Gamblers Weekly
February 16, 2012 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Green Bay Gamblers News Release
Welinski named CCM Defensive Player of the Week
Welinski recorded four points (3g, 1a) and a plus-four rating while also helping the Gamblers limit their opponents to just two combined goals over three games. He scored the game-winning goal and assisted on another in the 3-0 victory against Waterloo on Tuesday. The 18-year-old then earned a plus-one rating in Saturday's 1-0 win against Chicago. Welinski closed out the week with two goals, including the game-winner with just 34 seconds remaining in the third period, during Sunday's 3-2 victory over Chicago. The native of Duluth, Minnesota is second among USHL defensemen in scoring with 27 points (14g, 13a) in 37 games while leading the entire League with a plus-30 rating.
McKay Named Reebok Goaltender of the Week...
McKay posted a 1.00 goals-against-average and a .962 save percentage to earn a pair of wins for Green Bay. He stopped all 25 shots he faced during Tuesday's 3-0 win vs. Waterloo to record his second shutout over his last four starts. It was also his 54th career USHL regular season victory which broke the team record of 53 held by Jure Penko (1999-2001). McKay then made 26 saves in Sunday's 3-2 win over Chicago. The 19-year-old from Palatine, Illinois has posted a 16-3-2 this season and currently leads all USHL goaltenders with a 2.11 GAA while ranking second with a .917 SV%.
Gamblers Close Season Series With The Steel...
The Green Bay Gamblers swept the Chicago Steel this past weekend with a 1-0 victory on Saturday and a 3-2 victory on Sunday. Sunday's victory marked the 16 win for the Gamblers in 17 games over the Steel in the past three seasons. At one point before losing to the Steel this past season the Gamblers won 15 straight games. Three players were of note this season for the Gamblers against the Steel. Kyle Novak in his rookie campaign lead the team with 13 points in the series, while veteran forward Sam Herr lead the team in goals scored with 6, and Andy Welinski lead the team from the blueline with 4 goals and was only second to Novak in plus/minus rating with a +9 mark.
Saturday, February 25th in M&I Hat Night at the Resch...
Saturday February 25th is M&I Hat Night with the Gamblers as they take on Team USA at the Resch Center. The First 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a black Gamblers baseball cap at the door. For tickets and information call 920-405-1265 or visit gamblershockey.com.
Sunday, February 26th is School is Cool Day at the Resch Center...
The Green Bay Gamblers have teamed up with local schools in northeast Wisconsin for the team's annual School is Cool Day at the Resch Center as the Gamblers host the Muskegon Lumberjacks at 3:05pm. Ticket vouchers were sent to local area schools to be distrubuted to students with good attendance, good grades or to students who complete their reading programs. Tickets that are giving to the elgible students are good for a ticket for the game. The game is also a Festival Foods Family afternoon. Hotdogs and sodas are just a $1, and kids 14 and under get $5 off a seat in the $13 to $17 price range seating. For ticket information call 920-405-1265 or visit gamblershockey.com.
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, March 13th 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.
Gamblers Collected a Record Number of Bears...
Members of the Green Bay Gamblers spent Monday morning personally delivering bears to the children who reside at the Aurora BayCare Pediatric Care Unit in Green Bay.
This past Saturday night marked the 13th year of the event in Green Bay. 7,507 fans in attendance tossed a record number 7,988 bears in the first period after a goal that was waived off. Sam Herr would eventually score for the Gamblers in the second period in a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Steel. In the 13-year history of the Teddy Bear Toss the Gamblers and their fans have donated over 62,500 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. Bears from this year's event will also be donated to various non-profit groups in the Green Bay area.
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.
Check Out Our Two Podcast and Stay Connected With the Team...
Catch Inside the Locker Room with Max Hartner... This Week Max talks with Sam Herr, C.J. Eick, Grant Arnold, and Mike Rotolo about the possibilty of starting a band. Great show!
Taylor McReynolds...
Taylor McReynolds scored a pair of points in a win on Thursday. McReynolds scored the game-winning goal for RIT in a 3-1 victory over Canisius. The former Green Bay Gambler also added an assist in the third period.
Austin Czarnik...
