USP3 6-1 WIN vs Eugene Generals

The Whalers faced a stiff test to open the showcase against the 1st place Eugene Generals of the Pacific Division who came into the weekend 13-0-1. Saturday night, the Generals had nothing for the boys in Green and Blue, as the Whalers dominated the game en route to a 6-1 win.

Gary Eastlack scored twice, Tyler Dienna, Cody Wilson, Mathieu Doucet, and Ryan Lorenz scored once apiece. Max Loga and Nolan Cavanagh each tallied two helpers, while Jonah Lainesse, Gary Eastlack, Cody Wilson, Caelan Bolanowski, Adam Campbell, Ryan Lorenz, and Charles DuBose each had 1. Everett Yasinski posted 25 saves for the win in net, losing his shutout bid with 3 minutes left.

The Whalers held a 32-26 shot on goal advantage. The Whalers went 0 for 1 on the power play, the Generals went 1 for 5.

USP3 4-1 Loss vs. Alpena Flyers

Sunday morning the Whalers were undone by penalties in game 2 against the Alpena Flyers, notching 37 minutes in penalties in a 4-1 setback.

Max Loga scored the Whalers lone goal from Gary Eastlack to tie the game 1-1 after 25 minutes, but that was all the offense the Whalers could muster. Nathan Cleghorn took the loss in net with 25 saves.

Alpena held a 29-20 advantage in shots. The Flyers finished 2 for 8 on the power play while the Whalers were held to 0 for 5. Jonah Lainesse was ejected for the Whalers.

USP3 11-2 WIN vs West Sound Warriors

Sunday night in game 3 of the weekend, playing their 3rd game in 24 hours, the Whalers offense woke up, as 14 different Whalers tallied points in an 11-2 route over the West Sound Warriors.

Max Loga and Ryan Lorenz each converted twice while Trevor Byers, Caelan Bolanowski, Tyler Dienna, Collin Markoski, Tanner Davis, Matty Hanchon, and Gary Eastlack each had 1. Loga notched 3 helpers, Noah Kramer, Mattieu Doucet, and Gary Eastlack had 2, while Tyler Dienna, Matty Hanchon, Jaymen Swygert, Cody Wilson, Jaymen Swygert, Caelan Bolanowski, Adam Campbell, Trevor Byers and Ryan Lorenz each had 1. Everett Yasinski picked up another win in net with 7 saves. Jack Dotson made his junior debut in net late in the game, stopping all 4 shots he faced.

The Whalers held a 59-11 shot advantage. The Whalers went 0 for 1 on the power play while the Warriors went 0 for 4.

USP3 3-1 WIN vs. Springfield Pics

The final game of the weekend saw the Whalers put forth a gutsy effort, handing the Springfield Pics yet another close loss in their season.

Matty Hanchon, Gary Eastlack, and Ryan Lorenz each tallied 1 goal while Matthieu Doucet, Caelan Bolanowski, Max Loga, Gary Eastlack, and Kyle Ball each had 1 assist. Everett Yasinski tallied another win in goal with 20 saves.

The Whalers held a 23-21 shot on goal advantage. Hampton Roads went 0 for 1 on the power play, while the Pics went 0 for 2.

Elite 6-0 WIN vs. NY Aviators

The Whalers Elite team established themselves early and often, scoring 3 times in each half in a dominating 6-0 win over the New York Aviators.

John Moncovich scored twice, Brendon Zack, Brandon Osmundson, Colton Seeman, and Andrij Denyskin each scored once. Osmundson had 3 helpers, Roman Gaudet had 2, while Seamus O’Kane, John Moncovich, Tianyou Zuo, and Vaden McManus each had 1. Sean Dickson picked up the win and shutout in net with 20 saves.

The Whalers held a 49-20 shot on goal advantage. Hampton Roads finished 2 for 8 on the power play while New York went 0 for 5.

Elite 3-2 WIN vs. Forest Lake Lakers

In game two the Whalers fired 49 shots on goal and Forest Lake goaltender Jesse Heisz did his best to steal a win for his team but the big 6’5 Andrij Denyskin saved the day for the Whalers in a 3-2 win.

Denyskin scored twice for the Whalers, including the game tying and game winning goal. Colton Seeman started the scoring for the Whalers midway through the 2nd half for the Whalers. David Min and Tianyou Zuo each tallied 2 assists while John Moncovich and Brandon Osmundson each had 1 assist. Zach Alvarado was victorious in goal with 15 saves.

