USHL United States Hockey League

USHL Update - Week 13

Published on December 27, 2012 under United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release


AROUND THE LEAGUE

The Wins Keep on Coming... The Fargo Force have won eight of their last 10 games and are currently riding a five-game winning streak. Their two wins over the holiday weekend have them second place in the Western Conference with 35 points, just two behind conference leader Sioux Falls. Over their last five games, the Force have outscored their opponents 21-10, and Alex Iafallo, Dominic Toninato, and Gavin Bayreuther each have points in four of them.

Ice-y Hot Players... Indiana Ice forward Austin Ortega is currently sporting a six-game point streak, registering eight points (5g, 3a) over that stretch, including three goals and an assist during Indiana's current three-game winning streak. He has points in 12 of his last 14, including five multi-point efforts. The Escondido, CA native has been a mainstay atop the score sheet this season for the Indiana Ice. He leads the team with 33 points (19g, 14a) and is tied for the League lead in goals. Also putting up solid numbers is goaltender Dalton Izyk who in his second season with the Ice, has 10 wins which doubles his win total from a year ago, and has started a career high 23 games which is 13 more than last year. After winning only five of his first 17 starts, the Oswego, NY native has rebounded nicely going 5-2-1 over his last eight. He currently leads the League in minutes played (1478:57) and saves (743).

Tight Race... Although there is still over three months of the season left, the Western Conference is already being heavily contested. Only 10 points separate the first and seventh place teams, and the gap narrows to six points between first and sixth. Currently, Sioux Falls leads the way with 37 points, however Fargo, Waterloo, and Lincoln are each within four points of tying or overtaking the conference lead, while Omaha and Des Moines are only four points out of second. Six of the eight teams are above .500, and Tri-City is within a game of that mark sporting a 12-13-3 record.

Offensively Defensive... Lincoln Stars defenseman Paul LaDue registered an assist in Saturday's 6-2 loss to Des Moines, extending his point lead amongst USHL defensemen to 22 (4g, 18a). His 18 assists are a team best and he is second with a plus-14 rating. Also producing on the backend is Muskegon Lumberjacks defenseman Michael Brodzinski. His goal on the power play in Muskegon's 3-0 win over Chicago on Saturday gives him nine goals on the season, which leads all USHL defensemen. Five of his goals have come via the power play which ranks him second in that category.

Protecting the Crease... Omaha Lancers goaltender Alex Lyon has put his 3-8-0 start behind him by earning wins in eight of his last nine decisions. The Baudette, MN native has posted 1.33 goals against average and a .954 save percentage in those eight wins, while only allowing 11 goals. He ranks in the top five among USHL goaltenders in GAA (2.41) and SV% (.922), minutes played (1242:32), and is first in shootout wins with five.

The Century Mark... Over the weekend, three USHL teams broke 100 goals for the season. Fargo, Indiana, and Dubuque are all tied for second place with 101 goals on the season; eight back of Waterloo's 109. Fargo and Indiana each tallied eight in their two games over the weekend, while Dubuque needed just three to break the mark.

Fifty Point Plateau... Tri-City Storm forward Tim Bonner had a hat trick in Saturday's 6-2 overtime loss to Fargo, giving him 52 points for his USHL career. Currently in his second season, the Maple Grove, MN native has 32 goal and 20 assists in 86 career games. In 58 games last season, Bonner registered 30 points (21g, 9a) in 58 games. This season, he's well on his way to shattering that mark as he already has 22 points (11g, 11a) in just 28 games. He is currently second on the team in goals and third in points. Green Bay Gamblers forward Nicholas Schilkey also cracked 50 after notching a pair of goals and three assists over the weekend. The Smiths Creek, MI native, now in his second USHL season, has 54 points (24g, 30a) over 86 career games, including 18 points (8g, 10a) this season.

It's Been Awhile... The Des Moines Buccaneers fell to Lincoln on Friday by a score of 6-1, marking the 10th consecutive meeting that the Bucs have been winless (0-8-2) against Lincoln. But that would end on Saturday as Des Moines earned a victory to snap the streak. Despite going down 2-0 within the first three minutes of the contest, six different players would find the net to give the Bucs a 6-2 win. Joseph Gambardella scored the game-winner, his team-leading 12th goal of the season, and Nick Ellis made 31 saves for his seventh victory of the year. The win was the 11th home win of the season for Des Moines, the third most home victories in the USHL.

Notes: Tri-City Storm forward Trevor Moore extended his point streak to five with a pair of goals and an assist over the weekend...Sioux Falls Stampede forward Dennis Kravchenko extended his point streak to four games with a goal in a 7-4 win over Cedar Rapids on Saturday...Lincoln Stars defenseman Justin Woods notched four assists in Friday's 6-1 win over Des Moines...Sioux City Musketeers forward Tanner Pond had three goals over the weekend, breaking a season long five-game goal drought and giving him points in three straight contests, and four of his last six...Chicago Steel forward Christian Heil scored his 13th goal of the season in a 4-3 overtime loss to Indiana on Friday, giving him the team lead in goals.

USHL Transactions:

12/24/12 - Neal Goff, Fargo - suspended four (4) games (Rule 607a - Checking from behind)

12/23/12 - Kenny Gillespie, Fargo - suspended one (1) game (Rule 601f - Abuse of officials)

12/23/12 - Marcus McCrea, Youngstown - suspended one (1) game (Rule 404d - Misconduct Accumulation)

12/22/12 - Dwyer Tschantz, Indiana - added to roster

12/21/12 - Justin Quale, Tri-City - added to roster

12/21/12 - Sean Murphy, Sioux Falls - traded to SOO (NAHL)

12/21/12 - Michael Bunn, Fargo - activated from injured reserve

12/20/12 - Eli May, Tri-City - placed on injured reserve

12/19/12 - Stanislav Dzakhov, Fargo - traded to Bismarck (NAHL)

12/19/12 - Cody Marooney, Sioux City - placed on injured reserve

12/19/12 - Kyle Hayton, Sioux City - activated from injured reserve

12/19/12 - Michael Kapla, Sioux City - activated from injured reserve

12/19/12 - Tyler Rehm, Fargo - activated from injured reserve

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United States Hockey League Stories from December 27, 2012


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