2023–24 SPHL season

The 2023–24 SPHL season is the 20th season of the SPHL. The regular season began on October 20, 2023, and ended on April 6, 2024.^[1]

LeagueSPHL

SportIce hockey

DurationOctober 20, 2023 – April 6, 2024

William B. Coffey TrophyBirmingham Bulls

Quick facts League, Sport ...

2023–24 SPHL season
League	SPHL
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 20, 2023 – April 6, 2024
Regular season
William B. Coffey Trophy	Birmingham Bulls
Season MVP	Carson Rose (Birmingham)
Top scorer	Carson Rose (Birmingham)
Playoffs
Finals champions	Peoria Rivermen
Finals runners-up	Huntsville Havoc
Playoffs MVP	Alec Hagaman (Peoria)
SPHL seasons
← 2022–23 2024–25 →

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League business

The same 10 teams from the 2023–24 season returned after Vermillion County folded midseason last year.^[2]

Teams

More information Team, City ...

Team	City	Arena
2023-24 Southern Professional Hockey League
Birmingham Bulls	Pelham, Alabama	Pelham Civic Center
Evansville Thunderbolts	Evansville, Indiana	Ford Center
Fayetteville Marksmen	Fayetteville, North Carolina	Crown Complex
Huntsville Havoc	Huntsville, Alabama	Von Braun Center
Knoxville Ice Bears	Knoxville, Tennessee	Knoxville Civic Coliseum
Macon Mayhem	Macon, Georgia	Macon Coliseum
Pensacola Ice Flyers	Pensacola, Florida	Pensacola Bay Center
Peoria Rivermen	Peoria, Illinois	Carver Arena
Quad City Storm	Moline, Illinois	Vibrant Arena at The MARK
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs	Roanoke, Virginia	Berglund Center

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Map of teams

Birming-
ham

Evansville

Fayetteville

Huntsville

Knoxville

Macon

Pensacola

Peoria

Quad City

Roanoke

SPHL teams

Regular season

Standings

As of April 6, 2024.^[3]

More information Team, GP ...

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	Pts	GF	GA
z– Birmingham Bulls	56	38	9	6	3	85	198	132
x–Peoria Rivermen	56	37	14	2	4	79	192	139
x–Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs	56	33	15	7	1	74	207	164
x–Fayetteville Marksmen	56	31	19	6	0	68	191	165
x–Huntsville Havoc	56	30	19	6	1	67	184	166
x–Quad City Storm	56	32	23	1	0	65	193	176
x–Pensacola Ice Flyers	56	25	27	2	2	54	170	178
x–Evansville Thunderbolts	56	23	29	2	2	50	149	177
e–Macon Mayhem	56	15	34	3	4	37	141	225
e–Knoxville Ice Bears	56	16	36	3	1	36	128	231

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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

Attendance

More information Team, Total ...

Team	Total	Games	Average
Huntsville	166,871	28	5,960
Roanoke	148,597	28	5,307
Pensacola	148,588	28	5,307
Fayetteville	113,402	28	4,050
Knoxville	112,562	28	4,020
Peoria	111,224	28	3,972
Quad City	103,672	28	3,703
Birmingham	93,610	28	3,343
Evansville	91,471	28	3,267
Macon	59,413	28	2,122
League	1,149,410	280	4,105

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Statistical leaders

Leading skaters

The following players are sorted by points, then goals. Updated as of April 6, 2024.^[4]

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

More information Player, Team ...

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/–	PIM
Carson Rose	Birmingham Bulls	49	30	35	65	+26	44
Drake Glover	Birmingham Bulls	55	33	27	60	+33	44
Leif Mattson	Quad City Storm	45	28	31	59	+7	11
Nikita Kozyrev	Birmingham Bulls	53	18	41	59	+31	33
Simon Boyko	Fayetteville Marksmen	39	27	29	56	+20	9
Joe Widmar	Pensacola Ice Flyers	49	16	39	55	-1	18
Cole Golka	Quad City Storm	55	32	21	53	+15	55
Matt Ustaski	Quad City Storm	35	27	26	53	+12	16
Alec Baer	Peoria Rivermen	52	21	31	52	+3	78
Ivan Bondarenko	Pensacola Ice Flyers	53	15	36	51	−2	12

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Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders with a minimum 1,320 minutes played lead the league in goals against average. Updated as of April 6, 2024.^[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

More information Player, Team ...

