USHL news: Marion update, Lancers changing coach

Over at Slightly Chilled, Ryan Clark says the reported news from May that the group seeking a USHL franchise for Marion is getting its ducks in a row.

Game 7 Seven, LLC -- led by Chicago businessman Val Belmonte -- currently own a dormant franchise assigned to Thunder Bay. The team would play in a $34 million, 4,100-seat rink that is currently under construction on land near the junction of I-69 and State Road 18.

Game 7 Seven's Val Belmonte told Clark that he is confident they'll get approval from the league to start operations for the 2012-13 season. 

Game7Seven site

When this was first announced as a possibility in May, analysis we did of the USHL's markets showed Marion would be the league's second-smallest market in terms of area population (Tri-City is the smallest) and have the smallest median income. However, the Marion franchise would be the only game in town -- save two NAIA colleges and the ever-popular Marion Giants basketball team -- and generally, those teams tend to draw a passionate fan base of civic boosters. This would also increase the profile of Marion, which -- like many north central Indiana towns that once thrived on the auto industry -- has dealt with some recent economic struggles. Mayor Wayne Seybold has worked tirelessly to stabilize and improve the city since then -- and successfully in a lot of ways -- and being a former figure skater, he realizes the value of the rink. It would be the only ice sheet on the I-69 corridor between Fishers and Fort Wayne.

In other USHL news 
The Omaha Lancers will likely be changing coaches. Coach Bliss Littler announced on Twitter this morning that he had been fired, and it was later confirmed by the team. Omaha is 9-8-2 and third in the Western Conference, just five points out of first place and one point out of second. It's unusual to see a midseason coaching change in the USHL -- although the Ice did it twice, replacing Red Gendron with Dean Grillo in 2004-05. It's even more unusual to see it happen to a team that's in playoff contention. Mike Aikens is the new interim head coach for the Lancers.

The Captain to Quinnipiac

Ice captain Alex Barron is headed to play collegiately at Quinnipiac University, according to a statement released by the team today.

Barron is a first-pairing defenseman for the ice, and is tied for second among USHL defenseman with 10 assists. He also has one goal and is the Ice team leader in plus/minus.

Barron will join his brother Loren -- also a former Ice player -- on the Quinnipiac roster. The Bobcats compete in the ECAC.

Barron is the 12th current Ice player to commit to play collegiately:


Boston University: Robbie Baillargeon, Robert Polosello
Denver: Tyler Pham
Michigan State: R.J. Boyd
Northeastern: Jon Gillies
Miami (Ohio): Sean Kuraly
Quinnipiac: Alex Barron
RIT: Woody Hudson, Alexander Kuqali
St. Lawrence: Drew Smolcynski
Vermont: Ian Spencer
Yale: Ryan Obuchowski

Today in history: November 27

Lots o' birthdays today on Nov. 27

Bob Jones: Racers winger for two games in 1975-76. He was scoreless in those two games, his final two major professional games in a career that spanned 163 NHL/WHA games with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Sharks, New York Raiders/Golden Blades/Jersey Knights, Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades. He had 30 goals and 48 assists as a WHA player in 161 games. A native of Espanola, Ont., he is 66. 

Darcy Regier: A mainstay on the blueline for the Checkers in all five of their CHL seasons from 1979-84, and then serving as the IHL franchise's first coach upon retirement as a player in 1984-85. He played 377 games as a Checker, with 13 goals and 93 assists. He also played 46 playoff games for the Checkers, with two goals and 11 assists. He was the CHL's Iron Man Award winner in 1980 and a First-Team All-Star two years later. He was a leader on two Adams Cup championship teams in 1982 and 1983. Regier played 26 NHL games for the Cleveland Barons in 1977-78 and the New York Islanders from 1982-84. Upon retirement as a player, Regier moved into coaching -- briefly -- and then into management. He oversaw the Denver/Utah Grizzlies' back-to-back Turner Cup championships as part of the Islanders' front office, then became the team's interim GM in 1995-96. In 1997, he became the Buffalo Sabres' general manager, and has remained in that position ever since. A native of Swift Current, Sask., he is 55. 

Tim Salmon: Checkers center for 46 games in 1986-87, where he had 12 goals and 24 assists. He played professionally through 1996, but did so primarily in Europe. A native of Ottawa, he is 47. 

Vince Williams: Ice defenseman for 33 games in 1998-99. He had two goals and three assists that year as an Iceman, splitting the year between Indy and ECHL Columbus. He played through 2006, primarily with ECHL, and most of those seasons with the Trenton Titans. A native of Ottawa, he is 36. 

Mike Torkoff: Ice defenseman in 1999-2000, the inaugural CHL season. He had eight goals and 16 assists that season after joining the team early in the year. He also had four points in 15 playoff games, helping lead the Ice to the Miron Cup championship. Torkoff played professionally from 1996-2002, his best season a 36-point year with CHL Fayetteville in 2000-01. A native of Richmond Hills, Ont., he is 40. 

Dennis "Red" Gendron: The Indiana Ice's first coach as a USHL entry. Gendron had spent two years as an assist with the New Jersey Devils from 1994-96 -- winning the Stanley Cup in 1995 and also in 2000 as an assistant coach -- and served as both an assistant and head coach with the Albany River Rats in the AHL before joining the Ice. He coached a partial season with the Ice in 2004-05. After that, he became an assist at UMass, and is currently an assistant at Yale -- taking a position that opened when current Ice coach Kyle Wallack left Yale to take over the Ice. 

Kuraly, Tarasov score twice in Ice win

The Ice are used to having the USHL's top line. 

Last year, it was Blake Coleman-Brian Ferlin-Daniil Tarasov. With Coleman and Ferlin both hearing their names in this summer's NHL Entry Draft and heading on to Miami and Cornell, respectively, the Ice haven't missed a beat with Tarasov's new linemates Jacob Fallon and Sean Kuraly. 

Tonight, that line produced four Ice goals in a 5-3 victory over the Fargo Force, with Tarasov and Kuraly each scoring twice. Fallon had two assists and Kuraly added another for a personal three-point night. Christian Hilbrich added an unassisted goal -- his third of the season -- at 12:17 of the second period. 

