April 21 in Indianapolis hockey history. Daniil Tarasov tallies a 5-point night in a big playoff win in 2012, John Kemp has four assists in a 2007 postseason victory, an epic playoff series goes the wrong way for the Ice in 1991, and a Brass Bonanza reference.
Showing posts with label Daniil Tarasov. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniil Tarasov. Show all posts
Monday, April 21, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 10
April 10 in Indianapolis hockey history
2012: The final regular-season game at the pre-renovation Fairgrounds Coliseum is a 3-2 Ice victory over Team USA. Daniil Tarasov scores twice and Sean Kuraly has a three-point game, assisting on both Tarasov goals and potting an empty-netter that turned out to be the game-winner. Jon Gillies stops 32 shots.
2010: The Ice beat Cedar Rapids 3-1 in their first home playoff game, cutting the series deficit to 2-1 and starting a comeback that would eventually lead to a series victory. Max Cook and Shane Berschbach each score goals, while Nic Dowd has an assist and puts the exclamation point on with an empty-netter. Casey DeSmith makes 27 saves for the win.
2009: The Ice begin their march to the Clark Cup with a 7-2 rout of Cedar Rapids on the road, backed by three shorthanded goals. The Ice are outshot 39-23, but Brett Bennett makes 37 saves in net. Brent Gwidt and Zach Golombiewski both tally shorthanded goals for the Ice, and then Gwidt and Sebastian Geoffrion score with 54 and 11 seconds left in the opening period to make it 4-0. Gwidt had two goals and an assist. Golombiewski had a goal and two assists. Torey Krug had two assists and was a plus-5 on the night. Ben Albertson also had a shorty, scoring one in the third period.
2003: One of the longest playoff games played in Indianapolis, the Ice fall to Memphis 2-1 in double OT as Jonathan Gagnon scores the game-winner at 3:46 of the second OT for the RiverKings. Memphis would win the next game to pull off a four-game sweep.
1987: The Checkers play the final regular-season game in their history, and Mike Zanier outduels former Checker Rob Holland in net for a 5-4 win in Milwaukee. Tim Helmer scores the game-winner for the Checkers.
1984: The Checkers come alive against the heavily-favored Colorado Flames. Mark Hamway's goal 100 seconds into the second period gives the Chex a 3-0 lead, but Colorado scores twice to cut it close. Rob Holland makes nine third-period saves to preserve a 3-2 victory that cuts the Flames' lead to 2-1 in the semifinal series. Ron Handy and Garth MacGuigan score first-period goals against Colorado's Mike Vernon.
1983: The Checkers explode offensively in an 8-3 victory over the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. Red Laurence tallies a hat trick and assists on two other goals. Scott Howson, who scored a hat trick the night before, assists on three goals.
1981: The Checkers tie the Wichita Wind 1-1 in their first-round playoff series. Alex Pirus scores the game-winner midway through the third in a 5-4 victory, his second goal which gave the Checkers a two-goal edge at the time. He also had an assist. Bruce Affleck assisted on three tallies.
1980: The Checkers sweep the Tulsa Oilers in three games by winning 4-3 at Tulsa. Yvon Vautour scores the clincher with 1:43 to go in the game. Vautour and Alex McKendry each tally a goal and an assist.
Happy birthday to ...
Rob Brown: Right wing who played 19 games for the Ice at the end of the 1992-93 season while a part of the Blackhawks organization. He made a significant impact, with 14 goals and 19 assists to help the Ice clinch a playoff berth. He also had an assist in two playoff games against the Atlanta Knights that season. Brown was in his eighth pro season when joining the Ice, and it was his first minor-league stint. He continued to play in the NHL through 2000, and played three more seasons for the AHL Chicago Wolves. His NHL career took him through Pittsburgh (twice), Hartford, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, scoring 190 goals in 543 games. He also was the IHL's leading scorer three times in 1994, 1996 and 1997, and the league MVP in 1994 with the Kalamazoo Wings. He is also the namesake for the hockey humor blog "Down Goes Brown," referencing a lost fight when playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs. A native of Kingston, Ontario, he is 46.
Mike Beck: Defenseman who scored five goals and assisted on 20 in 56 games for the Ice in their inaugural 2004-05 USHL season. He played four full USHL seasons before embarking on a four-year career at the University of New Hampshire. A native of Long Beach, California, he is 26.
Mike Phillippi: Defenseman who played two seasons for the Ice from 2005-07. In 108 games, he had 13 goals and 43 assists. He also tallied 168 PIMs. He went on from the Ice to play three seasons for Nebraska-Omaha in college. A native of Shoreview, Minnesota, he is 27.
2012: The final regular-season game at the pre-renovation Fairgrounds Coliseum is a 3-2 Ice victory over Team USA. Daniil Tarasov scores twice and Sean Kuraly has a three-point game, assisting on both Tarasov goals and potting an empty-netter that turned out to be the game-winner. Jon Gillies stops 32 shots.
2010: The Ice beat Cedar Rapids 3-1 in their first home playoff game, cutting the series deficit to 2-1 and starting a comeback that would eventually lead to a series victory. Max Cook and Shane Berschbach each score goals, while Nic Dowd has an assist and puts the exclamation point on with an empty-netter. Casey DeSmith makes 27 saves for the win.
2009: The Ice begin their march to the Clark Cup with a 7-2 rout of Cedar Rapids on the road, backed by three shorthanded goals. The Ice are outshot 39-23, but Brett Bennett makes 37 saves in net. Brent Gwidt and Zach Golombiewski both tally shorthanded goals for the Ice, and then Gwidt and Sebastian Geoffrion score with 54 and 11 seconds left in the opening period to make it 4-0. Gwidt had two goals and an assist. Golombiewski had a goal and two assists. Torey Krug had two assists and was a plus-5 on the night. Ben Albertson also had a shorty, scoring one in the third period.
2003: One of the longest playoff games played in Indianapolis, the Ice fall to Memphis 2-1 in double OT as Jonathan Gagnon scores the game-winner at 3:46 of the second OT for the RiverKings. Memphis would win the next game to pull off a four-game sweep.
1987: The Checkers play the final regular-season game in their history, and Mike Zanier outduels former Checker Rob Holland in net for a 5-4 win in Milwaukee. Tim Helmer scores the game-winner for the Checkers.
1984: The Checkers come alive against the heavily-favored Colorado Flames. Mark Hamway's goal 100 seconds into the second period gives the Chex a 3-0 lead, but Colorado scores twice to cut it close. Rob Holland makes nine third-period saves to preserve a 3-2 victory that cuts the Flames' lead to 2-1 in the semifinal series. Ron Handy and Garth MacGuigan score first-period goals against Colorado's Mike Vernon.
1983: The Checkers explode offensively in an 8-3 victory over the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. Red Laurence tallies a hat trick and assists on two other goals. Scott Howson, who scored a hat trick the night before, assists on three goals.
1981: The Checkers tie the Wichita Wind 1-1 in their first-round playoff series. Alex Pirus scores the game-winner midway through the third in a 5-4 victory, his second goal which gave the Checkers a two-goal edge at the time. He also had an assist. Bruce Affleck assisted on three tallies.
1980: The Checkers sweep the Tulsa Oilers in three games by winning 4-3 at Tulsa. Yvon Vautour scores the clincher with 1:43 to go in the game. Vautour and Alex McKendry each tally a goal and an assist.
Happy birthday to ...
Rob Brown: Right wing who played 19 games for the Ice at the end of the 1992-93 season while a part of the Blackhawks organization. He made a significant impact, with 14 goals and 19 assists to help the Ice clinch a playoff berth. He also had an assist in two playoff games against the Atlanta Knights that season. Brown was in his eighth pro season when joining the Ice, and it was his first minor-league stint. He continued to play in the NHL through 2000, and played three more seasons for the AHL Chicago Wolves. His NHL career took him through Pittsburgh (twice), Hartford, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, scoring 190 goals in 543 games. He also was the IHL's leading scorer three times in 1994, 1996 and 1997, and the league MVP in 1994 with the Kalamazoo Wings. He is also the namesake for the hockey humor blog "Down Goes Brown," referencing a lost fight when playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs. A native of Kingston, Ontario, he is 46.
Mike Beck: Defenseman who scored five goals and assisted on 20 in 56 games for the Ice in their inaugural 2004-05 USHL season. He played four full USHL seasons before embarking on a four-year career at the University of New Hampshire. A native of Long Beach, California, he is 26.
Mike Phillippi: Defenseman who played two seasons for the Ice from 2005-07. In 108 games, he had 13 goals and 43 assists. He also tallied 168 PIMs. He went on from the Ice to play three seasons for Nebraska-Omaha in college. A native of Shoreview, Minnesota, he is 27.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
All good things ...
When the Ice swept two games against a hot Dubuque team at the Pepsi Coliseum in early December, little did we know that it would touch off an 11-game streak without a regulation loss.
A little bit of symmetry happened Saturday night, as the Fighting Saints scored three first-period goals and then held on to beat the Ice 5-4 in Dubuque.
Dubuque entered the third period with a 5-0 lead, but the Ice scored four times in the third period to nearly steal the game. Daniil Tarasov had a hat trick, including two goals 30 seconds apart in the final minute to cut the Fighting Saints' lead to one.
Christian Hilbrich also scored for the Ice, and Jacob Fallon had two assists.
But the early part of the game didn't start off well for the Ice. The contest started with a bang -- Woody Hudson and Dubuque's Matt Youso dropped the gloves just four seconds into the game. But at 8:31, Tarasov was given a five-minute major for head contact, and Dubuque cashed in with Milos Bubela scoring on the power play for his first USHL goal just 43 seconds later. Just 11 seconds after the penalty ended, Dubuque's Eric Freschi scored a second goal. Shane Sooth, the Saints' second-leading scorer, added a third goal in the final minute of the first period.
That chased Ice goaltender Jon Gillies, who stopped 12 of the 15 shots he faced. Dalton Izyk came on for the final two periods. Dubuque scored twice in the second period and held the Ice to five shots. Sooth and Dubuque leading scorer Zemgus Girgensons assisted on both goals. Both finished with four-point nights. Sooth had a goal and three assists, Girgensons four assists.
Tarasov got hot in the third, notching his seventh multi-goal game of the year and his first hat trick of the season. The hat trick gave him 60 goals and 120 points for his USHL career, and moved him within one goal of Green Bay's Austin Farley for second on the USHL scoring list. Lincoln's Kevin Roy leads with 28 goals. Tarasov has 23 this season, to go along with 22 assists. Roy (53), Farley (48) and Tarasov (45) are also 1-2-3 in points. At +21, Tarasov is also third in the league in +/-.
He scored a power play goal at 6:30 of the third on an assist from Fallon. Hilbrich scored unassisted two minutes later, and then Tarasov scored with 38 and 8 seconds left, the latter with Izyk pulled for an extra attacker.
The final-minute outburst meant that Izyk became the goaltender of record, as Dubuque's fifth goal became the game-winner. Saints goaltender Matt Morris made 14 saves, including three on seven third-period shots. Izyk stopped 12 of the 14 shots he faced.
The Ice have a three-game, three-city weekend next weekend, starting at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Friday against Chicago, then up to Muskegon on Saturday and Green Bay on Sunday afternoon. The Friday and Saturday home games were forced to have venue changes due to Super Bowl festivities at the Fairgrounds.
A little bit of symmetry happened Saturday night, as the Fighting Saints scored three first-period goals and then held on to beat the Ice 5-4 in Dubuque.
Dubuque entered the third period with a 5-0 lead, but the Ice scored four times in the third period to nearly steal the game. Daniil Tarasov had a hat trick, including two goals 30 seconds apart in the final minute to cut the Fighting Saints' lead to one.
Christian Hilbrich also scored for the Ice, and Jacob Fallon had two assists.
But the early part of the game didn't start off well for the Ice. The contest started with a bang -- Woody Hudson and Dubuque's Matt Youso dropped the gloves just four seconds into the game. But at 8:31, Tarasov was given a five-minute major for head contact, and Dubuque cashed in with Milos Bubela scoring on the power play for his first USHL goal just 43 seconds later. Just 11 seconds after the penalty ended, Dubuque's Eric Freschi scored a second goal. Shane Sooth, the Saints' second-leading scorer, added a third goal in the final minute of the first period.
That chased Ice goaltender Jon Gillies, who stopped 12 of the 15 shots he faced. Dalton Izyk came on for the final two periods. Dubuque scored twice in the second period and held the Ice to five shots. Sooth and Dubuque leading scorer Zemgus Girgensons assisted on both goals. Both finished with four-point nights. Sooth had a goal and three assists, Girgensons four assists.
Tarasov got hot in the third, notching his seventh multi-goal game of the year and his first hat trick of the season. The hat trick gave him 60 goals and 120 points for his USHL career, and moved him within one goal of Green Bay's Austin Farley for second on the USHL scoring list. Lincoln's Kevin Roy leads with 28 goals. Tarasov has 23 this season, to go along with 22 assists. Roy (53), Farley (48) and Tarasov (45) are also 1-2-3 in points. At +21, Tarasov is also third in the league in +/-.
