2018-19 USPHL-Premier Season

This is the 2018-19 United States Premier Hockey League Premier League season.

Membership Changes

• On December 1, 2017 the league announced that they were adding the Auburn, Maine based Twin City Thunder to the New England Division of the Premier League for the 2018-19 season. The team will be based out of the Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn.
• After not being able to secure a lease at the Spooner Civic Center, the Wisconsin Muskies folded
• An expansion team was added in Kasson, Minnesota where they were to be named the Dodge County Wildcats but they would later be renamed the Kasson Vipers to give them a separate identity from the youth hockey program that is based out of the same arena and that they were affiliated with.
• On May 16, 2018 it was announced on the Ironwood Fighting Yoopers facebook page that the organization had been sold and would be relocating to Isanti, Minnesota and the team would be known as the Rum River Mallards.
• The league added the Philadelphia Hockey Club who are based out of the Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, New Jersey.
• The whole East Division from 2017-18 North American 3 Hockey League withdrew from that league and joined the USPHL Premier Division. The Lansing Wolves, Metro Jets, Pittsburgh Vengeance, Southern Tier Xpress, Toledo Cherokee, and Wooster Oilers were announced on April 19th that the teams joined the United States Premier Hockey League and would form a Great Lakes Conference within the Premier Division.
• The newly added Southern Tier Xpress were force to relocate when the Philadelphia Rebels of the North American Hockey League relocated to Jamestown, New York and the Xpress franchise was sold to Lake Erie Eagles owner who closed up the Eagles operations, relocated the Xpress franchise to the Erie Bank Sports Park in Summit Township, Pennsylvania where they were renamed them the Lake Erie Bighorns.
• The former Midwest Blackbirds who sat out the past two seasons return as the Midwest Blackbirds.
• The Rochester Monarchs add a team to their organization that was added to the premier division for 2018-19.
• The Daytona Racers were renamed to DME Hockey Academy which is the name of the organization that has been running the team.  The team would later be renamed the DME Swamp Rabbits
• The Niagara Falls PowerHawks of the North American 3 Hockey League added a team to the league, the Niagara Falls Thunder also to be based out of the Hyde Park Ice Pavilion.
• The Syracuse Stars announced they would move their NCDC, Premier, and U-18 Tier 1 - to the Adirondack Bank Center at Utica Memorial Auditorium in Utica, New York while retaining the Syracuse Stars name.
• The Lake Erie Bighorns and P.A.L. Jr. Islanders would withdraw prior to the star of play.
• The Metro Jets appear to have added their developmental team (known as the MJDP Academy) to the league as well, listed below as the MJDP.

