Stop us if you've read this before. Denis Smirnov scored a first-period goal, Matt Roy assisted on it, Jason Pawloski and the Indiana Ice defense made it stand up, and the Ice won 1-0 in Green Bay.
Showing posts with label Green Bay Gamblers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Bay Gamblers. Show all posts
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Smirnov, Pawloski lead Ice to 1-0 Game 3 win
Denis Smirnov and Jason Pawloski led the Ice to a 1-0 victory in Game 3 of their best-of-5 Eastern Conference semifinal series, and a 2-1 lead in the series.
Smirnov scored in the second period and Pawloski made it stand up -- only being called on to stop 12 shots in his first playoff start.
Smirnov scored in the second period and Pawloski made it stand up -- only being called on to stop 12 shots in his first playoff start.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Furious rally falls short in Game 2 Ice loss
The Indiana Ice had a furious rally, scoring four third-period goals -- including two in the final 1:38 -- but it was unable to come all the way back in an odd 6-5 loss to the Green Bay Gamblers in Game 2 of their USHL Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series. The best-of-5 series, now tied at 1-1, heads to Green Bay for Games 3 and 4, which will be Thursday, April 17 and Friday, April 18.
Aidan Muir and Matt Roy scored goals in the closing seconds with the goalie pulled, and the Ice's Tyler Pham had another doorstep chance as the buzzer sounded, allowing Green Bay to survive.
The Ice dominated the third period, outshooting Green Bay 19-5 in the final 20 minutes. They nearly rallied from two different three-goal deficits. But the Gamblers scored three power play goals -- one of which was an own goal by the Ice on a delayed penalty -- and an empty-netter to seal it.
The Ice had life early in the third, with Matt Roy scoring a power play goal from the high slot at 1:55, and they kept buzzing. Sam Kurker finally solved Rutledge with 8:02 left, as a rebound popped to him at the left side of the net and he put it into an open side, making it a 4-3 game. The Ice continued to pressure the net, but couldn't get the equalizer. Instead, they got a penalty -- a slashing call that came from behind the play that was vocally disputed. Matthew Weis cashed in on a perfect cross-ice feed to make it 5-3, and Ryan Lough scored an empty-netter with 2:12 left to make it a 6-3 game, before the final scramble.
The first goal came out of a netmouth scramble that saw Muir pounce on the puck on a 6-on-4 with 1:22 left. With goaltender Jason Pawloski remaining out of the net for an extra attacker, Roy fired a shot over Rutledge's shoulder from the center point to make it 6-5 with :52 left. The Ice again had a chance at the buzzer, but couldn't get the equalizer.
Green Bay scored two goals off deflections in the opening period. Patrick Newell scored his third goal of the playoffs early in the second to cut what had been a two-goal deficit to one, and the Ice had a good chance to tie with several opportunities on a penalty to the Gamblers' Anthony Walsh. But Gamblers' goaltender Jared Rutledge stood tall, and a minute after the penalty was killed, Green Bay's Nick Schmaltz pounced on a loose puck in the high slot and put a shot just under the crossbar to make it 3-1.
Green Bay took a three-goal lead on an odd sequence. The Ice had a power play when Jordan Gross was called for slashing at 5:50. Just 19 seconds later, the Ice's Jason Salvaggio was whistled for a high sticking penalty in the offensive zone, and Scott Conway was whistled for a slash 17 seconds later, giving the Gamblers a 4-on-3. The Ice killed it brilliantly, and Aidan Muir had a partial breakaway that drew a penalty on Green Bay's Connor Hurley. As Ice goaltender Hayden Stewart came off for an extra attacker, the Ice tried to play the puck back to a point that had been vacated. The puck went straight to the back of the net, giving the Gamblers a 4-1 lead.
Ten takeaways
1. The Gamblers now have home-ice advantage in the series, and the Ice need to win at least one of the two games in Green Bay. If they can win both -- which they did during their regular-season visit to the Resch Center -- they'll advance to the next round. A split would mean a Game 5 on April 21 at Pan Am Pavilion.
2. The key for the Ice? Keep the game 5-on-5. They did so in Game 1, and killed off the two first-period penalties they committed. But both teams' power plays have been potent against each other -- Green Bay was 3-5 on the PP tonight and is 5-11 in the three meetings between the teams the last two weeks. The Ice are a healthy 25% clip at 4-16. But of Green Bay's 10 goals against the Ice in that stretch, three have come 5-on-5 -- in addition to five PPGs, they have an ENG and a 4-on-4 goal. Of the Ice's nine goals in that same stretch, four are 5-on-5. Four come via PP and one was an extra-attacker goal.
3. The Ice are 2-0 in the Resch Center this season.
4. Both goaltenders were used tonight. Hayden Stewart made 11 saves in the first two periods and allowed four goals, but two were deflected on their way in, a third was a perfect shot from the high slot, and the fourth was an own-goal that went in while he was heading to the bench -- all unstoppable. Jason Pawloski saw five shots, stopped four, and again, the one goal was a virtually-unstoppable shot off a cross-ice feed into the open side. Jeff Brown has a pretty good luxury with two solid goaltenders.
5. The Ice's strength and desperation showed in the third period. Follow that template, and it will likely be a happy bus ride home from Green Bay. 6. Sam Kurker had his best period as an Iceman in that third period. The St. Louis Blues' second-round pick in 2011, he factored into all four goals -- scoring once and assisting on the other three.
7. Matt Roy scored four goals in the regular season. He had two in the third period tonight. Again, in the playoffs, matchups are critical, as is depth. Roy and defense partner Mike Preston were both +2 tonight, combined for eight shots and each had two points.
8. The third-period pairing of Jacob Pritchard-Tyler Pham-Sam Kurker was solid, as Jeff Brown made some tweaks to the Ice lines in the final 20 minutes, and found quite a spark offensively.
9. Lots to be confident about after the Ice's third-period performance. Repeat that -- and the Game 1 performance -- and the Ice will have the upper hand next week.
10. Conner Hurley emerged for Green Bay with a four-point night -- two goals and two assists. Nick Schmaltz, who is one of the top players in the USHL, had a goal and two assists.
Box score
IndianaIce.com game story
Series schedule
April 11: Indiana 2, Green Bay 0
April 12: Green Bay 6, Indiana 5
April 17: at Green Bay, 8:05 p.m.
April 18: at Green Bay, 8:05 p.m.
April 21: at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Elsewhere in the USHL
In the other Eastern Conference series, Cedar Rapids defeated Dubuque 6-5. The Riders lost a 5-0 lead, but Corey Petrash scored with 53 seconds left to win it for CR. Their series shifts to Dubuque tied 1-1.
In the West, Waterloo took a 2-0 lead on Sioux Falls with a 6-3 victory. Sioux City got a road win in Game 1 of its semifinal series, beating Omaha 5-4 on Avery Peterson's unassisted goal in OT.
Aidan Muir and Matt Roy scored goals in the closing seconds with the goalie pulled, and the Ice's Tyler Pham had another doorstep chance as the buzzer sounded, allowing Green Bay to survive.
The Ice dominated the third period, outshooting Green Bay 19-5 in the final 20 minutes. They nearly rallied from two different three-goal deficits. But the Gamblers scored three power play goals -- one of which was an own goal by the Ice on a delayed penalty -- and an empty-netter to seal it.
The Ice had life early in the third, with Matt Roy scoring a power play goal from the high slot at 1:55, and they kept buzzing. Sam Kurker finally solved Rutledge with 8:02 left, as a rebound popped to him at the left side of the net and he put it into an open side, making it a 4-3 game. The Ice continued to pressure the net, but couldn't get the equalizer. Instead, they got a penalty -- a slashing call that came from behind the play that was vocally disputed. Matthew Weis cashed in on a perfect cross-ice feed to make it 5-3, and Ryan Lough scored an empty-netter with 2:12 left to make it a 6-3 game, before the final scramble.
The first goal came out of a netmouth scramble that saw Muir pounce on the puck on a 6-on-4 with 1:22 left. With goaltender Jason Pawloski remaining out of the net for an extra attacker, Roy fired a shot over Rutledge's shoulder from the center point to make it 6-5 with :52 left. The Ice again had a chance at the buzzer, but couldn't get the equalizer.
Green Bay scored two goals off deflections in the opening period. Patrick Newell scored his third goal of the playoffs early in the second to cut what had been a two-goal deficit to one, and the Ice had a good chance to tie with several opportunities on a penalty to the Gamblers' Anthony Walsh. But Gamblers' goaltender Jared Rutledge stood tall, and a minute after the penalty was killed, Green Bay's Nick Schmaltz pounced on a loose puck in the high slot and put a shot just under the crossbar to make it 3-1.
Green Bay took a three-goal lead on an odd sequence. The Ice had a power play when Jordan Gross was called for slashing at 5:50. Just 19 seconds later, the Ice's Jason Salvaggio was whistled for a high sticking penalty in the offensive zone, and Scott Conway was whistled for a slash 17 seconds later, giving the Gamblers a 4-on-3. The Ice killed it brilliantly, and Aidan Muir had a partial breakaway that drew a penalty on Green Bay's Connor Hurley. As Ice goaltender Hayden Stewart came off for an extra attacker, the Ice tried to play the puck back to a point that had been vacated. The puck went straight to the back of the net, giving the Gamblers a 4-1 lead.
Ten takeaways
1. The Gamblers now have home-ice advantage in the series, and the Ice need to win at least one of the two games in Green Bay. If they can win both -- which they did during their regular-season visit to the Resch Center -- they'll advance to the next round. A split would mean a Game 5 on April 21 at Pan Am Pavilion.
