top of page
Search

Week 16 USPHL Pacific Division Recap

  • Lyanna Yeow
  • 6 days ago
  • 9 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

The 2025-26 USPHL regular season for the Pacific Division continued to deliver another set of thrilling wins and tough losses. Read about the exciting wins and fun highlights from the games during the week of January 16-18, 2026!


Ventura Vikings vs. Long Beach Bombers One-Game Series

The Ventura Vikings traveled to Lakewood Ice where they faced the Long Beach Bombers on Saturday, January 17, 2026. This matchup was the last time that these teams played against one another during the 2025-26 regular season. Read about how the Long Beach Bombers came out victorious after their intensive battle against the Ventura Vikings.  


The first period of this matchup ended with a 3-2 lead for the Vikings after a back-and-forth battle which lasted throughout the whole period. The goals scored during the first period included two Bombers goals, scored by #55 Roman Adomitis (1G) and #20 Tevin Stokes (1PPG), as well as three Vikings goals scored by #51 Joe Lawrence (1G), #38 Riley Richards (1G), and #6 Ethan Yang (1G). The Bombers kicked off the second period and tied the game, 3-3, with a goal scored by #65 Michael Savic. The Vikings quickly regained their one-goal lead when #68 Edvin Ahlperby scored thirty-two seconds after the Bombers’ goal (4-3). This goal did not faze the Bombers as they made it an 8-4 game with five back-to-back goals scored by the following players: #11 Marcus Vargas (1G), #14 Jackson Litzinger (2G), #27 Kamil Ibashev (1G), and #39 Hubert Blanchettetasse (1G). The Vikings also did not back down and made it a one-goal game going into the last period of regulation with a goal scored by #51 Joe Lawrence (8-6) and two goals scored by #38 Riley Richards, who secured his first hat-trick of the regular season (8-7). The Bombers continued to fight back and made it a 10-7 game with two goals scored by #11 Marcus Vargas (1G) and #23 Arthur Seamus McCown (1G) early in the third period. Although the Vikings were able to answer back and make it a 10-9 game with two goals scored by #10 Nicholas Mardani (1PPG) and #6 Ethan Yang (1G), their last push was not enough to offset the Bombers as #61 Steven Anderson closed out the game, 11-9, when he scored during the final five minutes of regulation. In regards to goaltending, each team played both of their goaltenders as Vikings’ #28 Alexander Wendt (17/21 SOG) and Bombers’ #72 Ethan Fitzgerald (14/21 SOG) initially started in net before Vikings’ #31 Aiden Biswanger (5/11 SOG) and Bombers’ #32 Ethan Sellwood-Fernald (9/11 SOG) took over for the remainder of the game. Collectively, the Bombers won this game after their goaltending duo saved a total of 23 out of 32 shots on goal while the Vikings’ duo saved a total of 22 out of 33 shots on goal. The Long Beach Bombers are now on a one-game winning streak after extending the Ventura Vikings’ streak to a two-game losing streak.  


Henderson Force vs. San Diego Sabers Three-Game Series

Henderson Force traveled to Ice Realm Carlsbad and faced the San Diego Sabers in a three-game series which started on Friday, January 16, 2026 and concluded after their matchup on Sunday, January 18, 2026. This series was the last time that these teams faced one another during the 2025-26 regular season. Read about how Henderson Force remained undefeated against the San Diego Sabers after sweeping this series 3-0. 


The Force struck first with a goal scored by #24 Nikodem Wroblewski midway through the first period which gave his team a one-goal lead going into the second period (1-0). This lead was extended, 3-0, when #26 Reese Hicks opened the second period and #73 Sixten Wramhed scored a power play goal later in the period. The Sabers did get on the board and were able to cut their deficit down to two-goals when #24 Sammy Albano scored late in the second period (3-1). Although the Sabers put up a fight during the third period, their commendable efforts were not enough to hinder the Force’s momentum as #73 Wramhed closed out the game, 4-1. In regards to goaltending, #35 Ralfs Kalnins secured the Force’s win after he saved 21 out of 22 shots on goal while Sabers’ #1 Stephan Vedernikov saved 61 out of 65 shots on goal. Henderson Force found themselves with a seven-game winning streak after their dominant win in Game 1 of this series. On the other hand, the San Diego Sabers’ two-game winning streak came to an end after this tough loss.  