Teams

New England Division
Team	Location	Arena
Boston Bandits	Bridgewater, Massachusetts	Bridgewater Ice Arena
Boston Jr. Bruins	Marlborough, Massachusetts	New England Sports Center
Islanders Hockey Club	Tyngsborough, Massachusetts	Skate 3
New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs	Hooksett, New Hampshire	Tri-Town Ice Arena
Northern Cyclones	Hudson, New Hampshire	Cyclones Arena
South Shore Kings	Foxboro, Massachusetts	Foxboro Sports Center
Twin City Thunder	Auburn, Maine	Norway Savings Bank Arena
North East Division
Team	Location	Arena
Connecticut Jr Rangers	Stamford, Connecticut	Chelsea Piers
Connecticut Nighthawks	Simsbury, Connecticut	International Skating Center of Connecticut
Hartford Jr. Wolfpack	Cromwell, Connecticut	Champions Skating Center
Niagara Falls Thunder	Niagara Falls, New York	Hyde Park Ice Pavilion
Rochester Monarchs	Fairport, New York	Thomas Creek Ice Arena
Springfield Pics	West Springfield, Massachusetts	Olympia Ice Center
Syracuse Stars	Utica, New York	Adirondack Bank Center at Utica Memorial Auditorium
Mid-Atlantic Division
Jersey Hitmen	Wayne, New Jersey	Capital One Bank Ice Vault Arena
Jersey Shore Whalers	Brick Township, New Jersey	Ocean Ice Palace
New Jersey Rockets	Berkeley Heights, New Jersey	Prudential Center
New York Jr. Aviators	Brooklyn, New York	Aviator Sports and Events Center
Philadelphia Hockey Club	Sewell, New Jersey	Hollydell Ice Arena
Skipjacks Hockey Club	York, Pennsylvania	York Ice Arena
South East Division
Atlanta Kings	Marietta, Georgia	Marrietta Ice Center
Carolina Eagles	Wake Forest, North Carolina	Polar Ice House
Charlotte Rush	Indian Trail, North Carolina	Extreme Ice Center
Hampton Roads Whalers	Chesapeake, Virginia	Chilled Ponds Ice Sports Complex
Potomac Patriots	Woodbridge, Virginia	Prince William Ice Center
Richmond Generals	Richmond, Virginia	SkateNation Plus & Richmond Ice Zone
Florida Division
DME Swamp Rabbits	Daytona Beach, Florida	Daytona International Skateway
Florida Eels	Fort Myers, Florida	Fort Myers Skatium
Florida Jr. Blades	Estero, Florida	Germain Arena
Palm Beach Hawks	Lake Worth, Florida	Palm Beach Skate Zone
Tampa Bay Juniors	Ellenton, Florida	Ellenton Ice
Great Lakes Division
Lansing Wolves	Dimondale, Michigan	The Summit Sports and Ice Complex
Metro Jets	Fraser, Michigan	Fraser Hockeyland
MJDP	Fraser, Michigan	Fraser Hockeyland
Pittsburgh Vengeance	Harmarville, Pennsylvania	Alpha Ice Complex
Toledo Cherokee	Toledo, Ohio	Team Toledo Ice House
Wooster Oilers	Wooster, Ohio	Alice Noble Ice Arena
Midwest East Division
Chicago Cougars	West Dundee, Illinois	Leafs Ice Centre and Sears Centre
Decatur Blaze	Decatur, Illinois	Decatur Civic Center
Detroit Fighting Irish	Brownstown Township, Michigan	Ice Box Sports Center
Midwest Blackbirds	Dyer, Indiana	Midwest Training and Ice Center
Motor City Hockey Club	Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan	Fraser Hockeyland
Tri-City Ice Hawks	Bay City, Michigan	Bay County Civic Arena
Midwest West Division
Dells Ducks	Lake Delton, Wisconsin	Poppy Waterman Ice Arena
Hudson Havoc	Hudson, Wisconsin	Hudson Sports & Civic Center
Kasson Vipers	Kasson, Minnesota	Dodge County Ice Arena
Minnesota Blue Ox	Coon Rapids, Minnesota	Coon Rapids Ice Center
Minnesota Moose	Blaine, Minnesota	Fogerty Arena
Minnesota Mullets	Forest Lake, Minnesota	Forest Lake Sports Center (Lichtscheidl Arena)
Rum River Mallards	Isanti, Minnesota	David C. Johnson Arena
Steele County Blades	Owatonna, MN	Four Seasons Arena
Wisconsin Rapids RiverKings	Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin	South Wood County Rec Center

Withdrew prior to play

Team	Location	Arena
Lake Erie Bighorns	Summit Township, Pennsylvania	Erie Bank Sports Park
P.A.L. Jr. Islanders	Hauppauge, New York	The Rinx-Hidden Pond Park

Standings

New England Division

Team	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
Northern Cyclones	44	34	6	4	177	95	72
Boston Bandits	44	33	7	4	145	88	70
South Shore Kings	44	28	14	2	140	124	58
New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs	44	27	14	3	155	108	57
Islanders Hockey Club	44	25	14	5	128	108	55
Twin City Thunder	44	21	17	6	147	136	48
Boston Jr. Bruins	44	16	22	6	125	157	38

North East Division

Team	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
Connecticut Nighthawks	44	28	11	5	163	111	61
Springfield Pics	44	24	17	3	139	105	51
Syracuse Stars	44	21	18	5	147	141	47
Connecticut Jr Rangers	44	19	21	4	171	203	42
Niagara Falls Thunder	44	17	25	2	121	150	36
Rochester Monarchs	44	11	30	3	113	192	25
Hartford Jr. Wolfpack	44	11	31	2	108	198	24

