There were some great matchups throughout the week, so here is a breakdown of some of the top performers from this past week’s showcase.

Out of all the divisions in the EHL, the Central was far and away the top performer as the six teams combined for a record of 14-4-0. The New York Apple Core, Providence Hockey Club, and Connecticut RoughRiders all went 3-0-0, while the Railers Jr. Hockey Club and Connecticut Chiefs each won two of their three games.

Apple Core defeated the Valley Jr. Warriors 6-2, the Philadelphia Little Flyers 4-1, and Philadelphia Hockey Club 3-2. Peter Unger had six points (4g, 2a) in three games, and Ryan Crowshaw won all three games in net. Since getting traded to New York, Crowshaw is 5-0-0 with a 1.33 goals against average and .959 save percentage. Apple Core is also riding a five-game winning streak following the showcase.

Providence and Connecticut had their fair share of late-game heroics. Providence was trailing the Boston Jr. Rangers 3-1 at the end of the first half, and they stormed back with three unanswered goals in the final 25 minutes of regulation. They followed that performance with a 3-2 shootout win over the Seacoast Spartans, as goaltender Nicholas Hansen stopped 25 shots in regulation plus overtime, and then stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout.

The RoughRiders upset the New Jersey Bears with a 2-1 victory in their first showcase game, then defeated the Bridgewater Bandits 5-4 on Tuesday. They closed out their showcase on Thursday with a 4-3 overtime win against the Pennsylvania Huntsmen, as Cooper Smith completed a hat trick with an overtime-winning goal. He finished the week with five goals and six points in three games.

While the Central proved to be the best division, the Express had the best week of any team in the league. They went 3-0-0 and notched a shutout with three different goaltenders. Phillip De Champlain, Josh Girard, and Alex Koenig respectively blanked Team Maryland 2-0, the New Jersey Bears 2-0, and the New England Wolves 4-0. Gavin Simopoulos had two goals and five points in the showcase, and the Express is currently the hottest team in the league with a nine-game winning streak

The Boston Jr. Rangers won two of its three games, including a 3-1 win over the New Hampshire Avalanche in a Frozen Finals rematch and a 3-0 victory against the Vermont Lumberjacks. Kaleb Miller scored twice against the Avs and scored once against the Lumberjacks, as he now has a league-leading 23 goals in 26 games.

The North and South Divisions did not fare as well as the East and Central in this showcase, but there were still some notable performances.

Starting in the North, the Avalanche went 2-1-0 in Newington, and both of their wins were by pretty wide margins. On Tuesday, they beat the Wizards by a score of 6-2 including a pair of goals from Mike Marchese, and then they closed out their showcase on Thursday with a statement 7-1 win over the New Jersey 87’s, where Kodai Mizuno tallied a pair of goals.

David Basin, who leads the EHL in points (16g, 27a, 46p), was traded to New Hampshire from the Seacoast Spartans just before the showcase. In his first three games with his new team, Basin recorded three goals and two assists.

Going down to the South Division, the 87’s and Little Flyers each won two games. New Jersey’s wins both came down to the wire with a 2-1 victory over the Boston Jr. Terriers and a 3-2 win against H.C. Rhode Island. Eric Vivinetto scored in all three games while Landon Adams had four helpers throughout the showcase.

Philadelphia had a good week to leap up to fourth place in a tightly packed division, earning a 6-4 win over the Connecticut Chiefs and 2-1 overtime win against the Seacoast Spartans. Logan Downs scored twice in the win over Connecticut, and Ronnie Petrucci was able to thwart the Chiefs’ offense with 45 saves.

Closing out their showcase against the Spartans, Jack Costabile tied the game late in the second half with his league-leading 10th power play goal of the season. Christian Kinsler scored the overtime winner, and Petrucci came through again with 31 saves on 32 shots.

Two more showcases remain this season. From February 20-22, there will be a regional showcase in Exeter, NH, the home of the Spartans. All of the North Division teams and Central Division teams (with the exception of the Connecticut RoughRiders) will participate. Then the final league-wide showcase will take place March 1-4, and all EHL and EHLP teams will be in Aston, PA, the home of the Little Flyers.

Anthony Di Paolo

Anthony Di Paolo covers the EHL for HNIB and can be followed on Twitter @DiPaolo_016

Anthony Di Paolo has spent the last four seasons with the New Jersey 87's organization. Anthony's familiarity with the junior hockey landscape at the Tier II and Tier III levels provide him with a wealth of knowledge in covering our league showcases and events. In addition to writing features and player spotlights throughout the season, Anthony is a fixture on the weekly #EShow podcast.

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