General | 11/8/2025 9:01:32 PM

The Lincoln Stars turned a two-goal deficit into a seven-goal explosion, while Sam Caufield in Chicago and Owen Lepak in Youngstown stood tall in the crease on a night with many outstanding individual performances on Saturday night around the United States Hockey League (USHL).

By the Numbers

5 - Goals in the first period helped the Dubuque top the Sioux City, 7-4. The Fighting Saints benefited from early opportunities on the man advantage and went 4/7 on the power play. Melvin Ekman recorded his second multi-goal game of the season. The rematch tomorrow is set for 3:05 p.m. CT/4:05 p.m. ET in Sioux City.

26 - Saves for Owen Lepak in his first USHL shutout. He helped Youngstown to a 4-0 win, completing a two-game home sweep of Sioux Falls. Buffalo Sabres pick Ryan Rucinski had three assists for the Phantoms.

16 - Goals in 16 games for Alex Pelletier, who leads the league in scoring. He had two goals and two assists in Lincoln's seven-goal explosion against Fargo. Trailing 3-1 at the first intermission, the Stars rebounded to score six goals in the third period, win 7-4, and beat the Force for the second straight night.

54 - Combined saves on Friday and Saturday for Muskegon goalie Carl Axelsson, who made 28 saves on 29 shots in the Lumberjacks' 3-1 win against Des Moines. He turned aside 26 of 27 in Muskegon's victory against the Buccaneers on Friday. The Lumberjacks have won six straight games, sitting alone at the top of the standings. 

12 - Total goals scored by Waterloo over the weekend after defeating Tri-City 6-1 on Saturday. Chase Jette had two goals and one assist for the Black Hawks.

3 - Points for Madison's Tyden Bergeson, who had two goals and one assist in the Capitols' 4-2 win against Cedar Rapids. The Moorhead, Minn. native has multiple points in three of his last four games. 

38 - Saves for Sam Caufield, who made 31 of those stops in the final two periods to help Chicago blank Omaha, 2-0.

Three Stars

1st Star: Alex Pelletier, F, Lincoln Stars
3 G, +2, 5 Shots, +3

2nd Star: Sam Caufield, G, Chicago Steel
38 Saves, Shutout Win

3rd Star: Owen Lepak, G, Youngstown Phantoms
26 Saves, Shutout Win

About the USHL

The United States Hockey League (USHL) and its 16 teams are committed to being the world's leading 16–to 20-year-old junior hockey league. During the 2024-25 season, USHL alumni held over 50% of NCAA Division I roster spots, and over 25% of NHL players had USHL experience. With 10 first-round selections and 49 total picks in the 2024 NHL Draft, the USHL has developed the most draft choices of any junior hockey league since 2012.

Elevated through the recently announced Declaration of Excellence with the NHL and USA Hockey, the league's player-first approach, including a 2:1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 92% of games played on weekends, provides its players with the optimal environment for athletic and personal growth, creating pathways for the next generation of stars like Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel), Matthew Knies (Tri-City Storm), Adam Fantilli (Chicago Steel) and Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede).