2022–23 SPHL season
The 2022–23 SPHL season was the 19th season of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). The Peoria Rivermen won their fifth William B. Coffey Trophy during the regular season, while the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs earned their first President's Cup, defeating the Birmingham Bulls in four games.
| 2022–23 SPHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Southern Professional Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 20, 2022 – April 8, 2023 |
| Number of games | 56 |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| Regular season | |
| William B. Coffey Trophy | Peoria Rivermen |
| Season MVP | Justin MacDonald (Knoxville) |
| Top scorer | Justin MacDonald (Knoxville) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs |
| Finals runners-up | Birmingham Bulls |
| Playoffs MVP | Austyn Roudebush (Roanoke) |
League business
The same 11 teams from the 2021–22 season returned.[1] The Vermilion County Bobcats officially ceased operations on February 9, 2023.[2]
Regular season
Standings
As of April 8, 2023.[3]
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z–Peoria Rivermen | 57 | 39 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 82 | 217 | 137 |
| x–Birmingham Bulls | 57 | 37 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 78 | 217 | 162 |
| x–Huntsville Havoc | 56 | 34 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 71 | 197 | 162 |
| x–Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 56 | 32 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 69 | 185 | 161 |
| x–Evansville Thunderbolts | 56 | 32 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 172 | 165 |
| x–Knoxville Ice Bears | 57 | 32 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 67 | 221 | 199 |
| x–Fayetteville Marksmen | 56 | 26 | 22 | 8 | 0 | 60 | 155 | 166 |
| x–Pensacola Ice Flyers | 57 | 26 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 58 | 183 | 190 |
| e–Quad City Storm | 57 | 23 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 136 | 183 |
| e–Macon Mayhem | 57 | 13 | 39 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 166 | 257 |
| e–Vermilion County Bobcats | 30 | 4 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 59 | 126 |
z– indicates team has clinched William B. Coffey Trophy (regular season champion) and a playoff spot
x– indicates team has clinched a playoff spot
e– indicates team has been eliminated from playoff contention
Leading skaters
The following players are sorted by points, then goals. Updated as of April 10, 2023.[4]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin MacDonald | Knoxville Ice Bears | 46 | 34 | 45 | 79 | +6 | 44 |
| Garrett Milan | Pensacola Ice Flyers | 57 | 26 | 43 | 69 | −12 | 83 |
| Dean Balsamo | Knoxville Ice Bears | 49 | 27 | 39 | 66 | −7 | 16 |
| Sy Nutkevitch | Huntsville Havoc | 56 | 18 | 45 | 63 | +10 | 16 |
| Alec Hagaman | Peoria Rivermen | 53 | 24 | 37 | 61 | +20 | 202 |
| Tyler Piacentini | Huntsville Havoc | 56 | 22 | 39 | 61 | +12 | 26 |
| Michael Gillespie | Birmingham Bulls | 38 | 27 | 33 | 60 | +24 | 18 |
| Rob Darrar | Huntsville Havoc | 55 | 23 | 33 | 56 | +4 | 31 |
| Nick Ford | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 56 | 16 | 38 | 54 | −2 | 76 |
| Ivan Bondarenko | Pensacola Ice Flyers | 57 | 15 | 39 | 54 | −3 | 15 |
Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders with a minimum 1,320 minutes played lead the league in goals against average. Updated as of April 10, 2023.[5]
GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout loss
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | SA | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | W | L | OT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Gorsuch | Evansville Thunderbolts | 23 | 1,352 | 793 | 51 | 2 | 2.26 | .936 | 15 | 8 | 0 |