He scored a power play goal at 6:30 of the third on an assist from Fallon. Hilbrich scored unassisted two minutes later, and then Tarasov scored with 38 and 8 seconds left, the latter with Izyk pulled for an extra attacker.
The final-minute outburst meant that Izyk became the goaltender of record, as Dubuque's fifth goal became the game-winner. Saints goaltender Matt Morris made 14 saves, including three on seven third-period shots. Izyk stopped 12 of the 14 shots he faced.
The Ice have a three-game, three-city weekend next weekend, starting at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Friday against Chicago, then up to Muskegon on Saturday and Green Bay on Sunday afternoon. The Friday and Saturday home games were forced to have venue changes due to Super Bowl festivities at the Fairgrounds.
Game 33: Ice at Dubuque
The Indiana Ice are the hottest team in America right now, with seven straight victories and 11 games without a regulation loss.
Tonight, they go to face the team where the regulation streak started, facing the Dubuque Fighting Saints -- this time in Dubuque.
The 11-game streak began when the Ice swept two games from Dubuque, the defending Clark Cup champs who are in third place in the Eastern Conference, five points back of the Ice. Indiana is fresh off a 4-2 victory at Chicago in which Robert Polosello (six) and Sean Kuraly (seven) extended scoring streaks, and Polosello tallied his seventh and eighth goals of the season, and Kuraly his 19th. Newcomer Kirill Lebedev scored in his first game as an Iceman.
While the Ice have a high-powered offense with 20-goal scorer Daniil Tarasov and 19-goal scorer Kuraly, Dubuque is led by one of the USHL's most dynamic players in Zemgus Girgensons, who has 27 points in 25 games. We also will see old friend Cody Bradley, who has flourished in Dubuque with 10 points in 13 games.
This is the last game before a three-game, three-city weekend that will see the Ice play at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Muskegon and Green Bay next week.
Tonight's game
Indiana Ice (21-7-4)
at
Dubuque Fighting Saints (19-10-3)
8:05 p.m., Mystique Community Ice Center, Dubuque, Iowa
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: Ice lead 2-0
Dec. 10: Ice 3, Dubuque 2 (at Pepsi Coliseum): Sean Kuraly 3G, Daniil Tarasov & Robbie Baillargeon 2A, Jon Gillies 41sv (Ice); Mike Matheson, Ryan Siro G, Gabe Antoni 17sv (Dub).
Dec. 9: Ice 6, Dubuque 1 (at Pepsi Coliseum): Jacob Fallon 3A, Christian Hilbrich 2G, Robbie Baillargeon, Daniil Tarasov, Ryan Cole G/A each. Jon Gillies 26sv (Ice); Teddy Doherty G (Dub)
Tale of the Tape
Ice (21-7-4, 2nd USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 116 (t2nd). GA: 84 (t2nd)
PP: 30.4% (1st). PK: 87.26 % (2nd) PIM: 553 (10th)
OT record: 3-2 SO record: 1-2
Road record: 10-2-3
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (20-22-42), Sean Kuraly (19-14-33), Robbie Baillargeon (11-19-30), Jacob Fallon (9-21-30).
Leading +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+19), Alex Barron (+19), Ryan Obuchowski (+17)
Leading PIM: Woody Hudson (73), Daniil Tarasov (59), R.J. Boyd (53)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (19-5-4, 2.28 GAA, .928sv%, 2 SHO), Dalton Izyk (2-2-0, 3.43 GAA, .888 sv%)
Last 5: 5-0-0. Last 10: 8-0-2
Last 5
1/20: at Chicago (W 4-2)
1/13: vs. USA U18 (W 4-3)
1/7: vs. Youngstown (W 4-1)
1/6: at Waterloo (W 3-2)
12/31: vs. Youngstown (W 3-0)
Fighting Saints (19-10-3, 3rd USHL East)
Head coach: Jim Montgomery
GF: 98 (11th). GA: 84 (t2nd)
PP: 19.1% (8th). PK: 87.32% (1st). PIM: 495 (4th)
OT record: 1-2 SO record: 2-1
Home record: 10-2-2
Leading scorers: Zemgus Girgensons (9-11-20), Shane Sooth (3-17-20), Tyler Lundey (10-13-23), T.J. Moor (7-16-23)
Leading +/-: Matthew Caito (+11), Jake Downing (+7)
Leading PIM: Matt Youso (68), Mike Matheson (42), Michael Downing (42)
Leading goaltender: Matt Morris (8-4-2, 2.13 GAA, .913 sv%)
Last 5: 2-2-1. Last 10: 5-3-2
Ice next 5 games
12/21: at Dubuque
12/27: vs. Chicago (at Bankers Life Fieldhouse)
12/28: at Muskegon
12/29: at Green Bay
2/3: at Green Bay
Tonight, they go to face the team where the regulation streak started, facing the Dubuque Fighting Saints -- this time in Dubuque.
The 11-game streak began when the Ice swept two games from Dubuque, the defending Clark Cup champs who are in third place in the Eastern Conference, five points back of the Ice. Indiana is fresh off a 4-2 victory at Chicago in which Robert Polosello (six) and Sean Kuraly (seven) extended scoring streaks, and Polosello tallied his seventh and eighth goals of the season, and Kuraly his 19th. Newcomer Kirill Lebedev scored in his first game as an Iceman.
While the Ice have a high-powered offense with 20-goal scorer Daniil Tarasov and 19-goal scorer Kuraly, Dubuque is led by one of the USHL's most dynamic players in Zemgus Girgensons, who has 27 points in 25 games. We also will see old friend Cody Bradley, who has flourished in Dubuque with 10 points in 13 games.
This is the last game before a three-game, three-city weekend that will see the Ice play at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Muskegon and Green Bay next week.
Tonight's game
Indiana Ice (21-7-4)
at
Dubuque Fighting Saints (19-10-3)
8:05 p.m., Mystique Community Ice Center, Dubuque, Iowa
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: Ice lead 2-0
Dec. 10: Ice 3, Dubuque 2 (at Pepsi Coliseum): Sean Kuraly 3G, Daniil Tarasov & Robbie Baillargeon 2A, Jon Gillies 41sv (Ice); Mike Matheson, Ryan Siro G, Gabe Antoni 17sv (Dub).
Dec. 9: Ice 6, Dubuque 1 (at Pepsi Coliseum): Jacob Fallon 3A, Christian Hilbrich 2G, Robbie Baillargeon, Daniil Tarasov, Ryan Cole G/A each. Jon Gillies 26sv (Ice); Teddy Doherty G (Dub)
Tale of the Tape
Ice (21-7-4, 2nd USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 116 (t2nd). GA: 84 (t2nd)
PP: 30.4% (1st). PK: 87.26 % (2nd) PIM: 553 (10th)
OT record: 3-2 SO record: 1-2
Road record: 10-2-3
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (20-22-42), Sean Kuraly (19-14-33), Robbie Baillargeon (11-19-30), Jacob Fallon (9-21-30).
Leading +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+19), Alex Barron (+19), Ryan Obuchowski (+17)
Leading PIM: Woody Hudson (73), Daniil Tarasov (59), R.J. Boyd (53)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (19-5-4, 2.28 GAA, .928sv%, 2 SHO), Dalton Izyk (2-2-0, 3.43 GAA, .888 sv%)
Last 5: 5-0-0. Last 10: 8-0-2
Last 5
1/20: at Chicago (W 4-2)
1/13: vs. USA U18 (W 4-3)
1/7: vs. Youngstown (W 4-1)
1/6: at Waterloo (W 3-2)
12/31: vs. Youngstown (W 3-0)
Fighting Saints (19-10-3, 3rd USHL East)
Head coach: Jim Montgomery
GF: 98 (11th). GA: 84 (t2nd)
PP: 19.1% (8th). PK: 87.32% (1st). PIM: 495 (4th)
OT record: 1-2 SO record: 2-1
Home record: 10-2-2
Leading scorers: Zemgus Girgensons (9-11-20), Shane Sooth (3-17-20), Tyler Lundey (10-13-23), T.J. Moor (7-16-23)
Leading +/-: Matthew Caito (+11), Jake Downing (+7)
Leading PIM: Matt Youso (68), Mike Matheson (42), Michael Downing (42)
Leading goaltender: Matt Morris (8-4-2, 2.13 GAA, .913 sv%)
Last 5: 2-2-1. Last 10: 5-3-2
Ice next 5 games
12/21: at Dubuque
12/27: vs. Chicago (at Bankers Life Fieldhouse)
12/28: at Muskegon
12/29: at Green Bay
2/3: at Green Bay
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Ice defeat U18s, extend streak to 11 + roster moves
Led by Daniil Tarasov's two goals and a goal and an assist from Tyler Pham, the Ice extended their unbeaten streak to 11 straight games (and their winning streak to six straight) with a 4-3 victory over the U.S. National Team Development Program U18 squad Friday at the Pepsi Coliseum.
For Tarasov, his two-goal game gave him 20 goals for the year, second-best in the USHL behind Lincoln's Kevin Roy (26). With 42 points, Tarasov is also second to Roy in that category.
Pham's night marked his second two-point game of his young USHL career. He also had a goal and an assist on Dec. 17 against Chicago, a 6-2 Ice victory. The team's top pick in the 2011 USHL Entry Draft, Pham now has two goals and five assists.
Christian Hilbrich -- fresh off his commitment to Cornell -- also scored a goal for the Ice, who built a 4-1 lead with three second-period goals.
Team USA started the scoring just 96 seconds in, on a goal by highly-touted defenseman Jacob Truba. Tarasov tied the game with 2:28 left in the period on the power play -- the Ice were 1-for-2 with the man advantage.
Things exploded in the second. Pham scored unassisted just 44 seconds in to give the Ice the lead. Tarasov buried a feed from Robert Polosello just 1:08 later. Then, a minute after the USA switched goaltenders, Pham and Drew Smolcynski set up Hilbrich's game-winner at 13:42 of the second.
The Ice's three goals came on just six shots. Starter Collin Olson allowed three goals on 15 shots, but only stopped two of the four shots he faced in the period. Backup Jared Rutledge came in midway through the period and allowed Hilbrich's game-winner a minute later. He would stop nine of 10.
It became the game-winner because Team USA's Miles Koules scored with 2:41 left in the second, and Matthew Lane scored with 2:38 left in the third. Trouba assisted on both goals.
Jon Gillies made 31 saves for the Ice.
The Ice are now 20-7-4 as they begin the second half of the season, and remain seven points back of first-place Green Bay. They are off until next weekend, when they visit Chicago on Friday and Dubuque on Saturday.
Roster notes: Sean Kuraly returned to the lineup tonight after missing both games last weekend. He was scoreless and a minus-1. Jose Delgadillo, acquired earlier in the week from Sioux City in exchange for Alexander Kuqali, made his Ice debut. ... He wore No. 2 and was a plus-1. ... Ryan Cole has been dealt to Amarillo in the Tier II NAHL. Cole had been acquired from Lincoln earlier in the season for future considerations and had two goals and two assists in 10 games. ... The Ice have also added Russian forward Kirill Lebedev to the roster. He will wear number 91. He is from Magnitogorsk, Russia, and is currently 20, so he is in his lone year of USHL eligibility.
Three stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), 2 goals, 6 shots, +2
2. Tyler Pham (Ice), goal, assist, 2 shots, +2
3. Ryan Obuchowski (Ice), assist, +2
USHL boxscore
For Tarasov, his two-goal game gave him 20 goals for the year, second-best in the USHL behind Lincoln's Kevin Roy (26). With 42 points, Tarasov is also second to Roy in that category.
Pham's night marked his second two-point game of his young USHL career. He also had a goal and an assist on Dec. 17 against Chicago, a 6-2 Ice victory. The team's top pick in the 2011 USHL Entry Draft, Pham now has two goals and five assists.
Christian Hilbrich -- fresh off his commitment to Cornell -- also scored a goal for the Ice, who built a 4-1 lead with three second-period goals.
Team USA started the scoring just 96 seconds in, on a goal by highly-touted defenseman Jacob Truba. Tarasov tied the game with 2:28 left in the period on the power play -- the Ice were 1-for-2 with the man advantage.
Things exploded in the second. Pham scored unassisted just 44 seconds in to give the Ice the lead. Tarasov buried a feed from Robert Polosello just 1:08 later. Then, a minute after the USA switched goaltenders, Pham and Drew Smolcynski set up Hilbrich's game-winner at 13:42 of the second.
The Ice's three goals came on just six shots. Starter Collin Olson allowed three goals on 15 shots, but only stopped two of the four shots he faced in the period. Backup Jared Rutledge came in midway through the period and allowed Hilbrich's game-winner a minute later. He would stop nine of 10.
It became the game-winner because Team USA's Miles Koules scored with 2:41 left in the second, and Matthew Lane scored with 2:38 left in the third. Trouba assisted on both goals.
Jon Gillies made 31 saves for the Ice.
The Ice are now 20-7-4 as they begin the second half of the season, and remain seven points back of first-place Green Bay. They are off until next weekend, when they visit Chicago on Friday and Dubuque on Saturday.
