Combs' OT Goal Pushes Saints Past Musketeers
September 19, 2015 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
WATERLOO, IOWA - Reminiscent of Cedar Rapids' overtime goal two weeks ago, the Dubuque Fighting Saints paid it forward, dealing the same blow to the Sioux City Musketeers, sweeping the Iowa Classic with a 5-4 win in overtime on Saturday afternoon.
Charlie Combs received a botched Sioux City clearing attempt, fed the puck to Nathan Sucese at the side of the net, who delivered it right back to Combs, burying the eventual game-winner past the sprawled Musketeer starting goaltender, Luke Kania, to pick up the victory.
Eeli Tolvanen snapped a 4-3 Dubuque lead with a slap shot from the right corner that evaded all of the traffic in front of a crowded net. That goal came with eight minutes remaining in the third period. No one else would score, forcing overtime.
The first period proved reminiscent of last night's crazy rally against the Des Moines Buccaneers. Just 33 seconds into the game, Sucese scored his fourth goal of the preseason, taking a slick dish from Trey Dodd on a quick odd-man rush.
Connor Valesano would tie the game three minutes later. Combs thought otherwise, putting the Fighting Saints back on top with a goal of his own. Josh Wilkins disagreed with that lead, stashing home a rebound to tie it up again.
After Teemu Pulkkinen drilled a one-time blast past Jaxon Castor to give the Musketeers a 3-2 lead, it took Colin Thiesen only 30 seconds to respond, wiring a slap shot past Kania to tie it up.
Seconds remained in the first period when Keegan Ford scored his second goal of the preseason, flipping a seeing-eye wrister through traffic, putting Dubuque back on top.
In contrast, both teams played a scoreless second period, with only 16 total shots on goal- completely different from the wide-open first period which featured seven goals and 25 total shots.
During the six-game preseason schedule, the Fighting Saints scored 27 goals, averaging out to 4.5 goals per game. 25 different Fighting Saints players recorded at least a point.
The start of the regular season, presented by American Trust, begins on Saturday, September 26. Join the Fighting Saints as they host the Madison Capitols at the Mystique Community Ice Center beginning at 7:05. The first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive a magnetic schedule, courtesy of American Trust.
Join the Fighting Saints and broadcast partner Dubuque's Super Hits 106.1 FM for a pregame tailgate beginning at 5:30 p.m. outside of the Mystique Community Ice Center. Enjoy grilled hot dogs and brats, and celebrate the beginning of the regular season with the team before the game begins.
• Discuss this story on the United States Hockey League message board...
United States Hockey League Stories from September 19, 2015
- The Ticket FM Battle in Lincoln - Day 3 Recap - Lincoln Stars
- Caps Offense Erupts in Win at Bob Suter's Capitol Ice Arena - Madison Capitols
- Phantoms Shutout USA in Final Preseason Game - Youngstown Phantoms
- Lavigne, 3 Unanswered Help Thunder to Win - Bloomington Thunder
- Lumberjacks Blank USNTDP U17 5-0 In Final Preseason Contest - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Hawks Earn Classic Win - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Combs' OT Goal Pushes Saints Past Musketeers - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Explosive Third Rallies Storm, 4-2 - Tri-City Storm
- Musketeers Edged by Saints 5-4 - Sioux City Musketeers
- Musketeers Take on Saints Today at 11am - Sioux City Musketeers
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.