The Ice won despite being outshot 44-28 and having their league-best power play held off the scoreboard for the first time in several games. 

The Ice took leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, but Fargo answered each one. Hilbrich's goal midway through the second proved to be the game-winner, and Kuraly added an unassisted goal with 38 seconds left in the game to set the final margin. 

Tarasov started the scoring just 45 seconds in, on assists from his linemates. It was 1-1 after a period, as Fargo's Alex Iafollo took advantage of the Force's third power play of the opening 20 minutes and scored 9 seconds into the man advantage at 16:57. 

The second period was a wild one -- Kuraly made it 2-1 on an unassisted goal at 4:29 of the period, but Fargo's Austin Farley answered with his own unassisted goal 1:44 later. Tarasov's second goal of the night gave the Ice the lead again at 10:19, but Fargo's Dave Gust scored 91 seconds later to tie it again at 3-3. 

The game was only tied for 27 seconds before Hilbrich scored the game-winner. 

The Ice had to kill off a late penalty to Tarasov in the final five minutes to seal the victory. 

Tarasov now has 11 goals and 13 assists, and had four points on the weekend. He is second in the league in scoring, three points back of Lincoln's Kevin Roy. Fallon now has eight goals and 13 assists, and has six points in the Ice's last three games. Kuraly has five points on the weekend and has eight goals and nine assists in just 13 games. Fallon ranks fourth in the league in scoring, Kuraly ninth. Tarasov's 11 goals put him in second in the USHL, three back of Roy's 14 goals. Tarasov and Fallon's 13 assists each also put them second in the league behind Dubuque's Shane South, who has 15. 

Goaltender Jon Gillies made 41 saves in the victory. 

The game marked the return of former Checkers player and IHL Indianapolis Ice coach John Marks to Indianapolis as the Force's head coach. Former CHL Ice player Byron Pool is one of his assistants. 

Three stars

1. Jon Gillies (Ice), 41 saves, 3 GA, win

2. Sean Kuraly (Ice), 2 goals, assist, +3, 5 shots

3. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), 2 goals, +3, 4 shots

Also notable: Ryan Obuchowski (+3), Alex Barron (+4), Jacob Fallon (2 assists, +3)

USHL boxscore

Game 17: Fargo at Ice (11/26)

The Indiana Ice's seven-game homestand continues with a second straight contest against a five-win Western Conference team. The Ice have been strong against the East so far, but Friday's 4-2 loss to Sioux City put them 2-4 against the West. The Ice are 7-1-2 against their own division.

Tonight brings the return of old friend John Marks, the former head coach of the IHL Indianapolis Ice from 1991-93 and a member of the Indianapolis Checkers in 1981-82. Marks was named Fargo's head coach this summer. Marks has also won two Kelly Cup championships as a coach in the ECHL. Another former CHL Ice player, Byron Pool, is on the Fargo coaching staff.

Also notable on the Fargo roster is goaltender Zane Gothberg, who was a Boston Bruins draft pick in 2010. He has pretty good numbers despite a 3-7-2 mark this season. Gothberg got the start against Youngstown on Friday, so it's unknown whether he or Reed Peters will get the start in Indy. The Ice will likely start Jon Gillies, as Dalton Izyk got the call on Friday.

The Sean Kuraly-Daniil Tarasov-Jacob Fallon line accounted for both Ice goals in Friday's loss to Sioux City. The highest-scoring line in the league, it's led by Tarasov's 22 points. Robbie Baillargeon will be trying to start a new point-scoring streak, as his run of seven straight games with a point was snapped on Friday. 


Fargo's offense has struggled recently, as the Force have only scored three goals in their last three games. The Force roster features one double-digit point-getter in 10-goal scorer Austin Farley. Expect a physical battle -- Fargo and Indiana are the second and third-most penalized teams in the USHL.

Tonight's game
Fargo Force (5-10-3)
at
Indiana Ice (9-5-2)
7:05 p.m., Pepsi Coliseum


Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com

Season series: First meeting


Tale of the Tape
Ice (9-5-2, 4th USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 59 (2nd). GA: 48 (7th)
PP: 35.1% (1st). PK: 87.0 % (5th) PIM: 337 (14th)
OT record: 2-1 SO record: 1-1
Home record: 3-3-2
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (9-13-22), Jacob Fallon (8-11-19), Robbie Baillargeon (7-8-15), Sean Kuraly (6-8-14).
Leading +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+9), Alex Barron (+7)
Leading PIM: Woody Hudson (51, will not dress), Daniil Tarasov (45), R.J. Boyd (43)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (8-3-2, 2.48 GAA, .914sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-2-0, 3.85 GAA, .875 sv%)
Last 5: 2-3-0. Last 10: 4-4-2
Last 5
11/25: vs. Sioux City (L 2-4)

11/23: at Green Bay (OTW 4-3)
11/19: at Waterloo (L 2-4)
11/18: at Cedar Rapids (SOW 3-2)
11/12: vs. Muskegon (L 4-5)

Force (5-10-3, 6th USHL West)
Head coach: John Marks 
GF: 43 (12th). GA: 60 (15th)
PP: 19.5% (6th). PK: 81.8% (9th). PIM: 342 (15th)
OT record: 0-2 SO record: 2-1
Road record: 3-4-2
Leading scorers: Austin Farley (10-5-15), Willie Corrin (1-8-9), Bryn Chzyzk (7-1-8) 
Leading +/-: Jordan Nelson (+6), Stanislav Dzakhov (+3)
Leading PIM: Austin Farley (43), Colton Hargrove (33).
Leading goaltender: Zane Gothberg (3-7-2, 2.53, .908 sv%, 1 SHO), Reed Peters (2-3-1, 3.79, .876 sv%)

Last 5: 1-3-1. Last 10: 2-6-2

Ice next 5 games
12/2: vs. Sioux Falls
12/3: vs. Green Bay
12/4: vs. Green Bay
12/10: vs. Dubuque
12/11: vs. Dubuque

Today in history: November 26

November 26 in Indianapolis hockey history

1958: The reigning Turner Cup champion Chiefs have a big night. Billy Short has four assists, Pierre Brillant a goal and three assists and Alex Viskelis two goals and three assists in a 9-4 win over the Troy Bruins. 