2. The key for the Ice? Keep the game 5-on-5. They did so in Game 1, and killed off the two first-period penalties they committed. But both teams' power plays have been potent against each other -- Green Bay was 3-5 on the PP tonight and is 5-11 in the three meetings between the teams the last two weeks. The Ice are a healthy 25% clip at 4-16. But of Green Bay's 10 goals against the Ice in that stretch, three have come 5-on-5 -- in addition to five PPGs, they have an ENG and a 4-on-4 goal. Of the Ice's nine goals in that same stretch, four are 5-on-5. Four come via PP and one was an extra-attacker goal.
3. The Ice are 2-0 in the Resch Center this season.
4. Both goaltenders were used tonight. Hayden Stewart made 11 saves in the first two periods and allowed four goals, but two were deflected on their way in, a third was a perfect shot from the high slot, and the fourth was an own-goal that went in while he was heading to the bench -- all unstoppable. Jason Pawloski saw five shots, stopped four, and again, the one goal was a virtually-unstoppable shot off a cross-ice feed into the open side. Jeff Brown has a pretty good luxury with two solid goaltenders.
5. The Ice's strength and desperation showed in the third period. Follow that template, and it will likely be a happy bus ride home from Green Bay. 6. Sam Kurker had his best period as an Iceman in that third period. The St. Louis Blues' second-round pick in 2011, he factored into all four goals -- scoring once and assisting on the other three.
7. Matt Roy scored four goals in the regular season. He had two in the third period tonight. Again, in the playoffs, matchups are critical, as is depth. Roy and defense partner Mike Preston were both +2 tonight, combined for eight shots and each had two points.
8. The third-period pairing of Jacob Pritchard-Tyler Pham-Sam Kurker was solid, as Jeff Brown made some tweaks to the Ice lines in the final 20 minutes, and found quite a spark offensively.
9. Lots to be confident about after the Ice's third-period performance. Repeat that -- and the Game 1 performance -- and the Ice will have the upper hand next week.
10. Conner Hurley emerged for Green Bay with a four-point night -- two goals and two assists. Nick Schmaltz, who is one of the top players in the USHL, had a goal and two assists.
Box score
IndianaIce.com game story
Series schedule
April 11: Indiana 2, Green Bay 0
April 12: Green Bay 6, Indiana 5
April 17: at Green Bay, 8:05 p.m.
April 18: at Green Bay, 8:05 p.m.
April 21: at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Elsewhere in the USHL
In the other Eastern Conference series, Cedar Rapids defeated Dubuque 6-5. The Riders lost a 5-0 lead, but Corey Petrash scored with 53 seconds left to win it for CR. Their series shifts to Dubuque tied 1-1.
In the West, Waterloo took a 2-0 lead on Sioux Falls with a 6-3 victory. Sioux City got a road win in Game 1 of its semifinal series, beating Omaha 5-4 on Avery Peterson's unassisted goal in OT.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Newell's stick, Stewart's saves lead Ice to Game 1 win
Patrick Newell scored two goals, and Hayden Stewart had a 22-save shutout as the Indiana Ice won Game 1 of their USHL Eastern Conference semifinal series over the Green Bay Gamblers by a 2-0 score.
Both of Newell's goals came from right in front of the net on Green Bay goaltender Jared Rutledge, in a second period dominated by the Ice.
Stewart was solid much of the night -- as was an Ice defense that allowed few scoring chances, especially in the opening two periods -- and spectacular when needed.
The two teams felt each other out through a scoreless first, in which Green Bay outshot the Ice 7-6. The Ice seized momentum after killing off their second penalty of the night early in the second. Within a minute of Josh Jacobs coming out of the box, Scott Conway put a pass from the corner onto Newell's tape, and Newell buried the shot at 7:24 of the second. The Ice continued to press the momentum and controlled play for much of the rest of the second period, drawing another Green Bay penalty on Anthony Walsh. Again, the power play came up empty, but the Ice scored in the ensuing minute. This time, Alex Talcott was able to feed Newell -- who had come off the bench for a chance. Newell had a hair of room to get the puck between Rutledge and the post he was trying to seal off, and managed to squeeze it into that small area.
Conway and Dwyer Tschantz had the assists on the first goal. Talcott and Tyler Pham had the assists on the second.
Green Bay had the better of the chances in the third, but Stewart was strong -- stopping a couple of heavily-screened point shots -- and impressive. Danny Tironese had a shorthanded breakaway from center ice early in the period, but Stewart stayed with him and was able to make a left pad save to deny the threat.
3 stars
3. Alex Talcott (Ice), assist on Newell's second goal
2. Patrick Newell (Ice), 2 goals
1. Hayden Stewart (Ice), 22 saves, shutout
Boxscore
IndianaIce.com game story
Nine takeaways
1. The Ice are happy to turn fortunes -- the road team won all four regular-season meetings.
2. Indiana University men's basketball coach Tom Crean was in attendance and spoke to the Ice team after the game.
3. Stewart returned to his midseason form, getting the start after allowing four goals to Green Bay a week ago. This time, he shut the door. Stewart has allowed more than two goals only twice since joining the Ice, and had four regular-season shutouts. Stewart and running mate Jason Pawloski - the reigning USHL Goaltender of the Week - have combined for eight. Coach Jeff Brown has two very solid options in net this playoff year.
4. Stewart's shutout was the first playoff shutout for an Ice goaltender since Casey DeSmith blanked Waterloo on April 14, 2011 -- the first game of that run.
5. The Ice and Gamblers are no strangers to each other in the playoffs. This is their sixth meeting in the last seven years. The Ice won the 2009 series en route to the Clark Cup.
6. It's always interesting to see who steps up in the postseason. Newell was second on the team with 30 assists, mostly in setting up linemates Scott Conway and Dwyer Tschantz.
7. Aidan Muir likely had the best scoring chance that didn't go, a partial breakaway midway through the third that went wide.
8. Denis Smirnov returned to action after missing the last 11 games of the regular season due to injury. He skated on a line with Tyler Pham and Sam Kurker, and tied Newell with a team-high three shots.
9. Austin Kosack led the USHL in +/- with a +40 rating this season. The defenseman was a +2 tonight.
10. The Ice killed off two first-period Green Bay power plays, and did not commit a penalty the rest of the game. The Ice were 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
Game 2 of the best-of-5 series will be Saturday night at Pan Am Pavilion. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m.
USHL scoreboard
East
(1) Indiana 2, (4) Green Bay 0 (Indiana leads 1-0)(3) Dubuque 2, (2) Cedar Rapids 1 (Dubuque leads 1-0)
West
(1) Waterloo 7, (4) Sioux Falls 4 (Waterloo leads 1-0)
(2) Omaha vs (3) Sioux City begins Saturday
Both of Newell's goals came from right in front of the net on Green Bay goaltender Jared Rutledge, in a second period dominated by the Ice.
Stewart was solid much of the night -- as was an Ice defense that allowed few scoring chances, especially in the opening two periods -- and spectacular when needed.
The two teams felt each other out through a scoreless first, in which Green Bay outshot the Ice 7-6. The Ice seized momentum after killing off their second penalty of the night early in the second. Within a minute of Josh Jacobs coming out of the box, Scott Conway put a pass from the corner onto Newell's tape, and Newell buried the shot at 7:24 of the second. The Ice continued to press the momentum and controlled play for much of the rest of the second period, drawing another Green Bay penalty on Anthony Walsh. Again, the power play came up empty, but the Ice scored in the ensuing minute. This time, Alex Talcott was able to feed Newell -- who had come off the bench for a chance. Newell had a hair of room to get the puck between Rutledge and the post he was trying to seal off, and managed to squeeze it into that small area.
Conway and Dwyer Tschantz had the assists on the first goal. Talcott and Tyler Pham had the assists on the second.
Green Bay had the better of the chances in the third, but Stewart was strong -- stopping a couple of heavily-screened point shots -- and impressive. Danny Tironese had a shorthanded breakaway from center ice early in the period, but Stewart stayed with him and was able to make a left pad save to deny the threat.
3 stars
3. Alex Talcott (Ice), assist on Newell's second goal
2. Patrick Newell (Ice), 2 goals
1. Hayden Stewart (Ice), 22 saves, shutout
Boxscore
IndianaIce.com game story
Nine takeaways
1. The Ice are happy to turn fortunes -- the road team won all four regular-season meetings.
2. Indiana University men's basketball coach Tom Crean was in attendance and spoke to the Ice team after the game.
3. Stewart returned to his midseason form, getting the start after allowing four goals to Green Bay a week ago. This time, he shut the door. Stewart has allowed more than two goals only twice since joining the Ice, and had four regular-season shutouts. Stewart and running mate Jason Pawloski - the reigning USHL Goaltender of the Week - have combined for eight. Coach Jeff Brown has two very solid options in net this playoff year.
4. Stewart's shutout was the first playoff shutout for an Ice goaltender since Casey DeSmith blanked Waterloo on April 14, 2011 -- the first game of that run.
5. The Ice and Gamblers are no strangers to each other in the playoffs. This is their sixth meeting in the last seven years. The Ice won the 2009 series en route to the Clark Cup.
6. It's always interesting to see who steps up in the postseason. Newell was second on the team with 30 assists, mostly in setting up linemates Scott Conway and Dwyer Tschantz.
7. Aidan Muir likely had the best scoring chance that didn't go, a partial breakaway midway through the third that went wide.
8. Denis Smirnov returned to action after missing the last 11 games of the regular season due to injury. He skated on a line with Tyler Pham and Sam Kurker, and tied Newell with a team-high three shots.
9. Austin Kosack led the USHL in +/- with a +40 rating this season. The defenseman was a +2 tonight.
10. The Ice killed off two first-period Green Bay power plays, and did not commit a penalty the rest of the game. The Ice were 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
Game 2 of the best-of-5 series will be Saturday night at Pan Am Pavilion. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m.
