Fresno Monsters’ 2025 National Championships Game Preview
- Lyanna Yeow
- Mar 18
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 2
What to expect in the upcoming 2025 National Championships run for the Fresno Monsters against the P.A.L. Junior Islanders, Springfield Pics, and Tampa Bay Juniors.
What you need to know for the 2025 National Championships:
When:
Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM PDT
Friday, March 21, 2025 at 2:30 PM PDT
Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 4:45 PDT
Where:
Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM PDT
Ice Vault Rink 1
Friday, March 21, 2025 at 2:30 PM PDT
Ice Vault Rink 3
Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 4:45 PDT
Ice Vault Rink 2
Watch:
Fresno Monsters (4-0-0-0, 8 PTS)
2025 Premier Playoffs Recap
The Fresno Monsters kicked off their playoff run with a 4-2 win against Henderson Force and closed out the series in two-games with a 5-1 Game 2 win. After sweeping Henderson Force, the Fresno Monsters faced the Ontario Jr. Reign who were the 2024 Pacific Division Champions. This thrilling matchup was more than just a couple more games to advance to Nationals as this was the Fresno Monsters’ round 2 redemption. These two teams battled against one another during round 2 of the 2024 Premier Playoffs and the Ontario Jr. Reign beat the Fresno Monsters. Fueled by vengeance and momentum from their previous games, the Fresno Monsters swept the Onatrio Jr. Reign after their outstanding performance in Game 1 (5-2) and Game 2 (7-4). After all of their hard work during the regular season and this series, the Fresno Monsters were named the Pacific Division Champions. The Monsters go into the upcoming games determined to keep their winning momentum going and advance to the Premier Finals.
Standout Players after Premier Playoffs 2025
Forward, #23 Filipp Papshev, recorded 9 points (5G and 4A)
Defensemen, #18 Emil Hagg, recorded 5 points (2G and 3A)
Goaltender, #38 Brooks Barofsky, recorded a 0.930 SV% after saving a total of 119 out of 128 shots on goal during the 2025 Premier Playoffs
Honorable mention would be forward, #37 Connor Perdue, who led the Monsters with the most assists recorded in round 2 of the Premier Playoffs (7 PTS, 2G, 5A).
Read about how the Fresno Monsters’ stats compare to their opponents below.
P.A.L. Junior Islanders (6-0-2-0, 12 PTS)
2025 Premier Playoffs Recap
The team’s playoff run started out with a rocky start after the Elmira Impact beat the P.A.L. Junior Islanders 4-3 in overtime. This loss did not hinder P.A.L. Junior Islanders as they made a huge comeback in their next matchup against Elmira Impact and won with a final score of 4-1. They then took the series against Elmira Impact after their dominant 5-2 win. The P.A.L. Junior Islanders then faced an intense battle against Rockets Hockey Club and faced another overtime loss (5-4). After that upset, the P.A.L. Junior Islanders battled hard and were able to muster a 5-4 overtime win against the Rockets Hockey Club after Joe Sousa scored the game winning power play goal. They continued to persevere and secure a 6-5 overtime win after William Prange scored the game winning goal for the team. The P.A.L. Junior Islanders continued their momentum into their series against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights and closed out their playoff run with a 4-2 and 2-1 win. Although the P.A.L. Junior Islanders did face some adversity in the playoffs, they never backed down and were named the Atlantic Division Champions.
Standout Players after Premier Playoffs 2025
Forward, #21 Joe Sousa, recorded 14 points (7G and 7A)
Defensemen, #7 Ryunosuke Shirozu, recorded 9 points (9A)
Goaltender, #30 Avery Hite, recorded a 0.938 SV% after saving a total of 242 out of 258 shots on goal and winning 4 out of 5 games played.
Goaltender, #31 Marks Dinsdorfs, recorded a 0.927 SV% after saving a total of 101 out of 109 shots on goal and winning 2 out of 3 games played.
