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USHL Update - Week 27

April 2, 2015 - United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release


AROUND THE LEAGUE

Setting the Stage ...The field of eight teams for the Clark Cup Playoffs has been determined as each of the four spots in the Western Conference and Eastern Conference is now secured. The Muskegon Lumberjacks clinched a playoff berth on Friday with a 5-1 victory over Des Moines. It was the 32nd win of the season for the Lumberjacks, setting a new team record. The Dubuque Fighting Saints topped Madison 8-1 on Friday to clinch the fifth consecutive playoff berth for the Saints. The Omaha Lancers not only snapped the record 17-game win streak of the Youngstown Phantoms on Friday with a 4-2 victory, but the win also earned the Lancers a spot in the postseason. The final playoff spot was secured on Saturday by the Sioux Falls Stampede. Despite not playing that night, the Stampede locked in their playoff berth after a loss by Des Moines. Only seeding is left to be determined for the playoffs that will begin with best-of-five conference semifinal series on Tuesday, April 14th.

Chasing Anderson ...While the playoff spots are secured, the race for the Anderson Cup as the USHL team with the best regular season record is heating up. The Youngstown Phantoms currently lead the League with 79 points in the standings and are seeking their first Anderson Cup title. They have four games remaining on their schedule. The Sioux City Musketeers (3 games remaining) sit with 77 points and are chasing their first regular season crown since the 1985-86 season. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (4 games remaining) sit with 76 points while the Tri-City Storm (4 games remaining) have 74 points. Cedar Rapids last won the Anderson Cup during the 2010-11 season while Tri-City last captured the title in 2003-04. Additionally, the Muskegon Lumberjacks (72 points, 4 games remaining) and Dubuque Fighting Saints (71 points, 4 games remaining) mathematically are still in the hunt for the Anderson Cup.

Crowded House ...The Sioux Falls Stampede welcomed 9,715 fans on Friday to watch their 3-1 victory against the Bloomington Thunder. It was the third-largest crowd of the season at the brand new Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls and helped the Stampede surpass 165,000 total fans over 26 home outings this season (165,997). It is the largest total attendance for a USHL team since the 2001-02 season when the Lincoln Stars recorded 180,000 fans. The Stampede have four remaining home games to make a run at the all-time single-season attendance record of 189,884 set by the Omaha Lancers during the 1997-98 season (28 home games).

We Got Your Back ...A pair of goaltenders played key roles in helping their teams secure playoff berths over the weekend. Jacob Nehama stopped 62 of 64 shots over two games to help the Dubuque Fighting Saints earn a spot in the postseason. He made 30 saves in Friday's win against Madison to record his 30th USHL career win. His victory on Saturday against Cedar Rapids extended his win streak to four games and gave him a USHL best 26 wins this season. Eric Schierhorn stopped 65 of 67 shots that came his way over two games, making it three straight contests that he has allowed just one goal. He has won each of his last six starts and is now tied for second in the USHL with 25 victories this season. His 37-save effort on Saturday vs. Des Moines was the 45th win of his USHL career.

The Art of Giving ...Forwards Griffen Molino of the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Josh Melnick of the Youngstown Phantoms, who are currently tied for the League lead in assists, have been two of the USHL's top playmakers all season and their abilities to set up their teammates has them in record territory. Molino dished out four assists over three victories during the week giving him 44 assists for the season. That sets a new team record for assists in a season previously held by Ryan Misiak who had 43 during the 2010-11 season for Muskegon. Molino now has 60 points (16g, 44a) through 53 games this season, which is three points shy of the team record for points held by teammate Matheson Iacopelli who put up 63 points (41g, 22a) during the 2013-14 season. Melnick also has 44 assists which is three assists shy of tying the Youngstown record of 47 set by Mike Ambrosia during the 2011-12 season.

Lucky Number 13 ...Forward Auston Matthews scored a goal in both contests for Team USA's Under-18 squad during the week, extending his point streak to 13 games in USHL action. He amassed 29 points (12g, 17a) over the streak, including his 30th USHL career goal in Sunday's 3-2 shootout loss to Muskegon. Matthews recorded 48 points (20g, 28a) in 24 USHL games this season, breaking the Team USA record of 45 points set by Jack Eichel last season. Matthew Tkachuk dished out three assists over the weekend to also extend his point streak to 13 games (10g, 14a). The 13-game point streaks are the longest ever by Team USA players in USHL action. Both Matthews and Tkachuk wrapped their USHL schedule for the season as Team USA's Under-18 squad now prepares for the upcoming IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

The Force is Strong ...The Fargo Force had their playoff hopes dashed, but it didn't stop them from earning a two-game sweep over one of the USHL's top teams, the Tri-City Storm. The two victories gave Fargo a 3-1-0 season series win and make them just one of two teams this season (Sioux Falls) to beat Tri-City three times. Zach Yon netted two goals while Dixon Bowen netted the game-winner on a penalty shot in Friday's 4-2 victory. Mathias Israelsson made 39 saves in the victory, marking the eighth time this season he has faced 40-or-more shots. It was then a night of "firsts" on Saturday as Michael Babcock netted his first goal of the season for the Force and then Kyle Sylvester scored the game-winner with just over two minutes to go in the third period of the 2-1 victory. It was the first USHL goal for Sylvester. Robbie Beydoun made 26 saves for Fargo to earn his first win since January 10th.

