Gamblers Weekly
Published on February 9, 2012 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Green Bay Gamblers News Release
McKay Makes The History Books...
With the shutout win on Tuesday night Ryan McKay broke the all-time career wins record passing Jure Penko with 54 wins in just over 2 years. Penko acumulated 53 wins between 1999-2000 and was instrumental in the Gamblers Clark Cup Championship in 2000. McKay returned this year for a third season with the Gamblers. Currently McKay leads the team with 15 wins and leads the USHL in GAA (2.12).
McKay had an outstanding 2010-11 campaign. The Miami of Ohio recruit led all USHL goaltenders in goals against average (2.00) and save percentage (.928). For his efforts, McKay was named 2nd team All-USHL. During his rookie campaign in 2009-10, McKay posted a 14-8-2 record to accompany a 2.20 Goals Against Average and a .909 Save Percentage. Internationally, McKay played for former Gamblers head coach Eric Rud (10-11) at the 2008 Under 17 Five Nations tournament in Slovakia. McKay is a product of the Chicago Young Americans hockey program.
Nick Schmaltz Commits to Play for Gamblers in 2012...
The Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) are pleased to announce that forward Nick Schmaltz has informed head coach Derek Lalonde of his intent to play for the Gamblers next season.
Schmaltz was added to the Gamblers 23-man protected list in early November. Schmaltz, whose brotherJordan is a defenseman for the Gamblers, is considered by many scouts to be the top 1996 birth year forward in North America. The Verona, Wisconsin native has played in the Chicago Mission system since 2007. Since 2007, Schmaltz has scored 91 goals and produced 190 points in 115 games.
"Nick decided to follow in his brother's footsteps and we can't be more excited," said head coach and General Manager Derek Lalonde, "For Nick to decide to play here inGreen Bayspeaks volumes of the Gamblers organization and the USHL."
Nick, who played 10 games for the Gamblers early this season, turned down many other great opportunities for next season.
An Annual Tradition in Green Bay...
The Green Bay Gamblers are set for the team's 13th Annual Teddy Bear Toss as they take on the Chicago Steel at the Resch Center this Saturday night at 7:05pm.
In the 12-year history of the Teddy Bear Toss the Gamblers and their fans have donated over 55,000 teddy bears to local hospitals and other charities across Northeast Wisconsin.
Dating back to 1999, the Teddy Bear Toss is a one time yearly event, where fans are asked to bring a new Teddy Bear to the designated Gambler game. When the Gamblers score their first goal, fans are encouraged to throw their bear(s) on the ice. In its first year, the team collected a little over 400 bears. This past year a record 7,066 bears were collected.
The players and staff also take part by promoting the annual Teddy Bear Toss in local area schools in the days leading up to the event. Their biggest contribution, however, is on the Monday following the event when they personally deliver bears to the children who are residing at the Aurora BayCare Pediatric Care Unit in Green Bay. This past year the event was covered by all three local news stations and the Green Bay Press Gazette newspaper.
Gamblers To Raise Money for the American Heart Association...
The Green Bay Gamblers players, coaches and staff will be serving as waiters and bartenders on Tuesday, February 21st from 6:00 "" 9:00 PM at Grazies Italian Grill to raise money for the American Heart Association.
The players will serve as the waiters and the coaches and staff will be the bartenders. All tips collected will be donated to the American Heart Association.
Grazies Italian Grill is located at 2851 S. Oneida Street in Green Bay.
Only Two More Coaches Shows Left This Season...
Fans catch the Red Line Report at Anduzzi's Sports Club. Shows to starts at 7:00 PM. Host Jason Habeck and head coach Derek Lalonde will be talking Gamblers hockey. A player representative of the Gamblers team will also be in attendance. Only two more live shows to end the season February 28th, 2012 and March 27th, 2012. Fans this is your chance to come down and ask the coach questions yourself. Anduzzi's Sports Club is located just a short distance from the Resch Center on Holmgren Way.
Forney Called Up To AHL...
The Colorado Eagles, proud affiliate of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets & the AHL's St. John's IceCaps, announced today that forward Michael Forney has been recalled by the IceCaps.
In 44 games with the Eagles this season, the former 3rd round draft pick of the Atlanta Thrashers has registered 37 points (13-24-37), a +10 plus/minus rating and 47 penalty minutes.
This is Forney's first call-up of the season and the third AHL stint of his career. In a dozen previous games with the Chicago Wolves, Forney recorded a pair of assists.
Furne, Johnstone, and McCadden All Score in MTU Route...
