Ice official release: Ice one win from Clark Cup Finals

Official weekly press release from the Indiana Ice staff, previewing the remainder of the USHL Eastern Conference Final between the Ice and Dubuque Fighting Saints.

ICE ONE WIN AWAY FROM CLARK CUP FINALS

PAWLOSKI CONTINUES TO SHINE IN NET…KURKER, CONWAY PACING TEAM OFFENSIVELY

EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE                                                    ICE LEAD 2-0

Friday, April 25                                                    DUBUQUE (PAN AM PAVILION)                  W, 4-1

Saturday, April 26                                               DUBUQUE (PAN AM PAVILION)                  W, 3-2

Friday, May 2                                                      at Dubuque                                                           8:35 pm

Saturday, May 3*                                               at Dubuque                                                           8:05 pm

Tuesday, May 6*                                                DUBUQUE (PAN AM PAVILION)                  7:05 pm

*If necessary

ALL HOME GAMES AT PAN AM PAVILION UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED GAMES WILL BE AIRED ON FASTHOCKEY.COM. 

PUTTING UP A FIGHT:  The Indiana Ice is now one win away from the Clark Cup finals after taking a 2-0 series lead this past weekend after a pair of home wins against the defending champion Dubuque Fighting Saints.  Dubuque scored early, but Indy scored often as the teams opened the series on Friday with the Ice’s 4-1 victory.  Jacob Pritchard (G, A) and Brian Pinho (G, A) both logged multiple-point nights while Denis Smirnov and Scott Conway potted goals in the contest.  Jason Pawloski finished the night with 22 saves on 23 shots.  On Saturday, Dubuque pulled out all the stops in the final four minutes of the match before falling to the Ice 3-2.  The visitors peppered Indy with six shots in the final four minutes while holding a man-advantage over the Ice for most of the closing two minutes of the game.  Kurker (2G) and Conway (2A) finished with several points on the night while Smirnov added his third goal in the past four playoff games.  Pawloski registered 26 saves on 28 shots.

 

“PILLOWS’”FIGHTS:  Jason Pawloski has been a rock in net during the Ice’s playoff run as the first-year netminder currently leads all postseason goaltenders in GAA (0.93), save percentage (.956) and shutouts (2).  The Minnesota State commit is also ranked second among playoff netminders with four wins in five appearances.

 

OUR BOY ROY:  After missing a bulk of the regular season due to injury, defenseman Matt Roy has exploded with five points (2G, 3A) and a +6 plus-minus rating during the Ice’s playoff run.  The Canton, MI-native currently ranks second among postseason blueliners in plus-minus rating and third in scoring.

 

“DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS”:  Indy’s defensive domination has carried over into the postseason as the Ice leads the league in goals against per game (1.50) and shots against per game (21.33) while owning the second highest goal differential (+7) in the Clark Cup playoffs.  The Ice is also the playoff’s most disciplined team, averaging the fewest penalty minutes per game (7.83).

 

PLAYER TWEETS:  Jason Pawloski is riding a four-game win streak with two shutouts in the stretch…Denis Smirnov has three goals in his past four games…Sam Kurker and Matt Roy are tied for second in the playoffs with a +6 plus-minus rating…Sam Kurker has six points (3G, 3A) in his past five games…Scott Conway has points in all but one playoff game.

 

TEAM DUKES:  Indy has outshot teams 70-37 in the first period and outscored opponents 7-3 in the third period…The Ice has not allowed a road power play goal in four playoff attempts (T-1^st)…Indy has outshot opponents in five of six playoff contests

(4-1 when doing so)…The Ice has not allowed a goal on the road during the 2014 Clark Cup playoffs...Indy is third in the postseason in shots per game (30.67).

 

PLAYOFF HAPPENINGS: Western Conference...Waterloo (#1 seed) swept last weekend’s games to take a 2-0 lead over Sioux City (#3 seed) in the Western Conference finals.