Mid-Atlantic Division

Team	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
New York Jr. Aviators	44	34	6	4	255	116	72
Skipjacks Hockey Club	44	29	11	4	172	108	62
Jersey Hitmen	43	26	13	4	148	120	56
New Jersey Rockets	43	21	20	2	124	150	44
Philadelphia Hockey Club	43	14	26	3	121	191	31
Jersey Shore Whalers	43	9	27	7	109	198	25

South East Division

Team	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
Hampton Roads Whalers	43	37	5	1	188	82	75
Charlotte Rush	43	33	8	2	186	96	68
Richmond Generals	43	27	13	3	160	116	57
Carolina Eagles	44	22	20	2	105	113	46
Atlanta Kings	43	19	21	3	127	134	41
Potomac Patriots	44	8	31	5	76	165	21

Florida Division

Team	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
DME Hockey Academy	44	30	11	3	171	105	63
Florida Eels	44	28	13	3	208	121	59
Tampa Bay Juniors	44	15	24	5	121	165	35
Florida Jr. Blades	44	10	31	3	90	187	23
Palm Beach Hawks	4	0	4	0	6	47	0

Great Lakes Division

Team	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
Metro Jets	44	39	4	1	197	79	79
Pittsburgh Vengeance	44	26	12	6	158	109	58
MJDP	44	27	17	0	175	119	54
Lansing Wolves	44	23	18	3	140	151	49
Wooster Oilers	44	16	25	3	113	153	35
Toledo Cherokee	44	13	28	3	111	170	29
Lake Erie Bighorns	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Midwest East Division

Team	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
Chicago Cougars	44	28	14	2	201	118	58
Motor City Hockey Club	44	26	18	0	177	134	52
Midwest Blackbirds	44	17	25	2	139	178	36
Decatur Blaze	44	17	26	1	153	167	35
Detroit Fighting Irish	44	9	33	2	90	268	20
Tri-City Ice Hawks	44	2	39	3	79	346	7

Midwest West Division

Team	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
Minnesota Moose	44	32	12	0	205	98	64
Hudson Havoc	44	31	11	2	180	97	64
Wisconsin Rapids RiverKings	44	29	14	1	163	103	59
Minnesota Blue Ox	44	25	17	2	191	145	52
Rum River Mallards	42	25	16	1	170	108	51
Minnesota Mullets	44	22	19	3	155	145	47
Dells Ducks	43	18	23	2	124	156	38
Kasson Vipers	43	10	31	2	110	249	22
Steele County Blades	44	6	38	0	59	213	12

Division Playoffs

Format

Division playoffs are done until two teams remain. The final two teams advance to the national tournament where the sixteen teams are paired into four pools of four teams which play in a round robin. Each pool winner advances to the semifinals. Semifinal winners meet in the championship game.

New England Division

Quarterfinals

• South Shore Kings defeated Twin City Thunder 2 games to none
• New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs defeated Islanders Hockey Club 2 games to 1

Semifinals

• New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs defeated Northern Cyclones 2 games to 1
• Boston Bandits defeated South Shore Kings 2 games to none

North East Division

Quarterfinals

• Syracuse Stars defeated Rochester Monarchs 2 games to none
• Connecticut Jr Rangers defeated Niagara Falls Thunder 2 games to 1

Semifinals

• Connecticut Nighthawks defeated Connecticut Jr Rangers 2 games to 1
• Syracuse Stars defeated Springfield Pics 2 games to none

Mid-Atlantic Division

Quarterfinals

• Jersey Hitmen defeated Jersey Shore Whalers 2 games to none
• New Jersey Rockets defeated Philadelphia Hockey Club 2 games to none

Semifinals

• New York Jr. Aviators defeated New Jersey Rockets 2 games to 1
• Jersey Hitmen defeated Skipjacks Hockey Club 2 games to 1

South East Division

Semifinals

• Hampton Roads Whalers defeated Carolina Eagles 2 games to none
• Charlotte Rush defeated Richmond Generals 2 games to none