 

The Sabers entered Game 2 with vengeance and gained a 1-0 lead early in the first period when #51 Dean Johnson scored the opening goal of this matchup. The remainder of the period remained relatively quiet until Vikings’ #4 Luke Bennett tied the game (1-1) and #75 Nicholas Correnti gave his team their first lead of this game (2-1). Both teams remained scoreless during the second period which remained 2-1 in the Force’s favor despite having multiple goal-scoring chances. It wasn’t until thirty-eight seconds into the third period when #7 Harris Shular tied the game for the Sabers and made it a 2-2 game. Although the Sabers put up a commendable fight, their efforts fell short as the Force secured their 4-2 win after they closed out the game with two goals scored by #73 Wramhed (1PPG) and #88 Ryan Pavlinsky (1G). With another win secured in this series, Henderson Force found themselves with an eight-game winning streak while the San Diego Sabers continued onto a two-game losing streak. 


The Force continued to dominate the Sabers and ended the first period with a 3-1 lead which consisted of a Sabers goal scored by #27 Matthew Matsuda (1G) as well as three Force goals scored by  #10 Christopher Bruder (2G) and #17 Aleksander Leonelli (1G). Two power play goals were scored during the second period by Sabers’ #17 Nick Ryan (1PPG) and Force’s #8 Kaden Mulcahy (1PPG) which made it a 4-2 game in the Force’s favor. The Sabers continued to be short by two-goals throughout the beginning of the third period as Sabers’ #16 Austin Robinson (1PPG) answered back to the Force’s #88 Pavlinsky (1G) opening goal of the period (5-3). Despite making a commendable effort to tie the game, the Sabers fell short as #24 Wroblewski (1G) and #73 Wramhed (1PPG) extended the Force’s lead which ended the game with a final score of 7-3. Henderson Force are currently on a nine-game winning streak after they extended the San Diego Sabers streak into a three-game losing streak with their Game 3 victory. 


Fresno Monsters vs. Ontario Jr. Reign Three-Game Series

The Fresno Monsters traveled to Ontario Ice Center Arena and faced the Ontario Jr. Reign in a three-game series which started on Friday, January 16, 2026 and concluded after their matchup on Sunday, January 18, 2026. This series was the last time that these teams faced one another during the 2025-26 regular season. Read about how the Fresno Monsters came up on top with a 2-1 series win against the Ontario Jr. Reign!


Game 1 remained scoreless after the first twenty minutes of regulation despite the Monsters’ impressive abilities to maintain puck possession throughout the majority of the first period (0-0). It wasn’t until a minute and thirty-one seconds into the second period when Jr. Reign’s #3 Tyler Yeo broke the standstill and momentarily made it a 1-0 game. The Monsters quickly tied the game, 1-1, when #55 Josef Nystrom scored twenty-eight seconds after the Jr. Reign’s opening goal. The Jr. Reign remained unfazed by the Monsters’ game-tying goal and ended the second period, 4-1, when #15 Walker Chitwood regained the team’s lead (2-1) and #22 Samuel Delaquis extended their lead with two additional goals scored (4-1). Down by three, the Monsters fought hard and were able to make it a two-goal game when #13 Jonathan Andersen scored midway through the third period (4-2). After a hard-fought battle, the Monsters fell short as goaltender, #33 Domenik Mclnenly, secured the Jr. Reign’s win when he saved 39 out of 41 shots on goal by the end of this game. This tough loss did not take away from #30 Niksa Slade’s commendable performance in net as he saved 21 out of 25 shots on goal for the Monsters. With another win recorded, the Ontario Jr. Reign found themselves with a two-game winning streak after they ended the Fresno Monsters’ seven-game winning streak. 


