three unanswered goals. Nick Macri scored twice in Game 1 while Brady Hubbard, Aiden Mumm and John Danks also found the back of the net.
Philadelphia won Game 2 with a 3-2 victory, sending the series back to Hollydell for a deciding Game 3. Mumm opened the scoring in the second period to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. PHC defenseman Ty Simonet evened the score just 26 seconds into the third, but the Bears had a quick response as Nicolas Malli scored 34 seconds later. John Danks sealed the game and the series with a goal in the final minute of regulation, capping a 3-1 win.
How HC Rhode Island got here: Hockey Club Rhode Island was the only team to sweep their second-round matchup as they took down the Connecticut Nor’Easter in two games.
Game 1 was a back-and-forth affair, after Rhode Island took a 1-0 lead in the first period, the two teams combined for six goals in the middle frame. James Caeran scored twice for the Nor’Easter, and the team overcame a 3-1 deficit before Ernests Muska gave Rhode Island the lead back. Cooper Grossguth tacked on an insurance goal in the third period, and Aiden Forcier finished the contest with a goal and two assists.
Game 2 was more tight-checking, and Forcier gave Rhode Island a 1-0 lead in the second period, and Sam Lopes extended the lead early in the third. Caeran got the Nor’Easter on the board in the final minute of the third, netting his sixth goal of the playoffs, but it wasn’t enough as Rhode Island completed the sweep.
What to expect: Both of these teams have an opportunity to reach the Frozen Finals for the very first time. This is also a unique matchup; these teams did not face each other at all during the regular season.
The Bears got to this point because of stout defense and highly structured play. They shut out the New Jersey 87’s in eight periods of play and neutralized the second-best offense in the league in PHC. The Bears are also seeing stellar goaltending from Nicolas Mele, who is rocking a 1.11 goals against average and a .961 save percentage over five playoff games. That said, the Bears still have a balanced offensive attack as Aidan McGinty, Nick Macri and Aiden Mumm have two goals each for the Bears.
HC Rhode Island has been more prolific in the offensive department, scoring 19 goals across four playoff games. Aiden Forcier is tied with DeGeorge for a league-leading 10 points in the playoffs (3g, 7a) while Austin Haldane (3g, 3a) and Ernest Muska (2g, 4a) have six points each. The contrasting styles between the two teams will be interesting to watch, and both teams will be playing with an extra sense of urgency as they look to clinch their team’s first-ever ticket to Providence.
EHLP
Northeast Conference
New Hampshire Avalanche vs. Seahawks Hockey Club
How the Avs got here: The Avalanche swept the Providence Capitals in two games, winning by scores of 4-1 and 9-1.
Ethan St. Laurence had a goal and an assist in New Hampshire’s Game 1 victory; David Wood, Ryan Dube and Jake Hutchins also found the back of the net. In Game 2, the Avs scored in bunches that included a hat trick for Hutchins, two goals plus an assist from Lincoln Manson and three helpers from Evan Guerin.
How the Seahawks got here: The Seahawks knocked out the Express Hockey Club in two games, winning Game 1 by a score of 7-4 and Game 2 by a score of 4-0.
The Express struck first in Game 1, but the Seahawks responded with three unanswered goals and never looked back. Orynn Freedman had two goals and an assist while Cameron Morin and Carson Low each had a goal and three helpers. In Game 2, Devin Kelly scored twice while Freedman and Low also found the back of the net to seal the series. Zen Janik, who won both games for the Seahawks, pitched a 26-save shutout in Game 2.
What to expect: The top two teams of the Northeast Conference are going toe-to-toe with a ticket to Providence on the line. Last year, the Seahawks were eliminated in the Regionals after losing to the New England Wolves in a deciding Game 3. This year, they’ll look to get over the hump while the Avalanche will look to return to Providence for the first time since 2023.
While New Hampshire dominated the regular season, the Seahawks gave the Avs the most trouble, beating them four times in 10 regular-season matchups. Both teams are capable of scoring at will, and the series could potentially be decided by which goalie gets hot at the right time. Avs goaltender Owen Holland has a .968 save percentage in two games while Seahawks netminder Zen Janik has a .931 save percentage and a shutout from his series against the Express.
The Northeast Regional will also be unique since both Avalanche and Seahawks teams will be playing. There is a chance that one organization will send both teams to the Frozen Final.
Mid-Atlantic Conference
Atlantic City Seals vs. New Jersey 87’s
How the Seals got here: Atlantic City took on the Philadelphia Little Flyers and squashed their hopes of a Cinderella-type run. While the Seals swept the series, both games were decided by a single goal including Game 1 going to overtime.
In that opening game, Seals forward Carter Callahan and Little Flyers forward Owen Myers each had a pair of goals, while Eddy Sindler and Luc Rollet also scored for the Seals and Flyers respectively. In the extra session, Andrei Radkevich scored the game-winning goal for Atlantic City to cap off a 4-3 win. In Game 2, the two teams were going blow-for-blow all throughout regulation. With game tied 4-4, it looked like the Little Flyers were going to force overtime until Callahan found a loose puck and scored with four seconds remaining in the game, giving the Seals a 5-4 victory.
How the 87’s got here: The defending EHLP champions opened their postseason with a second-round matchup against the Union Jr. Thunder completed a two-game sweep, winning their games 5-2 and 4-2.
In Game 1, Matej Denk opened the scoring just 43 seconds into the first period. The 87’s responded with power-play goals from Michael Green and AJ Marrone. Radek Jenik made it 2-2 just 11 seconds into the middle period, but Eddie Kienzle scored the go-ahead goal while shorthanded, then set up Tomass Vekselis for an insurance tally just over a minute later. Similar to Game 1, Union struck in the opening minute of Game 2 with a goal from Nick Dove. However, the 87’s responded by scoring four of the next five goals including three points from Kienzle (2g, 1a).
What to expect: These two teams were tied in points at the top of the Mid-Atlantic Conference (the Seals had the number one seed due to a better head-to-head matchup), and these are two teams with plenty of star-power.
Eddie Kienzle joined the 87’s midway through the season and dominated, recording 70 points in just 19 games. He has not slowed down in the playoffs, recording four goals and seven points in two playoff games. Meanwhile, the Seals have been led by Andrei Radkevich, who has four points (2g, 2a) in two games along with Callahan, who has three goals in two games.
Both teams play a fast and up-tempo game without sacrificing much on defense. For the 87’s, they look to build off three championships in five seasons while the Seals are in the midst of a phenomenal first year in Atlantic City. While the Seals had regular-season success against the 87’s, this is a playoff series that could very go the distance.