USHL scoreboard
East
(1) Indiana 2, (4) Green Bay 0 (Indiana leads 1-0)(3) Dubuque 2, (2) Cedar Rapids 1 (Dubuque leads 1-0)
West
(1) Waterloo 7, (4) Sioux Falls 4 (Waterloo leads 1-0)
(2) Omaha vs (3) Sioux City begins Saturday
Monday, April 7, 2014
Playoff preview: Ice vs. Green Bay
The regular season has ended: time to take a peek ahead to the 2014 USHL Playoffs, as the Ice make their return after a one-year absence. It's the team's eighth playoff appearance in its 10-year history.
As regular-season champions of the Eastern Conference, they'll have the top seed through the first round (and if they win, the second), and therefore home ice advantage in the best-of-5 series.
The matchup:
Indiana Ice vs. Green Bay Gamblers
Game schedule
Game 1: April 11 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Game 2: April 12 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Game 3: April 17 at Green Bay Resch Center, 8:05 p.m.
Game 4: April 18 at Green Bay Resch Center, 8:05 p.m.
Game 5: April 21 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Previous meetings
April 4: Green Bay 4, Indiana 2 (at Bankers Life Fieldhouse). A huge crowd of 6,404 saw the Gamblers take an early lead and not let up in a 4-2 victory. Special teams were critical -- both teams scored two power play goals, and Green Bay added a 4-on-4 goal. A Green Bay team that was desperate for a playoff bid was able to ride a solid goaltending performance by Jared Rutledge and get goals from Ryan Siroky, Anthony Walsh, Nick Schmaltz and Matthew Weis. Scott Conway and Alex Talcott scored for the Ice. Rutledge stopped 29 shots, Ice goaltender Hayden Stewart made 21 saves.
March 15: Indiana 2, Green Bay 0 (at Green Bay). Green Bay threw the kitchen sink at the Ice, with 21 third-period shots on goal. Jason Pawloski stopped them all -- as well as the other 11 he faced -- for the shutout. Alex Talcott and Dwyer Tschantz scored second-period goals for the Ice. Jared Rutledge made 22 saves for the Gamblers.
March 14: Indiana 5, Green Bay 2 (at Green Bay). The Gamblers took an early lead on Nick Schmaltz's first-period goal, but the Ice seized the lead with two second-period goals by Tyler Pham and Matt Roy. Scott Conway scored the game-winner, breaking a 2-all tie on the PP with 7:27 left. Jacob Pritchard added two goals, the latter an empty-netter, in the final three minutes. Brian Pinho had four assists. Pritchard (2G) and Aidan Muir (2A) had two-point games. Hayden Stewart (18 saves) outdueled the Gamblers' Cam Hackett (24 saves) in net.
Dec. 5: Green Bay 4, Indiana 3, OT (at Pan Am Pavilion). A back-and-forth game where the Ice rescued a point with Alex Talcott's goal with 1:38 left, but Green Bay's Matthew Weis controversially ended the game with a power play goal in OT that appeared to come after the net was knocked off (a similar Ice goal was disallowed in the third period). Jacob Pritchard scored a first-period goal for the Ice, and Patrick Newell scored 14 seconds into the third. Junior Gates, Ryan Lough (2) and Weis scored for Green Bay. The Ice outshot Green Bay 35-19, but Gamblers goaltender Jared Rutledge made 32 saves. Samu Perhonen - who is no longer with the team - had 15 saves for the Ice.
Head to head
Power play
GB 3-17 (17.6%), IND 4-22 (18.2%)
Goals by period
GB 3-3-3-1 -- 10
IND 2-5-5-0 -- 12
Shots on goal
GB 23-32-39-2 -- 96
IND 35-42-36-6 -- 119
Ice leaders: Alex Talcott (3-2-5, +3), Jacob Pritchard (3-2-5, +3), Brian Pinho (0-5-5, +2), Scott Conway (2-1-3, -2), Patrick Newell (1-2-3, +1), Aidan Muir (0-3-3, +3).
Active goaltenders: Hayden Stewart (1-1-0, 3.05, .867); Jason Pawloski (1-0-0, 0.00, 1.000)
Gamblers leaders: Ryan Lough (3-1-4, +1), Matthew Weis (2-2-4, E), Jordan Gross (0-4-4, +1), Drew Best (0-4-4, +1), Nick Schmaltz (2-1-3, +1), Connor Hurley (0-3-3, +1)
Active goaltenders: Jared Rutledge (2-1-0, 2.29, .922); Cam Hackett (0-1-0, 4.11, .857)
Overall
Indiana Ice (42-11-7, 1st USHL East)
Home: 21-5-4; Road: 21-6-3
Last 10: 8-2-0
Goals per game: 3.88 for (3rd USHL)/2.35 against (t1st USHL)
Power play: 18.6% (53-285) (8th USHL)/Penalty kill: 85.7% (233-272) (3rd USHL)
Top scorers: Scott Conway (33-35-68, +40); Brian Pinho (28-28-56, +29); Dwyer Tschantz (24-20-44, +31), Patrick Newell (13-30-43, +24)
Goaltenders: Hayden Stewart (14GP, 13-1-0, 1.29, .945, 4SHO); Jason Pawloski (42GP, 27-8-6, 2.46, .904, 4SHO)
Green Bay Gamblers (30-24-6, 4th USHL East)
Home: 18-10-2; Road: 12-14-4
Last 10: 5-5-0
Goals per game: 3.05 for (10th USHL)/2.93 against (6th USHL)
Power play: 19.1% (47-246) (6th USHL)/Penalty kill: 85.3% (215-252) (5th USHL)
Top scorers: Nick Schmaltz (18-45-63, -3), Matthew Weis (23-34-57, -2), Ryan Lough (19-23-42, +15), Evan Tironese (10-28-38, +2), Connor Hurley (10-26-36, -1)
Goaltenders: Jared Rutledge (45GP, 25-16-4, 2.77, .907, 2 SHO), Cam Hackett (18GP, 5-8-2, 2.59, .908).
Beyond this series: the USHL playoffs
Eastern Conference: (1) Indiana vs. (4) Green Bay; (2) Cedar Rapids vs. (3) Dubuque
Western Conference: (1) Waterloo vs. (4) Sioux Falls; (2) Omaha vs. (3) Sioux City
As regular-season champions of the Eastern Conference, they'll have the top seed through the first round (and if they win, the second), and therefore home ice advantage in the best-of-5 series.
The matchup:
Indiana Ice vs. Green Bay Gamblers
Game schedule
Game 1: April 11 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Game 2: April 12 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Game 3: April 17 at Green Bay Resch Center, 8:05 p.m.
Game 4: April 18 at Green Bay Resch Center, 8:05 p.m.
Game 5: April 21 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Previous meetings
April 4: Green Bay 4, Indiana 2 (at Bankers Life Fieldhouse). A huge crowd of 6,404 saw the Gamblers take an early lead and not let up in a 4-2 victory. Special teams were critical -- both teams scored two power play goals, and Green Bay added a 4-on-4 goal. A Green Bay team that was desperate for a playoff bid was able to ride a solid goaltending performance by Jared Rutledge and get goals from Ryan Siroky, Anthony Walsh, Nick Schmaltz and Matthew Weis. Scott Conway and Alex Talcott scored for the Ice. Rutledge stopped 29 shots, Ice goaltender Hayden Stewart made 21 saves.
March 15: Indiana 2, Green Bay 0 (at Green Bay). Green Bay threw the kitchen sink at the Ice, with 21 third-period shots on goal. Jason Pawloski stopped them all -- as well as the other 11 he faced -- for the shutout. Alex Talcott and Dwyer Tschantz scored second-period goals for the Ice. Jared Rutledge made 22 saves for the Gamblers.
March 14: Indiana 5, Green Bay 2 (at Green Bay). The Gamblers took an early lead on Nick Schmaltz's first-period goal, but the Ice seized the lead with two second-period goals by Tyler Pham and Matt Roy. Scott Conway scored the game-winner, breaking a 2-all tie on the PP with 7:27 left. Jacob Pritchard added two goals, the latter an empty-netter, in the final three minutes. Brian Pinho had four assists. Pritchard (2G) and Aidan Muir (2A) had two-point games. Hayden Stewart (18 saves) outdueled the Gamblers' Cam Hackett (24 saves) in net.
Dec. 5: Green Bay 4, Indiana 3, OT (at Pan Am Pavilion). A back-and-forth game where the Ice rescued a point with Alex Talcott's goal with 1:38 left, but Green Bay's Matthew Weis controversially ended the game with a power play goal in OT that appeared to come after the net was knocked off (a similar Ice goal was disallowed in the third period). Jacob Pritchard scored a first-period goal for the Ice, and Patrick Newell scored 14 seconds into the third. Junior Gates, Ryan Lough (2) and Weis scored for Green Bay. The Ice outshot Green Bay 35-19, but Gamblers goaltender Jared Rutledge made 32 saves. Samu Perhonen - who is no longer with the team - had 15 saves for the Ice.
Head to head
Power play
GB 3-17 (17.6%), IND 4-22 (18.2%)
Goals by period
GB 3-3-3-1 -- 10
IND 2-5-5-0 -- 12
Shots on goal
GB 23-32-39-2 -- 96
IND 35-42-36-6 -- 119
Ice leaders: Alex Talcott (3-2-5, +3), Jacob Pritchard (3-2-5, +3), Brian Pinho (0-5-5, +2), Scott Conway (2-1-3, -2), Patrick Newell (1-2-3, +1), Aidan Muir (0-3-3, +3).