Birthdays

Justin Cardwell: Ice winger in 1998-99, their final IHL season. He scored two goals in four games for the Ice, and played in the minors -- primarily at the "AA" level -- through 2004. A native of St. Paul, Minn., he is 38. 

David Johnstone: Ice forward from 2009-11, where he had 26 goals and 54 assists in 105 games. He also had three goals in the 2011 playoffs. He tallied a 20-goal season -- one of several Ice to do so -- in 2010-11. He is currently a freshman at Michigan Tech. A native of Grand Ledge, Mich., he is 20. 

Robbie Baillargeon: Current Ice forward in his first season with the team. He currently ranks third in scoring on the Ice roster, and is considered one of the top American prospects for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. A native of Brewster, Mass., he is 18. 

Ice fall to Sioux City 4-2

Sean Kuraly scored twice for the Ice, but Brett Patterson's second goal of the night midway through the third broke a tie and gave Sioux City the lead for good in an eventual 4-2 victory over the Indiana Ice at Pepsi Coliseum.

The defeat was the Ice's third straight home loss, and drops their record to 9-5-2. They dropped into fourth place and are now seven points back of division leader Muskegon, and two back of third-place Youngstown.

Kuraly's first goal came on the power play with 13:40 left in the first period on assists from Jacob Fallon and Daniil Tarasov -- who each assisted on both goals. Five minutes later, Brett Patterson gave Sioux City the lead back at 2-1.

Kuraly knotted it up two minutes into the second -- scoring his sixth of the year -- but Patterson's second goal came 10 minutes later and gave the Musketeers the lead for good. The Ice, who had stayed out of the penalty box the entire night, took two penalties in the third and Sioux City made them pay for the first, as David Henry scored at 8:24 of the third period to make it a 4-2 game. The Ice only got six shots at the Sioux City net in the third period.

Sioux City's Matt Skoff made 27 saves in the victory. Dalton Izyk stopped 23 Sioux City shots in the loss.

Patterson's goals were his second and third of the season for the Dartmouth recruit.

The Ice next play at home Saturday against Fargo -- another team that comes into the Coliseum with five wins on the season. Fargo fell 3-1 to Youngstown tonight.

Three stars
1. Matt Skoff (SC). 27 saves, 2 GA, win
2. Brett Patterson (SC), 2 goals, +2, 6 shots
3. Sean Kuraly (Ice), 2 goals, +1, 4 shots
USHL boxscore

Ice on the 'Net

Green Bay Press-Gazette story from the Ice's win at Green Bay on Wednesday.

Also,
Niagara University has a nice piece on ex-Ice defenseman Robert Martini.

Game 16: Sioux City at Ice

Tonight, the Ice begin a seven-game homestand with the first of three straight games against Western Conference foes. This weekend provides a strong chance for the Ice to put some pressure on first-place Green Bay, as they play two five-win teams at home, starting with tonight's contest against Sioux City. Saturday night, Fargo comes to town in a rematch of the 2009 Clark Cup Finals.

The Musketeers have dropped two straight games, but have been a high-scoring team of late. However, they've also allowed the most goals in the USHL, while the Ice possess some of the league's top snipers. Daniil Tarasov is the league's second-leading scorer and Robbie Baillargeon is in the midst of a seven-game scoring streak.

Sioux City sports one of the league's stronger scorers in David Goodwin, who was acquired in a trade from Green Bay last week. Peeking ahead, when the Ice face Fargo on Saturday night, it will mark the return of former Checker and former IHL Indianapolis Ice coach John Marks to Indianapolis. Marks is now the head coach of the Force.


Tonight's matchup:
Tonight's game
Sioux City Musketeers (5-10-0)
at

Indiana Ice (9-4-2)
7:05 p.m., Pepsi Coliseum


Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com

Season series: First meeting


Tale of the Tape
Ice (9-4-2, t3rd USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 57 (2nd). GA: 45 (6th)
PP: 34.6% (1st). PK: 88.0 % (3rd) PIM: 333 (15th)
OT record: 2-1 SO record: 1-1
Home record: 3-2-2
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (9-11-20), Jacob Fallon (8-9-17), Robbie Baillargeon (7-8-15, 7-game scoring streak), Robert Polosello (5-7-12), Sean Kuraly (4-8-12).
Leading +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+8), Alex Barron (+7)
Leading PIM: Woody Hudson (51, will not dress), Daniil Tarasov (43), R.J. Boyd (43)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (8-3-2, 2.48 GAA, .914sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-1-0, 3.76 GAA, .881 sv%)
Last 5: 2-2-1. Last 10: 4-4-2
Last 5
11/23: at Green Bay (OTW 4-3)

11/19: at Waterloo (L 2-4)
11/18: at Cedar Rapids (SOW 3-2)
11/12: vs. Muskegon (L 4-5)
11/11: vs. Green Bay (OTL 4-5)

Musketeers (5-10-0, 8th USHL West)
Head coach: Brett Larson
GF: 45 (10th). GA: 59 (16th)
PP: 13.2% (10th). PK: 84.9% (6th). PIM: 213 (3rd)
OT record: 0-0 SO record: 0-0
Road record: 2-4-0
Leading scorers: David Goodwin (7-8-15; 3-2-5 in 5 games with SXC); Brad Robbins (8-6-14), Pontus Johannsen (6-4-10)

Leading +/-: Pontus Johannsen (+3), Jordan Boucher-Gould (+3)
Leading PIM: Dane Cooper (32), Josh Erickson (31).
Leading goaltender: Matt Skoff (3-6-0, 3.11, .913 sv%, 1 SHO); Austin Priebe (2-4-0, 4.40 GAA, .846 sv%)

Last 5: 2-3-0. Last 10: 4-6-0

Ice next 5 games
11/26: vs. Fargo 12/2: vs. Sioux Falls
12/3: vs. Green Bay
12/4: vs. Green Bay
12/10: vs. Dubuque

Today in history: November 25

November 25 in Indianapolis hockey history

1959: After three and a half seasons in net, three playoff appearances and a Turner Cup championship (as well as a stint as assistant coach), goaltender Cliff Hicks is released by the Chiefs. Hicks backstopped 159 games – a team record. Chuck Adamson would replace him and be in net for 115 games, most of the rest of the team’s history. 

