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USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints

Saints Ride First Period to Third Consecutive Win

March 30, 2018 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release


DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Dubuque Fighting Saints needed a first period flurry of offense to ride to the end. The Saints erased an early deficit and topped the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 4-2 on Friday night at the Mystique Community Ice Center on Autism Awareness Night. The win proved to be a four-point swing, knocking the Saints' magic number to clinch a playoff spot down to 5.

Adam Tisdale, Quinn Preston, Matias Maccelli and Alex Steeves all scored for the Saints to erase the early 1-0 hole, which occurred just 3:34 into the game. Tyler Jubenvill's shot found a way through the traffic in front of the net and through Cole Weaver to get the scoring started for the visitors.

It took six minutes for the Fighting Saints to respond in kind. On the first power play of the night for Cedar Rapids, and following extended pressure in the offensive zone, a break went the Saints' way. Tisdale poked the puck away from a Cedar Rapids defender and raced ahead of the field to snap a shot over the blocker hand of Jiri Patera to start the scoring.

Two goals in the next two minutes and 12 seconds gave the Fighting Saints a decisive cushion. Preston capitalized on a point shot from Josh Maniscalco that was deflected in front, and after Chayse Primeau whiffed on the rebound, the veteran forward did not make any mistake for his 22nd goal of the year.

Maccelli kept the goals coming for the Saints on yet another rebound opportunity in front of Patera. A massive scramble in front found the Finn who stashed his eighth of the year. Affiliate Michael Feenstra picked up his first USHL point in the process with an assist on the play.

Steeves finished the scoring in the opening period, with Tisdale and Tyce Thompson on the helpers on a pretty passing sequence immediately following Patera's hook for Blake Pietila. The Saints ended the period on top 4-1, and kept that lead through two periods of play.

Kevin Lombardi picked up a late goal, but the Fighting Saints held on for the win.

Key in the victory were the Saints' penalty kill, which went 0-for-5 on an unusually undisciplined night, and Weaver, who made 30 saves for his third consecutive victory. The Niagara commit kept the opposition to under two goals in all three of the starts, and had a .938 save percentage in the win on Friday night, his 15th in a Saints uniform.

The weekend continues on the road for the Fighting Saints, as they head to Partytown to take on the Waterloo Black Hawks on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m., and take on the Des Moines Buccaneers on Easter Sunday at 5:05 p.m. Catch all of the action on Dubuque's Super Hits 106.1 FM, or on the USHL's streaming video provider, HockeyTV.

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