Player	Team	GP	TOI	SA	GA	SO	GAA	SV%	W	L	OT
Nick Latinovich	Peoria Rivermen	39	2211	848	71	7	1.93	.916	27	7	3
Hayden Stewart	Birmingham Bulls	39	2324	1,111	71	4	2.14	.925	26	7	6
Ryan Kenny	Fayetteville Marksmen	32	1918	1,067	76	2	2.38	.929	18	10	4
Stephen Mundinger	Pensacola Ice Flyers	37	2,051	957	87	3	2.55	.909	16	15	2
Brian Wilson	Huntsville Havoc	32	1940	918	85	2	2.63	.907	16	10	6

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Postseason

For 2024, the format was the same as 2023.

Playoff bracket

Quarterfinals			Semifinals			President's Cup Final

1	Birmingham	1

8	Evansville	2
			2	Peoria	2

			8	Evansville	0
2	Peoria	2

7	Pensacola	0
						2	Peoria	2
(Pairings are reseeded after the first round)
						5	Huntsville	1
3	Roanoke	2

6	Quad City	1
			3	Roanoke	1

			5	Huntsville	2
4	Fayetteville	0

5	Huntsville	2

Quarterfinals

(1) Birmingham Bulls vs. (8) Evansville Thunderbolts

April 10, 2024	Evansville Thunderbolts		4 - 5	Birmingham Bulls	Pelham Civic Center	Recap
3:49 – Dmitri Yushkevich (1) 17:16 – Myles Abbate (1)		First period		Scott Donahue (1) – 2:18 Zac Masson (1) – 18:01
No scoring		Second period		Ryan Romeo (1) – 11:05
7:52 – pp – Brendan Harrogate (1) 19:20 – Logan vande Meerakker (1)		Third period		Nikita Kozyrev (1) – 14:59 Drake Glover (1) – pp – 15:31
Cole Ceci (29 saves / 34 shots)		Goalie stats		Hayden Stewart (15 saves / 19 shots)

April 11, 2024	Birmingham Bulls		1 - 2	OT	Evansville Thunderbolts	Ford Center	Recap
3:38 - pp - Drake Glover (2)		First period			no scoring
no scoring		Second period			Mark Zhukov (1) – 4:44
no scoring		Third period			no scoring
No scoring		First overtime period			Chays Ruddy (1) – 10:21
Hayden Stewart (30 saves / 32 shots)		Goalie stats			Cole Ceci (34 saves / 35 shots)

April 13, 2024	Evansville Thunderbolts		4 - 3	OT	Birmingham Bulls	Pelham Civic Center	Recap
0:42 – Logan vande Meerakker (2)		First period			Drake Glover (3) – pp – 7:04
18:10 – Vadim Vasjonkin (1)		Second period			No scoring
15:32 – Dmitri Yushkevich (2)		Third period			Matt Wiesner (1) - 6:13 Drake Glover (4) – 16:29
5:28 – Matthew Hobbs (1)		First overtime period			No scoring
Cole Ceci (56 saves / 59 shots)		Goalie stats			Hayden Stewart (31 saves / 35 shots)

Evansville won series 2-1

(2) Peoria Rivermen vs. (7) Pensacola Ice Flyers

April 11, 2024	Peoria Rivermen		3 - 2	OT	Pensacola Ice Flyers	Pensacola Bay Center	Recap
2:58 - Jordan Ernst (1) 14:33 - Tristan Trudel (1)		First period			Dale Deon (1) – 14:06
No scoring		Second period			Ivan Bondarenko (1) – 2:16
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
18:50 - Cayden Cahill (1)		First overtime period			No scoring
Nick Latinovich (45 saves / 47 shots)		Goalie stats			Stephen Mundinger (41 saves / 44 shots)

