April 14 in Indianapolis hockey history
2012: Ice goaltender Jon Gillies is credited with a goal in a 6-3 victory over Des Moines in the Ice's first-ever home game played at the University of Notre Dame. Gillies was the last Ice player to touch the puck before the Buccaneers misfired on a pass that ended up in an empty net. Daniil Tarasov closes out a 47-goal regular season with a goal and an assist.
2011: The Ice open the playoffs with a 4-0 shutout of Waterloo. Casey DeSmith made 38 saves for the shutout. Dan Cesarz, Brian Ferlin and David Johnstone scored second-period goals and Blake Coleman added a third-period power play goal. Daniil Tarasov had two assists.
2010: The Ice complete a rally from two games down to beat the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders 3-2 in both the game and the series. Anthony Bitetto's unassisted goal at 4:09 of OT vaults the Ice into the next round. Brian Ferlin and Jacob Fallon staked the Ice to a 2-0 second-period lead, but Cedar Rapids tied the game with 5:08 left in regulation. Casey DeSmith made 37 saves for his third straight win. Ferlin (G, A) and Alex Wideman (2A) had multi-point games. It marked the second straight year the Ice had eliminated Cedar Rapids in a fifth game on the road.
2007: Eric Kattelus scores twice and assists on another goal, and John Kemp adds a goal and two assists as the Ice beat the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets 7-2 to close out the season at the Coliseum. Cody Reichard makes 27 saves for the win.
2000: The Ice open the CHL semifinal series against Oklahoma City with a 3-1
victory, backstopped by a fine performance by Jamie Morris. Yvan Corin scores the game-winner.
1990: The Ice rout Peoria 7-1 to take a 2-1 lead in their IHL division semifinal series. Jim Waite gets the win in net and Bob Bassen tallies the game-winner.
1984: The Checkers take a 3-2 edge in their first-round series against Colorado, winning 6-5 on Kevin Devine's goal 8:58 into overtime. The Checkers stormed back from a 5-2 deficit in the third, with Red Laurence, Roger Kortko and Monty Trottier scoring in the final period, the latter coming on the power play with 1:34 left. Laurence had two goals in the game. Todd Lumbard stopped 17 shots in relief to get the win.
1977: The Racers take a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round series against Cincinnati, winning 5-3 at Market Square Arena. Brian McDonald scores a shorthanded goal to break a tie at 7:10 of the third, assisted by Nick Harbaruk and goaltender Paul Hoganson. Blair MacDonald adds an insurance goal with seven minutes left to net the hat trick. The McDonald/MacDonald combo scores all five goals.
Happy birthday to ...
Mark Lomenda: Right wing who played 58 games for the Racers -- all but two in the 1976-77 season. He also played two games the prior year. He had nine goals and 21 assists. His claim to fame is assisting on Gene Peacosh's 3OT goal that ended the longest game in WHA history, as the Racers beat Cincinnati 4-3 in the opening game of the 1977 playoffs. Lomenda played 164 WHA games from 1974-77, with 31 goals and 61 assists. He retired after 1979. A native of Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, he is 60.
Richard Adolfi: Right wing who played 21 games for the Checkers in 1985-86, shortly after turning professional. He had two goals and two assists with the Checkers, and played three full minor pro seasons, all in the IHL. A native of Rome, NY, he is 49.
Dave Allison: Defenseman who finished his 10-year pro hockey career with the Ice in 1988-89, tallying seven assists and 105 PIMs in 34 games. He played in the AHL & IHL for his entire career, and played three NHL games with Montreal in 1983-84. He was a player-assistant coach for the Ice. and became a head coach the year after in the ECHL, and has had a long coaching career since, including a 22-game NHL stint with the Ottawa Senators in 1995-96. He is currently an assistant with the AHL Chicago Wolves. A native of Fort Frances, Ontario, he is 55.
Lonnie Loach: Remembered primarily for his exploits with the Fort Wayne Komets - especially in ending the Ice's stellar 1990-91 season in the playoffs (a year in which he was the IHL's leading scorer with 131 points) - Loach played three games for the Ice in 1989-90. He spent nearly all of his 16-year professional career in the IHL, playing for Saginaw, Flint, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Phoenix, San Diego, Detroit, San Antonio, Long Beach, Kansas City and Chicago alone in the IHL. He also played for two AHL teams and parts of two seasons in Europe. He played 56 NHL games between 1992-94, playing 50 for the Los Angeles Kings in 1992-93 on a team that went to the Stanley Cup Final. He also played three games each for Ottawa and Anaheim. He finished his career in 2005-06 playing in the UHL for Missouri. A native of New Liskeard, Ontario, he is 46.
Brett Peterson: Forward who played 56 games for the Ice in 2006-07. He had 12 points and 78 PIMs in that stint, before playing two collegiate seasons at Minnesota State-Mankato. A native of Elk River, Minnesota, he is 26.
Showing posts with label Jon Gillies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jon Gillies. Show all posts
Monday, April 14, 2014
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Ice get weekend off to good start
In front of 11,949 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the annual Pack the House Night, Jon Gillies showed the season's largest crowd why he's one of the top draft-eligible goaltenders in North America.