| Eric Levine | Peoria Rivermen | 34 | 1,771 | 804 | 68 | 5 | 2.30 | .915 | 17 | 8 | 4 |
| Austyn Roudebush | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 42 | 2,313 | 1,036 | 97 | 2 | 2.52 | .906 | 24 | 12 | 4 |
| Kevin Resop | Quad City Storm | 40 | 2,145 | 1,139 | 96 | 3 | 2.69 | .916 | 14 | 22 | 1 |
| Austin Lotz | Birmingham Bulls | 33 | 1,979 | 985 | 90 | 1 | 2.73 | .909 | 24 | 7 | 2 |
Postseason
For 2023, the format returned to the top eight teams at the end of the regular season qualifying for the playoffs.[6]
Playoff bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | President's Cup Final | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Peoria | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Pensacola | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Peoria | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Roanoke | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Birmingham | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Fayetteville | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Birmingham | 1 | ||||||||||||
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Roanoke | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Huntsville | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Knoxville | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Birmingham | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Huntsville | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Roanoke | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Evansville | 0 | ||||||||||||
(1) Peoria Rivermen vs. (8) Pensacola Ice Flyers
| April 13, 2023 | Peoria Rivermen | 3 - 2 | Pensacola Ice Flyers | Pensacola Bay Center | Recap | |||
| 11:13 - Joseph Widmar (1) 18:21 - pp - Alec Baer (1) |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| 16:00 - Alec Hagaman (1) | Third period | Garrett Milan (1) - pp - 10:09 Jason Price (1) - 15:49 | ||||||
| Jack Berry (23 saves / 25 shots) | Goalie stats | Brad Arvanitis (31 saves / 34 shots) | ||||||
| April 15, 2023 | Pensacola Ice Flyers | 1 - 2 | Peoria Rivermen | Carver Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | Alec Hagaman (2) - 11:11 | ||||||
| 18:04 - Malik Johnson (1) | Second period | Jordan Ernst (1) - 19:12 | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Brad Arvanitis (27 saves / 29 shots) | Goalie stats | Jack Berry (18 saves / 19 shots) | ||||||
| Peoria won series 2–0 | |
(2) Birmingham Bulls vs. (7) Fayetteville Marksmen
| April 13, 2023 | Birmingham Bulls | 2 - 3 | OT | Fayetteville Marksmen | Crown Coliseum | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| 11:16 - Scott Donahue (1) 17:36 - pp - Michael Gillespie (1) |
Third period | Matt McNair (1) - 9:59 Matt McNair (2) - pp - 10:59 | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 2:37 - Carson Vance (1) | ||||||
| Austin Lotz (16 saves / 19 shots) | Goalie stats | Jason Pawloski (24 saves / 26 shots) | ||||||
| April 15, 2023 | Fayetteville Marksmen | 2 - 4 | Birmingham Bulls | Pelham Civic Center | Recap | |||
| 13:32 - pp - Austin Alger (1) | First period | Ryan Romeo (1) - 10:25 | ||||||
| 16:36 - pp - Andrew Lane (1) | Second period | Carson Rose (1) - pp - 0:50 Mike Davis (1) - pp - 11:41 | ||||||
| no scoring | Third period | Stefan Brucato (1) - 18:50 | ||||||
| Jason Pawloski (24 saves / 27 shots) | Goalie stats | Hayden Stewart (27 saves / 29 shots) | ||||||
| April 16, 2023 | Fayetteville Marksmen | 0 - 2 | Birmingham Bulls | Pelham Civic Center | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | Jake Pappalardo (1) - 15:51 | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | Jake Pappalardo (2) - 15:12 | ||||||
| Jason Pawloski (28 saves / 30 shots) | Goalie stats | Hayden Stewart (30 saves / 30 shots) | ||||||
| Birmingham won series 2-1 | |