The Jr. Reign started Game 2 strong and ended the first period, 2-0, with both goals scored by #22 Delaquis. Down by two, the Monsters regrouped and were able to muster three back-to-back goals, scored by #37 Connor Perdue (1G), #15 Adrian Gomez (1G), and #22 Keanu Mcclanahan (1G), which gave them a 3-2 lead midway through the second period. With fifty seconds remaining in the second period, Jr. Reign’s #15 Chitwood made it a 3-3 game going into the last period of regulation after scoring an urgent game-tying goal. Despite both teams having a series of great scoring chances, the game remained at a tied standstill, 3-3, which forced the teams to go into overtime. After a lengthy battle, the Monsters came up on top and won with a final score of 4-3 when #13 Andersen scored the game-winning power play overtime goal. In regards to goaltending, #30 Niksa Slade secured his first overtime win of the regular season after he saved 33 out of 36 shots on goal while Jr. Reign’s #29 Nicholas Perry saved 32 out of 36 shots on goal by the end of this game. The Ontario Jr. Reign’s two-game winning streak came to an end after the Fresno Monsters secured this Game 2 win and found themselves on a one-game winning streak as they entered into Game 3 of this series. 


The Jr. Reign struck first in Game 3 of this series with an opening goal scored by 83 Noah Neil, twenty-eight seconds into the period (1-0). This one-goal lead did not last long as Monsters’ #5 Keegan Iwahashi made it a 1-1 game going into the second period of regulation. The Monsters’ momentum continued into the second period and ultimately made it a 5-1 game with four unanswered goals scored by #8 Felix Heinas (1PPG), #22 Mcclanahan (1G), and #96 William Lindgren (1G, 1PPG). The Jr. Reign continued to struggle against the Monsters as #20 Vertti Sakko (1PPG) and #9 Sebastian Vesterlund (1PPG) both scored a power play goal early in the third period (7-1). The Jr. Reign were able to put up one more point during the third period with a goal scored by #23 Jaxon Hildebrand (7-2). However, their overall last push was not enough to offset the Monsters’ momentum as #15 Gomez scored a power play goal during the final two minutes of regulation and made it an 8-2 win for his team. This win would not have been possible without the excellent goaltending performance by Monsters’ #30 Niksa Slade, who saved 27 out of 29 shots on goal. The Fresno Monsters are now on a two-game winning streak while the Ontario Jr. Reign continues onto a two-game losing streak as they enter their upcoming matchups. 


Overall, Week 16 of the 2025-26 USPHL Pacific Division was full of thrilling outcomes and high-scoring wins. Some memorable moments from this past week included multiple winning/losing streaks being extended, a Fresno Monsters overtime win, and a double-digit Long Beach Bombers win. There was s hat-trick recorded during week 16 of the regular season which was secured by Ventura Vikings’ #38 Riley Richards. Looking ahead, we have a couple two-game series and a three-game series scheduled during Week 17 of the regular season. 


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

Thursday, January 22, 2026

  • The Ventura Vikings will face the Fresno Monsters on Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 7:45 PM PST. This game will take place at Gateway Ice Center 

  • Henderson Force will face the Long Beach Bombers on Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 8:30 PM PST. This game will take place at Lakewood Ice 

Friday, January 23, 2026

  • The Ontario Jr. Reign will face the San Diego Sabers on Friday, January 23, 2026 at 1:00 PM PST. This game will take place at Ice Realm Carlsbad 

  • The Ventura Vikings will face the Fresno Monsters on Friday, January 23, 2026 at 6:00 PM PST. This game will take place at Gateway Ice Center 

  • Henderson Force will face the Long Beach Bombers on Friday, January 23, 2026 at 7:15 PM PST. This game will take place at Lakewood Ice 

Saturday, January 24, 2026

  • The Ventura Vikings will face the Fresno Monsters on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 5:00 PM PST. This game will take place at Gateway Ice Center 

  • Henderson Force will face the Ontario Jr. Reign on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 8:30 PM PST. This game will take place at Ontario Center Ice Arena


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


Comments

bottom of page