Birthday

Andy Cozzi: Right wing for the Checkers in 1985-86, where he had four goals and an assist in 14 games. The Miami University graduate also played the following two seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals before retiring. A native of New Rochelle, N.Y., he is 48. 

Today in history: Nov. 24

Happy Thanksgiving. Let's look back on this date in history.

1956: Chiefs coach Leo Lamoreaux fines the entire team $25 because “I want 60 minutes of hockey out of every player, not 45 or 50.” Fort Wayne scored forl goals in a seven-minute span in th second period and beat the Chiefs 5-4. 

Birthdays

Art Herchenratter: Capitals left wing in 1940-41, tallying a goal and six assists in 39 games. He also suited up in 10 games for the Red Wings that season. A strong defensive forward, his was one of many careers interrupted by WWII -- he played for AHL New Haven and AHA Omaha the next year, then went off to the war and returned to play one more season in 1946-47. A native of Kitchener, Ont., he was born in 1917. He passed away in 1989. 

Roy Sawyer: Capitals right wing in 1945-46. He started the year in Indy, then was traded to the St. Louis Flyers on Dec. 26 in a multiplayer deal. He had five goals and six assists total that season in 51 games for both teams. Sawyer played the next year with USHL Fort Worth and AHL Springfield, then retired. A native of Oshawa, Ont., he was born in 1920. 

Christian Laflamme: Ice defenseman in 1996-97, he had five goals, 15 assists and 62 PIMs in 62 games, helping lead the Ice to an IHL division title. The hard-hitting blueliner got the call to the Blackhawks that season, and stuck the next year. The Blackhawks' second-round pick in 1995, he played 324 NHL games between 1996-2004 with Chicago, Edmonton, Montreal and St. Louis, then played in Europe and senior hockey in Quebec through 2010. A native of St. Charles, Quebec, he is 35. 

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

Today in history: Nov. 22-23

This date in Indianapolis hockey history

November 22

Birthdays

Wendell "Jamie" Jamieson: Capitals right wing in the Calder Cup championship season of 1941-42. He came over in a mid-season trade with the Providence Reds, and totaled 22 points between the two teams. He was a rookie that year, and would play professionally through 1951, primarily in the AHL with Washington, Pittsburgh, Providence, Cleveland, St. Louis and Philadelphia. A native of Brantford, Ont., he was born in 1914. 

Tom Micallef: Chiefs defenseman in 1959-60, tallying 11 goals and 32 assists, as well as 77 PIMs, in 61 games. He would return to the IHL after playing two years of senior hockey in 1963-64, and then retire. A native of Toronto, he was born in 1937. 

Bert Marshall: The Indianapolis Checkers' first coach. Marshall led the Chex from 1979-81, leading them to a total record of 84-62-13. He would leave the Checkers to take a coaching position with the NHL Colorado Rockies, and would be the team's head coach in 24 games, in which they went 3-17-4 and would move to New Jersey the following year. Marshall also played six games for the Checkers that season as a defenseman. He actually has some ties to Indianapolis' first entry into the CHL, as he made his pro debut for the Cincinnati Wings -- the renamed Indianapolis Capitols -- in 1963-64. He was in the NHL by 1965 and played 15 seasons -- and 868 games -- in the NHL with the Red Wings, Oakland/California Seals, Rangers and Islanders. He was a mainstay on the blueline for the Isles in their first six seasons as they made a run to respectability that would eventually lead them to four Stanley Cups. He is currently a Carolina Hurricanes scout, and his name appears on the Stanley Cup from the 'Canes' championship in 1996. Other than Ice captain Ron Handy's two-game stint as interim player/coach on an emergency basis in 1988-89, Marshall is the last player-coach in Indianapolis hockey history. A native of Kamloops, B.C., he is 68. 

Tom Rothstein: Left wing who played 25 games for the Checkers in 1985-86, totaling 11 goals and 10 assists. The University of Minnesota grad also played 13 games for IHL Flint that season, his only pro hockey year. A native of Grand Rapids, Minn., he is 50. 

Darin Kimble: Rugged right wing who played nine games for the Ice in 1995-96. He had a goal and 15 PIMs during his stint. He amassed 1,082 penalty minutes in an NHL career that spanned 311 games and stints in Quebec, St. Louis, Boston and Chicago from 1988-95. He was dealt to New Jersey during his stint with the Ice and then played through 2002 in the minors. A native of Lucky Lake, Sask., he is 43. 

November 23

1950: The Capitals begin a two-week, eight-game road trip, largely against eastern clubs. Defenseman Steve Black doesn’t go on the trip because he left his car in the hotel parking lot without antifreeze and didn’t want to leave it for the two weeks he would be gone. Red Wings general manager Jack Adams suspends him, he will soon be traded to Chicago. 

Birthdays

Bernie Ruelle: Capitals player in 1943-44, during the height of World War II. He had eight goals and 15 assists in that stint. He also played two games for the Red Wings and scored a goal that season. He played one more postwar season in the Pacific Coast Hockey League before retiring. A native of Houghton, Mich., he was born in 1920. 

Gerry Moore: The Indianapolis Racers' first coach. The Racers went 19-61-3 under his watch. He shepherded the team through a tough expansion season in 1974-75, and then was fired after going 1-4-0 in five games the following year -- in which replacement Jacques Demers would take over and eventually lead the team to a division title. Moore was an accomplished minor-leaguer as a player -- primarily in the IHL -- and coach. He was the CHL's Coach of the Year in 1974 with the Oklahoma City Blazers. A native of Ottawa, Moore was born in 1931. 

Will Hamele: Ice goaltender for one game in 2003-04. He had 14 shutout minutes in that contest. He played 11 other games that season in the ECHL, the only pro season for the Fredonia State graduate. A native of Dearborn, Mich., he is 33. 

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

Ice pick up forward from Lincoln

The Indiana Ice announced today that they have picked up Ryan Cole in a trade with the Lincoln Stars.

