By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
The second annual Frozen Futures Showcase certainly did not disappoint, as eight of the nine games were decided by three or fewer goals. And exactly one-third of the games (three) went to overtime or shootout. More than 30 NCAA scouts made the trip to Idaho to see the talent the Mountain Division teams bring to the ice, which included two players already committed to the NCAA Division I ranks.
Elsewhere, the defending Dineen Cup Champion South Shore Kings are on fire, winning six in a row, and the Jersey Hitmen are doing their job with an active 5-0-0-0 run.
We will continue the theme of taking a deep dive into the teams that earned as many points as games played over the past week, between Oct. 2 and 8.
Ogden Mustangs Earn Five Points Over Three Showcase Games
The Mustangs opened up the festivities in Idaho Falls on Wednesday morning, Oct. 2, against their Salt Lake regional rivals the Utah Outliers. The Outliers got the 2-1 win in overtime, but the Mustangs quickly regrouped and came back with a big 6-0 win on Thursday against the first-year Casper Warbirds. They ended with the primetime game in front of more than 4,000 Idaho Falls Spud Kings fans on Friday night, defeating the hosts by a 3-1 score.
- The Mustangs are one of the league’s best defensive teams, standing at a 1.50 goals against average per game, third best in the league. Their 27.33 shots on goal against per game is fourth.
- Leading the way offensively so far is veteran Brody Simko (‘04/Butler, Pa.), who now has seven points through six games. He is third in Mustangs’ NCDC scoring, with 50 points in 55 career games.
Utah Outliers Take Five Points From Two Wins, Shootout
The Outliers joined their Salt Lake regional rivals the Ogden Mustangs in finishing with the best points total at the NCDC Frozen Futures Showcase. The Outliers did not fall in anywhere from 60-65 minutes of hockey. They came out with a 2-0-0-1 record, starting with the above-mentioned 2-1 OT win against the rival Mustangs. They went on to defeat the Pueblo Bulls, 4-1, and closed on Friday with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Rock Springs Grizzlies.
- The Outliers hold the upper hand in their two-year NCDC series with the Mustangs, standing at 8-5-0-0.
- The veterans are leading the way for Utah. Garrett Joss (‘04/Whitby, Ont.) and Chase Nyitray (‘06/Maumee, Ohio) each have four points. Joss, at 65 points in 58 games, is the NCDC team’s leading scorer over their history of a season and change.
Islanders Hockey Club Improve To 5-2-0-0 With Four-Game Win Streak
The Islanders earned a close 2-1 victory against the Seacoast Spartans on Oct. 3, and then more handily defeated their local rivals the Northern Cyclones, 6-0. Their current four-game winning streak dates back to Sept. 27, and equals their longest winning streak from the 2023-24 season. The wins put them in a tie with the South Shore Kings at 10 points apiece at the top of the New England Division
- Returning forward Braxton Powers (‘04/Raleigh, N.C.) became just the second player to hit double digits in scoring this year, improving to 5-5-10 for second in NCDC scoring. He has a career line of 37-37-74.
- Another veteran IHC player, defenseman Sam Larsson (‘04/Stockholm, Sweden) registered his league-leading fifth power play assist and point on his seventh assist of the season.
Jersey Hitmen Off To 6-0 Start For Fourth Time In NCDC
The Hitmen have been getting the job done, especially on the defensive side. After starting out with 26 goals in their first four games, they won very different games against the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders, 2-1, and then a 1-0 victory against the West Chester Wolves.
- The Hitmen have played in seven 1-0 games going back to 2017-18 and they are 7-0-0-0 with that score.
- Defenseman Wilson Farrow (‘04/Sudbury, Ont.) has registered assists in five straight of his six games and leads the league with eight helpers. He joins teammate Tyler Fogu (‘04/Bayonne, N.J.) and the South Shore Kings’ Willi Rassier as the only players with a league-leading six-game point streak.
Mercer Chiefs Pick Up First Two Wins Of New Season
The Chiefs didn’t have it easy out of the gate, going 0-4, but they rebounded nicely by winning their first two October games, defeating the Connecticut Jr. Rangers by a 3-2 score on Oct. 4. The next day, they defeated the same Jr. Rangers by a 6-0 score.
- The shutout win over the Rangers saw the Chiefs post their largest margin of victory in their three seasons in the NCDC.
- Returning All-Star Dominick Gatto (‘05/St. Charles, Ill.) registered his first career shutout against Connecticut, and it was the Chiefs’ first shutout victory since Peter Pirone earned a doughnut on Feb. 26, 2023.
South Shore Kings On Five-Game Winning Streak To Co-Lead New England
The Kings are enjoying a five-game winning streak, equal to their best of the 2023-24 regular season. The defending Dineen Cup Champions lost their first game of the season, and haven’t lost since that Sept. 19 game. Most recently, the Kings swept the Boston Jr. Rangers in their first two meetings against the new NCDC members. In the first game, they won 3-0, and kept up the same three-game difference in their Oct. 3 5-2 victory.
- Second-year NCDC veteran Will Rassier (‘04/Princeton, N.J.) registered five points in his past two games and he’s scored 13 over each of his first six games – tied for the best scoring streak in the league. He leads the league in scoring and in goals, with six.
