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Week 1 USPHL Pacific Division Recap

  • Lyanna Yeow
  • Sep 21, 2025
  • 3 min read

The 2025-26 USPHL regular season started off strong with an eventful two-game series for the San Diego Sabers and a thrilling three-game series for the Lake Tahoe Lakers. Read about the exciting wins and highlights from the games this past weekend!


San Diego Sabers Split Their Two-Game Series

The San Diego Sabers’ 2025-26 season started with an away game against the Ventura Vikings on September 19, 2025 and closed out the weekend at home with a matchup against the Long Beach Bombers on September 20, 2025. 


The Vikings took Game 1 of the series with a 5-0 shutout after their goaltender, #28 Alexander Wendt, saved all 18 SOG that he faced. #1 Parker Lewis was initially in net for the Sabers and saved a total of 16 out of 17 SOG before #32 Santiago Cucuraqui Gascon took over at the start of the second period. #32 Gascon saved 19 out of 23 SOG by the end of the game. The points leader of this game was Vikings’ defencemen, #16 Griffin Gagnon, who led the team with 5 points recorded (2 PPG and 1A).


After an unfortunate loss, the Sabers went into Game 2 of the series with a hunger to win against the Long Beach Bombers. Although the first period ended with a 1-1 standstill, the Sabers regrouped and maintained control throughout the rest of the game which resulted in their 5-1 victory on home ice. This win helped the Sabers to split their two-game series and created momentum which will benefit them going into next week’s three-game series against Henderson Force.


Lake Tahoe Lakers’ Three-Game Series Sweep

The Lake Tahoe Lakers’ 2025-26 season started with a three-game series against the Rogue Valley Royals at The RRRink. A hat-trick recorded by #24 Lewis Beddow and the outstanding performance in net by goaltender, #33 Ryder Selbee (87.5 SV%) ultimately helped the Lakers to kick off this series with a 6-3 win. After an electrifying start, the Lakers’ momentum carried into Game 2 which ended with a 6-4 win as Leo Matthew Duggan IV and Kasper Parkkonen led the team with 5 points (1G, 2A) and goaltender, #32 Aaron Ing, ended the game with an impressive performance (90.0 SV%). The Lakers closed out the series with an astonishing 9-4 victory. This sweep was made possible by #37 Brooks Smyrski’s performance in between the pipes (74.1 SV%) and #14 Leo Matthew Duggan IV’s first hat-trick of the 2025-26 regular season being recorded during Game 3 of the series. The Lakers ended the weekend with a three-game sweep and a three-game winning streak going into their upcoming games.


Overall, Week 1 of the 2025-26 USPHL Pacific Division was full of electrifying starts and glimpses of potential for teams who have struggled in the previous season. Some memorable moments from this past week included the Ventura Vikings being the first Pacific Division team to record a shutout in the 2025-26 regular season and the Lake Tahoe Lakers’ three-game winning streak after sweeping the Rogue Valley Royals. There were 2 hat-tricks recorded this past weekend by Lake Tahoe Lakers’ #14 Leo Matthew Duggan IV and #24 Lewis Beddow. The games this past weekend set the bar high for the rest of the Pacific Division as Henderson Force and the Ontario Jr. Reign are scheduled to make their 2025-26 season debuts.


Below are the next scheduled USPHL match-ups and where to watch them:

Friday, September 26, 2025

  • The San Diego Sabers will face Henderson Force on Friday, September 26, 2025 at 7:00 PM PST. This game will take place at America First Center

  • The Ventura Vikings will face the Long Beach Bombers on Friday, September 26, 2025 at 7:15 PM PST. This game will take place at Lakewood Ice

Saturday, September 27, 2025

  • The San Diego Sabers will face Henderson Force on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 7:00 PM PST. This game will take place at Gateway Ice Center.

  • The Ontario Jr. Reign will face the Long Beach Bombers on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 9:00 PM PST. This game will take place at Lakewood Ice.

Sunday, September 28, 2025

  • The San Diego Sabers will face Henderson Force on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM PST. This game will take place at America First Center

  • The Ontario Jr. Reign will face the Long Beach Bombers on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 1:00 PM PST. This game will take place at Lakewood Ice.


Stay tuned for the next weekly recap of the 2025-26 regular season for the USPHL Pacific Division!


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