Czarnik added a pair of assist in a 3-1 victory for Miami over Alabama-Huntsville. Czarnik played for the Gamblers last season under head coach Eric Rud.
William Kessel...
Kessel scored for Western Michigan in a 3-4 loss to Ohio State. Kessel helped the Gamblers reach the Clark Cup Finals in the two years he played for Green Bay. Kessel is in his first season with Western Michigan.
Big Bucs...
The Des Moines Buccaneers put a halt to their seven-game winless skid (0-6-1) with a pair of weekend victories. It was the first time they had won consecutive games since December 9th. Gasper Kopitar scored a pair of goals in the third period, including the game-winner, of Friday's 3-1 win vs. Sioux Falls. He leads the team with 17 goals this season. Cal Decowski scored his 10th goal of the season and converted in the shootout to lead the Bucs to a 4-3 shootout victory over Sioux City. The Bucs had been 0-4 in games decided in the shootout this season. Zach Saar scored his first goal in a Des Moines uniform. Pheonix Copley was in net for both weekend contests and made a combined 51 saves to record his first two victories as a member of the Bucs. The Bucs penalty kill has successfully turned away 15 of the last 16 opponent power plays.
Holy Goalie...
USHL goaltenders stole the spotlight during the week. Green Bay Gamblers goaltender Ryan McKay not only earned the eighth shutout of his USHL career in Tuesday's 3-0 win against Waterloo, but it was also the 54th win of his USHL career which broke the Gamblers record of 53 held by Jure Penko (1999-2001). McKay is now 55-20-7 over 83 regular season games during his time in the USHL. Indiana Ice goaltender Jon Gillies recorded his third shutout of the season in Friday's 2-0 win against Chicago which was also his 36th victory as a member of the Ice, breaking the record of 35 he had shared with Brett Bennett (2008-09). Sioux City Musketeers netminder Matt Skoff made 36 saves on Friday during the 4-3 overtime win against Waterloo for his 60th career victory in the USHL. It was the 13th consecutive start for Skoff.
Shout Out for Shutouts...
Dubuque Fighting Saints goaltender Matt Morris collected a pair of shutouts in a span of three days. He stopped all 25 shots he faced in Wednesday's 2-0 win against Des Moines and then had a 21-save effort in the 3-0 victory over Cedar Rapids on Saturday. He has three shutouts this season and seven for his USHL career. Lincoln Stars goaltender Jackson Teichroeb made 27 saves to record his second shutout of the season in Saturday's 5-0 win against Sioux Falls. It was his first win since December 28th. Michael Rotolo also got into the shutout act as he made 18 saves for the Green Bay Gamblers in the 1-0 win over Chicago on Saturday, his first career USHL shutout.
Multi-Home Winners...
The Indiana Ice earned a pair of home victories during the weekend to improve to 9-0-1 over their last 10 games as the home team. In a unique twist, the last three "home" wins have been at three different rinks. On Friday, the team hosted their annual "Pack the House" night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis in front of 11,949 fans as they earned a 2-0 win vs. Chicago. The Ice then went back to their regular digs, the Pepsi Coliseum, on Saturday and gained a 6-5 overtime victory against Muskegon as Sean Kuraly netted the winner 1:20 into the extra session. The previous Ice home win actually came in another city as building commitments during the Super Bowl in Indianapolis forced the Ice to move their game to Muskegon on January 28th, but the Ice remained as the home team and gained a 5-3 victory. The Ice are tied for second in the USHL with 14 victories as the home team this season.
Welcome to the Show...
Forward Andrew Poturalski made a big impression during his first USHL game. The recently turned 18-year-old scored a goal for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders on his first shot just 6:15 into the first period on Friday. In the second period, his second shot also resulted in a goal. Poturalski added an assist for a three-point night (2g, 1a) to lead the Riders to a 6-3 win over rivalDubuque.
Powerful Stuff...
It is always a spirited contest when the Omaha Lancers and Lincoln Stars hit the ice together, and both clubs had plenty of opportunities on special teams during their matchup on Friday in Omaha. The teams flexed their muscles on the power play, combining to go 6-of-15 on the man-advantage. The Lancers, who boast the League's second best power play at home, tallied three goals on the power play, including a pair by defenseman Kenney Morrison. The Stars currently have the second best power play on the road and showed why as they also netted three goals on special teams.
