Johansson Stops 23, Shuts out Stars 3-0 in Dubuque Debut

January 3, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release

DUBUQUE, IA- Ben Johansson's debut with the Dubuque Fighting Saints was one to remember. The Swedish netminder saw his first game action after joining the Fighting Saints in late December and made quite the first impression in Dubuque, posting 23 saves to record a 3-0 shutout of the Lincoln Stars Friday night. Johansson's strong play in goal, along with third period goals from Shane Kavanagh, Seamus Malone and Shane Eiserman helped Dubuque snap a four-game losing streak.

The new Dubuque netminder has been with the Fighting Saints since December 26, but was just cleared by the International Ice Hockey Federation last night for game action. The 1994 born goalie stands at 6-foot-1 and 209 lbs and spent the last two seasons with the Almtuna J20 squad. This season, he appeared in 13 games, posting a 2.54 goals against average and a .902 save percentage prior to joining Dubuque.

The game's first two period saw no scoring. Both Johansson, and Lincoln goaltender Jacob Nehama, stood tall in the first period, with Johansson making several strong saves including stopping a point blank blast from Lincoln on the powerplay. The Stars outshot Dubuque 10-6 in the first frame.

The second period saw Lincoln with two great chances and Johansson getting some help from his teammates. A Lincoln point shot was deflected en route to the net and trickled between Johansson's pads. Defenseman Blake Hillman swept the puck out of the blue paint to keep the score 0-0. The Stars also hit the right goal post in the second period, but the game remained scoreless through two periods.

The third period saw the Fighting Saints finally find the back of the net. A fantastic individual effort from Kavanagh gave the hard-nosed winger his fifth goal of the season to make it 1-0 Dubuque. Kavanagh chipped the puck forward down the right wing into the Lincoln zone, chasing it down, and cutting to the net. He fired a shot against the grain, beating Nehama over the glove for the goal. Eric Robinson and Alexx Privitera assisted on the tally at 2:52.

The Fighting Saints would add to their lead on a shorthanded goal by Malone at 10:31. Malone poked the puck away from the defender at the blueline, and skated in alone on Nehama. He made a move to his backhand, sliding the puck five-hole on Nehama for his team-leading tenth goal of the year.

The Stars would fire six shots on Johansson in the third period, but the new Dubuque goaltender was poised in goal, kicking aside everything he faced. Eiserman would add an empty net tally from McHugh and Alexx Privitera at 18:40 to seal the deal for the Fighting Saints.

Johansson becomes the third goaltender on Dubuque's roster this season to record a shutout. Christian Frey had two shutouts prior to departing for Ohio State, while Hayden Stewart has a shutout as well.

The Fighting Saints were outshot by Lincoln 23-22. Both teams did not convert on the powerplay, with Dubuque going 0-for-3 while Lincoln was 0-for-4.

Tomorrow night the Waterloo Black Hawks come to town and it is New Year's Resolutions presented by Anytime Fitness. The Fighting Saints will promote shedding those extra pounds for the New Year and provide ideas to help live a healthy lifestyle in order to meet that resolution. Anytime Fitness will be handing out scratch off tickets with a chance to win prizes, and the winner of an in-arena fitness challenge will take home a one-year membership from Anytime Fitness.

Saturday's Prairie Farms Cowbell Cup game will also be televised live across the Tri-State region on KCRG 9.2. Zack Fisch and Don Keck will have the call and coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now by calling 563-583-6880 or online at DubuqueFightingSaints.com.

United States Hockey League Stories from January 3, 2014

• Hawks Snatch Win from Fargo - Waterloo Black Hawks
• Defense and Goaltending from Host Musketeers Stones Muskegon's Offense - Muskegon Lumberjacks
• Tri-City Outworks Stampede for 5-1 Win - Tri-City Storm
• Phantoms Seek Answers as Skid Hits Nine - Youngstown Phantoms
• Johansson Stops 23, Shuts out Stars 3-0 in Dubuque Debut - Dubuque Fighting Saints
• Lancers Tripped Up By Des Moines, 3-2 - Omaha Lancers
• Stampede Roughed up by Tri-City at the Arena - Sioux Falls Stampede
• U.S. Advances to World U17 Challenge Title Game - U.S. National Team
• Ice Get Back on Track with 4-2 Win - Indiana Ice
• Ice Alum Headed to the Olympics - Indiana Ice
• Lumberjacks Attain Daniel Willett in Trade with Lincoln - Muskegon Lumberjacks
• Carlson to Fight for Red, White and Blue - Indiana Ice

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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