Roster notes: Sean Kuraly returned to the lineup tonight after missing both games last weekend. He was scoreless and a minus-1. Jose Delgadillo, acquired earlier in the week from Sioux City in exchange for Alexander Kuqali, made his Ice debut. ... He wore No. 2 and was a plus-1. ... Ryan Cole has been dealt to Amarillo in the Tier II NAHL. Cole had been acquired from Lincoln earlier in the season for future considerations and had two goals and two assists in 10 games. ... The Ice have also added Russian forward Kirill Lebedev to the roster. He will wear number 91. He is from Magnitogorsk, Russia, and is currently 20, so he is in his lone year of USHL eligibility.
Three stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), 2 goals, 6 shots, +2
2. Tyler Pham (Ice), goal, assist, 2 shots, +2
3. Ryan Obuchowski (Ice), assist, +2
USHL boxscore
Saturday, January 7, 2012
(Near) Perfect 10
The Indiana Ice have extended their streak of games without a regulation loss to 10 with another strong performance in a 4-1 victory over the Youngstown Phantoms at the Pepsi Coliseum.
Tonight, the Ice exploded for three third-period goals to break open what had been a tight game, tied 1-1 going into the third.
It was the Ice's third straight victory in a "four-point game" against Youngstown -- their closest challenger for second place in the USHL's Eastern Conference -- (e.g., an Ice win gives them 2 points and therefore prevents Youngstown from getting 2), and the Ice are now 3-0-1 against the Phantoms. With a 19-7-4 record at the halfway point of the season, the Ice are now four points clear of both Youngstown and Dubuque, who are tied for third. They're also closing in on Green Bay, which was idle tonight and has 47 points.
The Ice outscored Youngstown 12-3 in those three games, which are three-fifths of a five-game winning streak. In the 8-0-2 streak, the Ice have outscored foes 38-18.
Jon Gillies and Jacob Fallon -- both of whom did not make the trip to Waterloo Friday night -- returned to the lineup and both contributed in the victory. Gillies made 36 saves for his league-best and Fallon had an assist. Sean Kuraly was a scratch for the second straight night. Another regular who was out of the lineup tonight was defenseman Alexander Kuqali, the first game he has missed this season. Only leading scorer Daniil Tarasov and captain Alex Barron have skated in all 30 Ice games this season.
In his last four starts, Gillies has a 1.22 GAA, a 4-0-0 record and a .957 save percentage. He has a league-best 17 wins.
He stopped 15 first-period shots as Youngstown dominated the first period -- the Ice got only four shots on goal. It took until past the halfway mark of the game before one of the goaltenders -- Gillies and Youngstown's Sean Romeo -- flinched. The first to break the ice was ex-Iceman Alex Gacek, who had a shorthanded tally with 7:00 left in the second period.
The Ice got another power play later in the period -- their third of the game -- and Woody Hudson cashed in with his sixth goal of the season and first since Dec. 17, in the final minute of the second. The Ice had tied the game at 1-1 despite having been outshot 28-12.
The third period was a different story. Dan Sherer started the third-period explosion at 6:43 with his first USHL goal. Six minutes later, Drew Smolcynski scored his first goal since Oct. 21 -- and tallied his fourth point in the last five games he's skated in -- to provide some insurance.
The Ice had to kill off a late penalty, and then got a power play in the closing minutes. Down two, Youngstown pulled Romeo, but it instead led to Tarasov's 18th goal of the year into the empty net.
Defenseman Matthew Krug had a two-point night, assisting on both Hudson and Smolcynski's tallies. Eleven different Ice skaters registered at least one point on the night.
The Ice power play, which had dipped below the amazingly-high 30 percent number for the first time on the season after last night's game, converted on two of five chances.
3 stars
1. Jon Gillies (Ice), 36 saves, 1 GA, win
2. Dan Sherer (Ice), GWG, +1
3. Woody Hudson (Ice), goal
USHL boxscore
IndianaIce.com story
Tonight, the Ice exploded for three third-period goals to break open what had been a tight game, tied 1-1 going into the third.
It was the Ice's third straight victory in a "four-point game" against Youngstown -- their closest challenger for second place in the USHL's Eastern Conference -- (e.g., an Ice win gives them 2 points and therefore prevents Youngstown from getting 2), and the Ice are now 3-0-1 against the Phantoms. With a 19-7-4 record at the halfway point of the season, the Ice are now four points clear of both Youngstown and Dubuque, who are tied for third. They're also closing in on Green Bay, which was idle tonight and has 47 points.
The Ice outscored Youngstown 12-3 in those three games, which are three-fifths of a five-game winning streak. In the 8-0-2 streak, the Ice have outscored foes 38-18.
Jon Gillies and Jacob Fallon -- both of whom did not make the trip to Waterloo Friday night -- returned to the lineup and both contributed in the victory. Gillies made 36 saves for his league-best and Fallon had an assist. Sean Kuraly was a scratch for the second straight night. Another regular who was out of the lineup tonight was defenseman Alexander Kuqali, the first game he has missed this season. Only leading scorer Daniil Tarasov and captain Alex Barron have skated in all 30 Ice games this season.
In his last four starts, Gillies has a 1.22 GAA, a 4-0-0 record and a .957 save percentage. He has a league-best 17 wins.
He stopped 15 first-period shots as Youngstown dominated the first period -- the Ice got only four shots on goal. It took until past the halfway mark of the game before one of the goaltenders -- Gillies and Youngstown's Sean Romeo -- flinched. The first to break the ice was ex-Iceman Alex Gacek, who had a shorthanded tally with 7:00 left in the second period.
The Ice got another power play later in the period -- their third of the game -- and Woody Hudson cashed in with his sixth goal of the season and first since Dec. 17, in the final minute of the second. The Ice had tied the game at 1-1 despite having been outshot 28-12.
The third period was a different story. Dan Sherer started the third-period explosion at 6:43 with his first USHL goal. Six minutes later, Drew Smolcynski scored his first goal since Oct. 21 -- and tallied his fourth point in the last five games he's skated in -- to provide some insurance.
The Ice had to kill off a late penalty, and then got a power play in the closing minutes. Down two, Youngstown pulled Romeo, but it instead led to Tarasov's 18th goal of the year into the empty net.
Defenseman Matthew Krug had a two-point night, assisting on both Hudson and Smolcynski's tallies. Eleven different Ice skaters registered at least one point on the night.
The Ice power play, which had dipped below the amazingly-high 30 percent number for the first time on the season after last night's game, converted on two of five chances.
3 stars
1. Jon Gillies (Ice), 36 saves, 1 GA, win
2. Dan Sherer (Ice), GWG, +1
3. Woody Hudson (Ice), goal
USHL boxscore
IndianaIce.com story
Friday, January 6, 2012
Ice hold off Waterloo, extend streak
A week after they were both honored by the USHL, the Indiana Ice entered tonight's game without top scorer Sean Kuraly or goaltender Jon Gillies in the lineup. Neither was top-line center Jacob Fallon.
No matter. The Ice won their fourth straight game and extended their streak to 7-0-2 with a 3-2 victory at Waterloo Friday night.
As has been their characteristic during the streak, the Ice built a big lead en route to the victory.
The Ice played without hot-scoring winger Sean Kuraly, who was not in the lineup tonight.
Christian Hilbrich opened the scoring with 5:24 left in the first, assisted by Drew Smolcynski, to give the Ice a 1-0 lead in a close-to-the-vest game. It was Hilbrich's eighth goal of the year, and his first in six games.
The Ice scored two second-period insurance goals, and they would turn out to be critical later on. Emil Romig scored his fourth of the year -- and his second in three games -- with 6:21 left in the second. Defenseman Matthew Krug scored his first USHL goal exactly four minutes later. Daniil Tarasov, the Ice's leading scorer, had the first assist on both goals, giving him five points in the last three games.
Ice goaltender Dalton Izyk -- making his first start since Nov. 25 -- held the fort down. He made 20 stops in the first two periods to hold the Black Hawks off the board. Waterloo's Vince Hinostroza and Mitch Witek scored 12 seconds apart midway through the third and then the Ice went shorthanded due to a penalty on John Doherty but Gillies held the Black Hawks off the scoreboard for the final 12 minutes to seal the victory.
The Ice's penalty kill was a perfect 5-for-5. Izyk made 27 saves in the victory, giving him a USHL-best 17 for the year.
The Ice are now 18-7-4 and in second place in the USHL Eastern Conference (and in the entire league) with 40 points -- two ahead of third-place Youngstown and four ahead of fourth-place Dubuque. Green Bay leads the chase for the Anderson Cup with 47 points, but the Ice have been closing in over the last nine games.
The Ice return home Saturday to face Youngstown at the Pepsi Coliseum. The Ice swept two meetings against the Phantoms last week in Indianapolis, outscoring them 8-2 along the way.
Also of note: Cam Lerner was suited up as the backup goaltender to Izyk, making his Ice debut.
3 stars (as chosen by the Waterloo staff)
1. Vince Hinostroza (Wat): goal, assist
2. Eddie Witchow (Wat)
3. Max Edison (Wat): assist
Of course, a neutral 3 stars selection would likely have included -- at the very least, Izyk (27 saves, win) and Tarasov (2 assists, +2).
USHL boxscore
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier story
No matter. The Ice won their fourth straight game and extended their streak to 7-0-2 with a 3-2 victory at Waterloo Friday night.
As has been their characteristic during the streak, the Ice built a big lead en route to the victory.
The Ice played without hot-scoring winger Sean Kuraly, who was not in the lineup tonight.
Christian Hilbrich opened the scoring with 5:24 left in the first, assisted by Drew Smolcynski, to give the Ice a 1-0 lead in a close-to-the-vest game. It was Hilbrich's eighth goal of the year, and his first in six games.
The Ice scored two second-period insurance goals, and they would turn out to be critical later on. Emil Romig scored his fourth of the year -- and his second in three games -- with 6:21 left in the second. Defenseman Matthew Krug scored his first USHL goal exactly four minutes later. Daniil Tarasov, the Ice's leading scorer, had the first assist on both goals, giving him five points in the last three games.
Ice goaltender Dalton Izyk -- making his first start since Nov. 25 -- held the fort down. He made 20 stops in the first two periods to hold the Black Hawks off the board. Waterloo's Vince Hinostroza and Mitch Witek scored 12 seconds apart midway through the third and then the Ice went shorthanded due to a penalty on John Doherty but Gillies held the Black Hawks off the scoreboard for the final 12 minutes to seal the victory.
The Ice's penalty kill was a perfect 5-for-5. Izyk made 27 saves in the victory, giving him a USHL-best 17 for the year.
The Ice are now 18-7-4 and in second place in the USHL Eastern Conference (and in the entire league) with 40 points -- two ahead of third-place Youngstown and four ahead of fourth-place Dubuque. Green Bay leads the chase for the Anderson Cup with 47 points, but the Ice have been closing in over the last nine games.
The Ice return home Saturday to face Youngstown at the Pepsi Coliseum. The Ice swept two meetings against the Phantoms last week in Indianapolis, outscoring them 8-2 along the way.
Also of note: Cam Lerner was suited up as the backup goaltender to Izyk, making his Ice debut.
3 stars (as chosen by the Waterloo staff)
1. Vince Hinostroza (Wat): goal, assist
2. Eddie Witchow (Wat)
3. Max Edison (Wat): assist
Of course, a neutral 3 stars selection would likely have included -- at the very least, Izyk (27 saves, win) and Tarasov (2 assists, +2).
USHL boxscore
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier story
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sending out 2011 with a "W"
 |
| The Ice and Phantoms play in the second period at Bankers Life Fieldhouse |
At the end of 2011, they've been proving it.
The Ice capped off 2011 with a textbook-perfect 3-0 victory over the Youngstown Phantoms at the newly-named Bankers Life Fieldhouse, extending their year-ending streak to 6-0-2 in the last eight games.
Included in that are two weekend sweeps against the top challengers in the four-way race for the top spot in the USHL's Eastern Conference -- one against Dubuque in early December, and now back-to-back victories over Youngstown, with whom the Ice were tied in the standings going into Friday night's game. The Ice outscored the Phantoms 7-2 in the two games.
Ice goaltender Jon Gillies made 26 saves for his second shutout of the year and his franchise-record fifth of his USHL career. The defense kept the number of tough chances to a minimum, blocking several shots and keeping much of the Phantoms offense on the perimeter. Gillies had to make a point-blank save late in the second -- not long after the Ice defense broke up a 3-on-1 and turned into a Daniil Tarasov breakaway on the other end, one that was also stuffed by Youngstown's Michael O'Connor.
The Ice did have to kill off six Youngstown power plays, including an extended 5-on-3 situation. They were successful in all six.
The offense got going early for the Ice in this one -- just 1:42 in, Sean Kuraly fed John Doherty in front of the net. Doherty made a nice move and slipped the puck past Youngstown goaltender O'Connor to open the scoring. It was Doherty's second goal since coming from Dubuque nine games ago, and his second in as many nights.
