Gamblers in Splitsville
Published on January 10, 2006 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Green Bay Gamblers News Release
SPLITSVILLE On Saturday night the Green Bay Gamblers were in jeopardy of dropping their second straight to the visiting Sioux City Musketeers on the weekend. However, a pair of goals in the final five minutes by defenseman Kurt Davis and Sergio Somma lifted the Gamblers to a 4-3 win and a weekend split with the Sioux City Musketeers.
Despite out-shooting Sioux City 46-22, the Gamblers fell 4-3 to the Musketeers at the Resch Center on Friday night.
Sioux City tallied goals in the opening minute of the first and second period.
Trailing 3-1 in the 3rd period, the Gamblers got goals from Sean Backman (5:04), which was his second of the evening and Shea Walters (15:59) to tie the game.
Sioux City would answer back, as Chris Minella tallied a power play goal at the 18:33 mark to lift the Musketeers to a 4-3 win.
Green Bay goaltender Max Strang started the game, but was pulled after allowing three goals on 13 shots in 40 minutes of work.
Sioux City goaltender Beau Erickson was outstanding turning aside 43 shots.
The following evening the Gamblers scored two goals in the final five minutes of the third period to beat the Musketeers 4-3.
Sioux City jumped out to a 1-0 lead as defensemen Frank Grzeszczak found the back of the net at the 11:10 mark of the first period.
The Musketeers went up 2-0 on a Mike Beck power play goal at the 2:06 mark of the second period.
Green Bay responded as Sean Backman (4:13) and Chris Stansik (7:10) tallied second period goals to tie the game at 2-2.
The Sioux City power play struck again as Beck tallied his second of the game (13:31) to give the Musketeers a 3-2 lead heading into the third period.
Kurt Davis picked a good time to score his first of the year, as the rookie defenseman turned on the red light at the 15:50 mark of the third period to tie the game.
The Gamblers grabbed their first lead on the weekend at the 18:26 mark when Sergio Somma finished off a slick passing play with line-mates Andrew Johnson and Shea Walters.
Green Bay goaltender Dan Rosen won his ninth game of the season with a 24-save performance.
In the other cage, Erickson turned aside 35 shots in the loss.
GAMBLER NEWS
GAMBLERS ADD HACZYK The Gamblers announced on Friday that they have added forward Brian Haczyk to their 23-man protected list. Haczyk, who was selected by the Gamblers at the 2005 USHL Entry Draft, began the year in the Eastern Junior Hockey League with the New Jersey Hitmen. In 33 games with the Hitmen, Haczyk had 14 goals and 19 assists. The Nutley, New Jersey native made his Gamblers debut on Saturday night. . SILVA HEADED EAST Rookie forward Steve Silva has committed to Northeastern of Hockey East.
Silva, 18 (4/18/87) was selected in the 9th round of the 2005 USHL Entry Draft, after starring the previous season with Tabor Academy. Hailing from Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, Silva has appeared in all 33 games this season, posting three goals, eight assists and +7 plus minus rating.
Silva, becomes the 8th Gambler off the 2005-06 squad to commit to a NCAA Division I institution. Others include forwards Sean Backman (Yale), Kevin Deeth (Notre Dame), Tyler Lehrke (Bemidji State), Brian Roloff (Vermont) and defensemen Jeremy Dehner (UMASS-Lowell), Eric Gryba (Boston University) and goaltender Dan Rosen (Brown).
TEAM LEADERS Forwards Sean Backman and Brian Roloff share the team lead in goals (17)...Forward Kevin Deeth leads the team in assists (22) and points (33)...Defenseman Jeremy Dehner leads all Gambler blueliners in scoring (18).
