November 25, 2009
Sioux City Musketeers defenseman Dan Ford is 3-of-3 on shootout attempts this season and Des Moines Buccaneers forward Connor Brickley scored two goals in a span of four seconds on Thursday. (USHL Images)
Around the League
Four Musketeers…The Sioux City Musketeers found the best thing to cure a losing streak – a winning streak. After dropping six in a row, the Musketeers have now won four straight games. On Tuesday, forward Tommy Olczyk scored his first goal of the season, then had the deciding shootout goal as the Musketeers topped the Sioux Falls Stampede 4-3 and won their second straight game by way of the shootout. Defenseman Dan Ford also scored in the extra session and is now a perfect 3-for-3 in shootout attempts this season. Team leading scorer Stephan Vigier has a goal in each of the last three games, including two goals in the 3-1 win over Cedar Rapids on Friday. Darik Angeli has a goal in consecutive games and Billy Latta led the way with the game-winning goal while also dishing out two assists in Saturday's 4-2 triumph over Youngstown. Goaltender Willie Yanakeff has made the start in net for each of the team's last four victories posting a 2.16 GAA while also stopping 8-of-9 in two shootout victories.
Rising in the East…The Indiana Ice have won three of their past four contests and moved into a second place tie in the East Division standings. They have also won four straight games against their division rivals and have earned a 7-1-0 season record against East Division opponents while outscoring them 29-11 this season. Goaltender Cab Morris has been in goal for each of those victories posting a 1.62 GAA, a .943 SV%, and one shutout. Forward Antti Roppo has four goals over his past four games plus a shootout goal. John Parker has registered five points (1g, 4a) in four games since his return from helping Team USA capture gold at the World Junior A Challenge. Bryon Paulazzo has registered three points (1g, 2a) and plus-five rating over the past four games.
Fargo Coming Home…The Fargo Force wrapped up a five-game road swing posting a 3-2-0 record and will now be on home ice for the next five contests. After registering a five-game assist streak, forward Johnnie Searfoss scored the game-winning goal and dished out an assist in Sunday's 6-3 win vs. Team USA extending his point streak to six games. Nate Condon (1g, 1a) also had a two-point game on Sunday to extend his point streak to seven games. He has tallied six goals to go along with five assists over that span. Goaltender Ryan Holfeld earned consecutive victories during the weekend vs. Team USA and has won three of his last four starts.
Team USA Collects Wins…Both the Under-18 and Under-17 squads for Team USA found the win column over the weekend. The Under-18 team made it three straight wins when they topped the Tri-City Storm 3-2 in overtime on Saturday. Jon Merrill scored his first USHL goal when he tallied the game-winner just 52 seconds into the overtime session. Defenseman Justin Faulk has scored in five straight games for the U-18's and has scored six points (4g, 2a) through six USHL games this season. On Friday, the Under-17 squad earned their first USHL win when despite being outshot 59-23, goaltender John Gibson stopped a League season high 58 shots to defeat Tri-City 3-1.
That Was Fast…Des Moines Buccaneers forward Connor Brickley scored the game-winning goal with just 15 seconds left in Thursday's 6-4 victory over the Fargo Force. Just four seconds later with the Fargo goaltender pulled, Brickley found the empty net to complete his hat trick and also set a record for the fastest two goals by an individual in USHL history. It broke the record originally set on January 4th, 1987 when Wayne Berlinquette scored two goals in a span of eight seconds for the Thunder Bay Flyers against the St. Paul Vulcans.
Hats Off…Forward Garrett Allen of the Fargo Force netted three goals in the 6-3 win over Team USA on Saturday, his second straight multi-point game after scoring two points (1g, 1a) in Thursday's 6-4 loss to Des Moines. It was the fifth hat trick of the season in the USHL.
Close Ones…The Green Bay Gamblers have played five straight games that have been decided by one goal. The team is 2-2-1 in those contests. Forward Alex Kubiak picked a good time to register his first point of the season when his second-period goal was the game-winner in the Gamblers 3-2 win vs. Lincoln on Friday.
Quartet of Shutouts…On Saturday night, three USHL goaltenders recorded shutouts. Matt Green was making just his second USHL start, but turned away 29 shots as the Lincoln Stars blanked the Green Bay Gamblers 1-0 in overtime. Indiana's Cab Morris earned his second shutout of the season and Waterloo's C.J. Motte earned his first USHL shutout. The previous night Sioux Falls netminder Clay Witt collected his first shutout of the season. In total, the four goaltenders turned away 117 shots over the four games.
Notes…Des Moines Buccaneers forward T.J. Tynan assisted on all three goals by Connor Brickley on Thursday and added two more assists for a five-point game. The five assists are a League season high and the most assists in one game in nearly a year since Kyle Flanagan of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders collected five assists on November 29th, 2008 vs. the Des Moines Buccaneers.
Alumni News…Former Indiana Ice defenseman John Carlson made his NHL debut on November 20th when he took the ice for the Washington Capitals. He played 17:24 minutes and collected a team high five hits in the 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Carlson was All-USHL Second Team in 2007-08 after scoring 43 points (12g, 31a) for Indiana. Following that season, he was selected by the Capitals in the first round (27th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft…Mike Gurtler became the seventh player in NCAA history to score three shorthanded goals in a game when he led Mercyhurst to a 5-1 win over Holy Cross on Friday. Gurtler played for the Indiana Ice during the 2006-07 season before moving on to Mercyhurst.
The Week Ahead
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 31st season of junior hockey in 2009-10. With over 165 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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