Less than four minutes later, penalties to Youngstown's Michael Gunn and Ryan Lowney gave the Ice a prolonged 5-on-3. Robert Polosello's shot from the slot deflected off O'Connor and trickled over the goal line to make it 2-0. It was his sixth goal of the season.
That would be all the offense Ice netminder Gillies and the Ice defense would need.
The Ice carried the play in the first two periods, outshooting Youngstown 28-15. The Phantoms held a significant shot advantage in the third, but had very few strong scoring chances.
Sean Kuraly added an insurance goal at 7:05 of the third by blasting a shot from the right faceoff dot through a small 5-hole opening, converting a feed from Robbie Baillargeon from the high slot to the right circle. R.J. Boyd started the play from the left point.
The goal was Kuraly's team-best 18th goal of the year, and his fifth straight game with a goal -- the longest such streak for an Ice player this season. The San Jose Sharks draft pick has five goals and two assists in the last five contests.
The Ice played the final two periods without top-line center Jacob Fallon, who wasn't seen in uniform on the bench during that time. Youngstown was also a bit shorthanded, as second-leading scorer Austin Cangelosi was scratched from the lineup.
The two teams will see each other again at the Pepsi Coliseum next Saturday night -- a day after the Ice travel to face the Waterloo Black Hawks.
The game was the first of three scheduled at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The annual Pack the House Night will be held Feb. 10. The Jan. 27 game -- previously scheduled to be at the Pepsi Coliseum -- has been moved downtown to accommodate Super Bowl festivities taking place at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Indianapolis Star story
IndianaIce.com story
USHL boxscore
3 stars
1. Jon Gillies (Ice), 26 saves, shutout
2. Sean Kuraly (Ice), goal, assist, +2, 2 shots
3. Robbie Baillargeon (Ice), 2 assists, +1, 1 shot
New Iceman propels Ice to 5-2 victory
Justin Bailey -- the Ice's first pick in the USHL Futures Draft -- made his USHL debut tonight.
It took him just half a period to score his first USHL goal.
A highly-touted 6-foot-3, 182-pound forward prospect from upstate New York -- and the son of former NFL player Carlton Bailey -- Justin Bailey had initially decided to play the year for a team coached by Pat LaFontaine on Long Island. He has been on the Ice's affiliate list, and has yet to show up on the Ice's 23-man protected roster, which is updated each Friday by USA Hockey.
Bailey -- who was also selected by the OHL's Kitchener Rangers this year -- couldn't have picked a better time to join the Ice and make an impact. Playing a big two-game series against a Youngstown Phantoms squad that appears to be in a tussle with the Ice for playoff position the rest of the year, Bailey scored the game's first goal, assisted by linemates Emil Romig and Dan Sherer, at 10:25 of the first period.
That would eventually turn into a four-goal lead in a 5-2 Ice victory over the Phantoms Friday at Pepsi Coliseum. The two teams will meet again at 6:05 p.m. Saturday at Bankers Life (formerly Conseco) Fieldhouse in downtown Indy.
The Ice took advantage of a 5-on-3 early in the second period -- with a carryover penalty to start the period added onto with a minor on ex-Iceman Alex Gacek. It took just 12 seconds into the two-man advantage -- and 46 into the second period -- for Daniil Tarasov to make it a 2-0 game, with Ryan Obuchowski and Robert Polosello assisting.
Sean Kuraly and John Doherty scored 1:47 apart midway through the period to make it 3-0. For Kuraly, it continued a hot streak, as he has now scored a goal in four straight games and has 17 for the season in 23 games. Doherty's goal was his first in eight games since joining the Ice in a trade from Dubuque, and it chased Youngstown starter Matthew O'Connor, who left after stopping 10 of 14 shots in 31:05. Sean Romeo stopped all 13 shots he faced after that. The Ice dominated the second period, outshooting Youngstown 16-8 in the middle 20 minutes.
Youngstown scored twice to cut the Ice lead to 4-2, but Ice goaltender Jon Gillies stood tall. Tarasov added an empty-netter for his 17th goal and 36th point of the year.
Gillies made 25 saves to make the lead stand up. He was making his 11th straight start for the Ice, and is 7-2-2 in that stretch.
The victory moved the Ice into second place with a 16-7-4 record and 36 points -- seven back of first-place Green Bay, one ahead of Dubuque and two ahead of Youngstown.
Three stars
1. Sean Kuraly (Ice), goal, +2, 2 shots
2. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), 2 goals, 3 shots
3. Justin Bailey (Ice), goal, +1, 3 shots
USHL boxscore
It took him just half a period to score his first USHL goal.
A highly-touted 6-foot-3, 182-pound forward prospect from upstate New York -- and the son of former NFL player Carlton Bailey -- Justin Bailey had initially decided to play the year for a team coached by Pat LaFontaine on Long Island. He has been on the Ice's affiliate list, and has yet to show up on the Ice's 23-man protected roster, which is updated each Friday by USA Hockey.
Bailey -- who was also selected by the OHL's Kitchener Rangers this year -- couldn't have picked a better time to join the Ice and make an impact. Playing a big two-game series against a Youngstown Phantoms squad that appears to be in a tussle with the Ice for playoff position the rest of the year, Bailey scored the game's first goal, assisted by linemates Emil Romig and Dan Sherer, at 10:25 of the first period.
That would eventually turn into a four-goal lead in a 5-2 Ice victory over the Phantoms Friday at Pepsi Coliseum. The two teams will meet again at 6:05 p.m. Saturday at Bankers Life (formerly Conseco) Fieldhouse in downtown Indy.
The Ice took advantage of a 5-on-3 early in the second period -- with a carryover penalty to start the period added onto with a minor on ex-Iceman Alex Gacek. It took just 12 seconds into the two-man advantage -- and 46 into the second period -- for Daniil Tarasov to make it a 2-0 game, with Ryan Obuchowski and Robert Polosello assisting.
Sean Kuraly and John Doherty scored 1:47 apart midway through the period to make it 3-0. For Kuraly, it continued a hot streak, as he has now scored a goal in four straight games and has 17 for the season in 23 games. Doherty's goal was his first in eight games since joining the Ice in a trade from Dubuque, and it chased Youngstown starter Matthew O'Connor, who left after stopping 10 of 14 shots in 31:05. Sean Romeo stopped all 13 shots he faced after that. The Ice dominated the second period, outshooting Youngstown 16-8 in the middle 20 minutes.
Youngstown scored twice to cut the Ice lead to 4-2, but Ice goaltender Jon Gillies stood tall. Tarasov added an empty-netter for his 17th goal and 36th point of the year.
Gillies made 25 saves to make the lead stand up. He was making his 11th straight start for the Ice, and is 7-2-2 in that stretch.
The victory moved the Ice into second place with a 16-7-4 record and 36 points -- seven back of first-place Green Bay, one ahead of Dubuque and two ahead of Youngstown.
Three stars
1. Sean Kuraly (Ice), goal, +2, 2 shots
2. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), 2 goals, 3 shots
3. Justin Bailey (Ice), goal, +1, 3 shots
USHL boxscore
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Game 26: Ice at Muskegon
After a 10-day layoff, the Ice are back in action tonight as they travel north to face the Muskegon Lumberjacks.
As we turn to a new year, it's always fun to look back. Not only does an Ice-Lumberjacks matchup conjure up feelings of 1990 -- and the Turner Cup Finals that year -- it also brings into focus two of the USHL's better-run organizations -- the Ice have built a championship-level club under the direction of Paul and Charlie Skjodt, while Muskegon is building under the leadership of Josh Mervis -- who was also the Ice's first USHL GM.
This week is also huge for the Ice, as they'll play three games in four nights against Eastern Conference foes. After leaving Muskegon tonight, they'll return home to face the Youngstown Phantoms in two home games -- Friday at Pepsi Coliseum and Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Ice currently sit in fourth place, but at 32 points, are just one point back of second-place Youngstown and Dubuque.
The Ice's Daniil Tarasov is the USHL's second-leading scorer behind Lincoln's Kevin Roy. Sean Kuraly and Jacob Fallon are both sixth in scoring. At +15, Tarasov is also fourth in plus/minus. The Ice also possess the USHL's top power play, connecting at 31 percent. Tonight's game also features the USHL's two most penalized teams.
Let's look at tonight's game:
Tonight's game
Indiana Ice (14-7-4)
at
Muskegon Lumberjacks (9-12-0)
7:05 p.m., L.C. Walker Arena, Muskegon, Mich.
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: Lumberjacks lead 2-0
Dec. 18: Lumberjacks 3, Ice 2, OT (at Muskegon): Sean Kuraly G, A; Robbie Baillargeon G; Jon Gillies 31 saves (Ice); Max Shuart GWG in OT, Mike McNicholas GTG with :21 left in 3rd, Ryan Lomorg 2A, Jon Keeney 44 saves (Mus)
Nov. 12: Lumberjacks 5, Ice 4 (at Pepsi Coliseum): Woody Hudson, Robbie Baillargeon 2G; Christian Hilbrich 2A; Dalton Izyk 25sv on 29 shots (Ice); Nick Seeler, John Padulo G, 2A each; Max Shuart G, A; Paul Berrafato 33 saves (Mus)
Tale of the Tape
Ice (14-7-4, 4th USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 90 (2nd). GA: 72 (8th)
PP: 31.8% (1st). PK: 85.3 % (3rd) PIM: 470 (15th)
OT record: 2-2 SO record: 1-2
Road record: 7-2-3
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (15-19-34), Jacob Fallon (9-18-27), Sean Kuraly (15-12-27), Robbie Baillargeon (10-14-24).
Leading +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+15), Alex Barron (+12), Ryan Obuchowski (+11)
Leading PIM: Woody Hudson (67), Daniil Tarasov (55), R.J. Boyd (47)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (13-5-4, 2.47 GAA, .923sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-2-0, 3.77 GAA, .878 sv%)
Last 5: 3-0-2. Last 10: 5-3-2
Last 5
12/18: at Muskegon (OTL 2-3)
12/17: at Chicago (W 6-2)
12/16: at Chicago (SOL 2-3)
12/10: vs. Dubuque (W 3-2)
12/9: vs. Dubuque (W 6-1)
Lumberjacks (9-12-0, 7th USHL East)
Head coach: Kevin Patrick
GF: 57 (15th). GA: 77 (9th)
PP: 15.1% (11th). PK: 82.4% (10th). PIM: 541 (16th)
OT record: 1-0 SO record: 0-0
Home record: 6-5-0
Leading scorers: John Padulo (6-9-15), Travis Behlorad (8-5-13), Ryan Lomberg (4-8-12)
Leading +/-: Carter Foguth (+3), Mike McNicholas (+2)
Leading PIM: Mark Yanis (64), Ryan Lomborg (58)
Leading goaltender: Paul Berrafato (5-4-0, 3.12 GAA, .892sv%), John Keeney (4-6-0, 3.42 GAA, .909sv%, 2 SHO)
Last 5: 2-3-0. Last 10: 4-6-0
Ice next 5 games
12/30: vs. Youngstown
As we turn to a new year, it's always fun to look back. Not only does an Ice-Lumberjacks matchup conjure up feelings of 1990 -- and the Turner Cup Finals that year -- it also brings into focus two of the USHL's better-run organizations -- the Ice have built a championship-level club under the direction of Paul and Charlie Skjodt, while Muskegon is building under the leadership of Josh Mervis -- who was also the Ice's first USHL GM.
This week is also huge for the Ice, as they'll play three games in four nights against Eastern Conference foes. After leaving Muskegon tonight, they'll return home to face the Youngstown Phantoms in two home games -- Friday at Pepsi Coliseum and Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Ice currently sit in fourth place, but at 32 points, are just one point back of second-place Youngstown and Dubuque.
The Ice's Daniil Tarasov is the USHL's second-leading scorer behind Lincoln's Kevin Roy. Sean Kuraly and Jacob Fallon are both sixth in scoring. At +15, Tarasov is also fourth in plus/minus. The Ice also possess the USHL's top power play, connecting at 31 percent. Tonight's game also features the USHL's two most penalized teams.
Let's look at tonight's game:
Tonight's game
Indiana Ice (14-7-4)
at
Muskegon Lumberjacks (9-12-0)
7:05 p.m., L.C. Walker Arena, Muskegon, Mich.
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: Lumberjacks lead 2-0
Dec. 18: Lumberjacks 3, Ice 2, OT (at Muskegon): Sean Kuraly G, A; Robbie Baillargeon G; Jon Gillies 31 saves (Ice); Max Shuart GWG in OT, Mike McNicholas GTG with :21 left in 3rd, Ryan Lomorg 2A, Jon Keeney 44 saves (Mus)
Nov. 12: Lumberjacks 5, Ice 4 (at Pepsi Coliseum): Woody Hudson, Robbie Baillargeon 2G; Christian Hilbrich 2A; Dalton Izyk 25sv on 29 shots (Ice); Nick Seeler, John Padulo G, 2A each; Max Shuart G, A; Paul Berrafato 33 saves (Mus)
Tale of the Tape
Ice (14-7-4, 4th USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 90 (2nd). GA: 72 (8th)
PP: 31.8% (1st). PK: 85.3 % (3rd) PIM: 470 (15th)
OT record: 2-2 SO record: 1-2
Road record: 7-2-3
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (15-19-34), Jacob Fallon (9-18-27), Sean Kuraly (15-12-27), Robbie Baillargeon (10-14-24).