Honorable mentions would be forwards, #9 James Clifford (6G, 6A) and #13 Brett LoGelfo (5G, 7A) who both recorded 12 points
Stats
The P.A.L. Junior Islanders currently have a 27.3% power play success rate and a 85.2% penalty killing success rate after battling out in the playoffs against teams in the Atlantic Division. When compared to the Fresno Monsters, the P.A.L. Junior Islanders have a higher power play success rate (27.3% PP vs. 20% PP). However, the Fresno Monsters have a higher penalty killing success rate compared to the P.A.L. Junior Islanders (94.1% PK vs. 85.2% PK). The Fresno Monsters had a total of 50 penalty minutes which was significantly lower compared to the P.A.L. Junior Islanders’ 180 penalty minutes recorded by the end of the Premier Playoffs. This game may come down to whoever can remain disciplined throughout the game as well as goaltending.
Springfield Pics (6-0-0-0, 12 PTS)
2025 Premier Playoffs Recap
The Springfield Pics kicked off the series with a 4-0 shutout against the Junior Bruins. They carried the momentum into their 3-2 Game 2 and 5-1 Game 3 win against the Northern Cyclones. The Islanders Hockey Club put up a good fight in their two-game series against the Springfield Pics as they forced overtime in both games against one another. The Springfield Pics did come up on top after Adam Botlo scored the game winning overtime goal in their first game against the Islanders Hockey Club and Maverick Labonte scored the game winning overtime goal in their second game against the Islanders Hockey Club. This sweep and being named the New England Division Champions instills confidence and momentum for the team as they enter their upcoming matchups.
Standout Players after Premier Playoffs 2025
Forward, #28 Adam Botlo, recorded 11 points (3G and 8A)
Defensemen, #12 Nick Zanin, recorded 8 points (2G, 6A)
Goaltender, #33 Troy Huber, recorded a 0.953 SV% after saving a total of 202 out of 212 shots on goal and winning all 6 games played
Honorable mention would be forward, #22 Maverick Labonte who recorded 9 points (7G, 2A)
Stats
The Springfield Pics currently have a 23.1% power play success rate and a 76.5% penalty killing success rate. When compared to the Fresno Monsters, the Springfield Pics have a slightly higher power play success rate (23.1% PP vs. 20% PP). However, the Fresno Monsters have a higher penalty killing success rate compared to the Springfield Pics (94.1% PK vs. 76.5% PK). The Fresno Monsters had a total of 50 penalty minutes by the end of the playoffs which was lower compared to the Springfield Pics’ 80 penalty minutes recorded by the end of the Premier Playoffs. This game may come down to whoever can capitalize on their power play opportunities and remain strong on their penalty killing.
Tampa Bay Juniors (3-0-0-0, 6 PTS)
2025 Premier Playoffs Recap
The Tampa Bay Juniors shutout the Florida Junior Blade in Game 1 (1-0) and the Florida Eels in Game 2 (4-0) of the series. Bold City Battalion put up a great fight against the Tampa Bay Juniors, however, they fell short after Aki Jokela secured the win for the Tampa Bay Juniors by scoring the game winning goal in 2nd overtime (3-2). After an impressive performance and being named the Florida Division Champions, the Tampa Bay Juniors go into their upcoming games with a hunger to win.
Standout Players after Premier Playoffs 2025
Forwards, #10 Augie Ashley (1G, 2A) and #76 Milan Levcenko (2G, 1A) both recorded 3 points.
Defensemen, #8 Jackson Henningsgaard, recorded 2 points (2A)
Goaltender, #1 Savva Serdiuk, recorded a 0.977 SV% after saving a total of 86 out of 88 shots on goal and winning all 3 games played
Honorable mention would be forward, #19 Jakub Koudelny who recorded 2 points (2G) which consisted of one game winning goal
Stats
The Tampa Bay Juniors currently have a 9.09% power play success rate and a 100% penalty killing success rate. When compared to the Fresno Monsters, the Tampa Bay Juniors have a significantly lower power play success rate (9.09% PP vs. 20% PP). However, the Tampa Bay Juniors have a higher penalty killing success rate compared to the Fresno Monsters (100% PK vs. 94.1% PK). The Fresno Monsters had a total of 50 penalty minutes by the end of the playoffs which was higher compared to the Tampa Bay Juniors’ 16 penalty minutes recorded by the end of the Premier Playoffs. This game may come down to goaltending and whoever can capitalize on their scoring chances.
Overall, we can expect an exciting set of games from the Fresno Monsters' 2025 Nationals Championship run as they are determined to make it to the 2025 Premier Finals.
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