Fighting Saints Win Wild One over Madison
Published on September 26, 2015 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Eleven goals, 67 shots, and two points to the home team. The Dubuque Fighting Saints emerged victorious in their home opener, presented by American Trust, in wild fashion over the Madison Capitols 6-5 on Saturday night at the Mystique Community Ice Center.
Trey Dodd collected a Mitchell Smith pass at the side of the net with five minutes remaining in the final frame, pushing a shot past Capitols netminder Garrett Metcalf to put the Fighting Saints up for good.
Colin Theisen had originally given Dubuque the lead in the third with a shorthanded tally before Madison's Tyson McLellan responded in kind on the same power play.
Down 3-1 after the first period, the Fighting Saints rapidly tied it. Dallas Gerads collected his first USHL goal 55 seconds into the second, and Keegan Ford ripped a shot through a heavy screen that eluded Metcalf's glove on the power play to tie the game at three.
The Capitols continued the goal-fest after Guillaume LeClerc scored a penalty shot goal that squeaked through the pads of Fighting Saints' goaltender Hunter Miska, who made his regular season debut on home ice. It would take eight minutes for Willie Knierim, fresh off of a three-point performance at the USA Hockey Top Prospects Game on Thursday, to tip home a Nathan Sucese feed to tie it again.
Sucese originally started the rally down by three late in the first period, taking a gorgeous pass from Dodd, sending him on a shorthanded breakaway. Just like he did in the first goal of the preseason, the New York native deked to the backhand and scored to cut the lead to two.
The scoring barrage could have begun early, if not for a fantastic Miska save moments in on McLellan, who collected a cross-ice dish with plenty of room to shoot within the first minute.
The Dubuque Fighting Saints scored 45 total goals in third periods last season. This season, they begin with two in the final period of action in the first game.
Both teams went 1-for-3 on their respective power plays. The difference, however, was that the Saints scored two shorthanded goals in Saturday's home opener.
Up next for the Dubuque Fighting Saints is a tussle with the Green Bay Gamblers on Friday, October 2 at the Mystique Community Ice Center starting at 7:35 p.m. Join the Saints for Hockey 101, a night that will teach fans about the rules and regulations of hockey in a fun and engaging way.
United States Hockey League Stories from September 26, 2015
- Fighting Saints Win Wild One over Madison - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Hawks Get the Point - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Gamblers Fall in Season Opener - Green Bay Gamblers
- Youngstown Drops Home Opener to USA - Youngstown Phantoms
- Stars Fall 7-4 in Cedar Rapids - Lincoln Stars
- Big Crowd Watches Herd Down Musketeers in Season Opener - Sioux Falls Stampede
- McLellan & Leclerc Each Score Twice in Loss - Madison Capitols
- Musketeers at Sioux Falls Tonight - Sioux City Musketeers
- Capitols Kick off Regular Season in Dubuque vs. Saints - Madison Capitols
- Valesano Nets Penalty Shot Game Winner in Overtime - Sioux City Musketeers
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