Leading +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+15), Alex Barron (+12), Ryan Obuchowski (+11)
Leading PIM: Woody Hudson (67), Daniil Tarasov (55), R.J. Boyd (47)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (13-5-4, 2.47 GAA, .923sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-2-0, 3.77 GAA, .878 sv%)
Last 5: 3-0-2. Last 10: 5-3-2
Last 5
12/18: at Muskegon (OTL 2-3)
12/17: at Chicago (W 6-2)
12/16: at Chicago (SOL 2-3)
12/10: vs. Dubuque (W 3-2)
12/9: vs. Dubuque (W 6-1)
Lumberjacks (9-12-0, 7th USHL East)
Head coach: Kevin Patrick
GF: 57 (15th). GA: 77 (9th)
PP: 15.1% (11th). PK: 82.4% (10th). PIM: 541 (16th)
OT record: 1-0 SO record: 0-0
Home record: 6-5-0
Leading scorers: John Padulo (6-9-15), Travis Behlorad (8-5-13), Ryan Lomberg (4-8-12)
Leading +/-: Carter Foguth (+3), Mike McNicholas (+2)
Leading PIM: Mark Yanis (64), Ryan Lomborg (58)
Leading goaltender: Paul Berrafato (5-4-0, 3.12 GAA, .892sv%), John Keeney (4-6-0, 3.42 GAA, .909sv%, 2 SHO)
Last 5: 2-3-0. Last 10: 4-6-0
Ice next 5 games
12/30: vs. Youngstown
12/31: vs. Youngstown
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Steel outlasts Ice in shootout
After a seven-game homestand, the Ice began a three-game road weekend Friday with a trip to Chicago.
While the Ice rallied twice and got yet another strong goaltending performance from Jon Gillies, they fell 3-2 to the Steel in a shootout.
The SOL nets the Ice a standings point, and moves them to 13-7-3, still firmly in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 29 points, two back of second-place Youngstown and Dubuque, who are tied with 31 points.
Daniil Tarasov's 14th goal of the year tied the game at 2-2 with 4:25 left and sent the game into OT. From there, neither team could score -- each got two shots in the five-minute extra session. The goaltenders took center stage in the shootout, which went to the final shooter scoreless before Chicago's Michael Vilardo scored to give the Steel the victory.
Robbie Baillargeon and Ice newcomer John Doherty assisted on Tarasov's game-tying goal -- for Doherty, it was his first point as an Iceman.
The teams went scoreless through the opening period, and it took to nearly midway through the game before the Steel's Charlie O'Connor scored shorthanded at 7:27 of the second. Seven and a half minutes later, Christian Hilbrich tied it up with a power play goal, assisted by Drew Smolcynski.
Chicago temporarily took the lead at 8:58 of the third with Michael Fallon's goal during a 5-on-3 advantage, but the Ice would eventually tie it up. The Ice spent much of the third period shorthanded, as Chicago got five power plays in the period. The Steel went 1-for-8 with the man advantage. The Ice were 1-for-5, but also saw Chicago score a shorthanded goal.
Gillies made 30 saves in the shootout loss. Chicago's Mathias Dahlstrom stopped 29 shots.
The two teams meet again Saturday night at The Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Ill., the Steel's home rink.
Three stars
1. Michael Vilardo (CHI), GWG in shootout, assist, 4 shots
2. Michael Fallon (CHI), goal, assist, 6 shots
3. Charlie O'Connor (CHI), goal, 2 shots, +2
USHL boxscore
While the Ice rallied twice and got yet another strong goaltending performance from Jon Gillies, they fell 3-2 to the Steel in a shootout.
The SOL nets the Ice a standings point, and moves them to 13-7-3, still firmly in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 29 points, two back of second-place Youngstown and Dubuque, who are tied with 31 points.
Daniil Tarasov's 14th goal of the year tied the game at 2-2 with 4:25 left and sent the game into OT. From there, neither team could score -- each got two shots in the five-minute extra session. The goaltenders took center stage in the shootout, which went to the final shooter scoreless before Chicago's Michael Vilardo scored to give the Steel the victory.
Robbie Baillargeon and Ice newcomer John Doherty assisted on Tarasov's game-tying goal -- for Doherty, it was his first point as an Iceman.
The teams went scoreless through the opening period, and it took to nearly midway through the game before the Steel's Charlie O'Connor scored shorthanded at 7:27 of the second. Seven and a half minutes later, Christian Hilbrich tied it up with a power play goal, assisted by Drew Smolcynski.
Chicago temporarily took the lead at 8:58 of the third with Michael Fallon's goal during a 5-on-3 advantage, but the Ice would eventually tie it up. The Ice spent much of the third period shorthanded, as Chicago got five power plays in the period. The Steel went 1-for-8 with the man advantage. The Ice were 1-for-5, but also saw Chicago score a shorthanded goal.
The two teams meet again Saturday night at The Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Ill., the Steel's home rink.
Three stars
1. Michael Vilardo (CHI), GWG in shootout, assist, 4 shots
2. Michael Fallon (CHI), goal, assist, 6 shots
3. Charlie O'Connor (CHI), goal, 2 shots, +2
USHL boxscore
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Kuraly's hat trick leads Ice to weekend sweep
The Ice finished up their seven-game homestand in a big way, sweeping two games from the defending Clark Cup champion Dubuque Fighting Saints.
Sean Kuraly scored a hat trick Saturday night to lead the Ice to a 3-2 victory over the Saints -- one that was piggybacked onto a 6-1 win on Friday night over the same team.
The Ice (13-7-2) remain in fourth place with 28 points, but are just one point back of second, as Dubuque and Youngstown are both tied with 29 points. The Ice have a game in hand on Youngstown. Green Bay has a double-digit lead on the division. But the Ice made a big statement this weekend in a matchup of two teams vying to become the Gamblers' biggest challenger.
Kuraly staked the Ice to a 3-0 lead. His first goal, on an assist from linemate Daniil Tarasov (and defenseman R.J. Boyd, who had a big weekend), came just 3:37 into the game, and came shortly after the Ice killed off an opening-minute penalty.
The Ice's vaunted power play got fired up again tonight, scoring twice in five chances, including both second-period opportunities. The first came at 7:28 of the period on assists from linemates Jacob Fallon and Robbie Baillargeon. The second came at 15:02 and, as it turned out, became the game-winner. Baillargeon and Tarasov assisted, giving each a two-point night.
Kuraly now has 13 goals -- tying him with Tarasov for the team lead and putting him in a sixth-place tie for the USHL lead. Tarasov's two assists give him 30 points for the year, second in the USHL in points (to Omaha's Jimmy Murray, who has 33) and third in assists with 17 (to Murray, with 22; and to linemate Jacob Fallon, who has 18).
With a 3-0 lead, things looked comfortable, as Jon Gillies had a shutout going until the game's final five minutes. But the Fighting Saints struck quickly, twice, as the Ice committed back-to-back-to-back penalties, giving Dubuque an extended 5-on-3. Mike Matheson made it a 3-1 game with 4:04 left. Dubuque still had more than 50 seconds of 5-on-3 left as a third penalty took effect, but the Ice killed that off. But before the final minor could expire, Ryan Siiro scored with 2:26 to go to cut the lead to 3-2.
But the Ice were able to kill off the final 146 seconds -- including the final 90 seconds with the Dubuque goalie pulled -- to end the game. Gillies made 15 saves in the third period as the Saints outshot the Ice 17-4.
The Ice won despite being outshot 43-20. Jon Gillies made 41 saves in the game to earn yet another victory. With 12 wins, Gillies leads the league in goaltending victories.
The Ice now head on the road next weekend for three games -- two in Chicago against the Steel, and then a Sunday trip to Muskegon.
3 stars
1. Sean Kuraly (Ice), 3 goals, 4 shots, +1, GWG, 2 PPG
2. Jon Gillies (Ice), 41 saves, win
3. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), 2 assists, +1, 2 shots
Sean Kuraly scored a hat trick Saturday night to lead the Ice to a 3-2 victory over the Saints -- one that was piggybacked onto a 6-1 win on Friday night over the same team.
The Ice (13-7-2) remain in fourth place with 28 points, but are just one point back of second, as Dubuque and Youngstown are both tied with 29 points. The Ice have a game in hand on Youngstown. Green Bay has a double-digit lead on the division. But the Ice made a big statement this weekend in a matchup of two teams vying to become the Gamblers' biggest challenger.
Kuraly staked the Ice to a 3-0 lead. His first goal, on an assist from linemate Daniil Tarasov (and defenseman R.J. Boyd, who had a big weekend), came just 3:37 into the game, and came shortly after the Ice killed off an opening-minute penalty.
The Ice's vaunted power play got fired up again tonight, scoring twice in five chances, including both second-period opportunities. The first came at 7:28 of the period on assists from linemates Jacob Fallon and Robbie Baillargeon. The second came at 15:02 and, as it turned out, became the game-winner. Baillargeon and Tarasov assisted, giving each a two-point night.
Kuraly now has 13 goals -- tying him with Tarasov for the team lead and putting him in a sixth-place tie for the USHL lead. Tarasov's two assists give him 30 points for the year, second in the USHL in points (to Omaha's Jimmy Murray, who has 33) and third in assists with 17 (to Murray, with 22; and to linemate Jacob Fallon, who has 18).
With a 3-0 lead, things looked comfortable, as Jon Gillies had a shutout going until the game's final five minutes. But the Fighting Saints struck quickly, twice, as the Ice committed back-to-back-to-back penalties, giving Dubuque an extended 5-on-3. Mike Matheson made it a 3-1 game with 4:04 left. Dubuque still had more than 50 seconds of 5-on-3 left as a third penalty took effect, but the Ice killed that off. But before the final minor could expire, Ryan Siiro scored with 2:26 to go to cut the lead to 3-2.
But the Ice were able to kill off the final 146 seconds -- including the final 90 seconds with the Dubuque goalie pulled -- to end the game. Gillies made 15 saves in the third period as the Saints outshot the Ice 17-4.
The Ice now head on the road next weekend for three games -- two in Chicago against the Steel, and then a Sunday trip to Muskegon.
3 stars
1. Sean Kuraly (Ice), 3 goals, 4 shots, +1, GWG, 2 PPG
2. Jon Gillies (Ice), 41 saves, win
3. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), 2 assists, +1, 2 shots
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Ice fall to Gamblers 5-1
Green Bay came into tonight's first half of a two-games-in-24-hours doubleheader with the best record in the USHL.
It showed why today in a 5-1 victory over the Ice.
Five different Gamblers scored goals, and Green Bay posted a 45-25 shot advantage -- including 20-3 in a second period in which Green Bay scored the game's first three goals. Green Bay earned six power plays -- cashing in on two -- while the Ice had a pair.
After each team got 13 shots in a scoreless first, Green Bay had a carryover power play to start the second. Eighty-three seconds into the period, Kyle Novak scored on assists from Andy Welinski and Alex Broadhurst. Sheldon Dries and Broadhurst would score 1:14 apart midway through the period to make it 3-0.
Green Bay's Sam Herr pushed it to 4-0 at 7:13 of the third -- and the Ice's Daniil Tarasov answered seconds later. Nolan LaPorte added another goa -- his 12th of the season -- for the Gamblers.
Broadhurst -- a Chicago Blackhawks draftee and Nebraska-Omaha commit -- had the big game for Green Bay, with a goal and two assists. Herr (G, A) and Welinski (2A) were the Gamblers' other multi-point players, as 10 different Green Bay skaters registered points. Broadhurst has 20 points -- including 12 goals -- in 16 games for the Gamblers.
For the Ice, Tarasov and Sean Kuraly, who assisted on the goal, extended their scoring streaks to four games. Tarasov now has 12 goals and 14 assists and is the league's second-leading scorer behind Lincoln's Kevin Roy, who has 30 points. Kuraly has 19 points despite missing several games due to playing in the World Junior A Challenge. Linemate Jacob Fallon, who also had an assist, has 22 points and stands fifth in the league in scoring.
Jon Gillies made 37 saves in taking the loss for the Ice. Dalton Izyk came on for the final few minutes and stopped all three shots he faced. Ryan McKay stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced before giving way to Michael Rotolo for the final 8:37.
Three stars
1. Alex Broadhurst (GB), goal, 2A, +1, 4 shots
2. Ryan McKay (GB), 21 saves, 1 GA, win
3. Dakota Mermis (GB), 1 assist, +2, 1 shot
USHL boxscore
The Ice are now 11-6-2 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference -- three points back of Youngstown and Dubuque, who are tied for second. Green Bay, now 16-3-1, is six points clear of the field in first place with 33 points.
The two teams will meet again at 3 p.m. Sunday.
It showed why today in a 5-1 victory over the Ice.