LEAGUE LEADERS Forward Kevin Deeth ranks eighth overall and second among all USHL rookies in scoring (33)...Forward Sean Backman ranks second among all USHL rookies in goals (17)...Goaltender Dan Rosen is second among goaltenders is minutes played (1362:20) and fourth in saves (655)...Defenseman Jeremy Dehner ranks fifth among all USHL defensemen in scoring (18)
COLLEGE LIST
Sean Backman - Yale (ECAC) Kevin Deeth - Notre Dame (CCHA) Jeremy Dehner - Lowell (Hockey East) Eric Gryba - Boston University (Hockey East) Tyler Lehrke - Bemidji State (CHA) Brian Roloff - Vermont (Hockey East) Dan Rosen - Brown (ECAC) Steve Silva - Northeastern (Hockey East)
PROMOTIONS/COMMUNITY SERVICE
HOCKEY TALK BACK Gamblers Hockey Talk Back presented by Miller Lite returns on Tuesday, January 10 at the Bay City Smokehouse at 5:30 PM. Host Jeff Mitchell will be talking Gamblers hockey with head coach Mark Mazzoleni and a special guest player. The show can be heard live on WOWN 99.3 and via the Gamblers official web-site (www.gamblershockey.com). The Bay City Smokehouse is located in the Best Western Midway Hotel, just a slap shot away from the Resch Center.
CATCH THE GAMBLERS ON THE WEB All 60 regular season Green Bay Gambler games can be seen live via the B2 Network. The B2 Network can be accessed by logging onto the Gamblers official web site at www.gamblershockey.com There is a $6.00 per game fee for this service. The next B2 broadcast will be on Friday, January 13 as the Gamblers welcome the Lincoln Stars to the Resch Center. Face off is set for 7:05 PM. The Gamblers will also be in action on Sunday, as they play host to the Indiana Ice. Face off is 3:05 PM.
FREAKY FRIDAY Spend Friday the 13th at the Resch Center watching your hometown Green Bay Gamblers take on the Lincoln Stars. During the first intermission there will be a Freaky Friday contest, where fans will have a chance to win valuable prizes. Game time is set for 7:05 PM. For tickets call 494-3401 or toll free at 1-800-895-0071.
GAMBLERS TO MAKE THREE TOUR STOPS The Gamblers Reading Tour will be at Wrightstown Elementary (9:00 - 10:00) and Baird Elementary (10:00 - 11:00) on Tuesday morning. On Thursday the Gamblers tour bus will be making a stop at Rock Ledge Elementary in Seymour. (10:00 -11:00). The driving force behind the Reading Tour is to send a positive message to local area youth that reading and excelling in school is the key to success in life.
WINTER READING CLUB The Green Bay Gamblers and the libraries in Brown County are teaming up this winter to form the Winter Reading Club. The program kicks off on Wednesday, January 25 at the Central Library at 6:30 PM. Members of the Gamblers and the team mascot "Gus" will be on site to read books. The Gamblers will also be at the Kress Family Library on Thursday, January 26 (10:30 am), East Branch Library on Tuesday, January 31 (10:15 am & 11:00 am), Wrightstown Library on Thursday, February 2 (10:30 am) and Pulaski Library on Thursday, February 9 (10:30 am)
USHL REPORT
KANGAS NAMED GOALIES WORLD GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH The United States Hockey League, in conjunction with Goalies' World Magazine, announced that Sioux Falls goaltender Alex Kangas (Rochester, MN) was named the Itech-Goalies' World Magazine/ USHL Goaltender of the Month for December of 2005.
The 6-2 180lb. goaltender is the league leader in goals against and save percentage with an average of 1.78 goals per game and a .944 save percentage through 31 games played. His 13 wins places him in a tie for second along with Alex Stalock of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders who has also been named goalie of the month in November.
In the month of December Kangas played in 5 games accumulating a perfect 5-0 record including one shut-out against the highly anticipated match-up between the Stampede and the Eastern Division leading Des Moines Buccaneers. Along with his five wins, Kangas turned away 161 of 166 shots faced for a .969 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.00.
In the Goalies' World Magazine scoring system, Kangas accumulated 104.24 points to top the list that includes: Des Moines's Troy Davenport (103.05), Cedar Rapids's Alex Stalock (102.70), John Murray of Sioux Falls (102.05), and Cedar Rapids goaltender Pat McGann (100.85).
LPH/USHL Players of the Week:
Offensive Player of the Week - Kyle Okposo - Des Moines Buccaneers Des Moines forward Kyle Okposo has been selected USHL/LPH Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. While leading the Bucs to three straight wins over the weekend, Okposo netted four goals, added four assists, had ten shots on goal, and finished the weekend +6. Okposo is in the top of every offensive category; +30 (1st), 5 GWG (1st), 20 goals (3rd), 41 points (3rd), 21 assists (5th).
