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USHL Update - Week 20

Published on February 13, 2013 under United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release


AROUND THE LEAGUE

On the Way Up: With their 4-2 win in Saturday's first-ever USHL outdoor game against the Lincoln Stars, the Omaha Lancers are riding a season-long five-game winning streak and currently sit in sole possession of fourth place in the Western Conference. They have outscored their opponents 37-25 on their current winning streak. This is the third time this season that the Lancers have won five straight, and they have now won 10 of their last 11 overall. Alex Lyon has been in net for eight of the 10 victories, giving him 20 total for the season, while goaltending partner Cole Bruns has posted a stellar 0.48 GAA and .987 SV% over the other two wins, including a 35-save effort and turning away all three shootout attempts in Friday's 2-1 shootout victory against Des Moines.

Goal Outburst: Friday's 10-3 win for the Sioux City Musketeers over the Fargo Force on marked the first time the Musketeers have scored 10 goals in a game since a 10-3 win over Lincoln way back on April 3, 2010. They scored six goals in the first period which is the most goals scored in the first period in the USHL this season. Forward Jake Guentzel led all players with five points (5a), while Trevor Olson (2g, 2a) and Blake Heinrich (1g, 3a) each had four points. Forward Jared Thomas recorded his first career USHL hat trick in the victory. Goaltender Conor Girard made 26 saves en route to his first win in his first game since being acquired by Sioux City.

Same Face, New Place: A handful of players found the score sheet with their new teams following last week's USHL trade deadline. The Muskegon Lumberjacks had three new players recording points as Brian Morgan netted two goals and both Christian Heil (2a) and Jeff Kubiak (1a) added assists. Eric Schurhamer recorded his first goal of the season on Friday night while playing his first game for the Lincoln Stars. Austin Ortega dished out a pair of assists for the Fargo Force. Indiana Ice forward Bryan Yim and Tri-City Storm forward Ben Foster each recorded an assist with their new teams over the weekend as well.

Sigh of Relief: The Des Moines Buccaneers snapped a four-game skid with their 3-2 shootout win over the Sioux City Musketeers on Saturday. Defenseman Eric Martinsson scored just over a minute into the contest, the first time the Bucs had netted the first goal in a span of five contests. Danny Elser scored in regulation and converted his shootout attempt while Tanner Karty converted the deciding tally in the fifth round of the shootout. It was the fifth time over the last nine games that the Bucs had gone to the shootout. Goaltender Nick Ellis turned aside 25 shots and stopped four of five attempts in the shootout to earn his 10th win of the season.

Getting Some Separation: The Dubuque Fighting Saints have won eight straight games and 11 of their last 13. They currently hold the top spot in the USHL with 71 points on the year and are 11 ahead of Sioux Falls in the Western Conference. They have outscored their opponents by a 31-9 margin over their last eight games, which has included three shutouts, and are averaging 3.8 goals per game over that span. Forwards Mike Szmatula (7g, 4a) and Frank DiChiara (5g, 2a) have led the way for Dubuque, combining for 12 goals and six assists over the last eight games. Szmatula scored two goals in Saturday's 3-0 win against Waterloo, the second of which was his League-leading 30th tally of the season.

Point Machine: Green Bay Gamblers forward Kyle Novak has been red hot as of late, compiling seven goals and six assists on his current eight-game point streak. In 20 games since December 1st, the O'Fallon, MO native has recorded a point in 18 of them, including 10 multi-point efforts. He currently leads the team, and is tied for fifth overall in the USHL, with 54 points (21g, 33a).

The Big 3: A trio of Waterloo Black Hawks had monster nights in a 7-1 win over the Sioux Falls Stampede on Friday night. Forward Justin Kloos led the way with five points (2g, 3a) while Zach Stepan and Taylor Cammarata each had a goal and three assists and a game high plus-three rating. Cammarata currently leads the USHL with 67 points on the year (27g, 40a) while Kloos is hot on his heels in second with 61 (18g, 43a). Stepan ranks fourth in the League with 55 points (22g, 33a).

I'll Take Two: The Youngstown Phantoms scored four goals in the third period of Friday's 5-2 win over Green Bay, including a pair by Sam Anas. It was his sixth multi-goal game of the season, four of which have come in the last 10 games. The second-year forward is one goal shy of 40 for his USHL career.

Notes: Muskegon Lumberjacks goaltender Jordan Uhelski recorded his second shutout of the season with a 3-0 win over the Indiana Ice on Saturday by making a season high 37 saves...Michael Booth netted the game-winner for the Fargo Force in Saturday's 3-2 win over Tri-City. Three of his six goals this season have been game-winners...Youngstown Phantoms goaltender Sean Romeo made a combined 63 saves in pair of wins over the weekend, giving him victories in three of his last four games...Cedar Rapids RoughRiders forward Gerald Mayhew scored a pair of goals over the weekend and now is tied for the team lead with 12 on the season...Chicago Steel forward Alex Roos netted a goal in Saturday's 3-2 loss to Cedar Rapids and is now in a four-way tie for the team lead in goals with 15...Lincoln Stars forward Phillip Marinaccio has goals in three straight games, two of which have been game-winners...Defenseman Ben Storm scored his first USHL career goal and it proved to be the game-winner for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in Friday's 3-1 victory over Chicago.

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United States Hockey League Stories from February 13, 2013


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