Five different Gamblers scored goals, and Green Bay posted a 45-25 shot advantage -- including 20-3 in a second period in which Green Bay scored the game's first three goals. Green Bay earned six power plays -- cashing in on two -- while the Ice had a pair.
After each team got 13 shots in a scoreless first, Green Bay had a carryover power play to start the second. Eighty-three seconds into the period, Kyle Novak scored on assists from Andy Welinski and Alex Broadhurst. Sheldon Dries and Broadhurst would score 1:14 apart midway through the period to make it 3-0.
Green Bay's Sam Herr pushed it to 4-0 at 7:13 of the third -- and the Ice's Daniil Tarasov answered seconds later. Nolan LaPorte added another goa -- his 12th of the season -- for the Gamblers.
Broadhurst -- a Chicago Blackhawks draftee and Nebraska-Omaha commit -- had the big game for Green Bay, with a goal and two assists. Herr (G, A) and Welinski (2A) were the Gamblers' other multi-point players, as 10 different Green Bay skaters registered points. Broadhurst has 20 points -- including 12 goals -- in 16 games for the Gamblers.
For the Ice, Tarasov and Sean Kuraly, who assisted on the goal, extended their scoring streaks to four games. Tarasov now has 12 goals and 14 assists and is the league's second-leading scorer behind Lincoln's Kevin Roy, who has 30 points. Kuraly has 19 points despite missing several games due to playing in the World Junior A Challenge. Linemate Jacob Fallon, who also had an assist, has 22 points and stands fifth in the league in scoring.
Jon Gillies made 37 saves in taking the loss for the Ice. Dalton Izyk came on for the final few minutes and stopped all three shots he faced. Ryan McKay stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced before giving way to Michael Rotolo for the final 8:37.
Three stars
1. Alex Broadhurst (GB), goal, 2A, +1, 4 shots
2. Ryan McKay (GB), 21 saves, 1 GA, win
3. Dakota Mermis (GB), 1 assist, +2, 1 shot
USHL boxscore
The Ice are now 11-6-2 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference -- three points back of Youngstown and Dubuque, who are tied for second. Green Bay, now 16-3-1, is six points clear of the field in first place with 33 points.
The two teams will meet again at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Kuraly, Tarasov score twice in Ice win
The Ice are used to having the USHL's top line.
Last year, it was Blake Coleman-Brian Ferlin-Daniil Tarasov. With Coleman and Ferlin both hearing their names in this summer's NHL Entry Draft and heading on to Miami and Cornell, respectively, the Ice haven't missed a beat with Tarasov's new linemates Jacob Fallon and Sean Kuraly.
Tonight, that line produced four Ice goals in a 5-3 victory over the Fargo Force, with Tarasov and Kuraly each scoring twice. Fallon had two assists and Kuraly added another for a personal three-point night. Christian Hilbrich added an unassisted goal -- his third of the season -- at 12:17 of the second period.
The Ice won despite being outshot 44-28 and having their league-best power play held off the scoreboard for the first time in several games.
The Ice took leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, but Fargo answered each one. Hilbrich's goal midway through the second proved to be the game-winner, and Kuraly added an unassisted goal with 38 seconds left in the game to set the final margin.
Tarasov started the scoring just 45 seconds in, on assists from his linemates. It was 1-1 after a period, as Fargo's Alex Iafollo took advantage of the Force's third power play of the opening 20 minutes and scored 9 seconds into the man advantage at 16:57.
The second period was a wild one -- Kuraly made it 2-1 on an unassisted goal at 4:29 of the period, but Fargo's Austin Farley answered with his own unassisted goal 1:44 later. Tarasov's second goal of the night gave the Ice the lead again at 10:19, but Fargo's Dave Gust scored 91 seconds later to tie it again at 3-3.
The game was only tied for 27 seconds before Hilbrich scored the game-winner.
The Ice had to kill off a late penalty to Tarasov in the final five minutes to seal the victory.
Tarasov now has 11 goals and 13 assists, and had four points on the weekend. He is second in the league in scoring, three points back of Lincoln's Kevin Roy. Fallon now has eight goals and 13 assists, and has six points in the Ice's last three games. Kuraly has five points on the weekend and has eight goals and nine assists in just 13 games. Fallon ranks fourth in the league in scoring, Kuraly ninth. Tarasov's 11 goals put him in second in the USHL, three back of Roy's 14 goals. Tarasov and Fallon's 13 assists each also put them second in the league behind Dubuque's Shane South, who has 15.
Goaltender Jon Gillies made 41 saves in the victory.
The game marked the return of former Checkers player and IHL Indianapolis Ice coach John Marks to Indianapolis as the Force's head coach. Former CHL Ice player Byron Pool is one of his assistants.
Three stars
1. Jon Gillies (Ice), 41 saves, 3 GA, win
2. Sean Kuraly (Ice), 2 goals, assist, +3, 5 shots
3. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), 2 goals, +3, 4 shots
Also notable: Ryan Obuchowski (+3), Alex Barron (+4), Jacob Fallon (2 assists, +3)
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Game 17: Fargo at Ice (11/26)
The Indiana Ice's seven-game homestand continues with a second
straight contest against a five-win Western Conference team. The Ice
have been strong against the East so far, but Friday's 4-2 loss to Sioux
City put them 2-4 against the West. The Ice are 7-1-2 against their own
division.
Tonight brings the return of old friend John Marks, the former head coach of the IHL Indianapolis Ice from 1991-93 and a member of the Indianapolis Checkers in 1981-82. Marks was named Fargo's head coach this summer. Marks has also won two Kelly Cup championships as a coach in the ECHL. Another former CHL Ice player, Byron Pool, is on the Fargo coaching staff.
Also notable on the Fargo roster is goaltender Zane Gothberg, who was a Boston Bruins draft pick in 2010. He has pretty good numbers despite a 3-7-2 mark this season. Gothberg got the start against Youngstown on Friday, so it's unknown whether he or Reed Peters will get the start in Indy. The Ice will likely start Jon Gillies, as Dalton Izyk got the call on Friday.
The Sean Kuraly-Daniil Tarasov-Jacob Fallon line accounted for both Ice goals in Friday's loss to Sioux City. The highest-scoring line in the league, it's led by Tarasov's 22 points. Robbie Baillargeon will be trying to start a new point-scoring streak, as his run of seven straight games with a point was snapped on Friday.
Fargo's offense has struggled recently, as the Force have only scored three goals in their last three games. The Force roster features one double-digit point-getter in 10-goal scorer Austin Farley. Expect a physical battle -- Fargo and Indiana are the second and third-most penalized teams in the USHL.
Tonight's game
Fargo Force (5-10-3)
at
Indiana Ice (9-5-2)
7:05 p.m., Pepsi Coliseum
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: First meeting
Tale of the Tape
Ice (9-5-2, 4th USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 59 (2nd). GA: 48 (7th)
PP: 35.1% (1st). PK: 87.0 % (5th) PIM: 337 (14th)
OT record: 2-1 SO record: 1-1
Home record: 3-3-2
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (9-13-22), Jacob Fallon (8-11-19), Robbie Baillargeon (7-8-15), Sean Kuraly (6-8-14).
Leading +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+9), Alex Barron (+7)
Leading PIM: Woody Hudson (51, will not dress), Daniil Tarasov (45), R.J. Boyd (43)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (8-3-2, 2.48 GAA, .914sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-2-0, 3.85 GAA, .875 sv%)
Last 5: 2-3-0. Last 10: 4-4-2
Last 5
11/25: vs. Sioux City (L 2-4)
11/23: at Green Bay (OTW 4-3)
11/19: at Waterloo (L 2-4)
11/18: at Cedar Rapids (SOW 3-2)
11/12: vs. Muskegon (L 4-5)
Force (5-10-3, 6th USHL West)
Head coach: John Marks
GF: 43 (12th). GA: 60 (15th)
PP: 19.5% (6th). PK: 81.8% (9th). PIM: 342 (15th)
OT record: 0-2 SO record: 2-1
Road record: 3-4-2
Leading scorers: Austin Farley (10-5-15), Willie Corrin (1-8-9), Bryn Chzyzk (7-1-8)
Leading +/-: Jordan Nelson (+6), Stanislav Dzakhov (+3)
Leading PIM: Austin Farley (43), Colton Hargrove (33).
Leading goaltender: Zane Gothberg (3-7-2, 2.53, .908 sv%, 1 SHO), Reed Peters (2-3-1, 3.79, .876 sv%)
Last 5: 1-3-1. Last 10: 2-6-2
Ice next 5 games
12/2: vs. Sioux Falls
12/3: vs. Green Bay
12/4: vs. Green Bay
12/10: vs. Dubuque
12/11: vs. Dubuque
Tonight brings the return of old friend John Marks, the former head coach of the IHL Indianapolis Ice from 1991-93 and a member of the Indianapolis Checkers in 1981-82. Marks was named Fargo's head coach this summer. Marks has also won two Kelly Cup championships as a coach in the ECHL. Another former CHL Ice player, Byron Pool, is on the Fargo coaching staff.
Also notable on the Fargo roster is goaltender Zane Gothberg, who was a Boston Bruins draft pick in 2010. He has pretty good numbers despite a 3-7-2 mark this season. Gothberg got the start against Youngstown on Friday, so it's unknown whether he or Reed Peters will get the start in Indy. The Ice will likely start Jon Gillies, as Dalton Izyk got the call on Friday.
The Sean Kuraly-Daniil Tarasov-Jacob Fallon line accounted for both Ice goals in Friday's loss to Sioux City. The highest-scoring line in the league, it's led by Tarasov's 22 points. Robbie Baillargeon will be trying to start a new point-scoring streak, as his run of seven straight games with a point was snapped on Friday.
Fargo's offense has struggled recently, as the Force have only scored three goals in their last three games. The Force roster features one double-digit point-getter in 10-goal scorer Austin Farley. Expect a physical battle -- Fargo and Indiana are the second and third-most penalized teams in the USHL.
Tonight's game
Fargo Force (5-10-3)
at
Indiana Ice (9-5-2)
7:05 p.m., Pepsi Coliseum
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: First meeting
Tale of the Tape
Ice (9-5-2, 4th USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 59 (2nd). GA: 48 (7th)
PP: 35.1% (1st). PK: 87.0 % (5th) PIM: 337 (14th)
OT record: 2-1 SO record: 1-1
Home record: 3-3-2
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (9-13-22), Jacob Fallon (8-11-19), Robbie Baillargeon (7-8-15), Sean Kuraly (6-8-14).
Leading +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+9), Alex Barron (+7)
Leading PIM: Woody Hudson (51, will not dress), Daniil Tarasov (45), R.J. Boyd (43)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (8-3-2, 2.48 GAA, .914sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-2-0, 3.85 GAA, .875 sv%)
Last 5: 2-3-0. Last 10: 4-4-2
Last 5
11/25: vs. Sioux City (L 2-4)
11/23: at Green Bay (OTW 4-3)
11/19: at Waterloo (L 2-4)
11/18: at Cedar Rapids (SOW 3-2)
11/12: vs. Muskegon (L 4-5)
Force (5-10-3, 6th USHL West)
Head coach: John Marks
GF: 43 (12th). GA: 60 (15th)
PP: 19.5% (6th). PK: 81.8% (9th). PIM: 342 (15th)
OT record: 0-2 SO record: 2-1
Road record: 3-4-2
Leading scorers: Austin Farley (10-5-15), Willie Corrin (1-8-9), Bryn Chzyzk (7-1-8)
Leading +/-: Jordan Nelson (+6), Stanislav Dzakhov (+3)
Leading PIM: Austin Farley (43), Colton Hargrove (33).
Leading goaltender: Zane Gothberg (3-7-2, 2.53, .908 sv%, 1 SHO), Reed Peters (2-3-1, 3.79, .876 sv%)
Last 5: 1-3-1. Last 10: 2-6-2
Ice next 5 games
12/2: vs. Sioux Falls
12/3: vs. Green Bay
12/4: vs. Green Bay
12/10: vs. Dubuque
12/11: vs. Dubuque
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Game 15: Ice at Green Bay
The Ice begin a busy 6-games-in-12-days stretch against some of the USHL's top teams tonight with a Thanksgiving Eve trip to face league leader Green Bay. The Ice and Gamblers -- as well as Cedar Rapids -- have been the cream of the crop in the USHL's Eastern Conference for the last several years. Tonight features a game where the Ice are trying to catch up to the division leaders. Green Bay has pulled away a bit from a tight pack in the East, with 24 points. The Ice are in a tie for fourth with 18 points with a game in hand.
The Gamblers are getting things done on both ends -- leading the USHL both in scoring and goals allowed. Recently, they added one of the league's top defensemen in Jordan Schmaltz, who will team up with Andy Welinski to form a very strong blueline tandem.
The Ice, of course, feature one of the USHL's most potent lines in Daniil Tarasov-Sean Kuraly-Jacob Fallon. Tarasov, with 20 points, is the league's second-leading scorer. Robbie Baillargeon is in the midst of a six-game point streak. It initially appeared the streak had been snapped last Saturday, but he was given an assist in the final revision of the boxscore. The Ice will be playing without forward Woody Hudson in all three games this week, as he was suspended following a team-record 37 PIMs -- including three majors and two game misconducts -- in the 4-2 loss to Waterloo on Saturday night.
