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Week 20 of USPHL 2025-26 Pacific Division Recap

  • Lyanna Yeow
  • Feb 16
  • 8 min read

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 February 13-15, 2026!


Vernal Oilers vs. Fresno Monsters Three-Game Series

The Vernal Oilers traveled to Gateway Ice Center where they faced the Fresno Monsters for the last time in the 2025-26 regular season. These teams played in a three-game series which started on Friday, February 13, 2026 and ended after their matchup on Sunday, February 15, 2026. Read about how the Vernal Oilers won this series, 2-1, and how the Fresno Monsters put an end to the Vernal Oilers’ twenty-four-game winning streak in Game 3 of this series.


The Monsters had a great start to Game 1 of this series as they ended the first period, 1-0, with a power play goal scored by #9 Sebastian Vesterlund. The Oilers regrouped and answered back with a game-tying goal scored midway through the period (1-1) and secured their first lead of this matchup with a goal scored before the end of the second period (2-1). Although the Oilers’ momentum continued into the third period as they extended their lead (3-1), the Monsters were able to make it a one-goal game when #21 Brian Erte scored during the final minute of regulation (3-2). Despite making a commendable last push, the Monsters fell short as the Oilers ended the game, 4-2, with one last goal scored with twenty-four seconds remaining in the game. In regards to goaltending, #33 Noah Pfab secured the Oilers’ win after he saved 42 out of 44 shots on goal while Monsters’ #32 Viktor Pasztor saved 32 out of 35 shots on goal. The Vernal Oilers found themselves with a 23-game winning streak after ending the Fresno Monsters’ three-game winning streak in Game 1 of this three-game series. 


The Oilers continued their goal-scoring momentum in Game 2 of this series which ultimately helped them to gain and sustain a 5-0 lead until the last two minutes of regulation. Within those final two minutes, the Monsters were able to muster a couple goals goals, scored by #20 Vertti Sakko (1PPG) and #71 Nils Tunbratt (1G), which ended this matchup with a final score of 5-2. In regards to goaltending, #33 Noah Pfab secured another win for the Oilers after he saved 42 out of 44 shots on goal. On the other hand, the Monsters initially had #31 Noah Hammarstrom in net who saved 21 out of 24 shots on goal before #32 Viktor Pasztor took over for the remainder of the game and saved 15 out of 17 shots on goal. With another win secured, the Vernal Oilers found themselves with a 24-game winning streak after extending the Fresno Monsters’ streak to a two-game losing streak.   


The Monsters gained an early 1-0 lead after #25 Filipp Papshev opened Game 3 with a goal scored twelve seconds into the first period. The Lakers’ opening goal did not faze the Oilers as they quickly answered back with four unanswered goals scored during the beginning half of the period and made it a 4-1 game going into the second period of regulation. Down by three, the Monsters worked hard to cut their deficits and made it a one-goal game going into the last period of regulation with a goal scored by #15 Adrian Gomez (1G) and #20 Sakko (1G) (4-3). The Oilers maintained their composure and ended the second period, 5-3, when they scored a goal with twenty-three seconds remaining in the second period. Although the Oilers made a commendable effort to close out the third period with another victory secured, their efforts ultimately fell short as the Monsters regrouped and mustered a 6-5 win against the Oilers. The three unanswered Monsters goals that closed out this game were scored by #21 Erte (2G) and #5 Keegan Iwahashi (1G). In regards to goaltending, #32 Viktor Pasztor was initially in net for the Monsters and saved 2 out of 6 shots on goal before #30 Niksa Slade took over for the remainder of the game and saved 32 out of 33 shots on goal. The Oilers had #35 Michael Marandola in net and he saved 30 out of 36 shots on goal by the end of this game. After a hard-fought win, the Fresno Monsters are now on a one-game winning streak after ending the Vernal Oilers’ 24-game winning streak. 


Ontario Jr. Reign vs. Lake Tahoe Lakers Three-Game Series

The Ontario Jr. Reign traveled to South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena where they faced the Lake Tahoe Lakers for the last time in the 2025-26 regular season. These teams played in a three-game series which started on Friday, February 13, 2026 and ended after their matchup on Sunday, February 15, 2026. Read about how the Ontario Jr. Reign remained undefeated against the Lake Tahoe Lakers and swept this series, 3-0. 


