Jersey Hitmen USP3 Capture Regular Season League Title

The Nation's Premier Hockey League

Jersey Hitmen USP3 Capture Regular Season League Title

By Hitmen Staff, 02/16/16, 5:15PM EST

Down the stretch there were very few teams that were hotter than the Hitmen. They closed out their regular season play by winning 14 of their final 16 games and finished 34-8-2 overall which earned them the league’s best record.

The Hitmen were consistent all season long and took advantage of their showcases where they boasted a 14-2 record.

Their best win came on January 17 while on the road against a very talented Jersey Shore Whalers team. The Hitmen trailed 4-1 late in the second but rallied with four goals in 4 minutes to take the lead and earn a hard-fought 7-4 victory. That win propelled the Hitmen to a nine game winning streak which would eventually earn them top honors.

While the Hitmen have impressively averaged over 4.6 goals per game (second in league), their defense has been even better. The team allowed only 97 goals (2.1 per game) during the course of the regular season which was the lowest amount of goals allowed by any team in the entire USP3 division.

The forwards are led by Evan Hoey (23-21-44) and Danny Cangelosi (27-17-44). Both players have consistently found the back of the net and continue to wreak havoc on opposing goalies. Anthony Steffe leads the team in assists with 27, and has chipped in nine goals for a total of 36 points. Thomas Foschini (13-19-32) has been solid all season long and continues to be one of the best forecheckers night in and night out.

Keith Bishop, out for the remainder of the year with a shoulder injury, was one of the biggest offensive producers at the time of his injury. The centerman had collected 15 goals and 16 assists before going on the injured reserved. Brendan Buckley (12-17-29) and Hunter Kronk (18-8-26) have provided plenty of secondary scoring to help bolster a strong offensive lineup. Kronk owns the best forward performance of the year with a four goal game in a 4-3 win over the Jr. Bruins back on October 10.

Chris Dressler, who returned from a wrist injury, scored 13 goals down the stretch, including several game winners. Frank Steffe (7-16-23), Bret Shaffer (11-11-22), Eddie Leitgeb (7-14-21), Isaac Davison (9-10-19), Adam Carlo (2-12-14) and Marcus Gurega (3-10-13) round out the scoring.

Defenseman Braden Ploehn leads the defensive unit with 23 points, followed closely by Brock Bowers (18), Cole Garabed (15) and David Kasabian (15). Luke Campomenosi (12 points) has played solid shut down defense against the opposing teams top lines. Zack Toy (9 points), Luc Roberts (8 points) and forward-turned-defenseman Dalton Graham has six points.

Goaltenders Danny Porth (1.78 GAA/.928 save %), John Pitera (2.1 GAA/.919 save %) and Alec Vitton (1.66 GAA/.915 save %) have all played very well in net.

The Hitmen now turn their attention to the Cup playoffs as they host the first round February 26-28 at the Ice Vault.