Fighting Five: Saints Host Steel to Begin 2026
Published on January 2, 2026 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
Dubuque, IA - The Dubuque Fighting Saints (19-9-2-0, 40 pts) host the Chicago Steel (12-12-4-1, 29 pts) on Friday night at ImOn Arena.
Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:
1. Masun Milestone
Masun Fleece skates in his 100th career USHL game on Friday for the Fighting Saints. Fleece joined Dubuque this season after 73 games played over the last two seasons in Fargo.
The Rolling Hills, California native had 11 goals and 19 points in those 73 games. Over 26 games this season for Dubuque, Fleece has 16 goals and 26 points.
2. Back in 2025
To finish 2025, the Fighting Saints bounced back from a pair of losses to beat the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 3-2 on New Year's Eve.
Teddy Merrill scored twice, including one on the power play. Merrill leads the team with 18 goals and eight power-play goals this season. Dubuque's power play has scored in a season-high six-straight games.
3. Close Calls
The Fighting Saints have played in back-to-back one-goal games, taking three of four points over those two matchups. The Saints have a 6-3-2-0 record in games decided by one goal this season.
The Saints dropped a matchup in Green Bay on Monday in overtime 3-2, before beating Cedar Rapids by the same score at home on Wednesday.
4. Busy Bunch
Dubuque wraps up its busiest week of the season, ending a stretch of five games in eight days to begin the second half of the season.
Dubuque has three of a possible six points through the first three games of the stretch, wrapping up the busy week this weekend against Chicago.
5. Steel Stories
The Steel dropped a pair of games over the weekend to Youngstown at home, both in overtime. Timo Kazda scored twice, while Veeti Louhivaara made his USHL debut with 75 saves over both games.
The Saints scored a team-record 11 goals in the last meeting between the teams on Oct. 11, including six power-play goals against the league's worst penalty kill (69.3%).
Friday's game begins at 7:05 p.m. CST at ImOn Arena and tickets can be purchased here. The game can be found on Eagle 102.3 and FloHockey.
United States Hockey League Stories from January 2, 2026
- Tri-City, Fargo Begin Two-Game Set Friday Night in North Dakota - Tri-City Storm
- Alumni Set to Lead U.S. at Winter Olympics - USHL
- Fighting Five: Saints Host Steel to Begin 2026 - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Jacks Open 2026 against RoughRiders - Muskegon Lumberjacks
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