Pregame Primer: Saints vs. Phantoms
October 19, 2018 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
The Dubuque Fighting Saints will look to continue flying high as they take on the Youngstown Phantoms tonight for a very special Childhood Cancer Awareness Night at Mystique Community Ice Center. The Saints, who are now 4-1-1 after their most recent victory against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, have secured at least a point in every game except for their season opener. Youngstown, currently sits at 0-5-1-0 and are in the midst of three games in three nights. Here's what you need to get set for Friday's game:
-Willie Kneirim, James Sanchez and Matias Maccelli look like they are starting to click. Maccelli has tallied goals in back to back games. Sanchez got his first goal since game two against Youngstown on Wednesday against Cedar Rapids and Knierim had two beautiful assists against CR while playing a complete 200 foot game.
-Speaking of clicking, Riese Gaber, Dylan Jackson and Ty Jackson have been there for two weeks now. In the team's last three games, that line has tallied 21 points for the Fighting Saints. Gaber has been the primary facilitator, setting up Ty and Dylan for beautiful goals every night. The line now has a total of 24 points on the season with each playing contributing eight.
-Matthew Thiessen continues to be steady in net for Dubuque. He has a GAA of 2.50 and a save percentage of .907. Thiessen probably hasn't gotten the praise he deserves because the team has scored 17 goals in three games, but his presence in net has been paramount to the Saints success.
-Dubuque is off to their best start to a season since 2013-14 when they started 7-0. They are also off to their best road start to a season since 2012-13 when they also started 4-0 away from home. The Fighting Saints will have a chance to secure their best road start since the team returned to Dubuque with a win over Green Bay on Sunday.
-The three game stretch, in which Dubuque has scored 17 goals, is the highest output the Fighting Saints have totaled over three games since March 31-April 7th 2017 when the team scored 19 goals in three games. That three game outburst also occurred on the road.
-Three of Youngstown five loses have come by just one goal. In addition, three of the five have come at the hands of the Muskegon Lumberjacks who currently hold the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Phantoms are in the middle of a four game road swing before heading back to the Covelli Center for four games at home.
-Tonight's game will also be Childhood Cancer Awareness Night at Mystique. The Saints have partnered with Compass to Care and Paramount Ambulance to provide a very special evening. The team will wear special Harry Potter jersey's that will be auctioned off after the game, along with the 50/50 raffle from the night, with proceeds going towards families who have been affected by childhood cancer.
• Discuss this story on the United States Hockey League message board...
United States Hockey League Stories from October 19, 2018
- Youngstown Beats Dubuque in a Shootout 4-3 - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- RECAP: Lumberjacks Hold off Steel 5-3 - Chicago Steel
- Stampede Top Waterloo in Overtime at PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Stars Surge by Capitols in Explosive Third Period - Lincoln Stars
- Storm Fall to Des Moines 4-2 in First Loss of Season - Tri-City Storm
- Penalties Slow Down Sioux City - Sioux City Musketeers
- Another OT; Hawks Get the Point - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Flying Aces Win in Commanding Style over Team USA - Central Illinois Flying Aces
- Bucs Announce Hiring of NHL Alum and Olympian Corey Millen as Assistant Coach - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Ian Murphy Announces Commitment to Princeton - Tri-City Storm
- Preview: Storm Faceoff against Des Moines in Road Matchup - Tri-City Storm
- Lincoln Looks to Snap Skid against Capitols in Return to Ice Box - Lincoln Stars
- Bucs' Center Welsher Commits to Merrimack - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Pregame Primer: Saints vs. Phantoms - Dubuque Fighting Saints
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.