Tonight will also see the likely debut of Ryan Cole, a forward whom the Ice acquired from Lincoln earlier this week.
This will be the second meeting between the teams. The Gamblers rallied from a two-goal deficit in a well-played first game at the Pepsi Coliseum, beating the Ice 5-4 in OT on Nov. 11. Green Bay hasn't lost since that night, and has won five straight.
The game also pits two teams with outstanding special teams -- including the league's top power play (Ice) against Green Bay's league-leading PK unit. GB's PP and the Ice's PK both rank 4th in the USHL. In the first meeting, the Ice scored on their only PP opportunity and killed off all three Gamblers chances.
Adam Wilcox, who was Green Bay's goaltender in that game, was traded to Tri-City on Monday.
After tonight, the Ice return home for seven straight games, starting Friday with a visit from Sioux City, then Saturday against Fargo. Next weekend, the Ice will host Sioux Falls on Dec. 2, then Green Bay on Dec. 3 and 4.
Tonight's game
Indiana Ice (8-4-2)
at
Green Bay Gamblers (12-3-0)
8:05 p.m., Resch Center, Green Bay, Wis.
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: Green Bay leads 1-0
Nov. 11: Green Bay 5, Ice 4, OT (at Pepsi Coliseum): Robert Polosello G/2A; Jacob Fallon & Daniil Tarasov G/A each; Jon Gillies 27sv (Ice); Nicholas Shilkey 2G, Sheldon Dries G/2A, Markus Lauridsen G/A, GWG; Adam Wilcox 32sv, win (GB).
Tale of the Tape
Ice (8-4-2, t4th USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 53 (3rd). GA: 41 (t5th)
PP: 32.1% (1st). PK: 87.0 % (4th) PIM: 321 (15th)
OT record: 1-1 SO record: 1-1
Road record: 5-2-1
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (9-11-20), Jacob Fallon (7-8-15), Robbie Baillargeon (6-7-13, 6-game scoring streak), Sean Kuraly (4-8-12).
Leading +/-: Alex Barron (+8), Daniil Tarasov (+7)
Leading PIM: Woody Hudson (51, will not dress), Daniil Tarasov (43), R.J. Boyd (43)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (7-3-2, 2.44 GAA, .913sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-1-0, 3.76 GAA, .881 sv%)
Last 5: 1-2-2. Last 10: 4-4-2
Last 5
11/19: at Waterloo (L 2-4)
11/18: at Cedar Rapids (SOW 3-2)
11/12: vs. Muskegon (L 4-5)
11/11: vs. Green Bay (OTL 4-5)
11/5: at Youngstown (SOL 3-4)
Gamblers (12-3-0, 1st USHL East)
Head coach: Derek Lalonde
GF: 59 (1st). GA: 33 (1st)
PP: 22.4% (4th). PK: 91.1% (1st). PIM: 225 (5th)
OT record: 1-0 SO record: 0-0
Home record: 3-2-0
Leading scorers: Nolan LaPorte (9-7-16), Kyle Novak (6-10-16), Alex Broadhurst (8-4-12), Markus
Lauridsen (2-10-12).
Leading +/-: Markus Lauridsen (+15), Nolan LaPorte (+10)
Leading PIM: Sheldon Drees (26), Dakota Mermis (26).
Leading goaltender: Ryan McKay (5-1-0, 1.67 GAA, .934sv%), Michael Rotolo (0-0-0, 4.41 GAA, .909sv%)
Last 5: 5-0-0. Last 10: 8-0-2
Ice next 5 games
11/25: vs. Sioux City
11/26: vs. Fargo
12/2: vs. Sioux Falls
12/3: vs. Green Bay
12/4: vs. Green Bay
The Gamblers are getting things done on both ends -- leading the USHL both in scoring and goals allowed. Recently, they added one of the league's top defensemen in Jordan Schmaltz, who will team up with Andy Welinski to form a very strong blueline tandem.
The Ice, of course, feature one of the USHL's most potent lines in Daniil Tarasov-Sean Kuraly-Jacob Fallon. Tarasov, with 20 points, is the league's second-leading scorer. Robbie Baillargeon is in the midst of a six-game point streak. It initially appeared the streak had been snapped last Saturday, but he was given an assist in the final revision of the boxscore. The Ice will be playing without forward Woody Hudson in all three games this week, as he was suspended following a team-record 37 PIMs -- including three majors and two game misconducts -- in the 4-2 loss to Waterloo on Saturday night.
Tonight will also see the likely debut of Ryan Cole, a forward whom the Ice acquired from Lincoln earlier this week.
This will be the second meeting between the teams. The Gamblers rallied from a two-goal deficit in a well-played first game at the Pepsi Coliseum, beating the Ice 5-4 in OT on Nov. 11. Green Bay hasn't lost since that night, and has won five straight.
The game also pits two teams with outstanding special teams -- including the league's top power play (Ice) against Green Bay's league-leading PK unit. GB's PP and the Ice's PK both rank 4th in the USHL. In the first meeting, the Ice scored on their only PP opportunity and killed off all three Gamblers chances.
Adam Wilcox, who was Green Bay's goaltender in that game, was traded to Tri-City on Monday.
After tonight, the Ice return home for seven straight games, starting Friday with a visit from Sioux City, then Saturday against Fargo. Next weekend, the Ice will host Sioux Falls on Dec. 2, then Green Bay on Dec. 3 and 4.
Tonight's game
Indiana Ice (8-4-2)
at
Green Bay Gamblers (12-3-0)
8:05 p.m., Resch Center, Green Bay, Wis.
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: Green Bay leads 1-0
Nov. 11: Green Bay 5, Ice 4, OT (at Pepsi Coliseum): Robert Polosello G/2A; Jacob Fallon & Daniil Tarasov G/A each; Jon Gillies 27sv (Ice); Nicholas Shilkey 2G, Sheldon Dries G/2A, Markus Lauridsen G/A, GWG; Adam Wilcox 32sv, win (GB).
Tale of the Tape
Ice (8-4-2, t4th USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 53 (3rd). GA: 41 (t5th)
PP: 32.1% (1st). PK: 87.0 % (4th) PIM: 321 (15th)
OT record: 1-1 SO record: 1-1
Road record: 5-2-1
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (9-11-20), Jacob Fallon (7-8-15), Robbie Baillargeon (6-7-13, 6-game scoring streak), Sean Kuraly (4-8-12).
Leading +/-: Alex Barron (+8), Daniil Tarasov (+7)
Leading PIM: Woody Hudson (51, will not dress), Daniil Tarasov (43), R.J. Boyd (43)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (7-3-2, 2.44 GAA, .913sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-1-0, 3.76 GAA, .881 sv%)
Last 5: 1-2-2. Last 10: 4-4-2
Last 5
11/19: at Waterloo (L 2-4)
11/18: at Cedar Rapids (SOW 3-2)
11/12: vs. Muskegon (L 4-5)
11/11: vs. Green Bay (OTL 4-5)
11/5: at Youngstown (SOL 3-4)
Gamblers (12-3-0, 1st USHL East)
Head coach: Derek Lalonde
GF: 59 (1st). GA: 33 (1st)
PP: 22.4% (4th). PK: 91.1% (1st). PIM: 225 (5th)
OT record: 1-0 SO record: 0-0
Home record: 3-2-0
Leading scorers: Nolan LaPorte (9-7-16), Kyle Novak (6-10-16), Alex Broadhurst (8-4-12), Markus
Lauridsen (2-10-12).
Leading +/-: Markus Lauridsen (+15), Nolan LaPorte (+10)
Leading PIM: Sheldon Drees (26), Dakota Mermis (26).
Leading goaltender: Ryan McKay (5-1-0, 1.67 GAA, .934sv%), Michael Rotolo (0-0-0, 4.41 GAA, .909sv%)
Last 5: 5-0-0. Last 10: 8-0-2
Ice next 5 games
11/25: vs. Sioux City
11/26: vs. Fargo
12/2: vs. Sioux Falls
12/3: vs. Green Bay
12/4: vs. Green Bay
Friday, November 11, 2011
Gamblers rally to beat Ice in OT 5-4
After playing a tremendous first period and opening up two separate
two-goal leads, the Indiana Ice saw Green Bay rally to steal a 5-4
overtime game Friday night at the Pepsi Coliseum.
Green Bay defenseman Markus Lauridsen sniped a shot from the high slot past Ice netminder Jon Gillies at 3:48 of overtime to allow the Gamblers to escape with the victory in a game it appeared the Ice might run away with early.
The Ice led 3-1 after nine minutes and then led 4-2 after two periods, but the Gamblers rallied in the third. Nicholas Schilkey scored his second goal of the game by going top shelf from the slot with 13:29 left. Then, with 6:15 to go, Kyle Novak fed Sheldon Dries on a breakaway -- the only one of the night for either team -- to tie the game. Green Bay came in waves, outshooting the Ice 11-6 in the third period.
Things started out well for the Ice. Schilkey scored just 2:13 in, but the Ice answered in a big way, with the big line of Jacob Fallon-Daniil Tarasov-Robert Polosello cashing in twice. Fallon banked a shot from the red line off to the left side of the net off Green Bay netminder Adam Wilcox and into the net at the 4:24 mark to tie it. It was Fallon's seventh goal of the year.
Just 17 seconds later, the Ice took the lead when Emil Romig cashed in a feed from linemate Woody Hudson. And 4:07 after that, Fallon fed a perfect goalmouth feed across to Tarasov, who buried his eighth goal of the season. After 8:46, the Ice led 3-1 and were flying. They had more opportunities -- cranking 19 shots on goal in the first period -- but Green Bay managed to weather them and chop the lead when Jordan Gross scored on a shot from the point in the final 90 seconds of the period.
After a breakneck first period, the game tightened up in the second, with the Ice cashing in on their only power play of the night when Ryan Obuchowski's blast from the point hit traffic in the slot and was perfectly redirected by Polosello into the net for Polosello's fifth tally of the season.
The game was one that was befitting of a matchup between two of the league's top teams -- high-energy hockey, some tremendous individual play and moves, and a bevvy of beautiful goals. Fallon continued to impress with his high-energy play at the center position. His line generated 13 of the Ice's 36 shots in the game, three goals and a boatload of scoring chances.
Tarasov, who came into the night tied for the USHL scoring lead, added a goal and an assist to run his season totals to 8-11-19. Fallon also had a goal and an assist and now has seven of each. Polosello had a goal and two assists, and now has a 5-4-9 line for the season. Center Robbie Baillargeon -- playing the point on the power play unit -- extended his scoring streak to three games with an assist.
Gillies stopped 27 of 32 Green Bay shots in his second OT loss of the season. His personal record is now 6-1-2. Wilcox made 32 saves on 36 shots, and is now 5-2-0. Both teams were playing without a handful of players representing their country in the World Junior A Challenge. The Ice's Sean Kuraly and Green Bay's Jordan Schmaltz, Andy Welinski, Alex Broadhurst, Sam Herr and goaltender Ryan McKay were all representing the United States in Canada.
The game jumbled the crowded top of the USHL's Eastern Conference standings. With two points, Green Bay vaults Dubuque for first place with a 9-3-0 record and 18 points -- one better than the defending Clark Cup champion Fighting Saints. The Ice (7-2-2) move into a third-place tie with Cedar Rapids, with both teams sporting 16 points.
Three stars
1. Nicholas Schilkey (GB). 2 goals, +1
2. Markus Lauridsen (GB). game-winning goal, +4
3. Robert Polosello (Ice). 1 goal, 2 assists, 6 shots, +1
USHL boxscore
Ice next 6 games
Sa 11/12 vs. Muskegon, 7 p.m.
F 11/18 at Cedar Rapids, 8 p.m.
Sa 11/19 at Waterloo, 8 p.m.
W 11/23 at Green Bay, 8 p.m.
F 11/25 vs. Sioux City, 7 p.m.
Sa 11/26 vs. Fargo, 7 p.m.
Green Bay defenseman Markus Lauridsen sniped a shot from the high slot past Ice netminder Jon Gillies at 3:48 of overtime to allow the Gamblers to escape with the victory in a game it appeared the Ice might run away with early.
The Ice led 3-1 after nine minutes and then led 4-2 after two periods, but the Gamblers rallied in the third. Nicholas Schilkey scored his second goal of the game by going top shelf from the slot with 13:29 left. Then, with 6:15 to go, Kyle Novak fed Sheldon Dries on a breakaway -- the only one of the night for either team -- to tie the game. Green Bay came in waves, outshooting the Ice 11-6 in the third period.
Things started out well for the Ice. Schilkey scored just 2:13 in, but the Ice answered in a big way, with the big line of Jacob Fallon-Daniil Tarasov-Robert Polosello cashing in twice. Fallon banked a shot from the red line off to the left side of the net off Green Bay netminder Adam Wilcox and into the net at the 4:24 mark to tie it. It was Fallon's seventh goal of the year.