- Joseph Dable (‘04/Wellesley, Mass.) scored the GWG against the Jr. Rangers on Oct. 3, putting him at second in the NCDC in GWG’s with two through his first six games.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights Win Pair To Climb Above .500
The Knights went up against the Rockets Hockey Club and earned their third and fourth victories against the Rockets for the early 2024-25 season, and they improved to 4-2-0-0 overall in the process. The Knights won 4-1 in Pennsylvania and 3-2 in New Jersey. Three of their wins against the Rockets this year have come by just one goal, and all in regulation.
- The Knights improved to 10-6-1-1 all-time against the Rockets, including a current streak of 5-0-1-0 in their last six of their 18 total games in the regular season since the 2022-23 season.
- Leading scorer Christian Day (‘04/Barre, Vt.) has a 3-5-8 scoring line to lead the team. His assist on Zackary Chouinard’s power play goal on Oct. 5 gave him his fourth power play assist of the year, ranking him second league-wide in that category.
Idaho Falls Spud Kings Finish 2-1-0-0 At Frozen Futures Showcase
The Spud Kings entered the Frozen Futures Showcase at 4-0, and added two more victories there. The Spud Kings strung together a pair of shutouts, defeating the Casper Warbirds, 2-0, on Oct. 2 and the Rock Springs Grizzlies by the same score on Oct. 3. The Ogden Mustangs took some vengeance for two early season defeats at the hands of Idaho Falls by winning Friday night’s finale, 3-1, on Oct. 4.
- It’s official – the Spud Kings’ 6-0 start through six games was the best-ever for a brand new team in the NCDC (counting all teams outside of the 2017-18 inaugural season), edging out the 2023-24 former Provo Predators’ 5-0-0-1 mark by one points.
- Wednesday and Thursday marked the first time that the Spud Kings not only got back-to-back shutouts, but earned multiple shutouts in a season. They picked up one doughnut for their inaugural 2023-24 season, and they already have three on the 2024-25 season. Four teams had shutouts in consecutive games last season, with three of those teams (the Islanders Hockey Club, South Shore Kings and Northern Cyclones) getting consecutive shutouts from different goalies. Charlie Durkin (‘06/Glencoe, Ill.) got the first shutout with 28 saves and Prestyn Carter (‘04/Macomb, Mich.) had the second night’s shutout with 23 saves.
Pueblo Bulls Begin To Right Ship Early On With Two Wins In Showcase
The Bulls started the season one weekend later than all other NCDC teams, kicking off their 2024-25 campaign on Sept. 27. After falling twice to the Casper Warbirds on Sept. 27-28, they entered the Frozen Futures looking to get the monkey off their backs. With a 3-2 victory against the Rock Springs Grizzlies, they took care of that all-important first win, and then added another on Oct. 4, a 5-2 defeat of the Warbirds. In the middle, the Utah Outliers defeated the Bulls 4-1 on Oct. 3.
- Co-leading the Bulls in points after five games is last year’s USPHL Premier Fans Choice MVP award-winner, Siamion Marshchanok (‘05/Minsk, Belarus). Marshchanok scored three goals and added one assist for four points over the weekend, while twin brother Matsvei Marshchanok tied in points with a 1-3-4 line. Siamion scored 133 points in 58 Premier games, and Matsvei was not far behind at 110 points in 58 Premier games. That’s USPHL Advancement In Action for you!
- The Bulls got their two goaltending wins by players making their NCDC debuts, as well as their debuts at this level of hockey. On Oct. 2, Devin Peck (‘05/Colorado Springs, Colo.), registered his first NCDC victory with 28 saves, after joining the team from the NA3HL. The next day, David Cinka (‘05/Czechia) won his first NCDC and North American game with 24 saves.
Rock Springs Grizzlies Break Through With Win, Three Points
The Grizzlies picked up win No. 1 on the season in dramatic fashion – taking a lead against the Utah Outliers, losing that lead and being sent to overtime and a shootout. Finally, they were able to get that all-important first victory of the year, 3-2. Prior to that game, they had fallen 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday, Oct. 2, to the Pueblo Bulls and a 2-0 shutout loss to the Idaho Falls Spud Kings.
- The shootout win saw the Grizzlies’ longest shootout at seven shooters on each side. Newcomer Bravery Esplin (‘06/Encinitas, Calif.) ended the shootout with the winning goal. The Grizzlies have won their last three out of a total of four shootouts, going 3-1 back to last year.
- Brady Johnson (‘05/Brainerd, Minn) is a first-year junior who is leading the Grizzlies in scoring with a 3-1-4 line.
Thunder Hockey Club Win Single Outing To Remain Undefeated Through Four
The Thunder moved into October, picking up one win against the Seacoast Spartans. They put up an 8-2 score to remain undefeated at 4-0.
- They’ve gone 3-1 before, but this 4-0 start is unprecedented for the Thunder, who are certainly enjoying their new start in a new home, the Essex Sports Center of Middleton, Mass.
- Thunder veteran Roman Wainwright (‘05/Detroit, Mich.) has jumped right into a leadership position for the Thunder, standing at No. 1 on the team in goals with five and points with six. His five goals rank tied for second in the NCDC, with several other forwards.
West Chester Wolves Take Split On Weekend
The first-year West Chester Wolves went 1-1 on Oct. 4 and 5, defeating the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders, 5-1, and then falling in the aforementioned 1-0 shutout loss to the Jersey Hitmen. The Wolves are still faring well at 5-1-1-0, and are tied with the 2023-24 Provo Predators for best start through seven games by a brand new NCDC team.
