USHL weekly
March 15, 2004 - United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release
Spratt'n'Lantz - Sioux City's goalie tandem shined bright last week, posting back-to-back wins over Lincoln and Des Moines. Jeff Lantz and Jimmy Spratt have combined to post a .920 saves percentage.
Hot Wings - Danville has struggled since a hot start to the season, but three straight wins have things looking a lot better in eastern Illinois. Tomas Klempa scored in overtime yesterday to lift the Wings past River City.
Every Night - Des Moines' Mike Erickson continued his amazing scoring streak last week. The Minnesota Wild draft pick has now scored at least one point in 21 consecutive contests. The USHL's longest recorded scoring streak is 25 games, a mark held by both Greg Johnson and Mike Lephart.
Leaking Oil - Tri-City and Green Bay are the only teams with a record more than two games above .500 in their last ten.
Wins and Losses - Curious about potential playoff matchups? Chicago is 3-2-1 against Waterloo this season, Cedar Rapids is 4-2-0 against Danville, Tri- City is 6-1-1 against Des Moines and River City is 4-1-0 against Sioux City.
Score Early - Sioux City is 17-0-0 when leading after one period this season. Rolling in CR - The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have won eight straight home games.
USHL Quotable with...
Alaska-Anchorage forward and former Lincoln Star Chris Fournier on the Seawolves toppling Wisconsin in the WCHA Playoffs (as told to Doyle Woody, Anchorage Daily News):
"I don't know what to say. Usually I'm a man of many words. I'm so proud of these guys. I'm happy for the alumni and the fans."
LPH/USHL Offensive Player of the Week:
James Brannigan -- CEDAR RAPIDS ROUGHRIDERS
Brannigan (Brooklyn, N.Y.) claimed Offensive Player of the Week honors with a solid three-goal, one-assist week. In two games, Brannigan helped the RoughRiders claim a pair of wins and notched the game-winning goal against Tri-City on Friday. Honorable mention goes to Mike Radja (Waterloo), Paul Stastny (River City) and Mike Erickson (Des Moines).
LPH/USHL Defensive Player of the Week:
Charlie Effinger -- ST. LOUIS HEARTLAND EAGLES
Effinger (Belleville, Ill.) became just the second member ever of the Heartland Eagles to earn league Player-of-the- Week honors after turning aside 49 of 50 Waterloo shots in a 2-1 victory on Friday night. For the season, Effinger has posted a .922 saves percentage in 22 games played. Honorable mention to Chris Anderson (Danville), Peter Mannino (Tri-City) and Jeff Lerg (River City).
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 March 15, 2004
Pittsburgh's Landon Wilson (Dubuque) continues to play well since the Penguins acquired him prior to the trade deadline. The former first-round draft pick has scored in three of his last six games... The USHL established a new all-time, single-season high of 38 players making NHL appearances last week... University of Minnesota forward Troy Riddle (Des Moines) registered four goals and five assists in two weekend playoff contests against St. Cloud State. His teammate, former USHL Player of the Year Ryan Potulny (Lincoln), shined as well with four goals and two assists... Former River City Lancer Drew Miller scored the game-winning goal for Michigan State in Saturday's playoff win over Ferris State... USHL alumni had a big weekend on the east coast. New Hampshire goaltender Mike Ayers (Dubuque) led the way, stopping 60 of 65 shots faced in three Wildcat games. In so doing, Ayers notched his 58th career win at UNH, breaking the all-time school record set by Ty Conklin (Green Bay). Ayers' New Hampshire teammate, forward Preston Callander (Lincoln) scored the only goal in UNH's series-clinching 1-0 win vs. Providence on Saturday. Callander beat Providence goalie Bobby Goepfert (Cedar Rapids) who stopped 79 of 85 shots faced on the weekend... Boston University upset Boston College thanks to sophomore forward Brad Zancanaro (Sioux City) who scored in both Terrier victories... St. John's goalie Adam Hanna (Waterloo) finished his season as the No. 2 ranked goaltender in D-III hockey and also claimed First Team All-MIAC honors.
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United States Hockey League Stories from March 15, 2004
- USHL weekly - USHL
- Stampede prepare for final two weeks of season - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Danville Wings News - Danville Wings
- Black Hawks Drop a Pair - Waterloo Black Hawks
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