Saints and Muskies Set for Western Conference Showdown
Published on March 4, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
Friday's meeting between the Fighting Saints and the Sioux City Musketeers marks the three-quarters mark of the season for Dubuque. Despite having played forty-four regular season games thus far, the Saints and Musketeers have not yet met on the ice. The Saints will return home on Saturday night to play host to the USNTDP's U17 team The team remains in first place in the USHL's Western Conference after sweeping their final weekend road trip against Muskegon and Indiana one week ago.
The Fighting Saints and Musketeers met once in the preseason. That game was played at the Xcel Energy Center, home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild The Fighting Saints and Wild have an owner in common in Phillip Falcone, part owner of the Wild and principal owner of Northern Lights Hockey, which owns and operates the Saints. The Musketeers won the game, which was the Saints' first preseason matchup, by a final score of 4-2.
Sioux City got off to a solid start this season, but has struggled in 2011. The Musketeers have not won back to back games since January 1st and 4th , and currently sit outside of the playoff picture in the West. The Musketeers won their last game, defeating the Tri City Storm by a 2-0 score.
The Coaches
Jim Montgomery was named the Dubuque Fighting Saints Head Coach and General Manager on April 12, 2010. The 40-year-old Montreal native spent the last four years as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Montgomery began his college coaching career as a volunteer assistant under Jeff Jackson at the University of Notre Dame.
Montgomery played college hockey at the University of Maine, and is the NC's 4th all-time leading point scorer. Prior to becoming a coach, Montgomery played professional hockey from 1993-2005, spending parts of six seasons in the National Hockey League. Montgomery resides in Dubuque with his wife Emily and son James Peter. Montgomery is assisted by Joe Coombs and Bobby Kinsella.
Luke Strand is in his second season as Head Coach and General Manager of the Sioux City Musketeers. Strand has experience with the USHL both as a player with the North Iowa Huskies (1991-93) and as an assistant coach with the Green Bay Gamblers (2003- 05). He previously served as an assistant coach with Division III powerhouse St. Norbert's and was the Head Coach/Assistant Athletic Director for the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.
Quick Hits
- Vinny Saponari and John Gaudreau are tied for 2rd in the USHL scoring race. Both were named to the USHL All-Star team earlier this season. Gaudreau leads the league, having scored 28 goals this season, and has added 24 assists for a total of 52 points. Saponari has 14 goals and 38 assists on the campaign.
- Matt Morris is third in the USHL in goals against average with an average of 2.10 per game. His save percentage of .934 is third in the league as well. Morris has shut out opponents four times this year, and three of those games were decided by a score of 1-0. Jackson Teichroeb has earned one shutout for Dubuque this season.
- Three Fighting Saints were named to NHL Central Scouting's midseason watch list for the NHL Draft. Jackson Teichroeb was ranked 22nd among goaltending prospects, Joakim Ryan and John Gaudreau were ranked 128th and 209th among skaters, respectively.
- The Fighting Saints' record in one goal games is 12-2-7, after a 0-1-2 start in this category. Conversely, the Saints are just 3-5-0 in games decided by a two goal margin. The Saints have won only one game in the five minute overtime so far this season, having dropped four games in this fashion, and they have won three shootouts, losing three as well.
- The Fighting Saints return to the ice at home tomorrow, playing Team US 's U17 team. This is the first of four straight home games for Dubuque. They will play rival Waterloo on Tuesday night before facing off against Green Bay and Sioux City on Friday and Saturday nights.
- John Gaudreau, Zemgus Girgensons, Matt Morris, Joakim Ryan, and Vinny Saponari are Dubuque's All-Star selections for the Western Conference. Dubuque's five selections are the most in the West and tied for most overall
- Saturday was "Pack the House for Charity" night in Indiana The game was played at Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers. 12,117 fans, the fifth largest crowd in USHL history, attended the annual event, which will be reprised March 19th .
- The Fighting Saints' road record of 14-5-4 tops their home mark of 13-5-3. The Saints got off to a much better start at home than on the road, but have picked up the pace to have compiled the fewest road losses of any team in the USHL.
United States Hockey League Stories from March 4, 2011
- Rally Without Results - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Phantoms Penalty Kill Shines, Defeat Fargo 2-1 - Youngstown Phantoms
- Jacks fall 5-1 in season finale against Gamblers - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Saints Cruse To 6-1 Win In Sioux City - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Former Stampede Forward Holmstrom Makes NHL Debut - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Two Home Games this Weekend - Sioux City Musketeers
- Saints and Muskies Set for Western Conference Showdown - Dubuque Fighting Saints
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