October 9, 2009
Sioux Falls forward Anthony Day and Des Moines Buccaneers forward T.J. Tynan each had a pair of goals during the first weekend of the USHL regular season. (USHL Images)
Six games are on the schedule as the USHL enters the second weekend of the 2009-10 regular season.
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (1-0-0) @ Sioux City Musketeers (0-1-0)
Tonight marks the first regular season matchup after the two clubs met twice in the preseason as the Musketeers defeated the RoughRiders in the championship game at the "Battle of Iowa" in Cedar Rapids. Matt Skoff made 21 saves during the 2-0 shutout for the Musketeers. The following week, the RoughRiders got a bit of revenge when they took a 4-1 victory at the USHL Fall Classic in Sioux City. Forward Michael Parks had three points (2g, 1a) for Cedar Rapids while goaltender Troy Grosenick made 32 saves to earn the victory.
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Sioux Falls Stampede (1-0-1) @ Fargo Force (1-1-0)
It is the second meeting between the two teams in a span of six days. The Stampede captured a thrilling 3-2 win last Saturday in Sioux Falls. Anthony Day netted a pair of goals for Sioux Falls in the victory, his first two shots on goal of the season. The Stampede have a slight edge in the tightly contested all-time series winning five games versus four wins for the Force. Six of the nine games all-time have been decided one goal.
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Des Moines Buccaneers (1-1-0) @ Lincoln Stars (1-1-0)
The Bucs will have to be ready for a hostile environment as the Stars and their fans look forward to the home opener in Lincoln. The Stars have led the USHL in attendance for three consecutive seasons routinely welcoming well over 4,000 fans to the Ice Box. Lincoln has won each of the last eight meetings in the series and Des Moines has not won at the Ice Box since November 22, 2006 (0-7-0 since). T.J. Tynan has five points (2g, 3a) over the first two games for the Bucs.
Indiana Ice (1-0-0) @ Tri-City Storm (0-1-0)
The Storm open the home portion of their 2009-10 schedule by welcoming the defending Clark Cup champs for matchups on Friday and Saturday. Drew Schoneck seeks his first win behind the bench for the Storm. Indiana found plenty of offense in their season-opening win on Saturday as Shane Berschbach (2g, 1a) and Nic Dowd (3a) each posted three-point nights in the 6-2 win vs. Youngstown. Antti Roppo also netted a pair of goals for the Ice. The last time these two teams met in Tri-City (March 6-7, 2009), they combined for 18 goals over two games.
Green Bay Gamblers (0-1-0) at Team USA (0-2-0)
The Gamblers make the trip around Lake Michigan and head into Ann Arbor looking for their first win of the season after a comeback last weekend fell short at the hands of Waterloo 5-4. Defenseman David Makowski had three points (2g, 1a), picking up where he left off after being named to the All-USHL Second Team last season. Team USA will be represented by the Under-17 squad this weekend as they also seek their first USHL victory. The young squad was resilient last weekend despite suffering two losses to the Chicago Steel.
Waterloo Black Hawks (1-0-0) @ Chicago Steel (2-0-0)
In a battle of unbeatens, the matchup will have impact on the early lead in the East Division standings. The Black Hawks have won nine of the past 12 meetings in the all-time series and have had plenty of success in Chicago winning eight of the last 12 games at the Edge Ice Arena. The Steel found no trouble scoring last weekend posting 15 goals in their two victories over Team USA. Mark Anthoine (3) leads the League in goals while Andrei Kuchin leads the USHL in points (1g, 5a) and is tied with teammate Kevin Lind for the League-best plus/minus (+6).
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.
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