(3) Huntsville Havoc vs. (6) Knoxville Ice Bears
| April 13, 2023 | Knoxville Ice Bears | 1 - 5 | Huntsville Havoc | Propst Arena | Recap | |||
| 6:59 - Robbie Fisher (1) | First period | Dean Balsamo (1) - pp - 3:39 | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | Austin Martinsen (1) - pp - 8:10 Austin Martinsen (2) - sh - 10:25 Sam Hunter (1) - 13:31 Mason Palmer - 19:23 | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Kristian Stead (37 saves / 42 shots) | Goalie stats | Max Milosek (20 saves / 21 shots) | ||||||
| April 14, 2023 | Huntsville Havoc | 3 - 2 | Knoxville Ice Bears | Knoxville Civic Coliseum | Recap | |||
| 2:21 - Rob Darrar (1) | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | Tanner Salsberry (1) - 12:38 Rasmuz Waxin-Engback (1) - 17:25 | ||||||
| 6:51 - Austin Martinsen (3) 14:27 - Robbie Fisher (2) |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Max Milosek (25 saves / 27 shots) | Goalie stats | Kristian Stead (15 saves / 18 shots) | ||||||
| Huntsville won series 2-0 | |
(4) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs vs. (5) Evansville Thunderbolts
| April 13, 2023 | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 4 - 2 | Evansville Thunderbolts | Ford Center | Recap | |||
| 19:56 - Gehrett Sargis (1) | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| 3:55 - Gehrett Sargis (2) 14:57 - CJ Stubbs |
Second period | Pierre-Luc Lurette (1) - 12:56 | ||||||
| 17:25 - Jordan Xavier (1) | Third period | Matt Dorsey (1) - 13:46 | ||||||
| Austyn Roudebush (21 saves / 23 shots) | Goalie stats | Lucas Fitzpatrick (23 saves / 27 shots) | ||||||
| April 15, 2023 | Evansville Thunderbolts | 0 - 4 | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | Berglund Center | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | Gehrett Sargis (3) - 17:39 | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | Matt O'Dea (1) - pp - 3:48 Billy Vizzo (1) - 15:57 | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | Alex DiCarlo (1) - 10:02 | ||||||
| Lucas Fitzpatrick (28 saves / 32 shots) Zane Steeves (7 saves / 7 shots) |
Goalie stats | Austyn Roudebush (32 saves / 32 shots) | ||||||
| Roanoke won series 2–0 | |
(1) Peoria Rivermen vs. (4) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
| April 19, 2023 | Peoria Rivermen | 2 - 3 | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | Berglund Center | Recap | |||
| 7:32 - sh - Alec Hagaman (3) 14:05 - pp - Marcel Godbout (1) |
First period | Nick Ford - pp - 14:05 | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | Jason Lavallee - pp - 9:48 Josh Nenadal (1) - 11:29 | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jack Berry (19 saves / 22 shots) | Goalie stats | Austyn Roudebush (32 saves / 34 shots) | ||||||
| April 21, 2023 | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 3 - 5 | Peoria Rivermen | Peoria Civic Center | Recap | |||
| 8:43 - sh - Nick DeVito | First period | Mitchell McPherson (1) - pp - 7:18 Mike Gelatt (1) - 7:49 Marcel Godbout (2) - 18:52 | ||||||
| 3:53 - Nick DeVito (2) | Second period | Alec Baer (2) - pp - 3:30 Jordan Ernst (2) - 11:34 | ||||||
| 0:17 - Nick DeVito (3) | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Austyn Roudebush (28 saves / 32 shots) | Goalie stats | Jack Berry (21 saves / 24 shots) | ||||||
| April 23, 2023 | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 5 - 3 | Peoria Rivermen | Peoria Civic Center | Recap | |||
| 0:15 - Josh Nenadal (2) 12:39 - Gehrett Sargis (4) 15:39 - Gehrett Sargis (5) |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| 14:35 - Nick DeVito (4) | Second period | Austin Wisely (1) - 14:11 | ||||||
| 19:34 - en - Nick DeVito (5) | Third period | Alec Baer (3) - pp - 0:20 Nick Neville (1) - 15:37 | ||||||