Active goaltenders: Hayden Stewart (1-1-0, 3.05, .867); Jason Pawloski (1-0-0, 0.00, 1.000)
Gamblers leaders: Ryan Lough (3-1-4, +1), Matthew Weis (2-2-4, E), Jordan Gross (0-4-4, +1), Drew Best (0-4-4, +1), Nick Schmaltz (2-1-3, +1), Connor Hurley (0-3-3, +1)
Active goaltenders: Jared Rutledge (2-1-0, 2.29, .922); Cam Hackett (0-1-0, 4.11, .857)
Overall
Indiana Ice (42-11-7, 1st USHL East)
Home: 21-5-4; Road: 21-6-3
Last 10: 8-2-0
Goals per game: 3.88 for (3rd USHL)/2.35 against (t1st USHL)
Power play: 18.6% (53-285) (8th USHL)/Penalty kill: 85.7% (233-272) (3rd USHL)
Top scorers: Scott Conway (33-35-68, +40); Brian Pinho (28-28-56, +29); Dwyer Tschantz (24-20-44, +31), Patrick Newell (13-30-43, +24)
Goaltenders: Hayden Stewart (14GP, 13-1-0, 1.29, .945, 4SHO); Jason Pawloski (42GP, 27-8-6, 2.46, .904, 4SHO)
Green Bay Gamblers (30-24-6, 4th USHL East)
Home: 18-10-2; Road: 12-14-4
Last 10: 5-5-0
Goals per game: 3.05 for (10th USHL)/2.93 against (6th USHL)
Power play: 19.1% (47-246) (6th USHL)/Penalty kill: 85.3% (215-252) (5th USHL)
Top scorers: Nick Schmaltz (18-45-63, -3), Matthew Weis (23-34-57, -2), Ryan Lough (19-23-42, +15), Evan Tironese (10-28-38, +2), Connor Hurley (10-26-36, -1)
Goaltenders: Jared Rutledge (45GP, 25-16-4, 2.77, .907, 2 SHO), Cam Hackett (18GP, 5-8-2, 2.59, .908).
Beyond this series: the USHL playoffs
Eastern Conference: (1) Indiana vs. (4) Green Bay; (2) Cedar Rapids vs. (3) Dubuque
Western Conference: (1) Waterloo vs. (4) Sioux Falls; (2) Omaha vs. (3) Sioux City
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Ice 1st round playoff dates
The five dates for the Indiana Ice-Green Bay Gamblers 1st-round series are set
Game 1: Friday 4/11 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday 4/12 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday 4/17 at Resch Center (Green Bay), 8:05 p.m.
Game 4: Friday 4/18 at Resch Center (Green Bay), 8:05 p.m.
Game 5: Monday 4/21 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Game 1: Friday 4/11 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday 4/12 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday 4/17 at Resch Center (Green Bay), 8:05 p.m.
Game 4: Friday 4/18 at Resch Center (Green Bay), 8:05 p.m.
Game 5: Monday 4/21 at Pan Am Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.
Ice finish with win, fall short in Anderson Cup quest
The Indiana Ice finished their most successful regular season with a strong 5-2 victory over the Chicago Steel on the road, but finished two points short in their quest for the Anderson Cup when Waterloo rallied from two one-goal deficits to defeat Cedar Rapids in a shootout.
The Ice finish the season with 91 points (42-11-7), two back of Waterloo (44-11-5). They also learned their playoff opponent, as they'll face Green Bay (30-24-6) in the best-of-5 Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Ice never trailed Saturday, with five different players scoring goals. Included in that batch were Scott Conway -- who finishes the year scoring six of his 33 goals in the final three games -- and Brian Pinho. The latter's third-period game-winner and an earlier assist gave him 28 of each for the year. The Ice finish the year with three 20-goal scorers -- Dwyer Tschantz (24) being the third. He had an assist this evening.
Also of note, Conway and Austin Kosack each finished the year +40, the top forward and defenseman in the USHL in plus-minus.
Matt Roy and Patrick Newell scored power play goals in the first two periods to give the Ice a 2-0 edge. Pinho scored at 3:14 of the third, just 77 seconds after the Steel had cut the lead to one. Conway added an insurance goal, and Tyler Andrew scored an empty-netter to cap the regular season. Jason Pawloski made 31 saves to register his second victory of the week.
Takeaways
1. The regular season is completed, but the playoffs will be a grind. With only half of the USHL's teams making it, the postseason will be a survival contest. We'll have a more in-depth preview in the week, but the Ice and Green Bay split four games this season, and all of them were close. The road team won all four games.
2. The Ice power play was 2-for-6, the second straight game with two PPGs, even though they didn't convert on a two-minute 5-on-3 in the second period. They were 2-for-7 in Friday's loss to Green Bay.
3. As has been the case all season, great balance keyed the Ice offense, and that will be critical when the postseason begins and matchups become key. Coach Jeff Brown has lots of pieces to mix and match with. Brian Pinho (G, A) and Austin Kosack (2A) were the only two players with multi-point games, but nine different players registered a point in the contest.
4. A nice problem to have: Hayden Stewart finished the year 13-1-0 with a 1.28 GAA and a .945 save % for the Ice. Jason Pawloski is 27-8-6/2.46, but has had five solid games to close the year, going 4-1-0 with a 1.81 GAA and .932 sv% in those games.
Game boxscore
USHL playoff matchups
Eastern Conference: (1) Indiana vs. (4) Green Bay; (2) Cedar Rapids vs. (3) Dubuque
Western Conference: (1) Waterloo vs. (4) Sioux Falls; (2) Omaha vs. (3) Sioux City
Looking ahead
The Ice open the playoffs against the Green Bay Gamblers, with Games 1 & 2 slated to be played at Pan Am Pavilion on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12. Both games will begin at 7:05 p.m. The schedule for the remainder of the series will be announced Monday, with the likelihood that Games 3 and 4 would be in Green Bay the weekend of April 18-19. Tickets are $15 for reserved seats and are on sale at the Ice office (925-4423) and Ticketmaster.
The Ice finish the season with 91 points (42-11-7), two back of Waterloo (44-11-5). They also learned their playoff opponent, as they'll face Green Bay (30-24-6) in the best-of-5 Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Ice never trailed Saturday, with five different players scoring goals. Included in that batch were Scott Conway -- who finishes the year scoring six of his 33 goals in the final three games -- and Brian Pinho. The latter's third-period game-winner and an earlier assist gave him 28 of each for the year. The Ice finish the year with three 20-goal scorers -- Dwyer Tschantz (24) being the third. He had an assist this evening.
Also of note, Conway and Austin Kosack each finished the year +40, the top forward and defenseman in the USHL in plus-minus.
Matt Roy and Patrick Newell scored power play goals in the first two periods to give the Ice a 2-0 edge. Pinho scored at 3:14 of the third, just 77 seconds after the Steel had cut the lead to one. Conway added an insurance goal, and Tyler Andrew scored an empty-netter to cap the regular season. Jason Pawloski made 31 saves to register his second victory of the week.
Takeaways
1. The regular season is completed, but the playoffs will be a grind. With only half of the USHL's teams making it, the postseason will be a survival contest. We'll have a more in-depth preview in the week, but the Ice and Green Bay split four games this season, and all of them were close. The road team won all four games.
2. The Ice power play was 2-for-6, the second straight game with two PPGs, even though they didn't convert on a two-minute 5-on-3 in the second period. They were 2-for-7 in Friday's loss to Green Bay.
3. As has been the case all season, great balance keyed the Ice offense, and that will be critical when the postseason begins and matchups become key. Coach Jeff Brown has lots of pieces to mix and match with. Brian Pinho (G, A) and Austin Kosack (2A) were the only two players with multi-point games, but nine different players registered a point in the contest.
4. A nice problem to have: Hayden Stewart finished the year 13-1-0 with a 1.28 GAA and a .945 save % for the Ice. Jason Pawloski is 27-8-6/2.46, but has had five solid games to close the year, going 4-1-0 with a 1.81 GAA and .932 sv% in those games.
Game boxscore
USHL playoff matchups
Eastern Conference: (1) Indiana vs. (4) Green Bay; (2) Cedar Rapids vs. (3) Dubuque
Western Conference: (1) Waterloo vs. (4) Sioux Falls; (2) Omaha vs. (3) Sioux City
Looking ahead
The Ice open the playoffs against the Green Bay Gamblers, with Games 1 & 2 slated to be played at Pan Am Pavilion on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12. Both games will begin at 7:05 p.m. The schedule for the remainder of the series will be announced Monday, with the likelihood that Games 3 and 4 would be in Green Bay the weekend of April 18-19. Tickets are $15 for reserved seats and are on sale at the Ice office (925-4423) and Ticketmaster.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Rutledge, Gamblers stop Ice 4-2
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| The Ice and Gamblers face off for the 3rd period of the Ice's home regular season finale at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Green Bay won 4-2. |
Rutledge had several point-blank saves as the Ice buzzed his net in the closing minutes, and the Gamblers potted two power play goals to seal the game.
The loss sends the Ice two points back of Waterloo in the Anderson Cup race with one game to play, as the Black Hawks beat Cedar Rapids 5-1 on Friday night. Waterloo clinches at least a share of the Anderson Cup with 91 points. The Ice have 89 and can only clinch a share with a win Saturday in Chicago and a regulation loss by Waterloo to Cedar Rapids at home.
