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USHL Update - Week 4
Tuesday October 23, 2012
Kevin Lindskoug helped the Muskegon Lumberjacks win three straight while Gabe Guertler of the Fargo Force leads the USHL in goal scoring. (photos courtesy of Muskegon Lumberjacks and mJoy Photography)
USHL STANDINGS SCORING LEADERS GOALTENDER LEADERS SCHEDULE
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Unbeaten Saints…A pair of teams have maintained perfect records through the early part of the season. The Dubuque Fighting Saints picked up two wins over Green Bay during the weekend to push their record to 7-0-0. Forward Shane Sooth scored the game-winning goal in both contests, extending his goal streak to three contests. Peter Quenneville also is riding a three-game goal streak which included a four-point night (1g, 3a) on Friday. The Saints have not made it easy on the opposition to score as they have allowed just eight goals through their first seven games. Arthur Brey (1.30) and Connor Girard (1.30) currently rank first and second in goals-against-average among USHL goalies.
Perfect Stars…The Lincoln Stars also remain unbeaten (6-0-0) after a pair of one-goal victories over Fargo. The Stars have won three of their last four games by a single goal, including the 4-3 shootout win on Friday. Will Suter has a point in all six games this season after dishing three assists over the weekend. Defense has been a strong point for Lincoln also as they have allowed just 10 goals this season. Rookie goaltender Michael Bitzer is among USHL leaders with a 1.33 GAA and .956 SV% and veteran Jackson Teichroeb has a 1.89 GAA while stopping 9-of-10 in the shootout this season.
Jumping Jacks…The Muskegon Lumberjacks have continued their hot start by winning three games last week. Adam Gilmour scored his first USHL goal on Wednesday which proved to be the game-winner in the 4-2 victory over Team USA. He added another on Friday to help the Jacks overcome a 3-0 deficit and win 4-3 in overtime thanks to the second goal of the week by Max Shuart. Forward Ben Foster scored on both Friday and Saturday, giving him five goals over the last six games. Goaltender Kevin Lindskoug was in net for all three wins during the week as he posted a 1.63 GAA and .948 SV%, plus stopped all 27 shots he faced in Saturday’s 4-0 victory against Chicago to record his first USHL shutout.
Double Digit Bucs…It was an offensive outburst that hadn’t been seen in Des Moines in over a decade as the Buccaneers earned a 10-1 victory over Team USA on Friday. The last time the Buccaneers scored 10 goals in a game was a 10-0 win against the Rochester Mustangs on December 28th, 2001. In the third period, the Buccaneers scored six goals including tallies by Willem Nong-Lambert and Danny Elser who were both appearing in their first game with the team. Ten different skaters had multi-point nights including Tanner Karty, Marcus Ericsson, and Ryan Galt who each scored two goals. Axel Wemmenborn led all scorers with four points (1g, 3a).
Hawks Flying High…A pair of wins helped the Waterloo Black Hawks wrap up their six-game homestand with a 5-1-0 record. They now play six of their next seven on the road. Playing in his 30th USHL career game on Friday, Eamon McAdam stopped all 28 shots he faced for his first USHL career shutout. It marked consecutive shutouts for the Black Hawks after Cal Petersen earned his first USHL shutout the weekend before. The last time Waterloo recorded shutouts in consecutive games was late in the 2009-10 season (March 26 and 27, 2010). John Wiitala scored a goal in each weekend win, his first two USHL goals. Justin Kloos extended his point streak to five games with a point in each game (1g, 1a). He has collected 20 points (10g, 10a) in 19 USHL career games.
Following the Herd…The Sioux Falls Stampede are leading the USHL with an average of nearly 4,000 fans per game this season and the team has given the home crowd plenty to cheer about in all four games at the Sioux Falls Arena. Goaltender Jan Obernesser turned away all 18 shots in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Youngstown to record his first USHL shutout and improve the team’s record to 4-0-0 on home ice this season.
Goal Rush…The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have scored 18 goals over their last three games, the most goals they have netted in a three-game span since February 24-March 2, 2012 when they scored 19 goals over three victories. Riley Bourbonnais scored three goals in the last three games for the RoughRiders, including the game-winner in Saturday’s 7-5 victory over Indiana in which he recorded a USHL career high four-point game (1g, 3a).
Scoring Force…Forward Gabe Guertler has shown plenty of scoring touch for the Fargo Force this season as he has netted eight goals over nine games, leading the entire USHL. It is one goal shy of his total in 57 games last season. The 17-year-old scored two goals in Friday’s 4-3 shootout loss to Lincoln, plus he converted on his shootout attempt. It was his second multi-goal game of the season
Notes…Forward Brendan Harms assisted on both goals for the Fargo Force in their 2-1 win against Youngstown on Thursday. He then dished out two assists on Friday, his fifth consecutive multi-point game. The USHL rookie currently leads the League with 13 points (1g, 12a)…The Sioux City Musketeers scored a season high five goals in Friday’s 5-1 win against Youngstown. Five different players tallied a goal, including Jake Guentzel and Jake Montgomery who both had a three-point nights (1g, 2a)…Kenny Gillespie scored two goals, including the game-winner, for the Omaha Lancers in Friday’s 8-3 win against Tri-City. It was his first USHL multi-goal game and the most goals for the Lancers in a game since January 13th, 2012…Thomas Ebbing tallied a goal for the Chicago Steel in Friday’s 4-3 overtime loss to Muskegon, his third straight game with a goal…Kyle Novak scored two goals during the weekend for the Green Bay Gamblers and now has four goals over his last four games…Playing in his 61st career game for the Tri-City Storm, defenseman John Hrabovsky scored his first USHL goal in Friday’s loss to Omaha.
Looking Ahead…A total of 18 games are scheduled for the fifth week of the regular season. The Omaha Lancers will open the brand new Ralston Arena on Friday when they face the Tri-City Storm for the third consecutive game. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Indiana Ice will also meet for the third time in a span of a week on Friday while the Des Moines Buccaneers and Dubuque Fighting Saints bring winning streaks into their Friday matchup.
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 11th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2012-13. With 18 NHL Draft picks on team rosters and over 200 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools this season, the USHL has emerged as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com or visit the League’s social media platforms, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/ushlhockey), twitter (www.twitter.com/ushl), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/ushlinteractive). Fans can also watch USHL action all season long, live or on-demand via FASTHockey (ushl.fasthockey.com).
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