| Austyn Roudebush (37 saves / 40 shots) | Goalie stats | Jack Berry (9 saves / 12 shots) Eric Levine (7 saves / 8 shots) | ||||||
| Roanoke won series 2-1 | |
(2) Birmingham Bulls vs. (3) Huntsville Havoc
| April 21, 2023 | Huntsville Havoc | 2 - 3 | OT | Birmingham Bulls | Pelham Civic Center | Recap | ||
| 19:20 - Rob Darrar (2) | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| 13:01 - Jacob Barber (1) | Second period | Carson Rose (2) - 5:58 | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | Jake Pappalardo (3) - 10:27 | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | Carson Rose (3) - 2:21 | ||||||
| Max Milosek (42 saves / 45 shots) | Goalie stats | Austin Lotz (14 saves / 16 shots) | ||||||
| April 22, 2023 | Birmingham Bulls | 2 - 3 | OT | Huntsville Havoc | Propst Arena | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | Sy Nutkevitch (1) - pp - 11:56 | ||||||
| 0:30 - Zac Masson (1) 8:08 - Scott Donahue (2) |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | Jordan Fader (1) - 10:43 | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | Jamie Bucell (1) - 12:29 | ||||||
| Austin Lotz (29 saves / 32 shots) | Goalie stats | Max Milosek (26 saves / 28 shots) | ||||||
| April 23, 2023 | Huntsville Havoc | 2 - 5 | Birmingham Bulls | Pelham Civic Center | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| 12:40 - Austin Martinsen 16:44 - pp - Kyle Clarke (1) |
Second period | Michael Gillespie (2) - pp - 5:02 Taylor Brierley (1) - 11:05 | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | Stefan Brucato (2) - 8:08 Michael Gillespie (3) - en - 17:35 Scott Donahue - en - 18:32 | ||||||
| Max Milosek (30 saves / 33 shots) | Goalie stats | Austin Lotz (29 saves / 31 shots) | ||||||
| Birmingham won series 2-1 | |
(2) Birmingham Bulls vs. (4) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
| April 27, 2023 | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 4 - 2 | Birmingham Bulls | Pelham Civic Center | Recap | |||
| 4:32 - Stephen Alvo (1) | First period | Jake Pappalardo (4) - 0:29 | ||||||
| 6:10 - pp - Jason Lavallee | Second period | Scott Donahue (4) - pp - 1:23 | ||||||
| 2:57 - Nick Ford (2) 5:16 - Matt O'Dea |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Austyn Roudebush (25 saves / 27 shots) | Goalie stats | Hayden Stewart (19 saves / 23 shots) | ||||||
| April 28, 2023 | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 0 - 2 | Birmingham Bulls | Pelham Civic Center | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | Matt Wiesner (1) - 8:47 | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | Artur Terchiyev (1) - 2:08 | ||||||
| Austyn Roudebush (26 saves / 28 shots) | Goalie stats | Austin Lotz (33 saves / 33 shots) | ||||||
| May 1, 2023 | Birmingham Bulls | 4 - 5 | OT | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | Berglund Center | Recap | ||
| 9:22 - Carson Rose (4) 17:54 - Zac Masson (2) |
First period | John Stampohar (1) - 10:45 Nick Ford (3) - 17:16 | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | CJ Stubbs (2) - pp - 2:26 | ||||||
| 1:27 - Jake Pappalardo (5) 14:23 - sh - Carson Rose (5) |
Third period | Nick DeVito (6) - 4:55 | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | Billy Vizzo (2) - 11:53 | ||||||
| Austin Lotz (35 saves / 40 shots) | Goalie stats | Austyn Roudebush (27 saves / 31 shots) | ||||||
| May 2, 2023 | Birmingham Bulls | 1 - 2 | OT | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | Berglund Center | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | Josh Nenadal (3) - 14:11 | ||||||
| 19:49 - Carson Rose (6) | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | Mac Jansen (1) - 2:41 | ||||||
| Hayden Stewart (33 saves / 35 shots) | Goalie stats | Austyn Roudebush (18 saves / 19 shots) | ||||||
| Roanoke won series 3-1 | |
Skaters