Cole was acquired for future considerations. He will wear number 10, and likely be in uniform for Wednesday's game at Green Bay.

Cole had two assists in 12 games with the Stars. The Anchorage, Alaska native is 5-9, 175 and is a 1992 birthdate, so this will be his final USHL season. Last year, he was the leading scorer for New Hampshire's Kimball Union Academy, with 29 goals and 51 points.

“He is a very competitive player with a great shot as well,” Ice head coach Kyle Wallack said in a team release. “In addition, his overall enthusiasm for the game will definitely help our program.”

The USHL also announced earlier this week that Ice forward Woody Hudson has been suspended for three games. Hudson was given a team-record 37 penalty minutes -- including two fighting majors, a third major for leaving the bench, and a double-game misconduct -- in the Ice's 4-2 loss to the Waterloo Black Hawks last Saturday night. Hudson will be out all three games this week and return for the Dec. 2-4 homestand against Dubuque and Green Bay. 

Today in history: November 21

Birthdays

Byron "Butch" McDonald: Capitals winger from 1939-41, and again in 1944-45. He played 95 games for the Caps, with 25 goals and 68 assists. He was part of a division championship team in 1940 and had a 13-30-43 year the following season. He also played 66 NHL games for Detroit and Chicago. A native of Assinobia, Sask., he was born in 1916. He passed away in 2006. 

Alex McKendry: A second-round pick by the Indianapolis Racers in the 1976 WHA draft, McKendry never suited up for the city's WHA team, but did play for the Checkers in 1979-80. He also was the Islanders' first-round pick in 1976 and went the NHL route, allowing him to tally 40 goals and 37 assists in 76 games -- as well as six playoff points in four games that season. McKendry would be traded to the Calgary Flames the following year. He played 46 NHL games with the Islanders and Flames before retiring in 1983. A native of Midland, Ont., he is 55. 

Brian Arrigoni: Ice forward in 2006-07, where he had six goals and three assists and 98 PIMs in 59 games. He played the following year in the NAHL, and is currently a senior at Div. III Hamline University, where he has tallied double-digit goals in each year of his college career. A native of St. Paul, Minn., he is 24.

Today in history: November 20

Birthdays

James Farelli: Right wing for the Chiefs in 1958-59, where he had two goals and five assists in six games. He played nine pro seasons from 1953-62. A native of Capreol, Ont., he was born in 1931. 

Ross Smith: Racers right wing for 15 games in 1974-75. He had a goal and six assists. He played three pro seasons from 1973-76, the latter two in the Racers system, primarily with their affiliate in Mohawk Valley. A native of Westlock, Alb., he is 58. 

Bogdan Savenko: Ice right wing in 1994-95, where he had 18 goals and 17 assists in 62 games. After his stint with the Ice, he played two more years in North America with AHL Syracuse and IHL Quebec, then headed to Europe to play in Sweden, the Czech Republic and Russia before retiring in 2002. A native of Kiev, Ukraine, he is 37.

Today in history: Nov. 14-19

Today in Indianapolis hockey history

November 14 

1962: The Chiefs’ bus breaks down en route from Minneapolis to Fort Wayne, so they hop on a commercial bus. At one point, they go 22 hours without a meal, and coach Alex Shibicky herds the team into two hotel rooms because he’s short on cash before the game. The weary Chiefs lead for much of the game, but lose 3-2, giving up two goals to Fort Wayne's Ron Baryluk 20 seconds apart in the third period. The Chiefs also come home with the Komets’ Sid Garant, who was having salary difficulties in Fort Wayne. 

Birthdays

Jeff Sanger: Ice goaltender during their final CHL season in 2003-04. He had a 20-17-2 record, a 2.85 GAA and six shutouts for that Ice outfit. The Colorado College grad played three pro seasons, including five games in the AHL. A native of Madison, Wis., he is 33.

Tibor Kutalek: Ice winger for three games in 2005-06, scoring one goal. He played two high-scoring NAHL seasons after that, scoring 76 goals, before playing professionally in his native Slovakia. A native of Skilca, Slovakia, he is 25. 

Lukas Klimek: Ice forward in 2005-06, totaling 10 goals and 14 assists to go along with 78 PIMs in 57 games. Ever since, he has played for Vitkovice in the Czech Republic, where he has 71 career points. A native of Ostrava, Czech Republic, he is 25.

November 15

1958 : Germain “Red” Leger has a five-point night – 3 goals, 2 assists – in a 6-2 Chiefs victory over Toledo.  

Birthdays

Ron Buchanan: Racers center in their first two seasons, from 1974-76. He had 20 goals and 22 assists in 55 games as a Racer. Buchanan broke into big-league hockey in 1966 with the Boston Bruins, but found a home in the WHA, where he played 205 career games with Cleveland, Edmonton and Indianapolis and had 185 career points. A native of Montreal, he is 67. 

Mel Hewitt: Checkers left wing in 1985-86, where he had 18 goals, 16 assists and 210 PIMs in 54 games. He had four points in five playoff games that season, too. The rugged winger played 10 pro seasons, primarily in the AHL and IHL, from 1978-88, his best year a 28-goal, 54-point, 504 PIM season with IHL Saginaw in 1979-80.

Chris Terreri: Goaltender who played three games for the Ice in 1997-98. He was 2-0-1 with a 1.00 GAA, allowing just three goals and posting a shutout in his stint. Terreri enjoyed a 15-year NHL career, beginning in 1986 with the New Jersey Devils. He was the Devils' primary starter from 1990-94, when he gave way to Martin Brodeur. He also suited up for San Jose, Chicago, the Islanders and had a second stint in New Jersey. Terreri was also the goaltender for the U.S. Olympic Team in 1988. The Providence College grad also pioneered the practice of goaltenders placing water bottles on the net while playing in college -- which would become standard throughout hockey within a year. He also won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 1995. After retiring, he began coaching, and is currently the Devils' goaltending coach. A native of Providence, R.I., he is 47.

November 16

1978: The Racers -- on the brink of extinction -- announce they’re trading leading scorer Rich Leduc and defenseman Kevin Morrison to Quebeck for three draft picks – when the WHA hadn’t had a draft in two years. 

