October 7, 2009
Chicago Steel forward Mark Anthoine leads the USHL with three goals after the first week of play. (USHL Images)
The opening weekend of the 2009-10 USHL regular season is complete and the 31st season of USHL hockey has begun. Ten games highlighted the League's first week as all 14 Member Clubs hit the ice.
Around the League
Phantom Firsts…The Youngstown Phantoms began their inaugural USHL season by hosting the defending Clark Cup champion Indiana Ice. It was a good start for the Phantoms after scoring two goals in the first period to take a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Joe Zarbo scored the first goal in Phantoms history when he found the back of the net at 5:36 of the first period. However, Indiana spoiled opening night at Youngstown's Covelli Centre by scoring three goals in each of the final two periods to capture a 6-2 victory. Shane Berschbach (2g, 1a) and Antti Roppo (2g) led the Ice with a pair of goals each while Nic Dowd dished out three assists for the defending champs.
Welcome Red, White, and Blue…Team USA got their first taste of the USHL as the Under-17 squad played a home and home series with the Chicago Steel over the weekend. The Steel earned victories in both matchups scoring a total of 15 goals, including 10 in Saturday's win. Forward Tyler Biggs tallied the first goal of the season for Team USA when he scored at 15:05 of the second period in Friday's contest. Despite two losses, Team USA found some positives in their play including an explosive stretch in which they scored three goals over a span of 2:39 in the second period in Chicago on Saturday.
New Familiar Face in Fargo…Steve Johnson made his coaching debut for the Fargo Force on Friday night and the club gave their new coach a win posting a 5-2 victory vs. the Lincoln Stars, a team that Johnson coached for 10 seasons (1996-2007). Johnson's first stint in the USHL was with the former Fargo-Moorhead Bears during the 1995-96 season. Forward Nate Schmidt scored a pair of goals for Fargo in the win.
Shutout for Stars…Lincoln Stars goaltender Jared Coreau made the most of his second USHL appearance stopping all 25 shots, including 13 in the third period, by the Sioux City Musketeers and earning a 2-0 shutout victory on Saturday. It was the first shutout of the season by a League goaltender.
Extra Session…Friday's contest between the Des Moines Buccaneers and Sioux Falls Stampede needed more than 60 minutes to determine a winner. After trading goals throughout the evening, the 3-3 game headed into overtime, but even the extra five minutes wasn't enough to settle the outcome as the game moved to a shootout. The Buccaneers converted three of their four attempts while goaltender Charles Williams stopped three of four Stampede shooters - to go along with his 43 saves he recorded throughout the first 65 minutes - earning a 4-3 victory for Des Moines. It was also the first win for Buccaneers new head coach Mike Guentzel.
Back Home in Omaha…The Omaha Lancers played their first home game back across the river in Nebraska, after the previous eight at the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs (IA), when they hosted the Tri-City Storm at the Civic Auditorium in downtown Omaha on Saturday. The Lancers welcomed the largest USHL crowd of the weekend as 4,399 fans saw the home team gain a 3-1 victory over the Storm.
Playoff Rematch…After being swept out of last season's playoffs in three games by the Green Bay Gamblers, the Waterloo Black Hawks got a bit of revenge when they defeated the defending Anderson Cup champions 5-4 in the season opener for both teams. Waterloo's Tyler Barnes scored the first two goals of the game and Jamie Hill scored the game-winner with less than five minutes to play in the third period. Zach Palmquist tallied three assists for the Black Hawks while defenseman David Makowski netted two power play goals for the Gamblers.
Lucky Seven…The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders scored seven goals including three goals in a span of 2:01 to break a 4-4 tie in the third on their way to a 7-4 victory vs. the Des Moines Buccaneers on Saturday. Jeff Costello led the Riders with a pair of goals and also dished out an assist. Forward T.J. Tynan led all scorers as he contributed to all four goals (2g, 2a) for the Bucs.
Two for Two…Sioux Falls Stampede forward Anthony Day did not register a shot on goal in his USHL debut on Friday, but made the most of his first two shots on Saturday as both resulted in goals during the 3-2 win over Fargo.
Alumni News…Former USHL linesman Bryan Pancich made his NHL regular season debut when he worked the October 3rd game between the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets. Pancich is the first on-ice official from the USHL and Officiating Development Program (ODP) to make the jump directly to the NHL. The Blue Jackets defeated the Wild 2-1 during Pancich's debut with the game-winning goal coming off the stick of former USHL defenseman Rostislav Klesla (Sioux City Musketeers). Prior to the game, it was announced that Klesla signed a four-year contract extension with the Blue Jackets, the club that drafted him 4th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 31st season of junior hockey in 2009-10. With over 140 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools and 13 NHL Entry Draft picks currently on League rosters, the USHL is the nation's foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com.
It's not just hockey. It's the USHL.
