Ice Round-Up

Published on April 29, 2009 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Indiana Ice News Release


FORCING THE ISSUE

Gateway to the West:

In just their first season of USHL play, the Fargo Force have brought the broom out throughout the playoffs, sweeping both the Omaha Lancers and the first-seed Lincoln Stars for a perfect 6-0 playoff record and a berth in the Clark Cup Finals. The Force finished third in the West Division standings prior to the playoffs, but like the Ice, have defeated both teams seeded ahead of them. Indiana won a grueling first round match-up with Cedar Rapids three games to two and finished off top seed Green Bay with a pair of home wins this week three games to one.

Regular Season Snippets:

After a tough playoff campaign with the East Division, Indiana will now face an opponent they are not intimately familiar with. The Ice and Force met just four times this season, with Indy owning 3-1-0 advantage over the West Division champs. Torey Krug led all Ice scorers with six points (2G, 4A), while Ben Albertson, Joe Hartman and Jason Bourgea each had a pair of goals. In goal, Brett Bennett was 2-1-0 with a 1.34 GAA and a .947 SV% against the Force, while Chris Paliafito also had a victory in net. Fargo was led in scoring by Andy Taranto with four points (3G, A), while Cody Campbell had the lone victory between the pipes. The veteran Taranto was the Force's top scorer in the regular season in points (59) and tied with Indy's Mike Cichy for most goals in the USHL (34). Goaltender Mike Lee was second in the league in wins (26), save percentage (.918) and games played (48).

Playoffs Past:

The Ice has made the playoffs in all five years of existence and is 15-13 all-time in postseason action, highlighted by an impressive 6-1 run in the 2007 Clark Cup Playoffs. The Force are making their Clark Cup Championship debut in their first year in the USHL.

Player Notes:

Indiana Ice: Mike Cichy carries an eight-game assist streak, which included three helpers in Tuesday's game four deciding game against Green Bay...He leads all USHL'ers in playoff scoring with 16 points (4G, 12A)....Zach Golembiewski has four goals in his last three games and is tied for the playoff goal-lead with six....Max Cook has a goal in two straight contests.... With Tuesday's win, Brett Bennett tied Alex Kangas (Minnesota) for most all-time Ice playoff wins in franchise history... Torey Krug continues to lead the USHL in playoff plus/minus (+11)...Brent Gwidt is riding a three-game point streak and is the all-time franchise leader in games played for the playoffs (20)...Fargo Force: Goaltender Mike Lee has been scintillating in net as he owns a 6-0 playoff record to go along with a 1.81 GAA and .948 SV%...Andy Taranto leads the Force with ten points (6G, 4A) and is tied for the USHL goal-lead with six....Josh Birkholz is third on Fargo in scoring with five points (3G, 2A), with all three goals coming in the West Division Finals.

Team Newsworthy:

Indiana Ice: Indiana owns the league's top power play unit at home in the playoffs (36.8%)....The Ice lead the playoffs in shorthanded goals (4)...Indy has outscored opponents 16-7 in the third period during the playoffs...The Ice is first in the playoffs in goals for/game (4.56)...Indiana has won five of their last six playoff games...Fargo Force: The Force are the best overall power play squad in the playoffs (30.3%)...Fargo has outscored opponents 9-2 in the third period during the playoffs...The Force is first in the playoffs in goals allowed/game (1.83)...Fargo is 4-0 in the playoffs when leading after one period....Four of the Force's six playoff wins have come on the road.

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United States Hockey League Stories from April 29, 2009


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