April 13, 2024	Pensacola Ice Flyers		1 - 6	Peoria Rivermen	Carver Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period		Alec Hagaman (1) - 5:31
5:15 – Malik Johnson (1)		Second period		Mathew Rehding (1) – 12:36 Meirs Moore (1) – 19:31
No scoring		Third period		Mike Gelatt (1) – 2:21 Jordan Ernst (2) – pp – 8:52 JM Piotrowski (1) – pp – 10:17
Nick Latinovich (15 saves / 16 shots)		Goalie stats		Stephen Mundinger (25 saves / 31 shots)

Peoria won series 2–0

(3) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs vs. (6) Quad City Storm

April 9, 2024	Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs		2 - 3	OT	Quad City Storm	Vibrant Arena at The MARK	Recap
6:36 - Dominiks Marcinkevics (1) 11:59 - pp - Brenden Stanko (1)		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			Logan Nelson (1) - 15:30
No scoring		Third period			Leif Mattson (1) – 15:02
No scoring		First overtime period			Hayden Hulton (1) – 2:53
Austyn Roudebush (32 saves / 35 shots)		Goalie stats			Brent Moran (38 saves / 40 shots)

April 12, 2024	Quad City Storm		2 - 3	Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs	Berglund Center	Recap
2:22 - Mike Moran		First period		Brendan Pepe (1) - pp - 14:29
4:19 – Weiland Parrish (1)		Second period		No scoring
No scoring		Third period		Stephen Alvo (1) – pp – 14:25 Alex DiCarlo (1) – 14:56
Austyn Roudebush (28 saves / 30 shots)		Goalie stats		Brent Moran (24 saves / 27 shots)

April 13, 2024	Quad City Storm		1 - 7	Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs	Berglund Center	Recap
No scoring		First period		Owen McDade (1) – 5:09 Alex DiCarlo (2) – 12:39
3:45 - pp – Logan Nelson (2)		Second period		Brendan Pepe (2) - pp – 11:54
No scoring		Third period		CJ Stubbs (1) - 1:01 Brendan Pepe (3) - pp – 6:58 Billy Roche (1) – en – 15:48 CJ Stubbs (2) – 16:43
Austyn Roudebush (30 saves / 31 shots)		Goalie stats		Brent Moran (23 saves / 29 shots) Eric Levine (7 saves / 8 shots)

Roanoke won series 2-1

(4) Fayetteville Marksmen vs. (5) Huntsville Havoc

April 10, 2024	Fayetteville Marksmen		1 - 3	Huntsville Havoc	Huntsville Ice Sports Complex	Recap
No scoring		First period		No scoring
11:34 - pp – Grant Loven (1)		Second period		Dylan Stewart (1) - pp – 0:44 Buster Larsson (1) – 17:37
No scoring		Third period		Robbie Fisher (1) – en - 18:29
Ryan Kenny (40 saves / 42 shots)		Goalie stats		Mike Robinson (25 saves / 26 shots)

April 12, 2024	Huntsville Havoc		7 - 2	Fayetteville Marksmen	Crown Coliseum	Recap
3:14 – Buster Larsson (2)		First period		Todd Goehring (1) - 0:55
8:07 – Eric Henderson (1) 18:14 – sh – Jack Jaunich (1)		Second period		Matt O'Dea (1) - pp - 3:48 Billy Vizzo (1) - 15:57
8:48 – sh – Robbie Fisher (2) 9:43 – sh – Robbie Fisher (3) 14:37 – Craig McCabe (1) 18:51 – en,sh – Craig McCabe (2)		Third period		Simon Boyko (1) - pp – 7:50
Ryan Kenny (18 saves / 24 shots)		Goalie stats		Mike Robinson (29 saves / 31 shots)

Huntsville won series 2–0

Semifinals

(2) Peoria Rivermen vs. (8) Evansville Thunderbolts

April 17, 2024	Peoria Rivermen		7 - 2	Evansville Thunderbolts	Ford Center	Recap
7:32 - Jordan Ernst (3)		First period		No scoring
1:41 - Cale List (1) 18:03 - Tristan Trudel (2) 19:33 – pp – Mitchell McPherson (1)		Second period		No scoring
10:47 - pp – Alec Hagaman (2) 12:23 – Alec Hagaman (3) 19:37 – pp – Jordan Ernst (4)		Third period		Chays Ruddy (2) – pp - 7:37 Lincoln Hatten (1) – pp – 15:48
Nick Latinovich (20 saves / 22 shots)		Goalie stats		Cole Ceci (28 saves / 35 shots)