Gamblers Double Down ...It was a big weekend for the Green Bay Gamblers as they swept the Lincoln Stars and earned consecutive victories for the first time since December 30th and 31st. Marc Michaelis factored in each of the team's five goals (4g, 1a) in Friday's 5-3 victory, including the first four-goal game in the USHL this season. Sam Saliba equaled a season high with three points (1g, 2a) and now has 17 points (8g, 9a) in 19 games since being acquired by the Gamblers earlier this season. Ryan Tait tallied the game-winner in Saturday's 5-4 victory while Derek Barach dished out a season high three assists.

Home Cooking ...The Sioux City Musketeers earned a pair of victories against Team USA's Under-17 squad during the weekend to improve their home record to 22-5-2. The 22 home wins lead the League and are the most for the Musketeers in the USHL Tier 1 era (2002-present). Joe Snively netted three goals over the two wins, giving him six goals over his five-game goal streak and 25 total goals for the season. Defenseman Neal Pionk had three points (1g, 2a) over the two wins, giving him seven points (1g, 6a) during his current four-game point streak. He leads all USHL defensemen with 46 points (7g, 39a) through 50 games, and after a plus-four weekend, he is tied for eighth in the League with an overall plus-23 rating. Collin Olson made 29 saves in Friday's 6-1 to collect his 25th win of the season. Cam Gornet then made 21 saves in Saturday's 4-1 victory, extending his win streak to three games. Sam Kurker scored the game-winner on Saturday, which was his 30th USHL career goal and extended his point streak to six games (2g, 5a).

Capping a Comeback ...Trailing 4-1 late in the third period on Sunday, the Madison Capitols scored three goals in a span of 1:37 to tie the game and force overtime against Dubuque. Luke McElhenie started the scoring before defensemen Daniel Willett and Cooper Watson netted goals just 35 seconds apart. Haralds Egle, who had three assists in regulation, and Charlie Gerard, who dished out two assists, both converted in the shootout to help the Capitols complete the 5-4 comeback victory and snap their six-game winless skid (0-5-1). Garrett Metcalf made a season high 48 saves, including 23 in the second period, before stopping 2-of-3 attempts in the shootout to record the victory for Madison. It is the third time in five meetings this season that Madison and Dubuque have gone past regulation with the Capitols winning two of those contests.

Seven for 37 ...The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders equaled a season high in goals during Friday's 7-2 win against the rival Waterloo Black Hawks, improving to 4-1-0 over their season series. The victory gave the Riders 37 wins for the season, tied for the USHL lead, and is the most wins by the team since they equaled a club record with 42 wins during the 2010-11 season. Friday also marked the 100th USHL career game for Andrew Gaus who recorded a career high three points (1g, 2a), including the game-winning goal. Tyler Gernhofer netted two goals on the night while Erik Foley scored shorthanded and now has six goals over his last seven games. Cedar Rapids added their 38th win of the season last night.

Storming to History ...Tri-City Storm forward Chris Wilkie netted his USHL-leading 32nd goal of the season in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Fargo. It was also his League-leading 15th power play tally of the year. The 32 goals are the third-most in a season by a Storm player, following Rastislav Spirko who scored 35 during the 2003-04 season and Jaden Schwartz who netted 33 during the 2009-10 season.

Noteworthy ...Bloomington Thunder forward Matt Mendelson scored in regulation, his 30th USHL career goal, then converted the shootout-winner in Wednesday's 4-3 victory against Green Bay... Steven Spinner netted a goal in both weekend contests for the Omaha Lancers, making it five straight games with a goal and giving him seven goals over his last seven games...John Schilling scored both goals for the Chicago Steel in Saturday's 2-1 win against Madison. It was his third multi-goal game of the season and gave him 25 total goals over his USHL career...Defenseman Alec Vanko netted the game-winning goal for the Youngstown Phantoms in Saturday's 2-1 victory against Omaha. It was his first goal since being acquired by the Phantoms and helped them equal a team record with their 37th win of the season...Mark Petaccio scored a goal in each of the three weekend victories for the Muskegon Lumberjacks and now has six goals over the last seven games...Mikey Eyssimont netted the game-winning goal in both victories for the Sioux Falls Stampede during the week and now has goals in three straight games, along with teammate Cooper Marody who also has goals in three straight contests...Jack Roslovic netted two goals for Team USA in Friday's 8-2 win over Chicago. It gave him seven goals over his last seven USHL games, and 10 over his last 12...Brock Boeser had a three-point game (1g, 2a) for the Waterloo Black Hawks in Saturday's 5-2 win against Bloomington. It gave him 60 points (31g, 29a) for the season, tied for fourth overall in the USHL.

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