USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints

Fighting Saints Outlast Capitols

January 29, 2022 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release


MIDDLETON, Wis. - The Dubuque Fighting Saints bent, but never broke. Their opposition, the Madison Capitols, rolled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game, but the Fighting Saints never gave in. Stephen Halliday deflected a shot from Ryan Beck out in front of the Madison net, and the Saints defeated the Caps 3-2 on Saturday night at Bob Suter's Capitol Ice.

Beck made a move off of the wall and skated the puck into the high slot. Traffic developed out in front of the net, and Beck floated a shot to the net. Halliday tipped the shot right in front past Caps goaltender Simon Latkoczy to give the Saints a lead they would not relinquish.

The Caps pulled Latkoczy to get the extra attacker out and eked out a last-gasp opportunity in the dying seconds, but Fighting Saints goaltender Paxton Geisel fended it off and the Saints took home win 19 on the season as a result.

The Saints jumped out to a lead in the first period. Shawn O'Donnell's tripping penalty expired, and he jumped out of the box. Halliday spotted him and O'Donnell feathered a dish to a cutting Connor Kurth who whipped a shot past Latkoczy to open the scoring. The goal was Kurth's 21st of the season, which is tied for the second-most goals in the league.

The Fighting Saints put all the pressure on the Capitols throughout the first and second periods, as they outshot their opposition 27-9 through two periods. A late second period power play opportunity gave the Fighting Saints some cushion heading into the third.

In the waning seconds of a delay of game penalty taken by Blake Dangos, Samuel Sjölund unleashed a wrist shot from the point, and the shot tipped Halliday's stick and got to the back of the net for his first of two tallies on the night.

However, Madison pushed all of their chips onto the table in the third period and erased Dubuque's lead.

18 seconds into the third period, Nick DeSantis took a pass from Kyle Kukkonen at the side of the goal and put the puck past Geisel to cut the lead in half. Jake Dunlap tied the game at 10:49 of the third period to tie the game with an unassisted rush.

The win capped off a weekend in which the Fighting Saints took home three out of a possible four points. A home and home series is ahead with the Des Moines Buccaneers starting with a road game on Friday, February 4, and then a return home for Clear the List Night with Kwik Stop on Saturday, February 5 at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available at DubuqueFightingSaints.com.

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United States Hockey League Stories from January 29, 2022


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