April 19, 2024	Evansville Thunderbolts		2 - 5	Peoria Rivermen	Peoria Civic Center	Recap
No scoring		First period		Alec Baer (1) - 17:39
17:55 – Scott Kirton		Second period		No scoring
8:00 – Lincoln Hatten (2)		Third period		Joseph Drapluk (1) - 14:25 JM Piotrowski (2) – 14:51 Zach Wilkie (1) – pp – 15:43 Mike Gelatt (2) – en – 17:36
Cole Ceci (30 saves / 34 shots)		Goalie stats		Nick Latinovich (16 saves / 18 shots)

Peoria won series 2–0

(3) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs vs. (5) Huntsville Havoc

April 17, 2024	Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs		2 - 5	Huntsville Havoc	Huntsville Ice Sports Complex	Recap
No scoring		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		Doug Elgstam (1) - 13:38 Buster Larsson (3) – pp – 14:22
9:47 – pp – Jacob Kelly (1) 17:24 – Tommy Munichiello (1)		Third period		Buster Larsson (4) – 2:31 Buster Larsson (5) – 5:08 Buster Larsson (6) – 12:40
Austyn Roudebush (26 saves / 31 shots) Tyler Roy (4 saves / 4 shots)		Goalie stats		Mike Robinson (31 saves / 33 shots)

April 19, 2024	Huntsville Havoc		4 - 5	Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs	Berglund Center	Recap
No scoring		First period		Jacob Kelly (2) - 1:50 Jacob Kelly (3) - 3:24 Owen McDade (2) - 12:19
18:17 - Buster Larsson (7)		Second period		Aidan Girduckis (1) - 3:37 Josh Nenadal (1) - 4:05
4:17 - pp – Kyle Clarke (1) 5:37 – sh – Matt Doran (1) 19:24 – Robbie Fisher (4)		Third period		No scoring
Austyn Roudebush (36 saves / 40 shots)		Goalie stats		Mike Robinson (8 saves / 12 shots) Brian Wilson (18 saves / 19 shots)

April 20, 2024	Huntsville Havoc		3 - 1	Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs	Berglund Center	Recap
No scoring		First period		Dominiks Marcinkevics (2) – 13:49
4:25 - Benito Posa (1)		Second period		No scoring
8:06 – Dylan Stewart (2) 18:54 - en - Brett Humberstone (1)		Third period		Alec Baer (3) - pp - 0:20 Nick Neville (1) - 15:37
Austyn Roudebush (24 saves / 26 shots)		Goalie stats		Mike Robinson (25 saves / 26 shots)

Huntsville won series 2-1

President's Cup Final

(2) Peoria Rivermen vs. (5) Huntsville Havoc

April 25, 2024	Peoria Rivermen		2 - 3	Huntsville Havoc	Von Braun Center	Recap
8:02 - pp - Alec Baer (2)		First period		David Thomson (1) - 5:45
14:34 – Tristan Trudel (3)		Second period		No scoring
No scoring		Third period		David Thomson (2) - pp – 11:03 Robbie Fisher (5) – 16:13
Nick Latinovich (33 saves / 36 shots)		Goalie stats		Mike Robinson (29 saves / 31 shots)

April 27, 2024	Huntsville Havoc		4 - 6	Peoria Rivermen	Peoria Civic Center	Recap
19:56 - pp - Eric Henderson (2)		First period		Mathew Rehding (2) - pp - 4:32 Alec Hagaman (4) - 13:30 Zach Wilkie (2) - 14:38
11:36 - Jack Jaunich (2) 14:16 – Cole Reginato (1)		Second period		Alec Hagaman (5) - 0:58
4:38 – Cole Reginato (2)		Third period		Alec Baer (4) – 1:46 Alec Hagaman (6) – en – 18:34
Mike Robinson (21 saves / 26 shots)		Goalie stats		Nick Latinovich (21 saves / 25 shots)