Birthdays 

Tom Wilson: Capitals goaltender in 1945-46, where he had a 3.72 GAA and five shutouts in 55 starts for the team, which was beginning to hit its stride as an AHL contender in the postwar period. A native of Paris, Ont., he was born in 1921. 

Brent Sapergia: The Ice's first big-scoring forward, Sapergia played 52 games for the inaugural Ice team in 1988-89, with 43 goals, 33 assists and 246 PIMs on a rough, penalty-filled team. Sapergia teamed with Ron Handy to provide much of the offense for the inaugural team. He'd continue to be a high-scoring, high-penalty player throughout a career that took him to Europe, the ECHL, the CHL, the Southern Hockey League and five different IHL teams. He had five 40-goal seasons in his career and two 50-goal seasons. A native of Flin Flon, Man., he is 49.

Sean Logue: Ice winger in 2009-10, scoring three goals and an assist in 23 games. He went from there to St. Lawrence, where he is currently a winger. A native of Walpole, Mass., he is 21.

November 17

1960: Ab DeMarco takes over as coach of the Chiefs as Leo Lamoureaux asks to be relieved of his duties. Leo would soon check into the hospital with acute hepatitis, a disease that would be fatal.  

Birthdays

Blair MacDonald: Right wing for the Racers from 1975-77. He played 131 games as a Racer, with 53 goals and 41 assists. He also played 16 postseason games. His biggest year came in 1976-77, where he had 34 goals and 64 points in 81 games, and was the team's leading goal scorer. In the postseason, he had seven goals and eight assists in nine games. He played 695 games in the NHL and WHA for Edmonton (in two stints), the Racers and Vancouver, with 262 goals and 265 assists. His year with the Racers in 1976-77 started the best stint of his career, where he scored 34 goals in three straight years -- the latter two with Edmonton, then had 46 goals and 48 assists with the Oilers in their first year in the NHL, in 1979-80. He also coached upon retirement, leading the Muskegon Lumberjacks to the 1989 Turner Cup championship -- and was the IHL's Coach of the Year that season. He also coached against the Ice with Muskegon in the 1990 Turner Cup Finals. A native of Cornwall, Ont., he is 48.  

Bobby Simpson: Left wing for the Checkers in 1985-86, where he had 16 goals and 24 assists in 55 games. Simpson played 11 pro seasons, and was the Racers' first-round pick (No. 4 overall) in the 1976 WHA draft, and the Atlanta Flames' second-round pick in the same year in the NHL Entry Draft. He chose to go the NHL route, and played 175 NHL games with the Flames, Blues and Penguins. He had 64 NHL points. He retired after the 1987 season, then came out of retirement 10 years later to play 13 games for Saginaw in the Colonial Hockey League. A native of Caughnawaga, Quebec, he is 55.

November 18

Birthday

Bob Stoddart: Capitals defenseman in 1943-44, splitting the year between Indianapolis and Providence. He had three points in 54 overall games that year .Stoddart primarily played in the IHL through 1951 before retiring. A native of Seaford, Ont., he was born in 1916.

November 19

1959: The Chiefs mercifully break a nine-game losing streak to start the season with a 4-2 victory over St. Paul. Cliff Hicks makes 51 saves in the win. 

1974: The Racers are beaten 10-0 by the Houston Aeros, the worst loss in franchise history.  

Birthdays

Nick Murray: Left wing who played nine games for the Chiefs in 1959-60, scoring two goals and adding two assists. A native of Campbellton, N.B., he was born in 1938.  

Neil Hawryliw: A high-scoring left wing for the Checkers from 1979-82. He played 208 games for the blue and orange, scoring 83 goals and 75 assists. His best year was a 37-42-79 year in 1980-81. The following year, he got the callup to the New York Islanders for one game. He played six more seasons, all in the IHL -- four with Muskegon and two with Kalamazoo. All told, he played 11 pro seasons from 1976-87. A native of Fielding, Sask., he is 56.

Kevin Goumas: Ice forward in 2009-10, where he had 12 goals and 29 assists in 59 games. He also had a goal and four assists in nine postseason games that year. He took his talents to the University of New Hampshire, where he is currently playing. He had 18 points as a freshman in 2010-11. A native of Lake Worth, Fla., he is 20.

 

Ice split weekend, fall to Waterloo 4-2

The Indiana Ice split a two-game Iowa road trip, falling 4-2 to the Waterloo Black Hawks in a penalty-filled game Saturday night.

Four of the six goals were scored on the power play, and both teams spent considerable time on it -- as both were 2-for-8 with the man advantage, and the game featured 135 penalty minutes -- 64 by the Ice, 71 by Waterloo.

Much of the action came in the opening 20 minutes, as the host Black Hawks scored four goals in the span of 6:38 to take a 4-1 lead going into the first period break and chased Ice netminder Jon Gillies early.

The Ice had two early power plays, but were unable to convert. On the Hawks' second PP, Tony Camaranesi scored to make it 1-0 with 9:30 left in the opening period. The next Ice penalty resulted in another goal by Taylor Cammarata with 4:07 left in the first, as the Black Hawks' top two scorers netted goals that made it a 2-0 game. Fifty-one seconds later, Waterloo's Jamie Hill scored to make it 3-0 and call it a night for Gillies, who allowed three goals on nine shots in 16:44 of action.

Dalton Izyk came on and quickly got a boost when the Ice scored with 2:21 left in the first -- and 55 seconds after Hill's goal. Just five seconds into a holding penalty to Waterloo's Aaron Pearce, Alexander Kuqali buried a point shot on assists from Jacob Fallon and Daniil Tarasov to get the Ice on the board. It was Kuqali's second goal of the year and the third of his USHL career. But, just 29 seconds later, Waterloo's Joe Rehkamp restored the three-goal edge with his third goal in the last two meetings against the Ice, completing a flurry that saw the two teams combine for four goals in 2:15.

Kuqali's goal capped a pretty good week for the Ice defenseman, who also committed to RIT earlier in the week. 


But that was just the start.