New Records in Youngstown...
The Youngstown Phantoms earned three of a possible four points in the standings during their two-game weekend as they improved their record to 3-0-1 over the last four contests. On Friday, Austin Cangelosi scored a pair of goals in the 5-2 win at Muskegon. It extended his point streak to 10 games and goal streak to six straight contests. The victory for the Phantoms was their 11th on the road this season and 24th win overall, establishing new team records in both categories. Dylan Margonari scored a pair of goals on Sunday during the 4-3 shootout loss to Muskegon. It was his third straight multi-point game after he scored the game-winner and dished out an assist on Friday. Mike Ambrosia scored a goal on Sunday to extend his point streak to 11 games, the third longest point streak in the USHL this season. His assist streak was halted at 10 games which was the longest in the League this season. Ambrosia dished out 15 assists during that streak. The forward also set a new team record for points in a season as his 47 points (12g, 35) broke the previous record of 45 set by Jiri Sekac last year.
A Little Extra...
The Sioux City Musketeers played some bonus hockey during both weekend contests to wrap up their six-game homestand. Both games went past regulation, making it three in a row that they have needed more than 60 minutes to decide a contest. Defenseman Alexander Kuqali netted the winner in overtime of Friday's 4-3 win against Waterloo. He now has three goals in 11 games as a member of the Musketeers, matching his goal total in 112 previous USHL games with Indiana. Kyle Criscuolo forced overtime on Saturday when he scored to tie the game with just 1:46 remaining in the third period, but the Musketeers would fall in the shootout giving them a 4-1-1 record over the homestand.
Heating Up the Ice Box...
The Lincoln Stars have made it tough on opponents during their last two home games as they have not allowed a goal at the Ice Box during the last 120 minutes of game action. The offense has been equally as impressive as their defense during that stretch as the Stars have accounted for 12 goals over those two games. Kevin Roy continues his assault on the boxscores with three goals over two games, giving him seven goals during his current five-game goal streak. He has scored 13 goals over his last 11 games and leads the USHL with 34 goals. Jared Hanson scored two goals in Friday's shootout loss to Omaha, his sixth multi-goal game of the season and second in a span of three games. Defenseman Paul LaDue scored two goals in the first period, including a shorthanded tally, in Saturday's 5-0 win overSioux Falls.
Big Papa...
Waterloo Black Hawks forward Ryan Papa is making a habit of scoring the important goals. He netted the game-winner in Saturday's 4-2 victory againstOmaha. He has scored the game-winner in each of the Hawks last two victories and three of his last five goals have been the deciding tally. During his USHL career, five of his 13 goals have been game-winners.
Notes...
Andrew Dorantes scored two goals, including the game-winner, as the Tri-City Storm earned a 4-3 win over Fargo on Saturday. Dorantes had tallied two goals total in his previous 73 USHL games...Stanislav Dzakhov has scored four goals over his last three games. He netted two goals, including the game-winner in Friday's 3-1 victory over Tri-City. It was his second straight game scoring the deciding goal...Anthony Hamburg scored the lone goal in a shootout that lasted six rounds to give the Omaha Lancers a 5-4 shootout victory over Lincoln on Friday. It was the third straight game for the Lancers that had gone past regulation...Joseph Cox scored in the fifth round of the shootout on Sunday as the Muskegon Lumberjacks claimed a 4-3 shootout win at Youngstown to snap an eight-game winless stretch on the road (0-5-3). It was the first road victory for the Jacks since November 12th.
United States Hockey League Stories from February 16, 2012
- Hockey Weekend Across America Comes to Dubuque Friday - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- USHL Teams Prepare for Hockey Weekend Across America - USHL
- Fargo Force Forward Alex Iafallo Commits to University of Minnesota-Duluth - Fargo Force
- Gamblers Weekly - Green Bay Gamblers
- Puska on Pucks Features USHL Outdoors, NAHL Top Prospects and Ryan Walter - OSC Original by Denis Puska
- 4 Points on the Line this Weekend as Phantoms Make Playoff Push - Youngstown Phantoms
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