MANKATO, MN - (Courtesy of MTU Athletics) Michigan Tech exploded for six first-period goals on its way to a 7-3 victory at Minnesota State tonight at Verizon Wireless Center. Brett Olson, David Johnstone and Ryan Furne had three points apiece to help the Huskies improve to 13-13-2 on the year and move into a tie for fifth place in the WCHA standings.
Tech (10-8-2 WCHA) earned the series and season split with the Mavericks (10-19-1 overall, 6-15-1 WCHA).
"It was a good effort by the guys to bounce back on the road and get the job done," said head coach Mel Pearson. "I know we're capable of that kind of offense, but the defense is the key. It's a lot easier to score seven goals when you're only giving up three."
Things looked as though they would go the same way as the night before as MSU scored the game's first goal just 1:50 into action. Tech wasted no time in turning the momentum, however.
Furne knotted the game at the 4:36 mark after defenseman Bradley Stebner skated the puck all the way down to the goal line before finding Furne on the back door.
Alex MacLeod gave Tech a 2-1 lead just three minutes later on an odd play. David Johnstone took a shot from the left circle that rebounded high into the air off goaltender Phil Cook. MacLeod batted the puck down to the ice in the crease and slapped it into the net. The play was initially ruled no goal, but reversed after a lengthy video replay.
Olson wasted no time in adding to the Huskies' lead. He tipped home a Furne shot from the point on Tech's first power play of the night at the 8:13 mark.
Patrick McCadden scored his first goal of the season on a rebound for a 4-1 advantage. Olson and Furne each scored again sandwiched around a Maverick goal to send the visitors into the first intermission with a 6-2 lead.
The play settled down in the second with each team netting a goal. Bryce Reddick scored on a breakaway with a nice backhand shot at the 12:56 mark. MSU's Zach Palmquist answered at 15:11, and it was 7-3 after 40 minutes.
Both teams had power play opportunities in the final frame, but neither scored. The Huskies finished with a tie for their season high in goals with seven.
Josh Robinson made 35 saves in earning his 12th win of the season.MinnesotaStateused two goaltenders. Cook started and was pulled following Tech's fifth goal. Austin Lee came on in relief and made 18 saves on 20 shots.
Tech's power play continued to click with two goals on seven chances. The Huskies were 4-of-12 on the man advantage during the weekend. MSU went 1-for-7 on the power play.
After two straight road series, Michigan Tech will return home next weekend to host its annual Winter Carnival series at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. Nebraska-Omaha, which is part of a three-way tie for fifth place in the WCHA standings with Tech andNorth Dakota, will come to Houghton for games Friday (Feb. 10) at 7:07 p.m. and Saturday (Feb. 11) at 5:07 p.m.
Winning Trend...
A pair of weekend victories have kept the Sioux City Musketeers on the winning track as the team has now won five of its last six contests. The Musketeers have allowed just 11 goals over that six-game stretch after surrendering 25 goals over the previous five contests, which were all on the road. Sioux City is 3-1-0 on their current six-game homestand. Maxim Gaudreault scored in both weekend victories, including the game-winner in Friday's 4-1 win over Tri-City. Nikita Sirotkin had a USHL career high three points (2g, 1a) on Friday. Playing in their first shootout contest of the season on Saturday, Brad Robbins scored the lone goal of the extra session and Matt Skoff stopped all three shooters he faced as the Musketeers earned a 3-2 win against Omaha. It was the 12th consecutive start in goal for Skoff.
Early Risers...
An early start didn't stop the Chicago Steel from earning a victory on Wednesday to push their winning streak to a season long four games. They were the opponents for the Youngstown Phantoms who were hosting their annual school day that welcomed students from around the Youngstown area for a 10:00 AM start. The game hosted 3,902 fans, the largest crowd of the season for the Phantoms. Goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos earned his fourth straight win for the Steel when he made 32 saves in the 3-1 win. He posted a 1.43 GAA and .957 SV% during the four-game stretch. Michael Fallon tallied the game-winner for the Steel, extending his point streak to five games (2g, 5a). Defenseman Jaccob Slavin dished out two assists and has now collected seven assists and a plus-eight rating over his last seven games for Chicago.
Shootout Success...
It took five rounds of the shootout on Saturday, but the Tri-City Storm remained a perfect 3-0 in the extra session this season after gaining a 5-4 shootout victory over Des Moines. Two of their last three games have been decided in the shootout. Storm shooters have converted on 6-of-11 attempts this season (.545), the highest conversion percentage of any USHL team, while the team's goaltenders have turned away 8-of-11 attempts by the opposition. Brian Ward scored in regulation and converted in the fifth round of the shootout on Saturday to lead the Storm to victory.
Shutout Friday...