With exactly a minute to go in the period, the two teams got into a melee that saw the Ice's R.J. Boyd get into a melee that saw four players ejected and five given fighting majors -- as , which escalated as the Blackhawks' Mitch Witek, Peter Hand and James Hansen got involved, as did the Ice's Woody Hudson. Of the five players, Witek was the only one who got out with only a 5-minute major -- the other four were all given game misconducts. Boyd was given an instigator, a major and a game. Hand was given a major and a game misconduct. Hansen was given a game misconduct for leaving the bench, while Hudson got two fighting majors, a third major for leaving the bench and a double-game misconduct -- one for leaving the bench, one for fighting -- 37 PIMs in all for the Ice forward.

So, both teams were playing with shortened benches with only 16 skaters available for the second period -- a bench that got shorter for Waterloo when Hill and Scott MacDonald were both given 10-minute misconducts for abuse of officials.

The Ice spent much of the second period with the man advantage, earning four power plays. On the third, Cody Bradley was able to score on a feed from Sean Kuraly -- but they could not take further advantage, as Waterloo goaltender Jay Williams shut the door, making 28 total saves on the night on 30 Ice shots -- 10 in each period.

Gillies made six saves and took the loss, allowing three goals. Izyk stopped 17 shots in his 43:16 of action.

The Ice are now 8-4-2 and in a tie with Cedar Rapids for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. They play three games this coming week -- heading to first-place Green Bay for a Thanksgiving Eve showdown, and then returning to the Pepsi Coliseum for the first of seven straight at home to face Sioux City (Friday) and Fargo (Saturday).

The game also saw an Ice streak snapped, as forward Robbie Baillargeon was held scoreless for the first time in six games. Tarasov had eight shots and did get on the scoreboard with an assist. He is the league's second-leading scorer with 21 points on the year. It was his second straight game with a point.


3 stars
1. Jay Williams (WAT), 28 saves, 2GA, win
2. Joe Rehkamp (WAT), goal, assist, +2, 3 shots

3. A.J. Michaelson (WAT), 2 assists, +2

USHL boxscore

Game 14: Ice at Waterloo

The back half of a two-game weekend commences Saturday night as the Ice visit the Waterloo Black Hawks.

The Ice extended their fine road record with a 3-2 shootout victory in Cedar Rapids Friday night. Waterloo has won two straight, including a 6-3 drubbing of defending Clark Cup champion Dubuque Friday night at home. Both teams are in third place in their respective USHL divisions. Both also feature two of the USHL's top scorers in the Ice's Daniil Tarasov (20 points) and Waterloo's Taylor Cammarata (15 points). And they've split two meetings so far.

Interestingly, three of the Ice's last four games have gone to OT/SO. Friday's win over CR was the Ice's first in those game and their second victory in a game tied at the end of regulation this season.

Tonight's game (Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011)
Indiana Ice (8-3-2, T3rd, USHL East)
at
Waterloo Black Hawks (7-5-1, 3rd, USHL West)
8 p.m., Young Arena, Waterloo, Iowa
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com

Season series: tied 1-1
Oct. 29 (at Pepsi Coliseum): Black Hawks 4-3: Joe Rehkamp 2G, GWG with :05 left, Jay Williams 21sv (WAT); Jacob Fallon G/A, Daniil Tarasov 2A (Ice). 
Oct. 28 (at Pepsi Coliseum): Ice 2-0: Jacob Fallon, Christian Hilbrich 1G each, Jon Gillies 30 sv, SHO (Ice). .

Tale of the Tape
Ice (8-3-2, t3rd USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 51 (t2nd). GA: 37 (t4th)
PP: 33.3% (1st). PK: 88.5 % (4th) PIM: 257 (13th)
OT/SO record: 1-1 OT, 1-1 SO

Road record: 5-1-1
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (9-11-20), Jacob Fallon (7-8-15), Robbie Baillargeon (6-6-12, 7 points last 5 games), Alex Barron (1-10-11), Sean Kuraly (4-7-11).

Leading +/-: Alex Barron (+8), Daniil Tarasov (+7)
Leading PIM: Daniil Tarasov (39), Jacob Fallon (27)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (7-2-2, 2.22 GAA, .921sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-1-0, 4.46 GAA, .869 sv%)
Last 5: 2-2-1 Last 10: 5-3-2
Last 5
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)
11/4: vs. Cedar Rapids (W 5-1)

Black Hawks (7-5-1, 3rd, USHL West)
Head coach: P.K. O'Handley

GF: 36 (14th). GA: 37 (t4th)
PP: 7.1% (16th). PK: 81.0% (11th) PIM: 199 (t5th)
OT/SO record:0-0 OT, 0-1 SO

Home record: 4-2-0
Leading scorers: Taylor Cammarata (7-8-15), Tony Camaranesi (2-6-8), Vince Hinostroza (4-3-7)

Leading +/-: Marc Naclerio (+6), Taylor Cammarata (+5)
Leading PIM: Peter Hand (31), Joe Rehkamp 925)

Leading goaltender: Jay Williams (5-3-1, 2.52 GAA, .908sv%), Eamon McAdam (2-2-0, 2.56 GAA, .915sv%)

Last 5: 3-2-0 Last 10: 5-5-0

Ice next 5 games
11/23: at Green Bay11/25: vs. Sioux City
11/26: vs. Fargo
12/2: vs. Dubuque
12/3: vs. Green Bay

Ice win in shootout

An old cliche is that a two-goal lead is the most dangerous lead in hockey.

For the third straight Indiana Ice game, a team rallied from a two-goal third-period lead -- last weekend, the Ice lost one and rallied back from a two-goal deficit, but dropped both games. Friday in Cedar Rapids, the Ice built a quick two-goal lead, then saw the RoughRiders tie the game in the closing minutes.

But this time, Cody Gyllyng and Daniil Tarasov scored in the shootout and Jon Gillies stopped both Riders shooters to deliver a 3-2 victory on the road.

The Ice improved to 3-0-0 against Cedar Rapids this year and 8-3-2 on the season in total. The Ice are the only visiting team to win in the Cedar Rapids rink -- winning the season opener in OT and now Friday's victory.

