Fighting Five: Friday Night in Omaha
November 20, 2023 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
OMAHA, NE - The Dubuque Fighting Saints (5-1-1-1, 12 pts) travel west to take on the Omaha Lancers (0-6-0-0, 0 pts) on Friday night.
Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:
1. It's Been Awhile
Dubuque is heading to Nebraska to face the Lancers for the first time since the 2019-20 season. In their last visit to Omaha, the Fighting Saints skated to a shootout win on January 24, 2020.
Stephen Halliday and Evan Stella scored goals in regulation before Dylan Jackson and Riese Gaber converted in the shootout for a 3-2 Saints win.
2. Saints Starts
The Fighting Saints erupted for five first-period goals in Friday's 7-3 win at home against Omaha, scoring the first four goals of the game by the 15-minute mark of the first.
In their last five games, the Saints have outscored teams 9-2 in the opening period. In total, Dubuque has outscored opponents 13-6 in the first period.
Dubuque has won all five games in which it has led after the first period this season.
3. Bounce Back
The Fighting Saints suffered their first regulation loss on Saturday against Fargo with a 4-0 defeat. It was the first time the Fighting Saints failed to score four goals in a game this season and Dubuque mustered just 22 shots in the contest.
Dubuque has shown resilience so far early this season. Following their previous two losses, one in overtime to USA and one in a shootout to Waterloo, the Saints bounced back to win the following game.
After the overtime-loss to USA, the Saints romped Muskegon in an 8-3 win that included seven-unanswered goals after going down 1-0 early on. Following the loss to Waterloo, the Saints went on the road to Cedar Rapids the next night and handled the RoughRiders with a 4-1 victory.
4. Chasing Points
Saints forward Chase LaPinta leads the team with eight assists and is second with 10 points after eight games. LaPinta recorded a point in each of the first seven games of the season.
After tying for the NAHL lead in goals with 34 last year in Minot, LaPinta has shown an ability to dish the puck as well, especially on the power play. Five of his eight assists have come on the man-advantage.
5. Looking at the Lancers
Omaha is still searching for its first win, but more than doubled its offensive output in two games last weekend. Prior to last weekend, Omaha had scored five goals in four games. The Lancers scored three goals in each game last weekend, including three in a 7-3 loss to the Saints in Dubuque.
After leaving Dubuque, the Lancers skated to a 4-3 loss at Waterloo. Nick Pierre leads Omaha with two goals and two assists this season after scoring in both games last weekend.
Friday's puck-drop from Omaha is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CST. The game can be seen on FloHockey and heard on Eagle 102.3 FM.
United States Hockey League Stories from November 20, 2023
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