After a quiet start, Lakers’ #13 Kaelan Basnett opened the first period of Game 1 in this series and made it a 1-0 game after he scored a power play goal during the final two minutes of the period. The Lakers’ lead did not last long as the Jr. Reign’s #48 Marc Belanger tied the game nineteen seconds later and made it a 1-1 game going into the second period of regulation. The Jr. Reign’s momentum continued into the second period which ended, 3-1, in their favor as #48 Belanger scored a power play goal thirty-eight seconds into the period (2-1) and #15 Walker Chitwood extended his team’s lead (3-1). The Lakers made a commendable push during the third period to cut their deficits, however, their struggles continued as the Jr. Reign ended this game, 6-1, with three additional goals scored during the last period of regulation. The three Jr. Reign goals recorded during the third period were scored by #53 Jake Hudec (1G), #22 Samuel Delaquis (1PPG), and #11 Mason Welsh (1G). In regards to goaltending, #33 Domenik Mclnenly secured the Jr. Reign’s win after he saved 24 out of 25 shots on goal while #1 Kohen Pirrone saved 48 out of 54 shots on goal. When looking at winning/losing streaks, the Ontario Jr. Reign found themselves with a six-game winning streak after extending the Lake Tahoe Lakers’ streak into a two-game losing streak. 


Game 2 also had a slow start as the first period ended with a scoreless standstill due to the intense goaltending duel between Jr. Reign’s #29 Nicholas Perry and #31 Liam Freel who both saved 15 shots on goal (0-0). It wasn’t until three minutes and fifty-four seconds into the second period of regulation when the Lakers struck with a goal scored by #25 Bryn Studney-Amos (1-0). Similar to their previous matchup, this one-goal lead did not last too long as Jr. Reign’s #11 Welsh made it a tied game going into the last period of regulation (1-1). The Lakers were able to regain their lead with a goal scored by #13 Basnett (2-1), however, their last push during the third period fell short once again as the Jr. Reign regrouped and ended the period 5-2 with four back-to-back goals scored. The goals that closed out the third period were scored by the following Jr. Reign players: #17 Evan Tsadilas (1PPG), #15 Chitwood (1G), #22 Delaquis (1G), and #11 Welsh (1G). In regards to goaltending, #29 Nicholas Perry secured the Jr. Reign’s win after saved 34 out of 36 shots on goal while Lakers’ #31 Liam Freel saved 45 out of 50 shots on goal by the end of this game. With another strong finish in this series, the Ontario Jr. Reign found themselves with a seven-game winning streak after they extended the Lake Tahoe Lakers’s streak into a three-game losing streak. 


After another tough loss, the Lakers entered Game 3 with a hunger to end their losing streak which helped them to strike first and gain a one-goal lead early in the first period (1-0). The Lakers’ one-goal lead ended up being short-lived as Jr. Reign’s #48 Belanger tied the game less than a minute after the opening goal was scored (1-1). The Jr. Reign broke the tied standstill with a power play goal scored by #22 Delaquis (2-1) and extended their lead with another power play goal that was secured by #48 Belanger (3-1). With three minutes remaining in the first period, the Lakers were able to cut their deficit and made it a one-goal game with a goal scored by #27 Kasper Parkkonen (3-2). Both teams recorded a point during the second period which ended, 4-3, in the Jr. Reign’s favor with a goal scored by Jr. Reign’s #97 Brennan Monroe and Lakers’ #25 Studney-Amos. After another gutsy battle, the Lakers ultimately fell short as the Jr. Reign remained victorious and won this final matchup, 5-3, with an unanswered goal scored by #15 Chitwood during the last period of regulation. In regards to goaltending, #33 Domenik Mclnenly secured another Jr. Reign win after he saved 25 out of 28 shots on goal while Lakers’ #37 Brooks Smyrski saved 56 out of 61 shots on goal. When looking at winning/losing streaks, the Lake Tahoe Lakers are on a four-game losing streak while the Jr. Reign are on an eight-game winning streak after their successes in this series.


Overall, Week 20 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, the Ontario Jr. Reign 3-0 sweep against the Lake Tahoe Lakers, and the Fresno Monsters ending the Vernal Oilers’ 24-game winning-streak after their victory in Game 3 of that three-game series. Looking ahead, we have a two-game and a couple three-game series scheduled during Week 21 of the regular season.


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

Friday, February 20, 2026

  • The Fresno Monsters will face Henderson Force on Friday, February 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM PST. This game will take place at America First Center

  • The Lake Tahoe Lakers will face the Ventura Vikings on Friday, February 20, 2026 at 7:30 PM PST. This game will take place at Iceoplex Simi Valley

Saturday, February 21, 2026

  • The Lake Tahoe Lakers will face the Ventura Vikings on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 6:30 PM PST. This game will take place at Iceoplex Simi Valley

  • The Fresno Monsters will face Henderson Force on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM PST. This game will take place at America First Center

  • The San Diego Sabers will face the Ontario Jr. Reign on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 8:30 PM PST. This game will take place at Ontario Center Ice Arena

Sunday, February 22, 2026

  • The Lake Tahoe Lakers will face the Ventura Vikings on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM PST. This game will take place at Iceoplex Simi Valley

  • The Fresno Monsters will face Henderson Force on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 12:30 PM PST. This game will take place at America First Center

  • The Long Beach Bombers will face the Ontario Jr. Reign on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 2:00 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!


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