The SPHL’s 2025-26 season gets underway Friday with a two-game slate starting with the Huntsville Havoc travelling to take on the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs before the defending champion Evansville Thunderbolts open their season on the road at the Birmingham Bulls.

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The five-game weekend slate will feature all 10 teams in the league with a trio of contests on Saturday including Knoxville at Fayetteville, Macon at Pensacola and Peoria at Quad City. 

Here’s a look at what you need to know as the SPHL season opens with each game streaming exclusively worldwide on FloHockey.

Anything Can Happen

If you want predictability, the SPHL is not the place to find it. Last year’s President’s Cup championship was won by the Evansville Thunderbolts, who had finished the regular season in seventh place before going on an epic run to the title. 

The Thunderbolts went 6-1over the playoffs, backstopped by goalie Cole Ceci, who posted a sparkling .962 save percentage and 1.30 goals-against average en route to the title. You get hot at the right time and anything can happen, as the Thunderbolts proved.

The Thunderbolts' title defense begins Friday night on the road at Birmingham. While they'll raise their championship banner at their home opener on Oct. 25.

A Little Extra Fun In The Booth

The Huntsville Havoc made a unique announcement this offseason that they’ve established a unique partnership with “Bandits Hockey” for its broadcasts this season. 

Havoc 🤝 Bandits

The Huntsville Havoc are excited to announce a new broadcast partnership with @BanditsHockeyAL for all Havoc home games streamed on @FloHockey!

📝 Read more: https://t.co/02BfWP7XN6 pic.twitter.com/6SDXBV5ZI3

— Huntsville Havoc (@HuntsvilleHavoc) September 25, 2025

If you’re not familiar, Bandits Hockey is a fun-loving social media account that follows the trials and tribulations of a Huntsville-based men’s hockey team called the bandits. Though unlike most beer league teams, this one has a full broadcast team including the illustrious Guy Schaefer and Jacob Murphy on both play-by-play and color commentary.

It figures to be a unique broadcast for one of the league’s most popular teams. The Havoc have teamed up with Bandits Hockey and Underhill Media to get this broadcast going. 

“We’re thrilled to have Bandits Hockey join our broadcast team,” said Clay Gully, VP of Marketing for the Havoc in a team release. “Their connection to the local hockey community and their ability to engage fans online makes them a perfect fit to elevate our broadcast coverage.”

This should be a lot of fun to listen to when the Havoc are at home.

Is Peoria The Team To Beat Again?

The Peoria Rivermen have secured one of the top three spots in the league at the end of the regular season on a seemingly annual basis. They’ll have a number of top players back this year including top returning scorer Alec Baer and goalie Nick Latinovich, which will be big boosts to the roster.

Peoria won 40 of 56 games last season, running away with the regular-season title with a nine-point gap between them and Huntsville for the top spot. The Rivermen led the league in goals scored by a significant margin, outscoring opponents 216-122 while also having by far the most penalty minutes in the league, too.

Peoria can play any way you like and it often leads to a lot of excitement on the ice. With the roster they’re putting out this year, look for them to be a top team again.

Expansion On The Horizon

Just a few short weeks ago, the SPHL announced plans to expand to Mobile, Alabama in 2027-28. It will mark the first expansion of the league since 2021 when the Vermillion County Bobcats came along. That team is no longer in operation, but the excitement of what's to come is palpable.

Mobile’s team will be owned and operated by Zawyer Sports & Entertainment, which owns teams in both the ECHL and AHL, among other properties. It will mark the return of pro hockey in Mobile for the first time since 2002. They'll have a brand new arena and will add a third professional team to Alabama as hockey continues to grow in the state.

SPHL Opening Weekend Schedule

Full SPHL Broadcast Schedule

Friday, Oct. 17

• Huntsville Havoc at Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, 7:05 p.m. ET
• Evansville Thunderbolts at Birmingham Bulls, 7 p.m. CT

Saturday, Oct. 18

• Knoxville Ice Bears at Fayetteville Marksmen, 6 p.m. ET
• Macon Mayhem at Pensacola Ice Flyers, 7:05 p.m. CT
• Peoria Rivermen at Quad City Storm, 7:10 p.m. CT

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