The Whalers held a 49-17 shot on goal advantage. Both teams went 1 for 4 on the power play.

Elite 7-2 WIN vs. Boston Jr. Bruins

In game 3 of the weekend, the Whalers faced a foe they have seen the last two seasons in the Final Four, where each has ended the others season once, with the Whalers winning the Championship last season and the Bruins winning it the year before. This contest was never close, as the Whalers rolled to an 8-2 win in the Bruins backyard.

Brandon Osmundson scored twice and added 2 assists. Andriy Denyskin, Colton Seeman, John Moncovich, John Horn, Zach Zalar, and Cole Helgemo each scored once. Vaden McManus and Seamus O’Kane each posted 2 helpers while Travis Volmert, Brendon Zack, Colton Seeman, Roman Gaudet, David Min, and Tianyou Zuo each had 1. Sean Dickson secured the win in net with 9 saves.

The Whalers held a dominating 48-11 shot on goal advantage. Hampton Roads went 1 for 3 on the power play while the Jr. Bruins were 0 for 3.

Elite 5-0 WIN vs. Islanders HC

The final game was perhaps the most anticipated game of the showcase as the Whalers, 1 in the South, faced off with the Islanders Hockey Club, 1 in the North. The IHC was one of only 5 undefeated teams in the country coming into the weekend before being dethroned on Thursday night by the Richmond Generals. After a bounce back win the night before against the Charlotte Rush, the Whalers showed the South Divisions dominance en route to a 5-0 blanking of the Islanders.

Forward Andriy Denyskin scored twice, Travis Volmert, Brendon Zack, and John Horn each scored once. Seamus O’Kane posted another 2 assist game, while Colton Seeman and Roman Gaudet each notched 1 assist. Sean Dickson posted another win and another shutout in net with 22 saves.

The Whalers held a 29-22 shot on goal advantage. The Whalers went 4 for 7 on the power play while the Islanders were 0 for 3.

What’s on Tap?

The Whalers return home this weekend and will take on the Charlotte Rush in a much anticipated match-up of two of the league best programs.

Whalers USP3 (12-8-2, 26pts, T-5th) vs. Charlotte Rush (19-5-0, 38pts, 2nd)

Whalers Elite (22-1-1, 25pts, 1st) vs, Charlotte Rush (19-4-1, 39pts, 2nd)

Saturday
USP3- 4:30pm
Elite- 7:30pm

Sunday
USP3- 9:30am
Elite- 12:30pm

News and Notes

Power Outage- The USP3 Whalers league best power play came into the showcase at better than 30% effectiveness on the man advantage failed to score a power play goal during the showcase, going a combined 0 for 8.

The Whalers Elite team had a big weekend on the man advantage and pushed their power play to 1 in the league at 30.1%.

The Whalers USP3 team won 6 of 10 games on their 10 game road trip.

The Whalers Elite team won all 10 games on their 10 game road trip and currently ride a 10 game winning streak.

Elite goalie Sean Dickson posted 2 more shutouts this past weekend and now sits with 7 on the season, best in the league. He also leads the league in wins (14), and is 2nd in GAA (0.89) and Save% (.948%)

USP3 goalie Everett Yasinski posted 3 wins this past weekend, and his 8 wins in the season ranks him 4th in the league.

USP3 captain Gary Eastlack’s 21 goals on the season rank him 2 in the league to only Connor Green of the Richmond Generals and his 24.

USP3 forward Ryan Lorenz set a 2016-17 Tier 3 Junior Hockey Record on Sunday night, scoring 7 seconds into the game against the West Sound Warriors, making him the fastest player to score a goal this season.

Elite forward Brandon Osmundson posted 9 points during the showcase, and now has a 10 point lead as the leading scorer of the league.

The Whalers have signed 1998 forward Connor Hunt from Frisco, TX for the remainder of the season. Hunt comes to the Whalers from HC Dallas Tier 1 AAA midget program.

Stat of the Day:

There were 92 games played this past weekend at the IHC showcase between the USP3 and Elite North, South, Mid-West, and Pacific Divisions. The South Division took home over half of those wins. Here is the breakdown of wins by division:

South- 49 WINS
North- 32 WINS
Mid-West- 10 WINS
Pacific- 1 WIN