USHL Weekly
Published on January 12, 2004 under United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release
Hot Hawks - Boston draft pick Kevin Regan had won six straight in goal until Tri- City snapped his streak on Friday. No matter. Regan and the Black Hawks opened a new streak with a win over Lincoln on Saturday. The victory gave Waterloo a 7-2-1 record over its last ten games and a five-point edge over Green Bay in the East.
Forged - Chicago posted an impressive three-win week that pushed the Steel to within one point of first in the East Division. Ohio State recruit Matt McIlvane has been hot over the span, registering six points (3G, 3A) in his last two games.
Stingy - River City has won four games in a row and posted the league's lowest goals-against total (78).
Twister - Tri-City has kept its hold on first in the West with a 7-2-1 record over its last ten. Rastislav Spirko is back from the WJC with a vengeance, scoring five goals in three games.
Still Alive - Des Moines faces a difficult road trip that could make or break the Bucs' playoff chances, but the outlook is much brighter with new goalies Pat Watson and Pittsburgh draft pick Dwight LaBrosse. Since the addition of Watson and LaBrosse, Des Moines has gone 4-2 while allowing an average of just 1.83 goals per game.
Place to be - Cedar Rapids welcomed the largest crowd in team history on Friday: 4,264.
USHL Quotable with...
Des Moines forward Mike Neilon on the fans' excitement over Des Moines' six-goal Krispy Kreme doughnuts promotion in Friday's 5-1 win over Lincoln (as told to Lisa Colonno, Des Moines Register):
"We could hear them (chanting for the doughnuts). We were laughing on the bench."
LPH/USHL Offensive Player of the Week:
Ryan Carter -- GREEN BAY GAMBLERS
Carter (White Bear Lake, Minn.) garnered Offensive Player of the Week honors with a terrific five-goal, one-assist week. Against St. Louis on Friday, he notched a hat trick that included the game-winning goal. For the week, Carter posted a plus-minus rating of plus-5. Honorable mention to Matt McIlvane (Chicago), Matt Hartman (Sioux City), Rastislav Spirko (Tri-City) and Matt Fornataro (Waterloo).
LPH/USHL Defensive Player of the Week:
Jeff Dunne -- CHICAGO STEEL
Dunne (Grover, Mo.) earned Defensive Player of the Week honors with a solid effort at both ends of the ice for the white-hot Steel. In three games last week, Dunne notched two goals, two assists and posted a plusminus rating of plus-6. For the season, Dunne is a plus- 9. Honorable mention goes to Mike Hodgson (Sioux City), Peter Mannino (Tri- City), and Jesse Lane (Des Moines).
Let's Play Hockey will present all USHL Players of the Week with a trophy and will announce the Let's Play Hockey / USHL Player of the Year at the conclusion of the season. For subscriptions to Let's Play Hockey, call (612) 729-0023.
USHL Alumni Report
January 12, 2004
Tampa Bay's John Grahame (Sioux City) had another strong performance in a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers yesterday. The former Musketeer has allowed just a single goal in each of his last three starts, all wins. Grahame currently ranks third among all NHL goaltenders in goals-against average... A pair of former USHL standouts with Wisconsin ties garnered recognition in the ECHL this week as Steffon Walby (Wisconsin) earned league Player-of-the-Month honors for December and goaltender Kirk Daubenspeck (Sioux City, Wisconsin) raked in league Saver-of-the-Month honors... University of North Dakota forward Brandon Bochenski (Lincoln) was named WCHA Co-Offensive Player of the Week today. His four-goal Friday night gave him the nation's goal-scoring lead. He currently leads the WCHA in points... Minnesota's Kellen Briggs (Sioux Falls) earned the conference's Rookie-of-the-Week honors... The CCHA honored Michigan State's Chris Snavely (Cedar Rapids) on Dec. 29 with conference Rookie-of-the-Week honors... Northeastern's Tim Judy (Sioux City) earned Hockey East recognition today after notching an assist in each of two games and quarterbacking the Husky special teams units that went 4-for-11 on the power play and 7-for-7 on the penalty kill over the weekend... Boston University's Mark Mullen (Des Moines) is also playing well. The senior forward has scored four goals in four games since returning from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee... Merrimack sophomore defenseman Bryan Schmidt (Twin Cities, Tri-City) has tallied at least one point in eight of his last 11 games, scoring five goals and adding six assists for 11 points over that span.
United States Hockey League Stories from January 12, 2004
- Stampede Prepare for Three Games in Four Days - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Black Hawks Break Losing Streak Versus Stars - Waterloo Black Hawks
- USHL Weekly - USHL
- First Place RoughRiders Host Green Bay Tomorrow - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
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