Ice Weekly
March 11, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Indiana Ice News Release
CLINCHED: The Indiana Ice clinched the first playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after locking down four of six possible standings points in three games over the weekend. Dwyer Tschantz and Brian Pinho potted their 19th and 20th goals of the season as the Ice fell to the Waterloo Black Hawks 5-2 at Young Arena on Thursday. Indy then piled on ten goals in a two-game sweep of the Lincoln Stars with Friday's 6-1 victory followed by a 4-0 shutout performance on Saturday. On Friday, Scott Conway put on a scoring clinic with his first USHL hat trick to go along with an assist, while Vince Pedrie, Patrick Newell and Pinho also added goals. Matt Roy checked in with two assists and Hayden Stewart stopped 28 of 29 in net. Stewart's 26-save shutout led the Icemen on Saturday, while goal scorers included Conway, Sam Kurker, Joe Sullivan and Mitch Hults.
HOT HANDS: Scott Conway has shown no signs of cooling off in the final stretch of the season as the first-year forward has iced the competition with nine points (5G, 4A) in his past five games, including a seven-point (4G, 3A) effort in three games over the weekend. The Penn State commit tops all Icemen in scoring while sitting tied for fifth in the league with 52 points (24G, 28A) and is tied for second with defenseman Austin Kosack in plus-minus rating (+34).
TO THE NINES: A mid-season acquisition has paid massive dividends for Indy as Hayden Stewart is one of the hottest goaltenders in the USHL, boasting a 9-0-0 record and a 0.67 GAA since joining the club in mid-January. In his short career in Indy, the Cornell University commit has already logged three shutouts and set a new franchise record for consecutive scoreless minutes (203:54). He is also just one game shy of tying Jon Gillies'-Providence (HE) franchise record for consecutive wins (10).
ON THE RISE: Indy's power play has been on the rise recently as Indy has converted on seven of their past 22 extra-man attempts over the past six games, including three power play goals in seven opportunities in Friday's match at Lincoln. The 31.8% conversion rate over the stretch is nearly twice the league average for the entire season (17.5%) and eight percent higher than USHL-leading Waterloo's season average (23.8%)
TO BE CONTINUED...: With ten games remaining and a 13-point lead over the second-place Dubuque Fighting Saints, the Indiana Ice are the first team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff spot for the 2014 Clark Cup Championship playoffs. All four playoff spots for the Western Conference have been claimed with the Waterloo Black Hawks, Omaha Lancers, Sioux City Musketeers and Sioux Falls Stampede all punching their post-season ticket.
PLAYER RUCKUS: Brian Pinho is riding a six-game point steak (5G, 4A) and has points in eight of his last nine games... Hayden Stewart is second among league goaltenders in GAA (2.07) and save percentage (.923)...Stewart and goaltending mate Jason Pawloski both have tossed three shutouts this year...Dwyer Tschantz has four points (G, 3A) in his past four games and is second in the USHL in shooting percentage (.257).
TEAM NOISE: Indy is 22-5-7 against the Eastern Conference and 12-4-0 against the Western Conference...The Ice is second in the league in goals scored (189) and goals against (120)...Indy leads the league in shots against per game (24.94) and is second in shots per game (34.18)...The Ice is 16-5-3 on the road and 7-2-1 in their last ten games...Indy is tied for third in the USHL with nine shorthanded goals.
United States Hockey League Stories from March 11, 2014
- Ice Weekly - Indiana Ice
- Two Ice Players Honored by USHL - Indiana Ice
- 2014 NTDP Evaluation Camp Roster Unveiled - U.S. National Team
- Waterloo Black Hawks Preview - Waterloo Black Hawks
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