April 28, 2024	Huntsville Havoc		1 - 5	Peoria Rivermen	Peoria Civic Center	Recap
3:49 - Alex Kielczewski (1)		First period		Alec Hagaman (7) – 1:05 Mitchell McPherson (2) – 7:31 Meirs Moore (2) – 12:42
No scoring		Second period		No scoring
No scoring		Third period		Alec Hagaman (8) - en - 17:54 Meirs Moore (3) - en – 19:45
Mike Robinson (20 saves / 23 shots)		Goalie stats		Nick Latinovich (21 saves / 22 shots)

Peoria won series 2-1

Statistical leaders

Skaters

The following players are sorted by points, then goals. Updated as of April 28, 2024.^[6]

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

More information Player, Team ...

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/–	PIM
Alec Baer	Peoria Rivermen	7	3	14	17	+7	4
Alec Hagaman	Peoria Rivermen	7	8	6	14	+10	18
Buster Larson	Huntsville Havoc	8	7	3	10	+6	2
Robbie Fisher	Huntsville Havoc	8	5	4	9	+1	0
Scott Kirton	Evansville Thunderbolts	5	1	6	7	-1	6

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Goaltenders

The following goaltenders with a minimum 350 minutes played lead the playoffs in goals against average. Updated as of April 28, 2024.^[7]

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

More information Player, Team ...

Player	Team	GP	TOI	SA	GA	SO	GAA	SV%	W	L	OT
Nick Latinovich	Peoria Rivermen	7	438	183	15	9	2.06	.918	6	1	0
Austyn Roudebush	Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs	9	552	266	20	1	2.18	.925	7	2	0
Austyn Roudebush	Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs	6	353	193	17	1	2.89	.912	3	2	1

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Awards

More information Award, Recipient(s) ...

Award	Recipient(s)
President's Cup	Peoria Rivermen
William B. Coffey Trophy (Best regular-season record)	Birmingham Bulls
Defenseman of the Year	Brendan Pepe (Roanoke)^[8]
Rookie of the Year	Simon Boyko (Fayetteville)^[9]
Goaltender of the Year	Hayden Stewart (Birmingham) ^[10]
Coach of the Year	Craig Simchuk (Birmingham)^[11]
Most Valuable Player	Carson Rose (Birmingham)^[12]
Leading Scorer Award	Carson Rose (Birmingham)

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All-SPHL selections

More information Position, First Team ...

Position	First Team^[13]	Second Team^[13]	All-Rookie^[14]
G	Hayden Stewart (Birmingham)	Nick Latinovich (Peoria)	Ryan Kenny (Fayetteville)
D	Brendan Pepe (Roanoke) Zach Wilkie (Peoria)	Matt O’Dea (Roanoke) Dillion Fournier (Quad City)	Matthew Araujo (Fayetteville) Matt Doran (Huntsville)
F	Carson Rose (Birmingham) Drake Glover (Birmingham) Leif Mattson (Quad City)	Matt Ustaski (Quad City) Simon Boyko (Fayetteville) Nikita Kozyrev (Birmingham)	Simon Boyko (Fayetteville) Nikita Kozyrev (Birmingham) Alex Laplante (Macon)

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2023–24 SPHL season

League business

Teams

Map of teams

Regular season

Standings

Attendance

Statistical leaders

Leading skaters

Leading goaltenders

Postseason

Playoff bracket

Quarterfinals

(1) Birmingham Bulls vs. (8) Evansville Thunderbolts

(2) Peoria Rivermen vs. (7) Pensacola Ice Flyers

(3) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs vs. (6) Quad City Storm

(4) Fayetteville Marksmen vs. (5) Huntsville Havoc

Semifinals

(2) Peoria Rivermen vs. (8) Evansville Thunderbolts

(3) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs vs. (5) Huntsville Havoc

President's Cup Final

(2) Peoria Rivermen vs. (5) Huntsville Havoc

Statistical leaders

Skaters

Goaltenders

Awards

All-SPHL selections

References

External links

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