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USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints

To the Final: Saints Blank Thunder, Win Series

May 10, 2016 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release


DUBUQUE, Iowa - For the third time in six seasons, the Dubuque Fighting Saints are headed to the Clark Cup Final. Behind a shutout from Hunter Miska, the Fighting Saints slammed the door on the Bloomington Thunder, winning 3-0 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, and punching their ticket into the Clark Cup Final to face the Tri-City Storm.

Dubuque received offensive production from three players that hadn't even registered goals in the Clark Cup playoffs. One of them hadn't even tallied a goal in his Fighting Saints career, until tonight.

It took Fighting Saints defenseman Andrew Kerr 124 games combined between his regular season and playoff career with the team to net his first one, an empty netter with some serious English off the glass and down to the empty net to seal up the Fighting Saints' third Clark Cup Final berth in the last six seasons.

In goal, Miska stopped everything he saw. 25 shots, many of the grade-A variety, he denied opportunity after opportunity to keep the hard-charging Thunder, who picked up the Game 4 win in overtime and forced this decisive Game 5, completely off the board.

Casey Johnson started the scoring for the Fighting Saints, a shorthanded opportunity in the second period that materialized off of a power move from Evan Smith out of the corner. He found a streaking Johnson, who stopped at the base of the left circle, and got a backhander away that bounced past Thunder netminder Hayden Lavigne. It was the first time the Fighting Saints scored the first goal in the series.

Zach Solow followed up the second-period scoring with a goal of his own four minutes after Johnson tallied. The "Coneheads" line showcased pinpoint passing. While falling, Dallas Gerads fed Colin Theisen at the top of the left circle. His first opportunity was blocked, but his second opportunity was tipped home by Solow, to mark his first of the series.

For the first time in the series, neither team scored on special teams.

With the win by the Tri-City Storm in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, the Clark Cup Final matchup is set between the third-seeded Fighting Saints and the top-seeded Storm. However, due to the standings point advantage during the regular season, Dubuque will receive home ice in the final series of the 2015-16 USHL season.

The Clark Cup Final begins Friday, May 13 at Our House. The puck drops at 7:35 p.m. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 563.583.6880, or by going online to DubuqueFightingSaints.com. Game 2 follows on Saturday, May 14 at 7:05 p.m.

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