Just 17 seconds later, the Ice took the lead when Emil Romig cashed in a feed from linemate Woody Hudson. And 4:07 after that, Fallon fed a perfect goalmouth feed across to Tarasov, who buried his eighth goal of the season. After 8:46, the Ice led 3-1 and were flying. They had more opportunities -- cranking 19 shots on goal in the first period -- but Green Bay managed to weather them and chop the lead when Jordan Gross scored on a shot from the point in the final 90 seconds of the period.
After a breakneck first period, the game tightened up in the second, with the Ice cashing in on their only power play of the night when Ryan Obuchowski's blast from the point hit traffic in the slot and was perfectly redirected by Polosello into the net for Polosello's fifth tally of the season.
The game was one that was befitting of a matchup between two of the league's top teams -- high-energy hockey, some tremendous individual play and moves, and a bevvy of beautiful goals. Fallon continued to impress with his high-energy play at the center position. His line generated 13 of the Ice's 36 shots in the game, three goals and a boatload of scoring chances.
Tarasov, who came into the night tied for the USHL scoring lead, added a goal and an assist to run his season totals to 8-11-19. Fallon also had a goal and an assist and now has seven of each. Polosello had a goal and two assists, and now has a 5-4-9 line for the season. Center Robbie Baillargeon -- playing the point on the power play unit -- extended his scoring streak to three games with an assist.
Gillies stopped 27 of 32 Green Bay shots in his second OT loss of the season. His personal record is now 6-1-2. Wilcox made 32 saves on 36 shots, and is now 5-2-0. Both teams were playing without a handful of players representing their country in the World Junior A Challenge. The Ice's Sean Kuraly and Green Bay's Jordan Schmaltz, Andy Welinski, Alex Broadhurst, Sam Herr and goaltender Ryan McKay were all representing the United States in Canada.
The game jumbled the crowded top of the USHL's Eastern Conference standings. With two points, Green Bay vaults Dubuque for first place with a 9-3-0 record and 18 points -- one better than the defending Clark Cup champion Fighting Saints. The Ice (7-2-2) move into a third-place tie with Cedar Rapids, with both teams sporting 16 points.
Three stars
1. Nicholas Schilkey (GB). 2 goals, +1
2. Markus Lauridsen (GB). game-winning goal, +4
3. Robert Polosello (Ice). 1 goal, 2 assists, 6 shots, +1
USHL boxscore
Ice next 6 games
Sa 11/12 vs. Muskegon, 7 p.m.
F 11/18 at Cedar Rapids, 8 p.m.
Sa 11/19 at Waterloo, 8 p.m.
W 11/23 at Green Bay, 8 p.m.
F 11/25 vs. Sioux City, 7 p.m.
Sa 11/26 vs. Fargo, 7 p.m.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday wrap: Ice fall in last 5 seconds
In a game that saw the Ice come back from two deficits -- including a two-goal hole -- and survive a penalty shot in the second period, the Waterloo Black Hawks found a way to make sure the Ice couldn't come back a third time -- score the game-winning goal with five seconds left.
Waterloo's Joe Rehkamp scored his second goal of the game out of a scramble in front of the net, barely poking it past Ice goaltender Dalton Izyk to give the Black Hawks a 4-3 victory over the Ice Saturday night at Pepsi Coliseum.
The Ice's record falls to 6-2-0 on the year after the defeat in the back half of a two-game series between USHL division leaders. The Ice won Friday's game 2-0.
The game-winning goal came after the Ice rallied from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2. In the final 30 seconds, the Ice had possession in the neutral zone and tried to send the puck deep into Waterloo territory, but one of the Black Hawk defensemen tipped the puck free, corralled it and started a counterrush that led to the game-winning goal. The initial shot was wide, but with several bodies in front of the net, the puck bounced around and it appeared the Ice netminder briefly lost track of it. In the melee in front of the net, it squired across the line. Rehkamp was credited with the goal unassisted.
Rehkamp's two goals were his first of the season.
It was eerily similar to the Ice's game-tying goal with 5:46 left. In a netmouth scramble, Woody Hudson jammed at the puck and briefly got it to trickle over the line to knot the contest at 3-3 -- one in which referee Brady Johnson -- right on top of the play -- emphatically pointed that the puck had crossed the line despite the red light not having come on. It was Hudson's second goal of the year, and came despite much howls of protest from the Waterloo bench.
The Black Hawks led 1-0 after a first period that featured just 10 shots -- six for Waterloo, four for the Ice -- and saw both teams trying to feel each other out after playing the night before. It also saw the Hawks kill off three power plays. Rehkamp scored the lone goal on a beautiful feed across the slot to the left circle, where he fired it past starting goaltender Jon Gillies.
The Ice switched netminders for the start of the second and gave Izyk his second appearance of the year. It took just 3:03 for Waterloo's Aaron Pearce to make it 2-0. Standing out at the top of the crease, he took Josh Nenadal's feed from behind the net and quickly one-timed it through a small opening in the 5-hole.
Waterloo carried much of the play in the second -- including earning a penalty shot when an Ice player was ruled for interference in a goalmouth scramble in the crease -- but the Ice managed to come out of the period without much further damage. The penalty shot was wide. The Ice cut the deficit to 2-1 when Jacob Fallon beat a defenseman in the right circle and slipped the puck to Sean Kuraly in front, who punched it past Waterloo's Jay Williams and into the net with 43 seconds left in the second.
A penalty to Waterloo defenseman James Hansen came 36 seconds later, and it wasn't long after the third-period faceoff the Ice made them pay. The Fallon-Tarasov-Kuraly line has been a big-scoring one for the Ice all season, and was so again on the power play. At the 43 second mark of the third, Fallon scored on a nice feed in the slot from Tarasov to tie the game.
With the game quickly tied, the third period energy level increased exponentially from both teams, and the period saw four goals and 35 shots -- whereas the first two saw Waterloo get off 12 shots and the Ice eight.
Nenadal made it a 3-2 lead for Waterloo briefly with 6:45 left, but it took just 59 seconds for Hudson's tying goal. The Ice had a good chance to take the lead moments later, but saw a shot from the left circle hit the goalpost.
Gillies made five saves in a period of work, Izyk made 24 saves in the final two periods and took the decision. Williams (4-2-1) went the distance for Waterloo and made 21 saves to get his fourth victory of the year.
Once again, the Ice's top line piles up points and much like the Tarasov-Blake Coleman-Brian Ferlin line last year, the Ice possess one of the USHL's most feared trios. Tarasov kept his streak going with two assists -- he now has a 5-9-14 line in eight games. Fallon -- centering Tarasov and Kuraly -- had a goal and an assist to improve his line to 5-4-8. With four goals and seven assists, Kuraly is the team's second-leading scorer, and the trio between them has 14 of the Ice's 29 goals.
The 3 stars
1: Joe Rehkamp, Waterloo -- 2 goals, GWG
2: Jacob Fallon, Ice -- goal, assist, 4 shots
3. Josh Nenadal, Waterloo -- goal, assist, go-ahead goal in 3rd, +1, 3 shots
The Ice return home Friday night to face the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders, before traveling to Youngstown on Saturday night to face the Phantoms. They'll be back home Nov. 11-12 for games against Green Bay and Muskegon.
Roster news
One that quietly took place a week ago: Dan Cesarz -- a forward who joined the team in 2010-11 -- was traded to Kalamazoo in the Tier II North American Hockey League. Cesarz was scoreless in two games.He had five goals and three assists in 40 games last season. Also, forward Tyler Pham will be activated from his five-game suspension today and will be eligible to play Friday night.
Waterloo's Joe Rehkamp scored his second goal of the game out of a scramble in front of the net, barely poking it past Ice goaltender Dalton Izyk to give the Black Hawks a 4-3 victory over the Ice Saturday night at Pepsi Coliseum.
The Ice's record falls to 6-2-0 on the year after the defeat in the back half of a two-game series between USHL division leaders. The Ice won Friday's game 2-0.
The game-winning goal came after the Ice rallied from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2. In the final 30 seconds, the Ice had possession in the neutral zone and tried to send the puck deep into Waterloo territory, but one of the Black Hawk defensemen tipped the puck free, corralled it and started a counterrush that led to the game-winning goal. The initial shot was wide, but with several bodies in front of the net, the puck bounced around and it appeared the Ice netminder briefly lost track of it. In the melee in front of the net, it squired across the line. Rehkamp was credited with the goal unassisted.
Rehkamp's two goals were his first of the season.
It was eerily similar to the Ice's game-tying goal with 5:46 left. In a netmouth scramble, Woody Hudson jammed at the puck and briefly got it to trickle over the line to knot the contest at 3-3 -- one in which referee Brady Johnson -- right on top of the play -- emphatically pointed that the puck had crossed the line despite the red light not having come on. It was Hudson's second goal of the year, and came despite much howls of protest from the Waterloo bench.
The Black Hawks led 1-0 after a first period that featured just 10 shots -- six for Waterloo, four for the Ice -- and saw both teams trying to feel each other out after playing the night before. It also saw the Hawks kill off three power plays. Rehkamp scored the lone goal on a beautiful feed across the slot to the left circle, where he fired it past starting goaltender Jon Gillies.
The Ice switched netminders for the start of the second and gave Izyk his second appearance of the year. It took just 3:03 for Waterloo's Aaron Pearce to make it 2-0. Standing out at the top of the crease, he took Josh Nenadal's feed from behind the net and quickly one-timed it through a small opening in the 5-hole.
Waterloo carried much of the play in the second -- including earning a penalty shot when an Ice player was ruled for interference in a goalmouth scramble in the crease -- but the Ice managed to come out of the period without much further damage. The penalty shot was wide. The Ice cut the deficit to 2-1 when Jacob Fallon beat a defenseman in the right circle and slipped the puck to Sean Kuraly in front, who punched it past Waterloo's Jay Williams and into the net with 43 seconds left in the second.
A penalty to Waterloo defenseman James Hansen came 36 seconds later, and it wasn't long after the third-period faceoff the Ice made them pay. The Fallon-Tarasov-Kuraly line has been a big-scoring one for the Ice all season, and was so again on the power play. At the 43 second mark of the third, Fallon scored on a nice feed in the slot from Tarasov to tie the game.
With the game quickly tied, the third period energy level increased exponentially from both teams, and the period saw four goals and 35 shots -- whereas the first two saw Waterloo get off 12 shots and the Ice eight.
Nenadal made it a 3-2 lead for Waterloo briefly with 6:45 left, but it took just 59 seconds for Hudson's tying goal. The Ice had a good chance to take the lead moments later, but saw a shot from the left circle hit the goalpost.
Gillies made five saves in a period of work, Izyk made 24 saves in the final two periods and took the decision. Williams (4-2-1) went the distance for Waterloo and made 21 saves to get his fourth victory of the year.
Once again, the Ice's top line piles up points and much like the Tarasov-Blake Coleman-Brian Ferlin line last year, the Ice possess one of the USHL's most feared trios. Tarasov kept his streak going with two assists -- he now has a 5-9-14 line in eight games. Fallon -- centering Tarasov and Kuraly -- had a goal and an assist to improve his line to 5-4-8. With four goals and seven assists, Kuraly is the team's second-leading scorer, and the trio between them has 14 of the Ice's 29 goals.
The 3 stars
1: Joe Rehkamp, Waterloo -- 2 goals, GWG
2: Jacob Fallon, Ice -- goal, assist, 4 shots
3. Josh Nenadal, Waterloo -- goal, assist, go-ahead goal in 3rd, +1, 3 shots
The Ice return home Friday night to face the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders, before traveling to Youngstown on Saturday night to face the Phantoms. They'll be back home Nov. 11-12 for games against Green Bay and Muskegon.
Roster news
One that quietly took place a week ago: Dan Cesarz -- a forward who joined the team in 2010-11 -- was traded to Kalamazoo in the Tier II North American Hockey League. Cesarz was scoreless in two games.He had five goals and three assists in 40 games last season. Also, forward Tyler Pham will be activated from his five-game suspension today and will be eligible to play Friday night.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Ice in the media
Last week, the Indy Star's Mike Wells sat down with Sean Kuraly ... and also the esteemed Star reporter Phillip B. Wilson had chats with Kyle Wallack and Daniil Tarasov.
In NUVO, writer (and Ice off-ice official) Joe O'Gara has a nice piece on new Ice coach Kyle Wallack
Check 'em out. .
In NUVO, writer (and Ice off-ice official) Joe O'Gara has a nice piece on new Ice coach Kyle Wallack
Check 'em out. .
Monday, September 12, 2011
Players to watch in the USHL
Ryan Clark in his Slightly Chilled blog notes 5 players to watch in the USHL this year. Not surprisingly, Daniil Tarasov was one of them.
Tarasov is currently participating in the Pittsburgh Penguins' rookie camp. He has been skating on several different lines during their rookie tournament in Oshawa. Therefore, he was not with the team during this past weekend's exhibition games against Chicago.
Tarasov is currently participating in the Pittsburgh Penguins' rookie camp. He has been skating on several different lines during their rookie tournament in Oshawa. Therefore, he was not with the team during this past weekend's exhibition games against Chicago.
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