It was a long wait for Jake Hildebrand, but the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders goaltender earned his first USHL shutout in Friday's 3-0 win against Muskegon. It was the 50th appearance in a USHL game as he stopped all 27 shots he faced. The victory was also his 10th of the season for the Riders. Meanwhile, Lincoln Stars goaltender Charles Williams stopped all 32 shots he faced in Friday's 7-0 win againstDes Moines. It was his third shutout of the season to tie for the lead among USHL goaltenders.
Win Column...
The Muskegon Lumberjacks put an end to a five-game winless skid (0-3-2) on Saturday when they equaled a season high in goals in the 6-1 victory over Chicago on Saturday, also snapping Chicago's four-game win streak. Forward Matt DeBlouw had a USHL career high three points (3a) while Tyler Heinonen tallied his fourth goal over the last four contests. It was also a game of firsts for several Jacks players. Defenseman Rasmus Bengtsson netted his first USHL goal while goaltender Hayden Stewart earned his first USHL win by stopping 35 shots. Making his USHL debut, forward Noah Batis wasted little time in making his mark forMuskegon as he scored his first goal on his first shot just 4:22 into the contest.
Super Second Period...
The Dubuque Fighting Saints recorded a season high in goals during Saturday's 6-1 victory over Indiana. They scored five of those goals in the second period, equaling a USHL high for goals in the second period this season. Five different players tallied a goal over 13 minutes of game action in the period, including Jono Davis, T.J. Moor, Tyler Lundey, and Max Gardiner who all posted one goal and one assist during that stretch.
Close Calls...
The Sioux Falls Stampede have been on the wrong end of some close calls as of late. Their last three games have been losses all decided by a single goal. Following a shootout loss on the final Saturday of January, the Stampede dropped an overtime game to Waterloo on Friday and then lost a heartbreaker on Saturday when Stanislav Dzahkhov of the Fargo Force scored with just three seconds remaining in the third period to claim a 3-2 win. On the positive side, Stampede forwards Bryan Moore (2g, 1a) and Justin Selman (1g, 2a) both had three-point nights on Friday while rookie Zach McCarver netted his first USHL goal on Saturday during a game in which the Stampede welcomed their largest crowd of the season (3,777).
Road Show...
The Youngstown Phantoms picked up a pair of road wins during the weekend to give them 10 road wins for the season, equaling the most they have ever earned in a USHL season. Austin Cangelosi had a goal in both contests to give him 19 goals for the season, tying for the team lead with J.T. Stenglein who netted a pair of goals on Friday. Alex Gacek scored two goals, including the game-winner, in Saturday's 4-3 victory while Matthew O'Connor made 35 saves to capture his 20th win of the season. The 20 wins tie for the lead among USHL goaltenders and is double his win total from last season.
Quick Start...
Chicago Steel forward Alex Roos has quickly gotten acclimated to his new USHL surroundings. The 17-year-old has scored a goal in each of his first three games for the Steel.
Winner Winner...
Indiana Ice forward Daniil Tarasov scored the winning goal in overtime of Friday's 3-2 victory against Green Bay. It was his 25th goal of the season and sixth game-winning goal, which leads all USHL players in deciding goals this season.
Notes...
Omaha Lancers forward Jimmy Murray has scored a goal in four straight games, helping his team to a 3-0-1 record over that span. He has nine points (5g, 4a) during his current five-game point streak...The Omaha Lancers improved to 3-0 in overtime games with Murray's overtime-winner on Saturday, but fell to 1-3 in shootouts following Saturday's shootout loss to Sioux City...Defenseman Taylor Richart scored a goal in both games for the Fargo Force during the weekend...The overtime goal by Ryan Papa helped the Waterloo Black Hawks earn a 3-2 win over Sioux Falls on Friday and claim their 10th road win of the season, matching their road win total from all of last season...Lincoln Stars forward Brad Hawkinson netted his first USHL career goal on Friday...Green Bay Gamblers goaltender Ryan McKay stopped all 25 shots he faced last night for his second shutout over his last four starts.
United States Hockey League Stories from February 9, 2012
- A Tradition Continues in Green Bay - Green Bay Gamblers
- USHL Teams to Play 64 Games in 2012-13 - USHL
- U.S. National Under-18 Team Defeats the Czech Republic, 5-2, in 2012 Five Nations Tournament - U.S. National Team
- Gamblers Weekly - Green Bay Gamblers
- Hawks History Goes Digital - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Phantoms Jacked for Home-And-Home with 'Jacks - Youngstown Phantoms
- U.S. National Under-17 Team Defeats Switzerland, 6-1, in 2012 Vlad Dzurilla Tournament - U.S. National Team
- Baby Racing Coming to Buccaneer Arena - Des Moines Buccaneers
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