Tampa Bay Juniors - USPHL

Friday

Elite: TBJ 4, Atlanta 3

Adam Custable’s hat trick powered the Tampa Bay Juniors Elite team to a 4-3 win against the Atlanta Mad Hatters at AdventHealth Center Ice. Custable waited no time, opening the scoring just 1:11 into action. Atlanta answered and took a lead of their own on two wacky goals just 43 seconds apart at 6:16 and 6:59. Adam Custable took matters into his own hands before the end of the first period. He scored his second of the game to tie things up at 2 at 11:36 of the first. Custable completed his hat trick with 35 seconds left in the period, giving the Juniors a 3-2 lead heading into the first intermission.

Atlanta did not allow the Juniors to add to their lead. They tied the game up for the third time at 7:02 of the second period. Neither team was able to pull ahead in the second as the game went to the break tied at 3. In a tightly contested third period, Bryson Uhrig found the winner at 5:13 of the third period. TBJ was able to take advantage of a net mouth scramble to get the all important goal. Evan Spinella stopped 35 shots to help the Juniors improve to 13-0-0 on the season. James Jorge and Ryan Bahula both notched two assists in the win.

Premier: Atlanta 3, TBJ 2

Noah Ping’s 37 saves secured a 3-2 win for the Atlanta Mad Hatters Premier against the Tampa Bay Juniors. The Juniors got off the mark first through Jon Heller on the power play at 11:48 of the first. Tampa was only able to hold the lead for 22 seconds with the Mad Hatters evening the game at 1. Tampa added another power play goal at 16:17 of the first with Colin Farley scoring his second of the season. Atlanta had another quick answer, scoring a minute and 19 seconds later to knot the game up again.

Tampa found some chances in the second, out-shooting Atlanta 10-3 in the period. Unfortunately, one of the three Atlanta shots found the back of the net at the 17:42 mark of the second. The Mad Hatters go-ahead goal proved to be the difference. Tampa’s 12 shots in the third period were all denied, as Atlanta extended their win streak to 3. The Juniors outshot the Mad Hatters 39-18 but it proved to be a non-factor.

Saturday

Elite: TBJ 4, Atlanta 3 (OT)

For the third time in four games, the Juniors needed more than 60 minutes to pick up a win. Atlanta came out with the early punches. Goals at 5:46 and 11:24 of the first period gave the Mad Hatters a 2-0 lead going into the first intermission. Tampa managed to get a goal back with captain Tim Ruf scoring his 6th of the season at 5:08 of the second. Atlanta did not give the Juniors an opportunity to build momentum, as they regained the two-goal lead just a minute and nine seconds later. Adam Custable cut the deficit in half, scoring his 4th of the weekend and 11th of the season at 13:53 of the period.

Atlanta frustrated the Juniors with structured defense for the majority of the third period. For the second time in three games, the Juniors trailed 3-2 with less than 5 minutes remaining in regulation. With just a minute and 53 seconds remaining, Ryan Bahula netted his league-leading 18th goal of the season to tie the game up at 3. Tampa wasted no time in the extra period. Leading a 2-on-1 rush, James Jorge fed Jack Fleer who made no mistake. Fleer scored his 7th goal of the season exactly one minute into overtime. Tampa’s overtime heroics improved them to 14-0-0 on the season. Ethan Leigh made 32 big saves to secure his 7th win of the season.

Premier: Atlanta 4, TBJ 0

The Tampa Bay Juniors were shutout for the first time this season with a 4-0 loss against the Atlanta Mad Hatters. Atlanta set the tone early, opening the scoring 3:43 into the game. The Juniors failed to score on their 12 shots in the first period. Atlanta scored a couple more early goals in the second period. They doubled their advantage just 49 seconds into the period. Former Junior Sam Adler added to the Mad Hatters lead at 4:58 of the second. Atlanta took a 3-0 lead into the second intermission.

Atlanta put the game to bed early into the third period. They scored a power play goal 1:26 into the period to grow the lead to 4. All of Atlanta’s four goals were scored within the first five minutes of each period. The Mad Hatters outshot Tampa 37-35 overall. With the defeat, Tampa had now dropped three of their last four games. Lane Skon made 33 saves in the loss.

Sunday

Elite: TBJ 6, Atlanta 3

Jacob Weaver picked up his first win as the Juniors secured their 15th win in a row. The Juniors offense got going early and often. Tim Ruf scored shorthanded just 2:03 into the game. Ryan Bahula added to the lead with his 19th and 20th goals of the year at 11:04 and 19:44 of the first period. Tampa boosted their lead in the second period. Derek Olson notched his first goal of the season at the 8:54 mark of the period. Justin Walker tapped home his 8th after a sweet feed from Nevada Woodring at 15:45. Even down by 5, Atlanta failed to go down lightly. Quick strike goals at 17:45 and 19:51 of the second, made things interesting going into the third.

Atlanta continued their comeback bid in the third period. They clawed another goal back at 4:27 to trim the lead to 2. The Mad Hatters and Juniors played a tense third period. TBJ was able to exhale at 13:14 of the third. Bryson Uhrig scored his second third period goal of the weekend to restore a 3-goal lead for Tampa. Jacob Weaver made 14 saves in his first start with the Juniors. The weekend sweep continued the Juniors’ perfect start to the season. Ryan Bahula, Bryson Uhrig, Martin Raynov, and Jack Fleer all finished with two points.

Premier: Atlanta 3, TBJ 2

The Tampa Bay Juniors comeback attempt fell short as the Atlanta Mad Hatters completed their weekend sweep. The Juniors came out flying in the first period. Unfortunately for Tampa, their effort did not lead to goals. The Mad Hatters took advantage of their limited chances in the period. They scored on two of their three shots at 14:47 and 18:46. Atlanta added a shorthanded goal at 12:20 of the second period to grow their lead to three.

The Juniors entered the third not scoring in their previous seven periods. With all their pressure and chances, Tampa was finally able to break through with 5:49 left in the game. Colton Sipperley scored his 4th goal of the season to give Tampa some life. The Juniors kept their foot on the gas pedal for the remainder of regulation. With the net empty, TBJ pulled another goal back with 1:11 left. Aaron Frenkel set up Stanley Lucas on the doorstep to make it a one-goal game. The late resurgence proved to not be enough as Tampa fell 3-2. Jack Anderson picked up assists on both goals. TBJ heads into Thanksgiving break with a 10-5-0 record on the season.

Photo By: Link Up Sports Photography