BOSTON, MA -- Postseason play is underway in both the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and the Eastern Hockey League Premier (EHLP).
Below you'll find the 24th set of weekly top performers for the 2022-23 season. The forward and defensemen awards are presented by Verbero Hockey, while the goalie honors come courtesy of Vaughn Custom Sports.
The EHL is pleased to announce that Graeme MacDougall (Philadelphia Little Flyers), Rocco Seery (East Coast Wizards), and Lincoln Crosby (Team Maryland) have been named the Top Performers for Week #24/Play-In Round.
MacDougall and the Little Flyers hit the ice for three games this past week to wrap-up their 2022-23 regular season schedule. The task was pretty clear for Philadelphia, as they controlled their own destiny towards avoiding the Play-In Game in the South Division. The '02 native of Canada led the way in ensuring that was the case, tallying seven total points all while the Little Flyers increased their active winning streak up to five total games.
For the season, MacDougall now has 36 total points, all while having played in 45 out of a possible 46 games to date. In locking up the #3 seed, MacDougall and the Little Flyers have earned a matchup with the #2-seed New Jersey 87s, in what has turned into an annual playoff occurrence for the two rivals. Game #1 of the First Round series is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 pm at Jersey Shore Arena, the home of the 87's.
Shifting back to the blue line, and highlighting a player who hit the ice yesterday in a play-in game, Seery and the Wizards held on for a 3-2 victory over the Valley Jr. Warriors. With the win, East Coast has set up a rematch of their First Round series from this past year, as they get set to take on the Express Hockey Club. As for the '02 native of Bloomingdale, IL, Seery tallied a goal plus an assist in yesterday's contest, and it's worth pointing out that his tally just past the mid-way point of the 2nd period stood up as the game-winner.
Looking forward, the Wizards will look to lean more on the Franklin Pierce commit, as they seek revenge over the Express over what took place last March. Just like the Little Flyers vs. 87's series that was just mentioned, Seery and the Wizards get right back to work for game #1 of their set tomorrow, as they Express host the opener at Noon down in Walpole, MA.
Wrapping things up in goal, and Crosby has earned this week's top goaltending honor after delivering a winning performance in both the final game of the regular season as well as the first game of the postseason for Team Maryland. The '02 native of Washington, D.C. claimed each victory for Maryland over the Philadelphia Hockey Club, turning aside 50 of the 53 total shots that he faced.
The pair of victories propels Team Maryland into the First Round with similar momentum in comparison to the Little Flyers, as they'll take a six-game winning streak into tomorrow's contest with the Protec Jr. Ducks. Just like the Express vs. Wizards series, tomorrow's series opener between the Ducks and Maryland is scheduled for 12:00 pm.
The EHLP is pleased to announce that Hunter Atkinson (New Hampshire Avalanche), Tyson Herishen (New Jersey Renegades), and Owen Currier (New England Wolves) have been named the Top Performers for Week #24/Play-In Round.
Atkinson and the Avalanche hit the ice for the New England Division Play-In Game yesterday afternoon at 1:30 pm. The '04 native of Pine Planes, NY led the way for his team offensively, tallying a pair of goals and a pair of assists in the 7-1 victory over the Connecticut Chiefs.
After notching 53 points while playing in all 42 regular season games for the Avalanche, Atkinson continued his great rookie campaign in his first-ever playoff game. New Hampshire will surely look for Atkinson to continue to lead the way, as they've advanced to take on the #1-seed Adirondack Jr. Thunder in the upcoming First Round of the EHLP Playoffs.
Working back to the very last game of the regular season, and Herishen's efforts proved huge for the Renegades in their 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Little Flyers. The '04 native of Woodbridge, NJ tallied a goal and an assist in the contest, but it was the goal that was key, as it stood as the game-winner in the contest. The victory was huge for New Jersey as it helped them jump the Little Flyers for 3rd place in the Mid-Atlantic Division, avoiding tonight's Play-In Game against the Union Jr. Thunder.
Looking forward, Herishen and the Renegades now have the security of knowing they'll hit the ice for at least a best-of-three series, as they get set to take on the Pennsylvania Huntsmen this upcoming Friday and Saturday, with game #3 set for Sunday if necessary.
Wrapping things up in goal, and Currier capped off a solid 2022-23 regular season in style this past Friday by pitching a clean, 22-save shutout over the Avalanche. The shutout was the 2nd of the year for the '04 native of Concord, NH, and improved his record up to 15-5-4 to go along with a 3.04 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
Coming up next for Currier and the Wolves is a First Round showdown with the Vermont Lumberjacks. Despite Vermont controlling the matchups in the regular season, it's worth pointing out that three of the four contests required overtime to determine a winner. The Wolves will look for Currier to lead the way this upcoming week against their division rival.