Scott Conway continued his hot stick, scoring his 32nd goal of the season midway through the first, scoring in the slot moments after an Ice power play commenced. That goal tied the game at 1-1. Green Bay answered on Anthony Walsh's second goal of the season from the high slot in a 4-on-4 situation. Seconds later, the Gamblers took another penalty and the Ice had a 4-on-3/5-on-3, but were unable to beat Rutledge despite getting a couple of good looks. Green Bay's special teams won out -- Nick Schmaltz scored a power play goal at 5:42 of the second to make it 3-1, and after the Ice cut the lead to one again, Matthew Weis scored with the man advantage at 8:57 of the third.
Alex Talcott's ninth goal of the season cut the deficit to 3-2 with 3:02 left in the second. The PPG came as he redirected Jason Salvaggio's goalmouth pass into the net. The Ice had numerous chances, but Rutledge denied a point-blank try by Conway later in the second -- Conway also had a chance with Rutledge out of position on a loose puck, but couldn't get the puck to settle quickly enough to get a shot on net. The Ice peppered the net often late in the third, with Tyler Pham's wraparound that was stuffed at the post the best of several opportunities.
Hayden Stewart stopped 25 shots, but suffered his first loss as a member of the Ice. He is now 13-1-0 in the blue sweater.
Link to game boxscore
6 thoughts
1. With the Ice no longer in control of their Anderson Cup destiny, it's time to look to the playoffs. A Saturday game against Chicago -- which was eliminated from postseason contention -- will be a solid game to build momentum. Cedar Rapids will face Dubuque in the East's other series, in which CR will have home ice.
2. The Ice's first-round opponent will be either Green Bay or Muskegon. Games 1 & 2 will be at Pan Am Pavilion next Friday/Saturday night, with Games 3 & 4 of the best-of-5 series on the road. Muskegon lead Green Bay by one point, and the two teams face off Saturday night in Muskegon in what is essentially a one-game playoff. Winner heads to Indy next weekend.
3. Conway scored his 12th goal in the last 11 games, and his fifth in the last two.
4. The Ice deployed an all-forward PP unit often on Friday night, which was very good at generating chances and scored the first PPG. The second goal was scored with a traditional 3F/2D alignment on the man advantage.
5. The crowd of 6,404 marked the fifth time this season the Ice have drawn at least 5,000 fans to a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The largest was the traditional Pack the House Night on March 1 (12,100), but tonight's crowd was the second-largest for the Ice and third-largest for the USHL this season.
6. The Ice and Gamblers earned a split in their four-game season series, with the road team winning each game. Indy was 2-1-1 in those games.
Next up: The Ice travel to Chicago on Saturday night to face the Steel in the 2013-14 regular-season finale. Chicago was eliminated from postseason contention with a 3-1 loss to Muskegon.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Ice beat Gamblers!
Every win is a big one, but a road win in Green Bay is a huge one for the Indiana Ice to open a two-game road weekend.
Daniil Tarasov scored 36 seconds into OT to give the Ice a 3-2 victory over the league-leading Gamblers. The OT game meant the Ice gained one point on the Gamblers, who also got a standings point for the OTL.
The game was very cleanly-played -- only one penalty on each team, and all of the goals were scored at even strength.
Tarasov's goal was his 25th of the year and was assisted by linemate Sean Kuraly.
The two also hooked up for the game's first goal midway through the first, as Tarasov had the second assist (and Ryan Obuchowski the first) on Kuraly's 23rd goal of the season at 10:35 of the first. Green Bay's big guns -- Sam Herr and Alex Broadhurst -- answered at 11:49 and 14:58, but Kirill Lebedev, who joined the Ice in January, tied the game in transition with 1:28 left, assisted by R.J. Boyd and goaltender Jon Gillies.
Lebedev was playing in his third game with the Ice -- first since Jan. 21 -- and scored his second goal in those three games.
The goaltenders -- Gillies and Ryan McKay -- dominated from there. Gillies stopped 24 shots, McKay 23 in the game.
One of the new defensemen acquired in Thursday's Alex Barron trade suited up, as Peter Hand skated and had a clean line -- no points, even +/-, no penalty minutes or shots. Trevor Owens, the other defensman acquired in the deal, did not dress. The Ice suited up Jose Delgadillo, Hand, Boyd, Obuchowski, Joe Fiala and Matthew Krug on defense. Of the six who dressed tonight, two were acquired in deals within the last few weeks and a third -- Boyd -- came in a trade over the summer.
Three stars (as chosen by the Gamblers)
1. Alex Broadhurst (GB)
2. Sam Herr (GB)
3. Nolan LaPorte (GB)
Seriously, who should've been the three stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), G, A, GWG
2. Sean Kuraly (Ice), G, A
3. Jon Gillies (Ice), 24 saves, holding GB's potent offense to two goals, and getting an assist of his own.
Daniil Tarasov scored 36 seconds into OT to give the Ice a 3-2 victory over the league-leading Gamblers. The OT game meant the Ice gained one point on the Gamblers, who also got a standings point for the OTL.
The game was very cleanly-played -- only one penalty on each team, and all of the goals were scored at even strength.
Tarasov's goal was his 25th of the year and was assisted by linemate Sean Kuraly.
The two also hooked up for the game's first goal midway through the first, as Tarasov had the second assist (and Ryan Obuchowski the first) on Kuraly's 23rd goal of the season at 10:35 of the first. Green Bay's big guns -- Sam Herr and Alex Broadhurst -- answered at 11:49 and 14:58, but Kirill Lebedev, who joined the Ice in January, tied the game in transition with 1:28 left, assisted by R.J. Boyd and goaltender Jon Gillies.
Lebedev was playing in his third game with the Ice -- first since Jan. 21 -- and scored his second goal in those three games.
The goaltenders -- Gillies and Ryan McKay -- dominated from there. Gillies stopped 24 shots, McKay 23 in the game.
One of the new defensemen acquired in Thursday's Alex Barron trade suited up, as Peter Hand skated and had a clean line -- no points, even +/-, no penalty minutes or shots. Trevor Owens, the other defensman acquired in the deal, did not dress. The Ice suited up Jose Delgadillo, Hand, Boyd, Obuchowski, Joe Fiala and Matthew Krug on defense. Of the six who dressed tonight, two were acquired in deals within the last few weeks and a third -- Boyd -- came in a trade over the summer.
Three stars (as chosen by the Gamblers)
1. Alex Broadhurst (GB)
2. Sam Herr (GB)
3. Nolan LaPorte (GB)
Seriously, who should've been the three stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), G, A, GWG
2. Sean Kuraly (Ice), G, A
3. Jon Gillies (Ice), 24 saves, holding GB's potent offense to two goals, and getting an assist of his own.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
A 1-1-1 weekend
The Ice finished a three-game, three-city weekend with a 1-1-1 mark after today's 6-2 loss on the road to the Green Bay Gamblers in a much-anticipated matchup of the USHL's top two teams.
Green Bay has been the top dog throughout the year, and so today's contest could've been seen as a statement game. Or it could be seen as what it was -- a road game for a team that had to travel from Indy to Muskegon to Green Bay in the span of 36 hours and play three games. What's likely is somewhere in-between. Green Bay again asserted itself as the USHL's top team, and the Ice continue to hold down the No. 2 position.
The upcoming stretch of road games will be key for the Ice to maintain that spot, which would grant them a first-round bye in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Today, the Ice fell behind 2-0 after a period and 4-1 midway through the second as the Gamblers tallied goals from four different goal-scorers -- Alex Broadhurst, Sheldon Dries, Nolan LaPorte and Grant Arnold.
Jacob Fallon scored unassisted 2:51 into the second and Woody Hudson buried a feed from Tyler Pham later in the period to cut Green Bay leads to 2-1 and 4-2 respectively. But the Gamblers got two goals in the first five minutes of the third to put the game away.
Jon Gillies made 27 saves in net, but was chased after 44:53 of time. Dalton Izyk stopped all four shots he faced later in the third period. Green Bay's Ryan McKay made 31 saves to get the win in goal.
USHL boxscore
The loss came on the heels of a 5-3 victory over Muskegon on Saturday in a game that was played at Muskegon, although it was technically an Ice home game. The game was moved due to Super Bowl festivities tying up both the Pepsi Coliseum and Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Fallon, Sean Kuraly and Joe Fiala scored first-period goals, with Jose Delgadillo assisting on two and Kuraly also getting an assist for a two-point period. Fallon also ended up with a two-point night, as he assisted on Daniil Tarasov's power play goal midway through the second that put the Ice up 4-2.
Emil Romig added a key insurance goal on a feed from Ryan Obuchowski at 7:30 of the third to put the Ice up 5-3, and Izyk made it stand up. He stopped 30 shots, but only faced six in the third period due to the Ice's strong defense, to get the victory.
USHL boxscore
The Ice are now 22-9-5 after the weekend, 10 points back of first-place Green Bay, but four ahead of third-place Dubuque and Youngstown.
The Ice will be back on the road this weekend, traveling to Green Bay on Friday, then to Dubuque on Saturday. After a double-home weekend Feb. 10-11, they'll embark on a seven-game road trip.
Green Bay has been the top dog throughout the year, and so today's contest could've been seen as a statement game. Or it could be seen as what it was -- a road game for a team that had to travel from Indy to Muskegon to Green Bay in the span of 36 hours and play three games. What's likely is somewhere in-between. Green Bay again asserted itself as the USHL's top team, and the Ice continue to hold down the No. 2 position.
The upcoming stretch of road games will be key for the Ice to maintain that spot, which would grant them a first-round bye in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Today, the Ice fell behind 2-0 after a period and 4-1 midway through the second as the Gamblers tallied goals from four different goal-scorers -- Alex Broadhurst, Sheldon Dries, Nolan LaPorte and Grant Arnold.
Jacob Fallon scored unassisted 2:51 into the second and Woody Hudson buried a feed from Tyler Pham later in the period to cut Green Bay leads to 2-1 and 4-2 respectively. But the Gamblers got two goals in the first five minutes of the third to put the game away.
