Fighting Saints Rout Thunder En Route to Game 1 Win
April 30, 2016 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
DUBUQUE, Iowa "" Steve Merl's first-period goal gave the visiting Bloomington Thunder the only lead they would see on Friday night. The Dubuque Fighting Saints scored seven consecutive goals from the second period onward, leading to a 7-1 triumph over the Thunder. Dubuque now leads the best-of-five Eastern Conference Final series 1-0.
The tides turned with four unanswered goals spanning seven minutes' time in the second period. Dallas Gerads got the scoring started for the Fighting Saints, redirecting a Colin Theisen blast from the right wing boards. It was there that captain Keegan Ford started weaving his imprint on the game.
Less than two minutes later, Ford unleashed a slap shot from the point that found its way through a maze of traffic and through starter Hayden Lavigne. His minutes were numbered in this game, because the relentless attack continued from that point.
The Michael O'Leary-Brett Boeing-Petter Mäkitalo line went to work after that point and followed Ford's lead. O'Leary capitalized on a Boeing pass out of the far corner and redirected it home. Mäkitalo continued the furious surge forward and forced a shot to the shelf, thanks to a spinning dish from O'Leary.
After that point, exit Lavigne, enter Logan Halladay off of the bench. The Saints' attack did not stop after that. They scored three goals in the third period, beginning with a hammer shot from Ford on the power play, stoking the Saints' lead to 5-1.
Willie Knierim foiled the chance for a Ford hat trick by deflecting a Ford point shot, a half-speeder, through Halladay to make it 6-1. O'Leary put the finishing touches on it with a goal in the final minute of the third period to cap the scoring.
Dubuque outshot Bloomington 38-19 for the game, and got multi-point performances from Ford, Boeing, O'Leary, Mäkitalo and Gordie Green, who added three helpers on Friday night.
A chippy third period saw 46 minutes in penalties called combined.
Hunter Miska, while only put on the hook for 18 saves on 19 shots, had to be stellar early. His stop on captain Jake Slaker, who led the pack in playoff scoring, kept the score 1-0 in the first period.
Merl gave the visiting Thunder the 1-0 lead following a missed opportunity from Logan Lambdin down the left wing wall. Merl spun a shot through the five hole early in the first period. That was the only goal Bloomington could muster on this night.
Now with a 1-0 series lead, the Fighting Saints have a chance to take a serious advantage in the Eastern Conference Final with a Game 2 win. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. Fans can take advantage of the Playoff Family Four Pack, which includes 2 hot dogs, 2 small sodas, 2 unlimited Kids Zone bracelets and 2 chuck-a-pucks starting at just $48.00. Additionally, college students with a valid ID can get an attack zone ticket and $5.00 in Saints Bucks for just $10.00.
For tickets, call the box office at 563.583.6880, or go to DubuqueFightingSaints.com to secure your spot in the home ice advantage at Our House.
• Discuss this story on the United States Hockey League message board...
United States Hockey League Stories from April 30, 2016
- Series Tied up Heading Back to Bloomington - Bloomington Thunder
- Fighting Saints Drop Game 2; Series Tied at 1 - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Now a Best-Of-Three - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Black Hawks Best Storm in Game 2, 3-1 - Tri-City Storm
- Fighting Saints Rout Thunder En Route to Game 1 Win - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Fighting Saints Rout Thunder En Route to Game 1 Win - Dubuque Fighting Saints
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.
