USHL Notes: March 14, 2023
Published on March 14, 2023 under United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release
Players of the Week: Jaksen Panzer (Sioux Falls/USHL Forward of the Week) registered six points in three games on four goals and two assists. The Grand Forks, N.D., native who was +4 during that span, scored twice and had the game-winning goal in 4-2 road win at Sioux City last Sunday.
Drew Fortescue (NTDP/USHL Defenseman of the Week) had a three-point week with three assists and was +6, with one shot on goal over the course of two games. The Pearl River, N.Y., native had two assists including one on the game-winning goal in an 8-1 victory at Madison last Saturday.
Sam Scopa (Cedar Rapids/USHL Goaltender of the Week) had 35 saves in a 1-0 road win at Waterloo last Saturday to record first career shutout. The Quinnipiac commit stands 5-7-1-2 on the season, with a 3.26 goals against average and .879 save percentage.
2023 Clark Cup Playoff Format & Dates Announced: The USHL has announced the format and dates for the 2022-23 USHL Clark Cup Playoffs. This season's playoffs (featuring the top six teams from each of the Eastern and Western Conferences) is slated to begin April 24. Conference semifinals (best of three series) run April 28 - April 30, conference finals (best of five series) are May 5-11 and the Clark Cup Final (best of five series) takes place May 13-23.
Stormin': Currently in the midst of a an eight-game winning streak, Tri-City enters this week ranking fourth in the Western Conference with a 26-16-2-3 mark. The Storm, who haven't lost since Feb. 11 (3-2 vs. Waterloo), have gone 8-1-1-0 in their last 10 contests.
Continuing to Roll: Fargo, the first team to clinch a spot in the 2023 Clark Cup playoffs, have gone 13-0-2-0 in their last 15 games and own the best record in the USHL with a 35-8-2-3 mark. Waterloo (31-16-1-0) ranks second in the Western Conference with 61 points.
Chicago (31-15-3-1), which has gone 6-3-1-0 in its last 10 games, has 66 points in ranking as the top Eastern Conference squad. Owners of an 8-2-0-0 mark in its last 10 games, Youngstown (29-15-4-1) has moved to within three points of the Steel with 63 points.
Point Break: Trevor Connelly (Tri-City) and Ryan Leonard (NTDP) are both riding nine-game point-scoring streaks. Connelly, a Tustin, Calif., native, has registered 9-8--17 during that span, while Leonard, who hails from Amherst, Mass., has posted 7-8--15 numbers. Another Storm forward in Dane Dowiak has an eight-game heater going during which he's racked up 4-8--12.
Big Mack: Chicago forward Mack Celebrini continues his place atop the league scoring chart with 71 points on 40 goals and 31 assists. Draft eligible in 2024, the Vancouver, B.C., native leads the league in goals (40), power play goals (18), power play points (28), shooting percentage (28%) and game-winning goals (7).
Noteables: Fargo stands 24-1-2-1 when scoring first on the season. Dubuque is 19-1-1-0 when scoring first.
USHL NHL Alumni Spotlight: Currently playing in his 15th season in the National Hockey League, forward Trevor Lewis played two seasons in the USHL with Des Moines (2004-06). Lewis, who had 45-52--97 in 108 games played with the Buccaneers, was a first-round draft pick (17th overall) by Los Angeles in 2006. The Salt Lake City, Utah., native was on two Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Kings in 2012 and 2014 and has registered 90-116--206 in 877 games played with LA and his current team, the Calgary Flames.
USHL College Commitments 2022-23: A total of 354 current USHL players have committed to play NCAA Division I college hockey. 50 schools are represented amongst the 354 commitments including 92 players headed to Hockey East teams, 86 players to the National Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHC), 77 players to Big 10 programs, 57 players to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association (ECAC), 32 players to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), six players to Atlantic Hockey (AHA) teams and four players to independent programs.
United States Hockey League Stories from March 14, 2023
- Waterloo Black Hawks Preview - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Storm to Hold 2023 Selection Camp and Tryouts in Las Vegas - Tri-City Storm
- USHL Notes: March 14, 2023 - USHL
- Spend St. Patrick's Day with the Bucs, Postgame Skate Sunday - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Epilepsy Night Is this Saturday - Lincoln Stars
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