Gillies stopped all 32 shots he faced to outduel Matthias Dahlstrom in what turned out to be a 2-0 Ice victory over the Chicago Steel.
The two goaltenders locked horns for the first two periods -- Dahlstrom stopped all 20 Ice shots in the opening 40 minutes, including 16 in the second period. Gillies made 17 saves.
The Ice's Kirill Lebedev -- a midseason pickup who was playing his fifth game as an Iceman tonight -- scored just 36 seconds into the third on a feed from Daniil Tarasov to break the ice.
With Gillies in net, it would be all the offense the Ice needed. He stopped all 15 shots he faced in the third, and Lebedev set up Tarasov for an empty-netter to seal it in the final minute. Ryan Obuchowski had the second assist on both goals.
The Ice improved to 24-10-5 with the victory and stayed two points ahead of Dubuque and Youngstown, who remain tied for third in the USHL Eastern Conference.
The shutout was Gillies' third of the year and sixth of his two-year USHL career.
The Ice are back in action Saturday at the Pepsi Coliseum against the Muskegon Lumberjacks. It will be their final home game before embarking on a long road trip.
3 stars
1. Jon Gillies (Ice) 32 saves, shutout, win
2. Kirill Lebedev (Ice), G, A, GWG, +2, 3 shots
3. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), G, A, +2, 8 shots
USHL boxscore
Gillies stopped all 32 shots he faced to outduel Matthias Dahlstrom in what turned out to be a 2-0 Ice victory over the Chicago Steel.
The two goaltenders locked horns for the first two periods -- Dahlstrom stopped all 20 Ice shots in the opening 40 minutes, including 16 in the second period. Gillies made 17 saves.
The Ice's Kirill Lebedev -- a midseason pickup who was playing his fifth game as an Iceman tonight -- scored just 36 seconds into the third on a feed from Daniil Tarasov to break the ice.
With Gillies in net, it would be all the offense the Ice needed. He stopped all 15 shots he faced in the third, and Lebedev set up Tarasov for an empty-netter to seal it in the final minute. Ryan Obuchowski had the second assist on both goals.
The Ice improved to 24-10-5 with the victory and stayed two points ahead of Dubuque and Youngstown, who remain tied for third in the USHL Eastern Conference.
The shutout was Gillies' third of the year and sixth of his two-year USHL career.
The Ice are back in action Saturday at the Pepsi Coliseum against the Muskegon Lumberjacks. It will be their final home game before embarking on a long road trip.
3 stars
1. Jon Gillies (Ice) 32 saves, shutout, win
2. Kirill Lebedev (Ice), G, A, GWG, +2, 3 shots
3. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), G, A, +2, 8 shots
USHL boxscore
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Today in history: Jan. 22-24
Life intervened the last few days, so we got a bit behind on the Today in History posts. So, here's the last 3 days.
January 22
1950: Pat Lundy scores four goals for his second time as a Capital in a victory over the Springfield Indians.
Birthdays
Greg Gilbert: Checkers winger for 24 games as a pro rookie in 1982-83. He had 11 goals and 16 assists in those games, and quickly earned a callup to the New York Islanders, where he had 19 points in 45 games and helped the Isles win the Stanley Cup. He actually got his name on the Cup the year before as a late-season callup from junior who played in four postseason games. He had 31 goals the following season, his first full year in the NHL, and played in 21 playoff games to help bring the Isles to the Cup Finals for the fifth straight year. Gilbert would go on to play 15 years in the NHL with the Islanders, Blackhawks, Rangers and Blues. He had 378 points in 837 NHL games. He won the Stanley Cup three times -- with the Isles in 1982 and 1983 and the Rangers in 1994. He also played in the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals with Chicago. He is currently the head coach of the OHL's Saginaw Spirit. A native of Missasauga, Ont., he is 50.
Todd Carlile: Checkers defenseman in 1986-87, and also a member of the Ice in 1988-89, making him one of a couple of players -- joining Ron Handy -- who played for the Checkers/Ice franchise in both the final Chex and first Ice season. He had 11 goals, 40 points and 102 PIMs in 50 games as a Checker, and had five assists in four games in 1988-89. Those would be the only pro seasons for the former Michigan Wolverine. A native of St. Paul, Minn., he is 48.
Chris Rogles: Ice goaltender from 1993-95. In 87 games, he was 28-42-8 with a 3.67 GAA, often playing alongside Christian Soucy. Rogles joined the Ice as a rookie out of Clarkson University, and played one more season in North America -- in both the IHL and ECHL -- before a long career in Europe. A native of St. Louis, he is 43.
Marc Hussey: Ice defenseman from 1996-98. In 37 games, he had two goals and seven assists. He came to the Ice in a trade at the end of the 1996-97 season to help the team finish off a division championship season and join the playoff push, and then played 23 games with the Ice the following year before being dealt to Milwaukee. He played in the IHL/AHL through 1999, then played several seasons in Europe. A native of Chatham, N.B., he is 38.