Jon Gillies made 27 saves in net, but was chased after 44:53 of time. Dalton Izyk stopped all four shots he faced later in the third period. Green Bay's Ryan McKay made 31 saves to get the win in goal.
USHL boxscore
The loss came on the heels of a 5-3 victory over Muskegon on Saturday in a game that was played at Muskegon, although it was technically an Ice home game. The game was moved due to Super Bowl festivities tying up both the Pepsi Coliseum and Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Fallon, Sean Kuraly and Joe Fiala scored first-period goals, with Jose Delgadillo assisting on two and Kuraly also getting an assist for a two-point period. Fallon also ended up with a two-point night, as he assisted on Daniil Tarasov's power play goal midway through the second that put the Ice up 4-2.
Emil Romig added a key insurance goal on a feed from Ryan Obuchowski at 7:30 of the third to put the Ice up 5-3, and Izyk made it stand up. He stopped 30 shots, but only faced six in the third period due to the Ice's strong defense, to get the victory.
USHL boxscore
The Ice are now 22-9-5 after the weekend, 10 points back of first-place Green Bay, but four ahead of third-place Dubuque and Youngstown.
The Ice will be back on the road this weekend, traveling to Green Bay on Friday, then to Dubuque on Saturday. After a double-home weekend Feb. 10-11, they'll embark on a seven-game road trip.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Ice fall to Gamblers 4-2
One-third of the way through the USHL season, we've been able to find one thing out: The Green Bay Gamblers are the class of the league so far.
Green Bay is now 17-3-1 after completing a two-game sweep of the Ice at the Pepsi Coliseum, winning 4-2 Sunday afternoon.
The Ice led 2-0 after Cody Gyllyng and Sean Kuraly scored 1:24 apart in the first period. Gyllyng's goal was set up by Christian Hilbrich and Kuraly, then Kuraly scored unassisted with the Ice down a man. Despite Peter Maric scoring a couple of minutes later to cut the lead to 2-1 with 6:02 left in the first, the Ice led even though Green Bay held an 18-13 shot advantage in the first.
But the Gamblers took a lead quickly in the second. Alex Broadhurst scored his 13th goal of the year 54 seconds into the period, then Nicholas Schilkey scored his fourth at 3:20 to give the Gamblers a 3-2 edge. The Ice killed off three power plays to keep the deficit at one, but were unable to solve the Green Bay net. Nolan LaPorte sealed the game with an empty-netter.
Kuraly's two-point game extended his scoring streak to five games, with nine points in those five games. He has 10 goals and 21 points in 16 games so far.
Jon Gillies made 32 saves for the Ice in the loss. Green Bay's Ryan McKay made 21 saves for the Gamblers in the win. Both were playing their second game in as many days.
With 24 points and an 11-7-2 record, the Ice are in fourth in the USHL Eastern Conference, 11 points back of the Gamblers, who have taken three of the four meetings between the two teams this season. The Ice have played GB as tough as just about anyone -- two of the meetings have gone to OT, which the teams have split, and today's contest was a one-goal game until the end.
The Ice are five points back of Dubuque -- who visits the Pepsi Coliseum twice this weekend -- and three back of Youngstown.
3 stars
1. Nicholas Schilkey (GB), GWG, +1, 5 shots
2. Sean Kuraly (Ice), goal, assist, SHG, +1, 6 shots
3. Ryan McKay (GB), win, 21 saves, 2 GA.
USHL boxscore
Green Bay is now 17-3-1 after completing a two-game sweep of the Ice at the Pepsi Coliseum, winning 4-2 Sunday afternoon.
The Ice led 2-0 after Cody Gyllyng and Sean Kuraly scored 1:24 apart in the first period. Gyllyng's goal was set up by Christian Hilbrich and Kuraly, then Kuraly scored unassisted with the Ice down a man. Despite Peter Maric scoring a couple of minutes later to cut the lead to 2-1 with 6:02 left in the first, the Ice led even though Green Bay held an 18-13 shot advantage in the first.
But the Gamblers took a lead quickly in the second. Alex Broadhurst scored his 13th goal of the year 54 seconds into the period, then Nicholas Schilkey scored his fourth at 3:20 to give the Gamblers a 3-2 edge. The Ice killed off three power plays to keep the deficit at one, but were unable to solve the Green Bay net. Nolan LaPorte sealed the game with an empty-netter.
Kuraly's two-point game extended his scoring streak to five games, with nine points in those five games. He has 10 goals and 21 points in 16 games so far.
Jon Gillies made 32 saves for the Ice in the loss. Green Bay's Ryan McKay made 21 saves for the Gamblers in the win. Both were playing their second game in as many days.
With 24 points and an 11-7-2 record, the Ice are in fourth in the USHL Eastern Conference, 11 points back of the Gamblers, who have taken three of the four meetings between the two teams this season. The Ice have played GB as tough as just about anyone -- two of the meetings have gone to OT, which the teams have split, and today's contest was a one-goal game until the end.
The Ice are five points back of Dubuque -- who visits the Pepsi Coliseum twice this weekend -- and three back of Youngstown.
3 stars
1. Nicholas Schilkey (GB), GWG, +1, 5 shots
2. Sean Kuraly (Ice), goal, assist, SHG, +1, 6 shots
3. Ryan McKay (GB), win, 21 saves, 2 GA.
USHL boxscore
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.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Games 19 & 20: Ice vs. Green Bay (Sat, 7 p.m.; Sun. 3 p.m.)
The Ice have a budding rivalry with the Green Bay Gamblers, and these two games at the Pepsi Coliseum will go a long way in determining the standings at the top of the Eastern Conference heading into the Christmas break. The Ice will play Green Bay twice this weekend, then face second-place Dubuque twice next season. Green Bay currently leads the Ice by seven points, and the Ice trail Dubuque and Cedar Rapids by less than one game for second and third.
The game pits the Ice's high-scoring offense and power play against Green Bay's stingy defense -- goaltender Ryan McKay leads the USHL in goals against average, while the Ice's Daniil Tarasov-Sean Kuraly-Jacob Fallon line is one of the deadliest in the league. Both teams have tremendous scoring, are loaded with defensemen -- Ryan Obuchowski and Alex Barron lead the Ice on the blueline, Jordan Schmaltz and Andy Welinski do the same for the Gamblers, and are extremely deep.
When the Ice and Gamblers meet, they're nearly always some of the most entertaining, well-played games of the year. Both of their previous meetings were won in overtime by a team trailing by two goals in the third. Should be a great weekend of games.
Tonight's game
Green Bay Gamblers (15-3-1)
at
Indiana Ice (11-5-2)
7:05 p.m., Pepsi Coliseum, Indianapolis, Ind.
3:05 p.m. Sunday, Pepsi Coliseum, Indianapolis, Ind.
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: Tied 1-1
Nov. 23: Ice 4, Green Bay 3, OT (at Resch Center): Ryan Obuchowski GWG, 2G; Jacob Fallon & Robbie Baillargeon G, A each; Jon Gillies 33sv, win (Ice); Brandon Kirk & Sam Herr G, A each; Nolan LaPorte 2A; Ryan McKay 24 sv (Green Bay).
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 (11-5-2, 4th USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 78 (2nd). GA: 52 (7th)
PP: 33.3% (1st). PK: 87.1 % (3rd) PIM: 358 (14th)
OT record: 2-1 SO record: 1-1
Home record: 5-3-1
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (11-14-25), Jacob Fallon (8-13-21), Sean Kuraly (9-9-18), Robbie Baillargeon (7-8-15).
Leading +/-: Alex Barron (+14), Daniil Tarasov (+11), Ryan Obuchowski (+11)
Leading PIM: Woody Hudson (51), Daniil Tarasov (49), R.J. Boyd (45)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (10-3-2, 2.41 GAA, .920sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-2-0, 3.85 GAA, .875 sv%)
Last 5: 3-2-0. Last 10: 5-3-2
Last 5
12/2: vs. Sioux Falls (W 4-1)
11/26: vs. Fargo (W 5-3)
11/25: vs. Sioux City (L 2-4)
11/23: at Green Bay (OTW 4-3)
11/19: at Waterloo (L 2-4)
Gamblers (15-3-1, 1st USHL East)
Head coach: Derek Lalonde
GF: 76 (1st). GA: 40 (1st)
PP: 22.5% (3rd). PK: 88.9% (2nd). PIM: 291 (5th)
OT record: 1-1 SO record: 0-0
Road record: 9-1-0
Leading scorers: Nolan LaPorte (11-9-20), Kyle Novak (8-12-20), Alex Broadhurst (11-6-17), Andy Welinski (6-7-13)
Leading +/-: Andy Welinski (+15), Markus Lauridsen (+12), Nolan LaPorte (+12), Brandon Kirk (+12)
Leading PIM: Sheldon Drees (45), Dakota Mermis (30).
Leading goaltender: Ryan McKay (8-1-1, 1.69 GAA, .932sv%), Michael Rotolo (0-0-0, 2.49 GAA, .943sv%)
Last 5: 4-0-1. Last 10: 8-1-1
Ice next 5 games
12/10: vs. Dubuque
12/11: vs. Dubuque
12/16: at Chicago
12/17: at Chicago
12/18: at Muskegon
Friday notes: Bob Ferguson, Brian Ferlin
The Des Moines Register has a great piece on former Indianapolis Ice coach Bob Ferguson. "Fergie" led the Ice to a division title in 1997.
Fergie coached the Des Moines Buccaneers before his stint with the Ice.
The Green Bay Press-Gazette previews the Gamblers' two games against the Ice this weekend.
