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USHL Tri-City Storm

L'Esperance Named Player of the Week

December 9, 2013 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Tri-City Storm News Release


KEARNEY, Neb. - Storm forward Joel L'Esperance was named forward of the week by the USHL league office on Monday afternoon after scoring five goals and an assist over the weekend, including a four-goal game in a 6-3 win over Cedar Rapids on Saturday night.

The performance against the RoughRiders cemented his name in the team's record books, becoming the first Tri-City Storm player to ever score four goals in a single game.

The Brighton, Mich. native leads the team with 13 goals and 20 total points on the season.

After his unforgettable weekend, the 18-year-old is now tied for fourth in the league among the goal scoring leaders and eighteenth in overall scoring.

Since the franchise joined the USHL in 2000, 20 players have put up hat tricks, but L'Esperance is the only one to find the back of the net four times.

L'Esperance had a nice start to his week with a goal in Thursday's game at Waterloo, and an assist in Friday's game in Des Moines.

Then on Saturday, the third game in three days for Tri-City, he scored on the game's first shift 21 seconds in. L'Esperance added another tally in the second period, finding a rebound in front to beat Cedar Rapids goaltender Chris Birdsall.

In the third period the first line center scored twice, first on the power play for the game-winning goal 1:09 into the frame, and then just over four minutes later, beating Birdsall five-hole to cement himself in the Storm record books.

The big forward is the second Storm player to garner honors from the league this season, as Jacob Johansson was named goaltender of the week on Oct. 7 after shutting out Des Moines.

It will be a second three-game week in a row for Tri-City as they head to Omaha to face the Lancers on Wednesday at 7:05 before returning home for a weekend series with the Youngstown Phantoms on Dec. 13 and 14.

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United States Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2013


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