USHL United States Hockey League

USHL Update - Week 19

Published on February 8, 2012 under United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release


Around the League

Winning Trend ...A pair of weekend victories have kept the Sioux City Musketeers on the winning track as the team has now won five of its last six contests. The Musketeers have allowed just 11 goals over that six-game stretch after surrendering 25 goals over the previous five contests, which were all on the road. Sioux City is 3-1-0 on their current six-game homestand. Maxim Gaudreault scored in both weekend victories, including the game-winner in Friday's 4-1 win over Tri-City. Nikita Sirotkin had a USHL career high three points (2g, 1a) on Friday. Playing in their first shootout contest of the season on Saturday, Brad Robbins scored the lone goal of the extra session and Matt Skoff stopped all three shooters he faced as the Musketeers earned a 3-2 win against Omaha. It was the 12th consecutive start in goal for Skoff.

Early Risers ...An early start didn't stop the Chicago Steel from earning a victory on Wednesday to push their winning streak to a season long four games. They were the opponents for the Youngstown Phantoms who were hosting their annual school day that welcomed students from around the Youngstown area for a 10:00 AM start. The game hosted 3,902 fans, the largest crowd of the season for the Phantoms. Goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos earned his fourth straight win for the Steel when he made 32 saves in the 3-1 win. He posted a 1.43 GAA and .957 SV% during the four-game stretch. Michael Fallon tallied the game-winner for the Steel, extending his point streak to five games (2g, 5a). Defenseman Jaccob Slavin dished out two assists and has now collected seven assists and a plus-eight rating over his last seven games for Chicago.

Shootout Success ...It took five rounds of the shootout on Saturday, but the Tri-City Storm remained a perfect 3-0 in the extra session this season after gaining a 5-4 shootout victory over Des Moines. Two of their last three games have been decided in the shootout. Storm shooters have converted on 6-of-11 attempts this season (.545), the highest conversion percentage of any USHL team, while the team's goaltenders have turned away 8-of-11 attempts by the opposition. Brian Ward scored in regulation and converted in the fifth round of the shootout on Saturday to lead the Storm to victory.

Shutout Friday ...It was a long wait for Jake Hildebrand, but the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders goaltender earned his first USHL shutout in Friday's 3-0 win against Muskegon. It was the 50th appearance in a USHL game as he stopped all 27 shots he faced. The victory was also his 10th of the season for the Riders. Meanwhile, Lincoln Stars goaltender Charles Williams stopped all 32 shots he faced in Friday's 7-0 win against Des Moines. It was his third shutout of the season to tie for the lead among USHL goaltenders.

Win Column ...The Muskegon Lumberjacks put an end to a five-game winless skid (0-3-2) on Saturday when they equaled a season high in goals in the 6-1 victory over Chicago on Saturday, also snapping Chicago's four-game win streak. Forward Matt DeBlouw had a USHL career high three points (3a) while Tyler Heinonen tallied his fourth goal over the last four contests. It was also a game of firsts for several Jacks players. Defenseman Rasmus Bengtsson netted his first USHL goal while goaltender Hayden Stewart earned his first USHL win by stopping 35 shots. Making his USHL debut, forward Noah Batis wasted little time in making his mark for Muskegon as he scored his first goal on his first shot just 4:22 into the contest.

Super Second Period ...The Dubuque Fighting Saints recorded a season high in goals during Saturday's 6-1 victory over Indiana. They scored five of those goals in the second period, equaling a USHL high for goals in the second period this season. Five different players tallied a goal over 13 minutes of game action in the period, including Jono Davis, T.J. Moor, Tyler Lundey, and Max Gardiner who all posted one goal and one assist during that stretch.

Close Calls ...The Sioux Falls Stampede have been on the wrong end of some close calls as of late. Their last three games have been losses all decided by a single goal. Following a shootout loss on the final Saturday of January, the Stampede dropped an overtime game to Waterloo on Friday and then lost a heartbreaker on Saturday when Stanislav Dzahkhov of the Fargo Force scored with just three seconds remaining in the third period to claim a 3-2 win. On the positive side, Stampede forwards Bryan Moore (2g, 1a) and Justin Selman (1g, 2a) both had three-point nights on Friday while rookie Zach McCarver netted his first USHL goal on Saturday during a game in which the Stampede welcomed their largest crowd of the season (3,777).

Road Show ...The Youngstown Phantoms picked up a pair of road wins during the weekend to give them 10 road wins for the season, equaling the most they have ever earned in a USHL season. Austin Cangelosi had a goal in both contests to give him 19 goals for the season, tying for the team lead with J.T. Stenglein who netted a pair of goals on Friday. Alex Gacek scored two goals, including the game-winner, in Saturday's 4-3 victory while Matthew O'Connor made 35 saves to capture his 20th win of the season. The 20 wins tie for the lead among USHL goaltenders and is double his win total from last season.

Quick Start ...Chicago Steel forward Alex Roos has quickly gotten acclimated to his new USHL surroundings. The 17-year-old has scored a goal in each of his first three games for the Steel.

Winner Winner ...Indiana Ice forward Daniil Tarasov scored the winning goal in overtime of Friday's 3-2 victory against Green Bay. It was his 25th goal of the season and sixth game-winning goal, which leads all USHL players in deciding goals this season.

Notes ...Omaha Lancers forward Jimmy Murray has scored a goal in four straight games, helping his team to a 3-0-1 record over that span. He has nine points (5g, 4a) during his current five-game point streak...The Omaha Lancers improved to 3-0 in overtime games with Murray's overtime-winner on Saturday, but fell to 1-3 in shootouts following Saturday's shootout loss to Sioux City...Defenseman Taylor Richart scored a goal in both games for the Fargo Force during the weekend...The overtime goal by Ryan Papa helped the Waterloo Black Hawks earn a 3-2 win over Sioux Falls on Friday and claim their 10th road win of the season, matching their road win total from all of last season...Lincoln Stars forward Brad Hawkinson netted his first USHL career goal on Friday...Green Bay Gamblers goaltender Ryan McKay stopped all 25 shots he faced last night for his second shutout over his last four starts.

Check out the United States Hockey League Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United States Hockey League Stories from February 8, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central