Also, a Twitter post noted Brian Ferlin adds to his honors as the national college hockey player of the month for November. Ferlin played for the Ice from 2009-11 and currently is a freshman at Cornell. Ferlin is also a Boston Bruins draft pick.
Fergie coached the Des Moines Buccaneers before his stint with the Ice.
The Green Bay Press-Gazette previews the Gamblers' two games against the Ice this weekend.
Also, a Twitter post noted Brian Ferlin adds to his honors as the national college hockey player of the month for November. Ferlin played for the Ice from 2009-11 and currently is a freshman at Cornell. Ferlin is also a Boston Bruins draft pick.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Ice make Thanksgiving a happy one in OT
The Indiana Ice will have a very happy Thanksgiving after a huge overtime victory in Green Bay tonight.
Defenseman Ryan Obuchowski -- who has a knack for scoring goals at big times in games -- buried a shot at 2:16 of overtime to give the Ice a 4-3 road victory against the USHL-leading Gamblers.
Obuchowski scored twice, also tallying the Ice's first goal, and the Ice rallied from a two-goal third-period deficit to win. Tonight's game almost mirrored the Nov. 11 game between the two teams at the Pepsi Coliseum. Tonight, the Ice came back from a two-goal third-period deficit to win in OT. Tonight, the Ice were dominated for much of the first period and fell behind 2-0, but scored a late goal to make it close.
The goals for Obuchowski were his second and third of the season. He now has eight career USHL goals. He also scored a PPG with nine seconds left in the first to cut a Green Bay lead to 2-1 and give the Ice a big boost going into the first intermission.
Green Bay's Brandon Kirk and Sam Herr scored in the first period -- leading scorer Nolan LaPorte assisted on both -- to make it a 2-0 game before Sheldon Dries was sent off with 42 seconds left in the period, putting the Ice's league-best power play on the ice against the Gamblers' league-best PK.
So far, the Gamblers are 0% against the Ice on the PK -- the Ice were 2-for-2 tonight, they also scored on their only PP in the teams' first meeting. Green Bay's PP was 0-for-6.
Green Bay outshot the Ice 13-4 in the second, but Dries' goal with 4:40 left was the only tally, making it a 3-1 game going into the third.
There, newcomer Ryan Cole assisted on Robbie Baillargeon's PPG just 1:23 into the period -- and with just one second left on Andy Welinski's penalty -- to make it a 3-2 game. The goal extended Baillargeon's scoring streak to seven games. He has six goals and three assists in that span, and is now 7-7-14 for the season in 14 games.
Jacob Fallon then tied the game on assists from defensemen Alexander Kuqali and R.J. Boyd with 7:56 left, and Jon Gillies held the fort down from there. The Ice had to kill off late penalties to Emil Romig and Christian Hilbrich in the final four minutes -- one of which carried over into OT -- before winning it.
Gillies made 36 saves -- all in regulation -- as the Ice were outshot 36-28. The Ice had the only three shots of overtime. Ryan McKay made 24 saves in the loss.
The Ice are now 9-4-2. They and Youngstown -- which also won tonight -- vaulted Cedar Rapids and are now in a third-place tie in the USHL East with 20 points. Dubuque (23 points) and Green Bay (25 points) are in the top two spots, as GB grabbed a point tonight.
The Ice play their next seven games at home. The next three are against Western foes -- Sioux Falls on Friday, Fargo on Saturday and Sioux City on Dec. 2. Then, Green Bay comes back for games Dec. 3 and 4 -- the Sunday game will drop the puck at 3:05 p.m.
Three stars
1. Ryan Obuchowski (Ice), 2 goals, GWG, +1, 6 shots
2. Jacob Fallon (Ice), 1 goal, GTG, +1, 2 shots
3. Brandon Kirk (GB), goal, assist, +3, 2 shots
USHL boxscore
Defenseman Ryan Obuchowski -- who has a knack for scoring goals at big times in games -- buried a shot at 2:16 of overtime to give the Ice a 4-3 road victory against the USHL-leading Gamblers.
Obuchowski scored twice, also tallying the Ice's first goal, and the Ice rallied from a two-goal third-period deficit to win. Tonight's game almost mirrored the Nov. 11 game between the two teams at the Pepsi Coliseum. Tonight, the Ice came back from a two-goal third-period deficit to win in OT. Tonight, the Ice were dominated for much of the first period and fell behind 2-0, but scored a late goal to make it close.
The goals for Obuchowski were his second and third of the season. He now has eight career USHL goals. He also scored a PPG with nine seconds left in the first to cut a Green Bay lead to 2-1 and give the Ice a big boost going into the first intermission.
Green Bay's Brandon Kirk and Sam Herr scored in the first period -- leading scorer Nolan LaPorte assisted on both -- to make it a 2-0 game before Sheldon Dries was sent off with 42 seconds left in the period, putting the Ice's league-best power play on the ice against the Gamblers' league-best PK.
So far, the Gamblers are 0% against the Ice on the PK -- the Ice were 2-for-2 tonight, they also scored on their only PP in the teams' first meeting. Green Bay's PP was 0-for-6.
Green Bay outshot the Ice 13-4 in the second, but Dries' goal with 4:40 left was the only tally, making it a 3-1 game going into the third.
There, newcomer Ryan Cole assisted on Robbie Baillargeon's PPG just 1:23 into the period -- and with just one second left on Andy Welinski's penalty -- to make it a 3-2 game. The goal extended Baillargeon's scoring streak to seven games. He has six goals and three assists in that span, and is now 7-7-14 for the season in 14 games.
Jacob Fallon then tied the game on assists from defensemen Alexander Kuqali and R.J. Boyd with 7:56 left, and Jon Gillies held the fort down from there. The Ice had to kill off late penalties to Emil Romig and Christian Hilbrich in the final four minutes -- one of which carried over into OT -- before winning it.
Gillies made 36 saves -- all in regulation -- as the Ice were outshot 36-28. The Ice had the only three shots of overtime. Ryan McKay made 24 saves in the loss.
The Ice are now 9-4-2. They and Youngstown -- which also won tonight -- vaulted Cedar Rapids and are now in a third-place tie in the USHL East with 20 points. Dubuque (23 points) and Green Bay (25 points) are in the top two spots, as GB grabbed a point tonight.
The Ice play their next seven games at home. The next three are against Western foes -- Sioux Falls on Friday, Fargo on Saturday and Sioux City on Dec. 2. Then, Green Bay comes back for games Dec. 3 and 4 -- the Sunday game will drop the puck at 3:05 p.m.
Three stars
1. Ryan Obuchowski (Ice), 2 goals, GWG, +1, 6 shots
2. Jacob Fallon (Ice), 1 goal, GTG, +1, 2 shots
3. Brandon Kirk (GB), goal, assist, +3, 2 shots
USHL boxscore
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.
Ice vs. Green Bay tonight
In a few short hours, the Ice will take on the Green Bay Gamblers at the Pepsi Coliseum in a matchup of two of the teams near the top of the stacked USHL Eastern Conference.
Both teams will be without top players -- the Ice without Sean Kuraly, GB without defensemen Jordan Schmaltz and Andy Welinski and goaltender Ryan McKay, as they are all participating in the World Junior A Challenge, representing the United States.
Schmaltz, one of the top prospects in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft pool, was traded to the Gamblers this week in exchange for leading scorer David Goodwin. That bolsters an already-strong Gambler defensive unit when everyone will return. Meanwhile, the Ice have had few problems scoring goals and goaltender Jon Gillies has had a tremendous start, with a 1.89 GAA so far this season.
As expected in a matchup of elite teams, the special teams will be in force tonight. The Ice have the league's top power play, the Gamblers the top PK unit. Not only that, but GB's PP (24%) and the Ice's PK are in the top three in the USHL.
Faceoff is 7 p.m. at the Pepsi Coliseum. It's the first of a double-weekend of home games for the Ice, who host Muskegon at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Lumberjacks are facing Youngstown tonight.
Tonight's game
Green Bay Gamblers (8-3-0)
at
Indiana Ice (7-2-1)
7:05 p.m., Pepsi Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: First meeting
Tale of the Tape
Ice (7-2-1, 3rd USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 40 (1st). GA: 25 (3rd)
PP: 34.2% (1st). PK: 89.1 % (4th)
Home record: 3-1-0
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (7-10-17), Jacob Fallon (6-6-12), Alex Barron (1-10-11), Sean Kuraly (4-7-11, will not dress), Robbie Baillargeon (4-4-8, 3 goals last weekend)
Leading +/-: Alex Barron (+9), Daniil Tarasov (+9)
Leading PIM: Daniil Tarasov (27), R.J. Boyd (26)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (6-1-1, 1.89 GAA, .932sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-1-0, 4.20 GAA, .873 sv%)
Last 5
11/5: at Youngstown (SOL 3-4)
11/4: vs. Cedar Rapids (W 5-1)
10/29: vs. Waterloo (L 3-4)
10/28: vs. Waterloo (W 2-0)
10/22: at Lincoln (L 1-3)
Gamblers (8-3-0, 2nd USHL East)
Head coach: Derek Lalonde
GF: 38 (t2nd). GA: 26 (t4th)
PP: 24.4% (3rd). PK: 90.9% (1st)
Road record: 6-1-0
Leading scorers: Nolan LaPorte (6-2-8), Andy Welinski (5-3-8, will not dress), Markus Lauridsen (0-8-8), Kyle Novak (4-3-7).
Leading +/-: Markus Lauridsen (+7)
Leading PIM: Sheldon Drees (24), Dakota Mermis (22).