Florida Division

Semifinals

• Florida Jr. Blades defeated Tampa Bay Juniors 2 games to 1

Great Lakes Division

Semifinals

• Metro Jets defeated Lansing Wolves 2 games to none
• Pittsburgh Vengeance defeated MJDP 2 games to none

Mid-West East Division

Quarterfinals

• Midwest Blackbirds defeated Tri-City Ice Hawks 2 games to none
• Decatur Blaze defeated Detroit Fighting Irish 2 games to none

Semifinals

• Chicago Cougars defeated Decatur Blaze 2 games to none
• Motor City Hockey Club defeated Midwest Blackbirds 2 games to 1

Mid-West West Division

Quarterfinals

• Minnesota Moose defeated Kasson Vipers 2 games to none
• Wisconsin Rapids RiverKings defeated Minnesota Mullets 2 games to none
• Minnesota Blue Ox defeated Rum River Mallards 2 games to 1
• Dells Ducks defeated Hudson Havoc 2 games to 1

Semifinals

• Minnesota Moose defeated Dells Ducks 2 games to none
• Minnesota Blue Ox defeated Wisconsin Rapids RiverKings 2 games to none

Nationals

Group W

Results

• Chicago Cougars defeated Connecticut Nighthawks 2-1
• Florida Jr. Blades tied Metro Jets 2-2
• Metro Jets defeated Chicago Cougars 5-1
• Florida Jr. Blades defeated Connecticut Nighthawks 3-2
• Metro Jets defeated Connecticut Nighthawks 7-1
• Florida Jr. Blades defeated Chicago Cougars 4-1

Standings

Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Metro Jets	3	2	0	1	14	2	5
Florida Jr. Blades	3	2	0	1	9	3	5
Chicago Cougars	3	1	2	0	4	10	2
Connecticut Nighthawks	3	0	3	0	4	12	0

Group X

Results

• Hampton Roads Whalers defeated Syracuse Stars 4-0
• Pittsburgh Vengeance defeated Florida Eels 4-2
• Hampton Roads Whalers defeated Pittsburgh Vengeance 5-1
• Syracuse Stars tied Florida Eels 4-4
• Florida Eels defeated Hampton Roads Whalers 3-1
• Syracuse Stars defeated Pittsburgh Vengeance 2-1

Standings

Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Hampton Roads Whalers	3	2	1	0	10	4	4
Florida Eels	3	1	1	1	9	9	3
Syracuse Stars	3	1	1	1	6	9	3
Pittsburgh Vengeance	3	1	2	0	6	9	2

Group Y

Results

• Minnesota Blue Ox defeated New York Aviators 6-3
• Charlotte Rush defeated New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs 1-0
• New York Aviators defeated New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs 2-0
• Minnesota Blue Ox tied Charlotte Rush 3-3
• Charlotte Rush defeated New York Aviators 3-1
• Minnesota Blue Ox defeated New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs 2-1

Standings

Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Minnesota Blue Ox	3	2	0	1	11	7	5
Charlotte Rush	3	2	0	1	7	4	5
New York Aviators	3	1	2	0	6	9	2
New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs	3	0	3	0	1	5	0

Group Z

Results

• Boston Bandits defeated Motor City Hockey Club 7-1
• Jersey Hitmen defeated Minnesota Moose 2-1
• Minnesota Moose defeated Motor City Hockey Club 9-1
• Boston Bandits defeated Jersey Hitmen 6-1
• Boston Bandits defeated Minnesota Moose 4-3
• Jersey Hitmen defeated Motor City Hockey Club 8-0

Standings

Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Boston Bandits	3	3	0	0	17	5	6
Jersey Hitmen	3	2	1	0	11	7	4
Minnesota Moose	3	1	2	0	13	7	2
Motor City Hockey Club	3	0	3	0	2	24	0

Semifinals

• Hampton Roads Whalers defeated Boston Bandits 5-1
• Metro Jets defeated Minnesota Blue Ox 7-1

Final

• Hampton Roads Whalers defeated Metro Jets 5-2

2019 USPHL Premier champions Hampton Roads Whalers