By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
The Vernal Oilers will make their third straight trip to the #USPHLNationals as Northwest Division Champions. The Oilers closed out their series against the Seattle Totems with a 6-1 victory for the game and 2-0 for the series. Gergo Schwartz scored twice, Filip Lezzani had a goal and two assists, Marsel Tynymbayev and Kasper Pohjala each had two assists, and Levente Hegedus made 25 saves on 26 shots.
The Oilers’ third Nationals quest will begin March 20 in Wayne, N.J. With the USPHL Power Rankings (based upon KRACH, or the Ken’s Ratings For American College Hockey, system) being used for seeding of the Nationals, the Oilers will be the No. 1 seed for the Premier in New Jersey.
The Oilers went 44-0 during the regular season, becoming the first-ever team to go completely undefeated through a full season in the USPHL junior ranks.
In the playoffs, they first drew the first-year Iron County Yeti, and defeated the Yeti in a pair of decisive victories to set up their showdown with the Seattle Totems, the Northwest No. 2 seed. They won 5-2 and 6-1 to stand as the only team to win the Northwest Division since the creation of that division in 2022.