Leading goaltender: Ryan McKay (4-1-0, 1.60 GAA, .939sv%, will not dress), Adam Wilcox (4-2-0, 2.67 GAA, .906sv%, 1 SHO)
Last 5
11/5: at Waterloo (W 4-0)
11/4: at Des Moines (L 0-4)
10/29: at Sioux City (W 4-1)
10/28: at Fargo (W 4-1)
10/22: vs. Cedar Rapids (L 2-5)
Ice next 5 games
11/12: vs. Muskegon
11/18: at Cedar Rapids
11/19: at Waterloo
11/23: at Green Bay
11/25: vs. Sioux City
Both teams will be without top players -- the Ice without Sean Kuraly, GB without defensemen Jordan Schmaltz and Andy Welinski and goaltender Ryan McKay, as they are all participating in the World Junior A Challenge, representing the United States.
Schmaltz, one of the top prospects in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft pool, was traded to the Gamblers this week in exchange for leading scorer David Goodwin. That bolsters an already-strong Gambler defensive unit when everyone will return. Meanwhile, the Ice have had few problems scoring goals and goaltender Jon Gillies has had a tremendous start, with a 1.89 GAA so far this season.
As expected in a matchup of elite teams, the special teams will be in force tonight. The Ice have the league's top power play, the Gamblers the top PK unit. Not only that, but GB's PP (24%) and the Ice's PK are in the top three in the USHL.
Faceoff is 7 p.m. at the Pepsi Coliseum. It's the first of a double-weekend of home games for the Ice, who host Muskegon at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Lumberjacks are facing Youngstown tonight.
Tonight's game
Green Bay Gamblers (8-3-0)
at
Indiana Ice (7-2-1)
7:05 p.m., Pepsi Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: First meeting
Tale of the Tape
Ice (7-2-1, 3rd USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 40 (1st). GA: 25 (3rd)
PP: 34.2% (1st). PK: 89.1 % (4th)
Home record: 3-1-0
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (7-10-17), Jacob Fallon (6-6-12), Alex Barron (1-10-11), Sean Kuraly (4-7-11, will not dress), Robbie Baillargeon (4-4-8, 3 goals last weekend)
Leading +/-: Alex Barron (+9), Daniil Tarasov (+9)
Leading PIM: Daniil Tarasov (27), R.J. Boyd (26)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (6-1-1, 1.89 GAA, .932sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-1-0, 4.20 GAA, .873 sv%)
Last 5
11/5: at Youngstown (SOL 3-4)
11/4: vs. Cedar Rapids (W 5-1)
10/29: vs. Waterloo (L 3-4)
10/28: vs. Waterloo (W 2-0)
10/22: at Lincoln (L 1-3)
Gamblers (8-3-0, 2nd USHL East)
Head coach: Derek Lalonde
GF: 38 (t2nd). GA: 26 (t4th)
PP: 24.4% (3rd). PK: 90.9% (1st)
Road record: 6-1-0
Leading scorers: Nolan LaPorte (6-2-8), Andy Welinski (5-3-8, will not dress), Markus Lauridsen (0-8-8), Kyle Novak (4-3-7).
Leading +/-: Markus Lauridsen (+7)
Leading PIM: Sheldon Drees (24), Dakota Mermis (22).
Leading goaltender: Ryan McKay (4-1-0, 1.60 GAA, .939sv%, will not dress), Adam Wilcox (4-2-0, 2.67 GAA, .906sv%, 1 SHO)
Last 5
11/5: at Waterloo (W 4-0)
11/4: at Des Moines (L 0-4)
10/29: at Sioux City (W 4-1)
10/28: at Fargo (W 4-1)
10/22: vs. Cedar Rapids (L 2-5)
Ice next 5 games
11/12: vs. Muskegon
11/18: at Cedar Rapids
11/19: at Waterloo
11/23: at Green Bay
11/25: vs. Sioux City
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Huge USHL trade
It had been rumored for a few days, but on Monday, the Sioux City Musketeers and Green Bay Gamblers pulled off a HUGE trade, with the Gamblers dealing their leading scorer to SC and top defenseman Jordan Schmaltz coming to Green Bay.
What are the implications for the Ice? GB just added one of the best players in the league to bolster an already strong team in an already-crowded top of the Eastern Conference.
While Green Bay visits the Pepsi Coliseum this Friday night, Schmaltz will not be in uniform. He is representing the United States in the World Junior A Challenge through this weekend, as is Ice forward Sean Kuraly.
To Green Bay
D Jordan Schmaltz -- one of the top NHL draft prospects this year. A defenseman, he had three goals and three assists in nine games.
F Peter Maric (2-2-4, -5 in 10 games with the Musketeers).
To Sioux City
F David Goodwin (4-5-9 in 11 games with the Gamblers, had been Green Bay's leading scorer)
D Dan Molenaar (1 assist in 5 games)
D Andy Ryan (3 assists, 14 PIM in 11 games)
F Jacob Montgomery (affiliate list, HS player)
In addition, GB has added Jordan's younger brother Nick Schmaltz to its roster, as well as two other players.
Slightly Chilled has a nice analysis.
So does the United States of Hockey, which takes on a bigger-picture look.
What are the implications for the Ice? GB just added one of the best players in the league to bolster an already strong team in an already-crowded top of the Eastern Conference.
While Green Bay visits the Pepsi Coliseum this Friday night, Schmaltz will not be in uniform. He is representing the United States in the World Junior A Challenge through this weekend, as is Ice forward Sean Kuraly.
To Green Bay
D Jordan Schmaltz -- one of the top NHL draft prospects this year. A defenseman, he had three goals and three assists in nine games.
F Peter Maric (2-2-4, -5 in 10 games with the Musketeers).
To Sioux City
F David Goodwin (4-5-9 in 11 games with the Gamblers, had been Green Bay's leading scorer)
D Dan Molenaar (1 assist in 5 games)
D Andy Ryan (3 assists, 14 PIM in 11 games)
F Jacob Montgomery (affiliate list, HS player)
In addition, GB has added Jordan's younger brother Nick Schmaltz to its roster, as well as two other players.
Slightly Chilled has a nice analysis.
So does the United States of Hockey, which takes on a bigger-picture look.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Game 3: Gamblers 2, Ice 1, OT
The Indiana Ice dominated the extra session, but a quick counterrush goal by Green Bay's Austin Czarnik from the mid-slot ended the Ice's season 2-1 tonight.
Czarnik's goal came at 10:16 of overtime, and ended a back-and-forth game that each team controlled for long stretches. It was his third goal of the series.
The Gamblers advance to the USHL East Division finals as they look to defend their Clark Cup championship, as they sweep the series 3-0. They will face either Cedar Rapids or Muskegon in the division final series. Cedar Rapids currently holds a 2-1 lead in that series with Game 4 in Muskegon Monday night. The West Division final was also set tonight, as top-seeded Dubuque will face third-seeded Sioux Falls, both of whom finished off sweeps this evening.
The game-winner came on a quick rush and a feed from Jean-Paul LaFontaine, who fed Czarnik in front of the net. He beat Casey DeSmith with the Gamblers' 41st shot of the game. It was just their second of overtime, as the Ice had peppered the Gambler net with shots. Goaltender Adam Wilcox stopped all nine of the Ice's shots, including stuffing USHL leading scorer Blake Coleman twice on the doorstep.
The Ice carried the play in the opening 20 minutes, and used that momentum to score the game's first goal. Chris Martin carried up the left side and fired a shot that Wilcox stopped, but the rebound kicked right to David Johnstone, who buried it for his third goal of the postseason just 36 seconds into the second period. At that point, the Ice held a 13-4 shot advantage. Green Bay would outshoot the Ice 19-4 over the rest of the period, and 31-9 for the rest of regulation.
Green Bay would get the equalizer midway through the second. Ludwig Karlsson rifled a shot from the mid-slot and tied the game with 5:12 left in the second period.
However, DeSmith was incredible much of the night. Green Bay had five second-period power plays, including an extended 5-on-3. Yet, the Ice were able to stay in it because of their goaltending. In one mid-period sequence, DeSmith robbed Sam Herr and Alex Broadhurst on back-to-back shots, the latter one a sprawling blocker save as he dove to the side of the net to stop the missive. DeSmith made 39 saves in what will be his final game in an Ice uniform. He is headed to the University of New Hampshire next year.
Green Bay was 1-for-7 on the power play. The Ice were 0-for-2.
The energy level picked up as the game went on, and the Ice played like a desperate team in overtime, but Wilcox stood tall, making his first start of the playoffs. He stopped 30 shots and helped Green Bay show why it had the league's best defense. The Gamblers held the Ice to one goal in each of the three games.
A huge -- and spirited -- crowd of 4,305 left disappointed, but having seen a very well-played game.
In the series, Green Bay outscored the Ice 10-3, and was 2-for-15 on the power play. The Ice were 0-for-6. Czarnik's three goals led the Gamblers. The Miami (Ohio) recruit was a 20-goal scorer in the regular season.
Another strong Ice season comes to a close -- as the Ice ended up having the USHL's top two teams -- Cedar Rapids and Green Bay -- in their division this year, and thus made advancing in the playoffs difficult, as both teams were loaded. The Ice were a high-flying, and exciting team. We will likely see Daniil Tarasov, Blake Coleman, Alex Wideman, Will Aide, Chris Martin, Brian Ferlin, Peter Schneider, David Johnstone, Nick Mattson, Alex Barron, Tim Smith, Alexander Kuqali and Casey DeSmith move on from this squad, but there is a handful of players coming back, led by goaltender Jon Gillies, who holds the franchise record for number of consecutive scoreless minutes.
Three stars
1. Austin Czarnik (GB), game-winning goal
2. Casey DeSmith (Ice), 39 saves
3. Adam Wilcox (GB), 30 saves, 1 GA, win
Box score
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