Defensive Player of the Week - Mike Beck - Sioux City Musketeers Musketeer defenseman Mike Beck has been selected USHL/LPH Defensive Player of the Week. While anchoring the Sioux City blueline, Beck led the Muskies to two wins during the week. Over three games Beck chipped in offensively, netting two goals, adding four assists and fourteen shots on goal. Beck has 16 points on the season.
GAMES IN THE USHL THIS WEEK (1/9 - 1/15)
FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY Lincoln vs Green Bay Lincoln vs Indiana Indiana vs Green Bay Omaha vs Cedar Rapids Chicago vs Cedar Rapids Lincoln vs Chicago Chicago vs Des Moines Omaha vs Waterloo Tri City vs Sioux Falls Waterloo vs Sioux City Sioux Falls vs Des Moines Tri City vs Sioux City
ALUMNI REPORT
ZIEDINS NAMED TO THE LATVIAN NATIONAL TEAM Former Green Bay Gambler and St. Norbert College hockey standout Maris Ziedins (98-99) has been named to the roster of Latvia's Olympic hockey team, which will compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics February in Turin, Italy.
Latvia opens Olympic play on February 15 against the United States. The Latvian national team will also host the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in Ziedins' hometown of Riga this coming May.Ziedins (2002 file photo)
"Coming off last year's World Championships we hoped he'd get the opportunity to play in the Olympics," St. Norbert coach Tim Coghlin said. "It's a big step for Maris and to have a shot to play in the Olympics is pretty impressive."
Ziedins competed at St. Norbert from the 1999-2000 to 2002-2003 seasons and was named the American Hockey Coaches Association College Division Player of the Year in 2003. He scored 145 points (74-71-145) in 117 games and was a two-time All-America selection. Ziedins was also the 2002 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year and was a two-time first-team All-NCHA selection.
Ziedins currently plays for the Stockton (Calif.) Thunder of the ECHL.
STRAND GETS FIRST COLLEGIATE WIN Former Gamblers assistant coach Luke Strand (03-05), who is in his first year as head coach at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, earned his first collegiate win on Saturday night, as the BluGolds defeated Concordia 5-3. Strand returned to his alma mater this past summer, after spending the last two seasons as an assistant with the Gamblers under Mark Osiecki and Mark Mazzoleni.
CONKLIN BLANKS BLACKHAWKS Former Green Bay goaltender Ty Conklin's (95-97) 23-save shutout performance led the way as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-0 at Rexall Place Tuesday night (1/3). Conklin's blanking marked the first time all season that an Oiler goaltender registered a shutout. Former Gamblers defenseman Matt Greene (01-02) also got involved, he has dropped the gloves with Chicago pugilist Todd Simpson. As reported on the Oilers webiste, "Simpson got the better of Greene early, but the Oilers rearguard recovered to salvage a stalemate."
PREISSING RETURNS TO THE ICE The Sharks have been without the services of one of their most productive defensemen, Tom Preissing, since Dec. 26 when the team traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Kings. The second-year blueliner is enjoying an outstanding sophomore season in which he leads the team with a plus-13 plus/minus rating.
But a bout with the nasty flu bug traveling around the area has shelved Preissing for the last three games.
The team isn't sure when Preissing will lace up the skates at HP Pavilion, but they did get some reassurance today when he was present at practice. Although he did not suit up and skate with the team, the Rosemount, Minn. native got a work out at the team's training facility. It marked the first time Preissing had been around his teammates in over a week.
Preissing has made his presence felt this season, posting 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 31 games, while becoming a mainstay on the Sharks defense.
"The idea is to take him on the road trip and then play it by ear," said Wilson said. "If you get sick or hurt in the middle of the season, you're more likely to be able to bounce back quicker. You're not going to lose too much. It's going to help getting Tommy back. He was playing as well as he's ever played and he's really starting to show the potential we have expected from him."
United States Hockey League Stories from January 10, 2006
- Five Des Moines Buccaneers Make USHL All Star Team - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Four Lancers Named To Prospects/All Star Game Roster - Omaha Lancers
- Stampede Sending Seven Players to All-Star Game - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Team Record Six RoughRiders to Play in USHL Prospects/All-Star Game - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
- Gamblers in Splitsville - Green Bay Gamblers
- Ice Seek Offensive Supernova Versus Stars - Indiana Ice
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