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USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints

Fighting Five: Saints Open Series with Jacks

January 5, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release


DUBUQUE, IA - The Dubuque Fighting Saints (19-7-1-3, 42 pts) open up a two-game home set on Friday against the Muskegon Lumberjacks (17-10-1-1, 36 pts).

This weekend marks the Fighting Saints annual 'Stick it to Cancer' Weekend presented by Medical Associates. Dubuque will sport specialty purple jerseys that will be auctioned off after Saturday's game to raise money for cancer research.

Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:

1. Conference Clash

Just 11 of the Saints' first 30 games came against Eastern Conference opponents, while 23 of their remaining 32 contests are against conference foes.

In those 11 games, the Fighting Saints are 8-1-1-1 despite playing eight of the 11 outside of Dubuque. The Saints currently hold a four-point lead over Green Bay atop the Eastern Conference and have won all three games against the Gamblers this season.

2. Nasty Noah

Noah Powell is fifth on the team with 24 points and has nine points in his last five games. Powell scored twice and recorded his second-career three-point game on Friday at Des Moines.

Entering a home series on Nov. 10 and 11 against Youngstown, Noah Powell had just three points in 14 games played. Since then, Powell has logged 21 points in his last 16 games. On Nov. 10, he started a four-game point streak and has not gone more than one game without recording at least a single point since.

In the 16-game stretch, Powell has seven multi-point games for the Saints. Powell has six power-play goals to tie for second on the team, with five of those six coming in his hot stretch.

3. Power Points

The Fighting Saints power play has scored in seven of the last eight games, scoring 13 total goals in that stretch.

The Saints' 35.4% power play is the best conversion rate in the league. Not only do the Saints capitalize at the best rate, but they have also drawn the third-most power-play chances in the league at 113.

Jake Sondreal has six goals and 14 points on the power play to rank second in the league with 14 power-play points. Påhlsson also has six goals, while Chase LaPinta, Sondreal and Seamus Powell are all tied for fourth in the USHL with eight power-play assists.

4. Lights Out

The Saints penalty kill is operating at an 84.8% clip over the last 10 games and ranks third overall with an 82.5% rate. The Saints have allowed a power-play goal in just four of the last 10 games.

That stretch includes going 8-for-8 over three games against Madison, Sioux City and Green Bay as well as a 6-for-6 night against Waterloo on Dec. 30.

5. Lumberjack Log

The Saints and Lumberjacks have met just once this season, with the Saints taking down Muskegon 8-3 on Sept. 24 in Pittsburgh.

Muskegon enters the weekend fourth in the Eastern Conference with 36 points. The Lumberjacks have scored the third-most goals in the USHL with 125, just five behind the Saints top-mark. Matvei Gridin's 34 points are just one behind Jake Sondreal and Austin Burnevik for the league-lead, while Sacha Boisvert is third in the USHL with 18 goals scored.

The Lumberjacks' 113 goals against are also the third-most in the league. The Jacks' 75.4% penalty kill is the third-worst in the USHL. The Lumberjacks have three new goaltenders on their roster in Shikabudtin Gadzhiev, Beau Lane and Miles Roberts. Lane and Roberts have each played less than five games, while Gadzhiev has yet to make his Muskegon debut.

Friday's game begins at 7:05 p.m. CST at ImOn Arena. Tickets can be found here. The game can also be found on Eagle 102.3 and FloHockey.

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United States Hockey League Stories from January 5, 2024


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.

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