USHL Power Poll

by Mike Wallin
Published on November 1, 2004 under United States Hockey League (USHL)

Cedar Rapids claims the top spot in the Power Poll, jumping past Omaha. The two teams collide this Friday night in what should be a thriller. Sioux Falls looks tough to beat again and is lurking in the shadows to reclaim the Power Polls number one spot. Linclon is holding on to the best record in the USHL, but actually fell in the Power Poll. Sioux City is making some noise and Des Moines is crumbling.

1) Cedar Rapids---The RoughRiders claim the top spot in the poll by continuing to dominate the East. Alec Martinez scored his first ever USHL goal with 1:13 left in regulation, propelling Cedar Rapids to a 4-3 win over Indiana. Staying out of the penalty box has been the key as Cedar Rapids has allowed just 3 man-advantage goals and just 23 goals overall. The big showdown against the Lancers takes place this Friday night in Omaha. Cedar Rapids stays on the road Saturday for a contest at Tri-City.

2) Omaha---A tough 4-1 loss versus Sioux City drops the Lancers out of the polls top spot. The contest was much closer than the final score, tied at 1-1 with 3:12 left in the third period. Omaha rebounded with a big 5-1 win over Chicago. With Bradford, Carlson, Smith and LoVecchio filling the net and Jeff Lerg's stellar play in net, the Lancers will be tough all year. This weekend doesn't get any bigger as Omaha hosts Cedar Rapids and travels to Lincoln.

3) Sioux Falls---The Stampede move up a spot in the poll after rebounding from a dismal week to crush Des Moines 10-5 and escape versus Lincoln 2-1. Patrick Mullen, Tom Gorowski and Andreas Nodl all scored twice in the rout of the Buccaneers. Sioux Falls travels to Des Moines and Waterloo this week.

4) Lincoln----Lincoln drops one spot after a week in which the Stars beat Chicago 6-1, but lost to Sioux Falls 2-1.Lincoln still resides on top of the tough Western Division with a league high 17 points. The Stars lead the league in penalty minutes with 361 and Jared Boll tops the USHL, already amassing 93 penalty minutes. The Stars are 5-0-1 on home ice, but just 3-3 on the road. This week's games include a stop in Sioux City and a home game against Omaha.

5) Sioux City---The Musketeers jump from seventh to fifth after winning two big road games last week. Sioux City defeated Omaha 4-1 before smacking Des Moines 5-2. Jimmy Spratt continues to shine in net, improving to 5-1-1 with a .933 Save Percentage. The hot Musketeers play three games this week, home versus Lincoln and Des Moines, sandwiched around a visit to Tri-City.

6) Indiana---Indiana falls one spot in the Power Poll mostly due to Sioux City's big week. The Ice won at Waterloo in a shoot-out before losing to Cedar Rapids in the closing moments. Still, Indiana trails the RoughRiders by just two points in the East. Indiana comes home to play Chicago and Green Bay, which is good news considering the Ice is 5-0-1 in Indianapolis.

7) Waterloo---A shoot-out loss versus Indiana bounces the Black Hawks down a spot to number seven. Waterloo is desperately seeking more offense, having scored just one goal in each of their last three games. Until more pucks fill the net, the Black Hawks will hang around the middle of the pack. This week Waterloo hosts Green bay and Sioux Falls.

8) Tri-City---Tri-City just completed a six-game road trip in which they went 2-3-1. In a pair of games at Green Bay, the Storm peppered 88 shots on net, but only won one game. The big effort moves the Storm up a spot in this week's Power Poll. Tri-City looks to improve on their 2-3 home record as they entertain Sioux City and Cedar Rapids this week.

9) Green Bay—The Gamblers are warming up and move up from the tenth spot. Last week, Green bay weathered a Storm, spitting a pair of 5-3 games versus Tri-City. Mark Stockdale notched two goals in the win. A six-game road trip begins this weekend with a trip to Waterloo and Indiana.

10) Chicago---Chicago falls two spots after a poor showing on the road last week. The Steel lost 6-1 at Lincoln and 5-1 in Omaha. Chicago is last in the USHL on the man-advantage with a 9.09 conversion percentage and is currently on a 1-27 drought. The Steel travel to Indiana before a home game against Green Bay.

11) Des Moines—The Buccaneers haven't won since October 8th and that was their only victory of the year. Des Moines managed to score five times against Sioux Falls. The goals went for not, Sioux Falls scored ten. This week, Des Moines entertains Sioux Falls and travels to Sioux City.

United States Hockey League Stories from November 1, 2004

• Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Weekly Update - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
• USHL Power Poll - OSC Original by Mike Wallin
• Stampede sweep weekend series - Sioux Falls Stampede

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