USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints

Fighting Five: Saints Visit Hawks to Finish 2023

December 31, 2023 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release


WATERLOO, IA - The Dubuque Fighting Saints (19-6-1-3, 42 pts) hit the road to take on the Waterloo Black Hawks (15-11-0-0, 30 pts) on Sunday evening.

Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:

1. Saturday Shutdown

On Saturday in Dubuque, the Fighting Saints and Black Hawks skated to a scoreless tie through 65 minutes of play. Despite chances for both sides, each goaltender made every stop during regulation and overtime.

James Norton stopped all 29 shots he faced, including a breakaway for Waterloo's leading scorer John Mustard in the final seconds of overtime. Waterloo goaltender Jack Spicer stopped all 27 shots by the Fighting Saints in Saturday's contest.

2. Time to Kill

The Fighting Saints penalty kill excelled again on Saturday, killing all six chances it had against Waterloo.

Dubuque's penalty kill has stopped 17 of the last 18 opposing power-play chances in the last six games. At 83.3%, the Saints penalty kill is third-best in the USHL.

3. Point Party

Dubuque's four-game win streak was snapped on Saturday, but the Fighting Saints still carry a five-game point streak into Sunday's contest.

The Fighting Saints hold a four-point lead over Green Bay for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. A win on Saturday would mean the 20th victory of the season for the Saints in Game #30 of the year. Fargo is currently the only team in the USHL with 20-or-more wins.

4. Twenty Twenty Three-in-Three

The Saints final six games of the 2023 calendar year all have come as part of two three-game weekends. Before the holiday break, the Fighting Saints took down Sioux City, Cedar Rapids and Green Bay to sweep their first three-game weekend of the year.

To finish the calendar year, the Saints have three of a possible four points so far this weekend. Dubuque will look for its fifth win in the six-game stretch on Sunday in Waterloo.

5. At the Water Cooler

Jack Spicer's 27-save shutout on Saturday was just his second win of the season with both coming in shootouts in Dubuque. Spicer has played all four games against the Saints this season, while Calvin Vachon has played 19 of Waterloo's other 22 games. Vachon is 13-4-0-0 with a .906 save percentage.

Through four games in the season series, the road team has won all four contests. Both games in Dubuque ended in shootouts, while both games in Waterloo ended in 6-5 Fighting Saints' wins.

Sunday's New Year's Eve contest begins at 6:05 in Waterloo and can be found on Eagle 102.3 and FloHockey.

Check out the Dubuque Fighting Saints Statistics



United States Hockey League Stories from December 31, 2023


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