The following players are sorted by points, then goals. Updated as of May 2, 2023.[7]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick DeVito | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 9 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 4 |
| Nick Ford | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 8 |
| Carson Rose | Birmingham Bulls | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 8 |
| Jake Pappalardo | Birmingham Bulls | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 8 |
| Stephen Alvo | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 8 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 19 |
Goaltenders
The following goaltenders with a minimum 350 minutes played lead the playoffs in goals against average. Updated as of May 2, 2023.[8]
GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout loss
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | SA | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | W | L | OT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austyn Roudebush | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs | 9 | 552 | 266 | 20 | 1 | 2.18 | .925 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Austin Lotz | Birmingham Bulls | 6 | 388 | 172 | 15 | 1 | 2.32 | .913 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Awards
| Award | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|
| President's Cup | Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs |
| William B. Coffey Trophy (Best regular-season record) | Peoria Rivermen |
| Defenseman of the Year | Zach Wilkie (Peoria)[9] |
| Rookie of the Year | Austin Alger (Fayetteville)[10] |
| Goaltender of the Year | Trevor Gorsuch (Evansville) [11] |
| Coach of the Year | Craig Simchuk (Birmingham)[12] |
| Most Valuable Player | Justin MacDonald (Knoxville)[13] |
| Leading Scorer Award | Justin MacDonald (Knoxville) |
All-SPHL selections
| Position | First Team[14] | Second Team[14] | All-Rookie[15] |
|---|---|---|---|
| G | Trevor Gorsuch (Evansville) | Kevin Resop (Quad City) | Nick Latinovich (Macon) |
| D | Zach Wilkie (Peoria) Rourke Russell (Knoxville) (tie) Nick Neville (Peoria) (tie) |
Taylor Brierley (Birmingham) Dominic Procopio (Huntsville) |
Rourke Russell (Knoxville) Taylor Brierley (Birmingham) |
| F | Justin MacDonald (Knoxville) Michael Gillespie (Birmingham) Garrett Milan (Pensacola) |
Alec Hagaman (Peoria) Dean Balsamo (Knoxville) Sy Nutkevitch (Huntsville) |
Austin Alger (Fayetteville) Brandon Harrogate (Evansville) Kolten Olynek (Pensacola) |
References
- "SPHL releases 2022-2023 regular season schedule". thesphl.com. July 13, 2022.
- Vermilion County Bobcats [@VCBobcats] (February 9, 2023). "The Vermillion County Bobcats of the SPHL announced today that they have ceased operations, effective immediately" (Tweet). Retrieved February 9, 2023 – via Twitter.
- "2021\2–23 Regular Season Standings". SPHL. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Player Stats TheSPHL.com". SPHL.
- "Top Goalies - 2022-23 Regular Season - Goals Against Average". SPHL.
- "SPHL announces President's Cup first round schedule". thesphl.com. April 8, 2023.
- "Skater Stats - Playoffs TheSPHL.com". SPHL.
- "Top Goalies - Goals Against Average". SPHL.
- "Peoria's Zach Wilkie named SPHL Defenseman of the Year". SPHL. April 17, 2023.
- "Fayetteville's Austin Alger named SPHL Rookie of the Year". SPHL. April 19, 2023.
- "Evansville's Trevor Gorsuch named SPHL Goaltender of the Year". SPHL. April 18, 2023.
- "Birmingham's Craig Simchuk Named SPHL Coach of the Year". SPHL. April 14, 2023.
- "Knoxville's Justin MacDonald named 2022-23 SPHL Most Valuable Player". SPHL. April 20, 2023.
- "All-SPHL First and Second Teams Announced". SPHL. April 13, 2023.
- "SPHL Announces 2022-2023 All-Rookie Team". SPHL. April 12, 2023.
External links
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