USHL Update - Week 25

Published on March 24, 2010 under United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release

USHL Surpasses One Million Fans

...On Friday night, more than 21,000 fans attended USHL games pushing the League's total attendance over the one-million mark for the 11th consecutive season. For the first time in USHL history, seven organizations are averaging more than 3,000 fans per game.

Record Crowd, Record Win

...The Green Bay Gamblers won their 42nd game of the season on Sunday in the 4-3 shootout win over Chicago. It broke the team record of 41 wins which was originally set during the 1996-97 season (41-11-2), a year in which they captured their second straight Anderson Cup as regular season champions. This season, the team needs one point (or a loss by Omaha) to again capture the Anderson Cup in consecutive seasons. The last team to win consecutive regular season championships was the Lincoln Stars (1999-2001). Another record was established in Green Bay on Sunday as 7,017 fans witnessed the 42nd win of the season for the Gamblers. It eclipsed the team record of 6,785 that was set on February 21, 2009.

Musketeers Making a Charge

...The Sioux City Musketeers are battling for their postseason lives and after a 2-1 victory last night vs. Tri-City, they now sit just one point behind the Storm for the fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division. Just two weeks ago, the Musketeers were eight points behind the Storm, but have rattled off points in nine straight games (6-0-3) during their hunt for the postseason. Team leading scorer Stephan Vigier has netted seven goals during the nine-game stretch. Goaltender Matt Skoff has been in net for the last three games and has posted a 3-0-0 record with a 0.97 GAA and.965 SV%. Nick Sorkin has totaled eight points (3g, 5a) over the last eight games and has twice converted in the shootout. Captain Tommy Olczyk has converted on his last three shootout attempts and leads the USHL with six shootout goals this season.

Shutout Stars

...The Lincoln Stars recorded a shutout on back-to-back nights over the weekend becoming just the second USHL team this season to post shutouts in consecutive games (Green Bay - 10/24/09 and 10/30/09). Matt Green was in net for both victories stopping all 53 shots he faced and now is tied for second among League goaltenders with four shutouts this season. Ryan Dzingel netted the game-winning goal in each contest and has scored a goal in three straight games while Kyle Gibbons tallied four points (1g, 3a) in the two victories.

Half Dozen for Lancers and Force

...Both Johnnie Searfoss and Corey Leivermann scored their 20th goal of the season in the 5-2 win vs. Tri-City on Saturday giving the Fargo Force a total of six 20-goal scorers this season. The same evening, Dakota Eveland made it six 20-goal scorers for the Omaha Lancers when he tallied his third goal of the weekend in the 5-2 win over Sioux Falls. No team has had six 20-goal scorers since the USHL became the nation's only Tier I league in 2002. The Waterloo Black Hawks have two 30-goal scorers this season (J.T. Brown and Tyler Barnes), the first time one team has had a pair of players reach that mark since the Lincoln Stars had two players score 30 goals in the 2004-05 season.

Ten for Team USA

...In their 10-2 victory vs. Indiana on Saturday, Team USA equaled their season high for goals in a game and it was the third straight victory for the Under-18 squad. Combined, the Under-17 and Under-18 squads have won four of their last five games. Fourteen different skaters tallied a point in the 10-goal game including Bill Arnold who collected three points (2g, 1a). It was his second straight multi-point game after posting two (1g, 1a) the night before in the 5-3 win over Chicago. Matthew Nieto had a game high four points (1g, 3a) on Friday and has now tallied 14 points (7g, 7a) over his last eight USHL games. Bryan Rust collected four points (1g, 3a) over the weekend extending his point streak to five games. He has also notched 14 points (4g, 10a) and a plus-10 rating in his last eight League games.

Very Special Teams

...The Omaha Lancers went 7-of-19 (36.8%) on the power play in three games during the week and lead the USHL in both power play (23.3%) and penalty killing (85.8%) percentages. The last USHL team to finish the season leading both categories was the Lincoln Stars in 2002-03. The Lancers have earned a point in the standings in 12 consecutive games (9-0-3). Their 5-4 shootout loss to Fargo on Wednesday marked the fifth time in a six-game span they had a game decided in the shootout. With their League-leading 225 goals and second-fewest 139 against, they boast the highest goal differential (+86) in the USHL.

Notes

... Despite earning just one point over the weekend (0-1-1), the Indiana Ice have clinched a spot in the playoffs and will have the opportunity to defend their Clark Cup title this postseason...Waterloo Black Hawks forward J.T. Brown equaled a League season high when tallied four goals in the 8-6 win over Des Moines on Friday. His big night came exactly three weeks after he collected six points (1g, 5a) in a game which also equaled a League season high. Brown scored five goals over two games during the weekend and is now second in the USHL with 32 goals this season...Des Moines Buccaneers forward Connor Brickley had three points (1g, 2a) on Friday which was his third straight game scoring a goal giving him a total of 20 goals this season. He is the first Bucs rookie to have a 20-goal season since Matt Read scored 28 in 2006-07...Over his last four starts, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders goaltender Cody Campbell has posted a 3-1-0 record with a 0.75 GAA and a.970 SV%...Matt Leitner of the Fargo Force has three multi-point games over his last five contests scoring nine points (2g, 7a) over that span...Chicago Steel forward Jay Camper has scored three goals over his past five games and has an even-or-better plus/minus rating in 17 straight contests...Sioux Falls Stampede forward Ryan Misiak has scored three goals over his last four games.

United States Hockey League Stories from March 24, 2010

• Blackhawks Lose To Stampede 5-3 - Waterloo Black Hawks
• Sekac To Try Out For Czech World Championship Team - Youngstown Phantoms
• Lancers Prepare Pair Of Playoff Hopefuls - Omaha Lancers
• Last Regular Season Home Games March 26 & 27 - Fargo Force
• USHL Update - Week 25 - USHL
• Storm Lead For Playoff Berth Slips To One Point - Tri-City Storm

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