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USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints

Fighting Five: Saints Visit Phantoms for Game 3

April 23, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, OH - The No. 1 seed Dubuque Fighting Saints travel to face the No. 4 seed Youngstown Phantoms for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with the series tied at one on Tuesday night.

Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:

1. Juraj and the Gophers

After falling in Game 1, the Saints' most productive line at the end of the regular season started Game 2 with a bang on Sunday. Juraj Pekarcik cashed in on a give-and-go with Erik Påhlsson just 1:05 into the opening frame. Then, on the line's second shift of the game just 3:05 later, Pekarcik found Beckett Hendrickson for a net-front tally to give the Saints a 2-0 lead.

In 11 games together at the end of the regular season, Pekarcik, Påhlsson and Hendrickson combined for 14 goals and 49 points. In Sunday's Game 2 win, the trio had five points in the first period alone. Hendrickson and Pekarcik added assists later on for the line to finish the night with seven points. Pekarcik accounted for four of those with a goal and three assists.

2. Swede Saves

Kevin Reidler stopped all 19 shots he faced in Sunday's 6-0 Game 2 win for the Fighting Saints. Reidler entered the playoffs with three regular-season shutouts, including a 25-save blanking against Youngstown on March 2.

So far in the first two games of the series, Reidler has allowed just two pucks past him on 44 shots. Reidler finished the regular season tied as the league's second-winningest goaltender with 27 wins and tied for fourth with a .902 save percentage.

3. Saints Status

The best-of-five series shifts back to Youngstown for Tuesday's Game 3 all square after two games in Dubuque. The Fighting Saints won both regular season contests in Youngstown in early March. Those two games accounted for half of the Phantoms' total regulation home losses during the regular season.

Dubuque finished the regular season 21-7-0-1 on the road and won four of their final five road games of the regular season.

4. Special Teams, Special Players

After failing to convert on five power-play chances in Game 1, the Fighting Saints cashed in on their first chance of Game 2. Late in the opening frame, Pekarcik found Lucas St. Louis for his first of the playoffs. It was Pekarcik's third point of the first period and St. Louis scored his first of the postseason. St. Louis scored 14 of his 15 regular-season goals on the power play for Dubuque.

The Saints' penalty kill is perfect on five chances in the series thus far, including four stops in Game 2. Over six total games against Youngstown this season, including the playoffs, the Saints kill has stopped 19 of 20 Phantoms' power plays.

5. Phantom Fouls

The Phantoms finished Game 2 with 11 penalties for 33 minutes and took six of those infractions in the third period of the contest. Over the course of the regular season, the Phantoms were the most penalized team in the USHL.

Youngstown was one of four teams with over 1,000 penalty minutes in the regular season, taking 1,290 minutes worth of infractions. By comparison, the Saints were the second-least penalized team in the East with 660 penalty minutes. Youngstown has killed 12 of 13 Saints' power plays so far in the series after killing 78.9% of penalties in the regular season.

Tuesday's game begins at 6:05 p.m. CDT and can be found on Eagle 102.3 and FloHockey. A watch party will be held at ImOn Arena in Dubuque with free admission for all fans.

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