Fighting Five: Saints Visit Bucs to Open Series
November 15, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
WEST DES MOINES, IA - The Dubuque Fighting Saints (11-5-0-0, 22 pts) begin a home-and-home weekend on Friday when they visit the Des Moines Buccaneers (5-9-0-0, 10 pts) in a Dupaco Cowbell Cup matchup.
Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:
1. Bounce Back
The Fighting Saints lost back-to-back games for just the second time this season in a series against Green Bay last week. Following their second loss in-a-row on Oct. 18, the Fighting Saints traveled to Des Moines the next night.
Dubuque took down the Buccaneers with a 6-0 shutout win and kickstarted a season-long six-game win streak. Goaltender Jan Špunar made 29 saves in his first USHL shutout.
2. Cowbell Cup
The Fighting Saints have won all three previous Cowbell Cup games they have played this season and are the only team in the competition with an unblemished record so far.
Dubuque has won five-consecutive Cowbell Cup titles and has played four fewer games than this year's current leader, Waterloo.
3. Goals Galore
Josh Giuliani enters the weekend tied for second on the team with five goals after scoring in a career-high three-consecutive games.
Giuliani returned on Nov. 1 from a six-game absence, helping the Saints defeat the Lincoln Stars. The next night, Giuliani scored in a win over Tri-City and followed with goals in both games against Green Bay last weekend.
4. Frank Finds
Colin Frank's assist on Saturday against Green Bay was his team-leading ninth helper of the season. Frank is tied with Gavin Cornforth for the team lead in points with 12.
Frank has excelled at even-strength, with seven of his nine setups coming at even man-power. The Saints' forward is three points away from matching his season-total of 15 from his rookie campaign last season.
5. Stronger Sailing
The Fighting Saints took the lone matchup of the season so far with a 6-0 win on Oct. 19, but Des Moines has won four of six contests since then.
Despite having allowed the third-most goals in the USHL, Des Moines enters with back-to-back wins after holding the top-two offenses in the league to three total goals over two games. Goaltender Max Weilandt stopped 34 of 35 shots on Nov. 2 against Waterloo before blocking 20 of 22 against Madison on Nov. 8.
Friday's game at the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex begins at 7:00 p.m. CST and can be found on Eagle 102.3 and FloHockey.
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United States Hockey League Stories from November 15, 2024
- Stars Face Steel in Cross-Conference Clash - Lincoln Stars
- Fighting Five: Saints Visit Bucs to Open Series - Dubuque Fighting Saints
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