Saints Tripped up by Thunder in OT
March 4, 2017 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
DUBUQUE, Iowa - The four-game homestand came to an end, and the Dubuque Fighting Saints picked up standings points in all four games. This time, however, it was on the losing end. The Bloomington Thunder got a late overtime power play goal from Walker Duehr, sending the Thunder to a 2-1 win over the Saints on Friday night at the Mystique Community Ice Center.
Duehr took a pass from Christiano Versich on a set faceoff play at the 4:47 mark of the overtime session and lifted a shot past Jaxon Castor to seal the win for Bloomington. It came after both teams traded chances in the extra session, and just seconds after a Quinn Preston minor penalty in overtime.
Castor kept the Saints tied at one late in the third period with several big saves, including ten-bell stops on Vladislav Dzhioshvili and Versich. He made 15 saves in the losing effort for Dubuque. It snapped a personal three-game winning streak.
Logan Halladay stood strong for the Thunder with 20 saves on the night. He only allowed a fluttered shot from the league's leading goal scorer, Colin Theisen, in the first period, to get past him. The assists went to the rest of the top line, Cole Guttman and Zach Solow. It was Halladay's first win since January 13 against the Tri-City Storm.
Ethan Somoza knotted the game up at one with a tally of his own six minutes later. Off of a defensive zone turnover, Versich sent the puck to Somoza sitting between the circles, and his high-rising shot found a way through the defense and Castor to tie the game at one.
The game would stay there throughout the rest of regulation time, even amidst chippy play and penalties- though not as many as the night prior.
As a result of the game, the Fighting Saints are tied with the Chicago Steel for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, though the Steel have two games in hand. They will travel to Green Bay to take on the surging Gamblers at the Resch Center on Sunday afternoon at 3:05 p.m. Catch all of the action on Dubuque's Super Hits 106.1 FM, or on the USHL's streaming video provider, Hockey TV.
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United States Hockey League Stories from March 4, 2017
- Game Tonight Chicago Steel vs. Lincoln Stars - Lincoln Stars
- Storm Hopes Bears Fly vs. Fargo - Tri-City Storm
- Saints Tripped up by Thunder in OT - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Phantoms Blank Muskegon 3-0 - Youngstown Phantoms
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