All of the scoring happened in the third, as Gillies stopped 15 shots and CR's Matt McNeely stopped 21 Ice missives through two periods. The Ice killed two penalties, the Riders one in the first 40.

With the Ice on their second power play thanks to a high-sticking minor to CR's Blake Butzow, Tarasov buried a shot to give the Ice a 1-0 lead at 4:47 of the third on assists from Ryan Obuchowski and Robbie Baillargeon -- the latter extending his scoring streak to five games with the helper. It was Tarasov's ninth goal of the year in 13 games.

Just 19 seconds later, Ice defenseman Ian Spencer scored from Emil Romig.

But Cedar Rapids stormed back, scoring twice in the final five minutes, first on a rebound goal by Nathan Widman with 4:29 to play and then on a tally by Anders Schultz 2:06 later.

That set up OT, where both teams got 2 shots. Gillies stopped Stu Wilson and Riley Bourbonnais, while Tarasov and Gyllyng scored for the Ice.

The Ice welcomed Sean Kuraly back to the lineup after he spent two weeks representing the United States and the USHL in the World Junior A Challenge. They played without forward Drew Smolczynski, who was serving a one-game suspension, and will be eligible to return to the lineup Saturday at Waterloo.

The victory keeps the Ice in a third-place tie with Youngstown at 18 points, one back of second-place Dubuque. Green Bay leads the division with 22 points.

3 stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice) goal, GWG in shootout
2. Anders Schultz (CR), game-tying goal
3. Gerald Mayhew (CR), 2 assists

Next up: at Waterloo (Saturday, 8 p.m.)

Ice Jan. 27-28 games moved due to Super Bowl

Due to Super Bowl festivities, the Ice's Jan. 27-28 home games have been moved to accommodate Super Bowl-related events at Pepsi Coliseum.

The Jan. 27 home game against Chicago will be at a TBA site. The Ice announced that season ticketholders will be accommodated first when the site is chosen.

The Jan. 28 home game against Muskegon has been moved to the L.C. Walker Sports Arena in Muskegon -- the Lumberjacks' home ice.

Game 13: Ice at Cedar Rapids

The Ice head to the road to face two Hawkeye foes this weekend -- the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders on Friday, then they'll head to Waterloo to meet the Black Hawks on Saturday night.

Both games will drop the puck at 8 p.m.

The Ice and RoughRiders are in a three-way logjam for third place in the USHL's Eastern Conference, each with 16 points (tied with Youngstown). They're all four points back of Green Bay and three points behind Dubuque -- the two defending Clark Cup finalists.

Cedar Rapids -- which seems to be a perennial Ice playoff foe -- has three players with double-digit points in Gerald Mayhew, Nick Saracino and Austin Ortega. Last year, the Riders won the Anderson Cup -- the USHL regular-season title -- largely behind their goaltending. The Riders have two veteran netminders in Jake Hildebrand -- who was acquired from Sioux City -- and Matt McNeeley.

The Ice are coming in on an 0-1-2 streak, having dropped two 5-4 heartbreakers at the Coliseum last weekend. On Friday, the Ice led 4-2 in the third, but saw Green Bay rally to win it in OT. On Saturday, the Ice rallied to tie Muskegon, but then allowed the GWG late in the third. The Ice will be playing without Drew Smolczynski, who will be serving a one-game suspension. He will return for the Waterloo game Saturday night.

Tale of the Tape
Tonight's game (Friday, Nov. 18, 2011)
Indiana Ice (7-3-2, T3rd, USHL East)
at
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (7-3-2, T3rd, USHL East)
7:05 p.m., Pepsi Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com

Season series: Ice lead 2-0
Nov. 4 (at Pepsi Coliseum): Ice 5-1: Daniil Tarasov 2G/A, Jacob Fallon G/2A; Alex Barron & Emil Romig 2A; Jon Gillies 26sv (Ice); Nick Saracino G (CR).
Oct. 1 (at CR): Ice 4-3, OT. Daniil Tarasov 2G, GWG, Matthew Krug 2A, Jon Gillies 30 sv (Ice); Matt McNeeley 34sv (CR)


Tale of the Tape
Ice (7-3-2, t3rd USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 48 (2nd). GA: 35 (t6th)
PP: 32.6% (1st). PK: 87.9 % (4th) PIM: 251 (13th)
OT/SO record: 1-1 OT, 0-1 SO

Road record: 4-1-1
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (8-11-19), Jacob Fallon (7-8-15), Robbie Baillargeon (6-5-11, 6 points last 4 games), Alex Barron (1-10-11), Sean Kuraly (4-7-11, will not dress).

Leading +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+8), Alex Barron (+8)
Leading PIM: Daniil Tarasov (39), R.J. Boyd (26)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (6-2-2, 2.27 GAA, .919sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-1-0, 4.46 GAA, .869 sv%)
Last 5: 1-2-2 Last 10: 5-3-2
Last 5
11/13: vs. Muskegon (L 4-5)

11/12: vs. Green Bay (OTL 4-5)
11/5: at Youngstown (SOL 3-4)
11/4: vs. Cedar Rapids (W 5-1)
10/29: vs. Waterloo (L 3-4)

RoughRiders (7-3-2, T3rd, USHL East)
Head coach: Mark Carlson

GF: 43 (t5th). GA: 35 (t6th)
PP: 15.1% (8th). PK: 84.6% (9th) PIM: 171 (3rd)
OT/SO record:0-2 OT, 1-0 SO

Home record: 3-0-1
Leading scorers: Gerald Mayhew (9-3-12), Nick Saracino (3-9-12), Austin Ortega (7-3-10)

Leading +/-: Nick Saracino (+11), Gerald Mayhew (+8)
Leading PIM: Preston Hodge (33)

Leading goaltender: Jake Hildebrand (5-2-1, 2.72 GAA, .912 sv%); Matt McNeely (2-1-1, 3.21 GAA, .893 sv%)

Last 5: 3-2-0 Last 10: 6-3-1

Ice next 5 games
11/19: at Waterloo
11/23: at Green Bay
11/25: vs. Sioux City
11/26: vs. Fargo
12/2: vs. Dubuque