November 17, 2009
Des Moines Buccaneers forward H.T. Lenz has four goals over his past five games and Fargo Force forward Nate Condon has scored four in his past three contests. (USHL Images)
Around the League
Riders Redemption…The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders ended their season high three-game losing streak with a pair of victories during the weekend. After claiming a 4-3 shootout victory in Sioux Falls on Friday, the RoughRiders returned home and earned a 4-0 shutout of Tri-City on Saturday. Forward Eric Robinson led the way with back-to-back two-point games. He also scored on his attempt in Friday's shootout. Cason Hohmann extended his point streak to four games while also scoring on his shootout attempt. Jeff Costello scored a goal in each of the victories and now leads the team with seven goals on the season. Goaltender Troy Grosenick recorded his second shutout of the season making 31 saves on Saturday.
Team USA Triumphs…A goal by forward Matthew Nieto with just 42 seconds remaining in regulation gave Team USA their first win in the USHL as the Under-18 squad defeated Green Bay 4-3. The next afternoon, they made it two straight as goaltender Jack Campbell stopped all 20 shots by the Chicago Steel to earn the 4-0 shutout. It was the seventh career shutout for Campbell with the National Team Development Program (NTDP), which ranks second all-time in the program's history. Defenseman Justin Faulk scored a goal in each of the wins while Luke Moffatt tallied three points (1g, 2a) over the weekend.
Herd Tramples Winning Streak…The Sioux Falls Stampede snapped the 10-game winning streak by the Omaha Lancers with a 5-2 victory on Saturday. Sioux Falls is unbeaten in regulation over their past six games (5-0-1). Forward Matt Lindblad posted consecutive three-point games over the weekend and has now has a point in three straight. Through 10 games this season, he has five goals which equal his total in 51 games a season ago. Lino Chimienti had his five-game winning streak snapped in Friday's 4-3 shootout loss to Cedar Rapids, but he remains unbeaten in regulation this season and leads all USHL goaltenders with a 1.64 GAA and a .926 SV%.
White Hot in Omaha…Despite having their League best 10-game win streak snapped, the Omaha Lancers have the USHL's best record (13-2-0). Forward Matt White leads the League in scoring and has posted all of his 25 points (9g, 16a) this season during his current 11-game scoring streak. He has scored a goal in each of his past four contests and also leads the USHL with a plus-15 rating, only once finishing a game with a minus rating. Erik Haula has five assists over his past three games moving up to a tie for third in League scoring and ranking second behind White with a plus-13 rating.
Finals Rematch…Just as they did in the first two games of last season's Clark Cup Finals, the Indiana Ice and Fargo Force split a pair of games over the weekend at the Pepsi Coliseum in Indianapolis. The teams combined for 20 total goals in the two-game weekend series. The Ice scored the first five goals in Friday's contest to capture a 6-3 win. On Saturday, the Force rallied from a two-goal deficit by scoring three goals in the third period to win 6-5. Nate Condon paced Fargo with five points (3g, 2a) over the weekend and now has four goals over the past three games of his four-game point streak. Brian Cooper was scoreless in his first 11 Fargo games, but registered two goals in Saturday's third period while also dishing out an assist for a three-point night. Corey Leivermann has four multi-point games during his current five-game point streak for Fargo. Antti Roppo scored three goals over the weekend for the Ice and now leads the team with seven on the season. Nick Mattson scored his first goal of the season which proved to be the game-winner during Indiana's Friday victory. Ice forwards Shane Berschbach (1g, 4a) and Nic Dowd (2g, 3a) each collected five points over the two contests.
Overtime in Youngstown…The Chicago Steel and Youngstown Phantoms scored a combined eight goals, including three shorthanded, in the second period of Saturday's contest. Phantoms forward Tom Serratore scored two goals in the 7-6 victory, including the overtime winner. Nick Czinder scored two goals in the win and has recorded four goals and a plus-five rating over his past five contests with Youngstown. Defenseman David Donnellan netted his first goal of the season, a shorthanded tally, while Taylor Holstrom collected three assists for the Phantoms. Alex Carpenter and Mark Adams each scored a pair of goals for Chicago while Greg Wolfe registered three points (1g, 2a), his third straight game scoring a goal. Wolfe's goal was shorthanded while USHL goal leader Mark Anthoine scored his 12th of the season shorthanded for Chicago.
Notes…Lincoln Stars forward Brodie Reid registered the third hat trick of the season in the USHL when he scored all three of his goals in the third period of Friday's 8-4 loss to Des Moines. In that same contest, Bucs forward T.J. Tynan recorded three points (2g, 1a) for his third consecutive multi-point game…The Sioux City Musketeers snapped a six-game winless streak in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over Des Moines. Goaltender Willie Yanakeff made 37 saves through regulation and overtime before turning away all four Buccaneers attempts in the shootout…H.T. Lenz has scored a goal in four of the games during his five-game point streak for Des Moines…Waterloo Black Hawks forward Tyler Barnes posted a goal and three assists in Friday's 4-2 win over Tri-City. It was the third straight multi-point game for Waterloo's leading scorer who posted 10 points (4g, 6a) over that span…Before being held scoreless on Saturday, Green Bay Gamblers forward Anders Lee scored five goals over his past five games. He is the second player in the USHL this season to reach the 10-goal mark.
Alumni News…Matt Carle leads the entire NHL with a plus-17 rating for the Philadelphia Flyers. Carle was the USHL Defenseman of the Year in 2002-03 playing for the Omaha Lancers. Following that season, he was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the second round (47th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft.
The Week Ahead
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 31st season of junior hockey in 2009-10. With over 160 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools and 13 NHL Entry Draft picks currently on League rosters, the USHL is the nation's foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com.
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