Jon Gillies: Ice goaltender from 2010-12. He is one of the most-heralded draft-eligible netminders in the country. In the 2010-11 season, he set a club record for the longest scoreless streak. He was 15-6-2 with a 2.82 GAA in 2010-11 with three shutouts, and then took the starter's job the following year, where he vaulted to the top of the USHL in nearly every goaltending category. He is committed to play collegiately at Northeastern. A native of South Portland, Maine, he is 18.
January 23
1947: The Capitals and Springfield Indians finish a game despite three power failures
at the Coliseum. It was finished with “soft lights.” Springfield won 5-4
despite Cliff Simpson’s two goals.
1957: Pete Wywrot scores four goals in 8-5 Chiefs win over Fort Wayne, and yet gets overshadowed as Pierre
Brillant sets a club record with six assists and adds a goal for a seven-point
night.
Birthdays
Justin Lafayette: Ice center for 51 games in 1991-92. He had seven goals and 10 assists. The Ferris State grad played one more professional season in the ECHL. A native of Mississauga, Ont., he is 42.
Dalton Izyk: Ice goaltender in 2011-12. He dressed for a couple of games in 2010-11, but did not play, and then joined the team full-time the following year, teaming with Jon Gillies in net. A native of Oswego, N.Y., he is 18.
Birthdays
Benoit Cassan: Ice defenseman for eight games in 1999-2000. He had two goals for the Ice. He also played briefly with Macon and Memphis in the CHL that season, his lone pro season. A native of Gloucester, Ont., he is 34.
Qamil "Charlie" Elezi: Ice winger for 61 games from 2000-02, playing three games in 2000-01, and 58 the following year. He had four goals, six assists and 223 PIMs with the Ice. He began playing professionally in 1998 with CHL Oklahoma City, then played four more years -- three in the UHL, one with OKC -- before retiring in 2006. A native of Warren, Mich., he is 35.
Joel Whited: Ice forward for five games in 2006-07. He played most of that year -- and all of the following year -- in the Tier II NAHL, then played at Div. III Wisconsin-Stout. He is one of a handful of Hoosiers to suit up for a local hockey team. A native of Indianapolis, he is 25.
Prospects game recap: Baillargeon East MVP
Three Ice players participated in tonight's USHL-NHL Prospects Game in Muskegon -- essentially, the replacement for the All-Star Game, the contest shows off the top draft-eligible players from across the league.
The Ice's Robbie Baillargeon shone brightly, scoring the East's first two goals in a 5-3 victory. He also had several more good chances, getting five shots on goal.
Baillargeon's first goal came when he stole a clearing pass and deked goaltender Stephon Williams out of position in the goalmouth before slinging the puck into the open net with 1:46 left in the first. It cut the West lead to 2-1, but Baillargeon quickly tied the game in the second, cashing in on a great goalmouth feed from Muskegon's Jordan Masters at 4:07.
The Ice's Robert Polosello also had an assist on a goal at 10:06 of the second scored by Green Bay's Nicholas Schilkey -- a goal that initially wasn't allowed, but was upon further consultation with the goal judge. Polosello also got five shots off.
Jon Gillies was the winning goaltender. He came in with a 3-2 lead midway through the second, quickly allowed the tying goal on a deflection, and then was a brick wall, stopping 19 consecutive shots to seal the victory.
Former Ice player Cody Bradley, now of the Dubuque Fighting Saints, also played for the East in the game.
USHL boxscore
The Ice's Robbie Baillargeon shone brightly, scoring the East's first two goals in a 5-3 victory. He also had several more good chances, getting five shots on goal.
Baillargeon's first goal came when he stole a clearing pass and deked goaltender Stephon Williams out of position in the goalmouth before slinging the puck into the open net with 1:46 left in the first. It cut the West lead to 2-1, but Baillargeon quickly tied the game in the second, cashing in on a great goalmouth feed from Muskegon's Jordan Masters at 4:07.
The Ice's Robert Polosello also had an assist on a goal at 10:06 of the second scored by Green Bay's Nicholas Schilkey -- a goal that initially wasn't allowed, but was upon further consultation with the goal judge. Polosello also got five shots off.
Jon Gillies was the winning goaltender. He came in with a 3-2 lead midway through the second, quickly allowed the tying goal on a deflection, and then was a brick wall, stopping 19 consecutive shots to seal the victory.
Former Ice player Cody Bradley, now of the Dubuque Fighting Saints, also played for the East in the game.
USHL boxscore
Saturday, January 21, 2012
All good things ...
When the Ice swept two games against a hot Dubuque team at the Pepsi Coliseum in early December, little did we know that it would touch off an 11-game streak without a regulation loss.
A little bit of symmetry happened Saturday night, as the Fighting Saints scored three first-period goals and then held on to beat the Ice 5-4 in Dubuque.
Dubuque entered the third period with a 5-0 lead, but the Ice scored four times in the third period to nearly steal the game. Daniil Tarasov had a hat trick, including two goals 30 seconds apart in the final minute to cut the Fighting Saints' lead to one.
Christian Hilbrich also scored for the Ice, and Jacob Fallon had two assists.
But the early part of the game didn't start off well for the Ice. The contest started with a bang -- Woody Hudson and Dubuque's Matt Youso dropped the gloves just four seconds into the game. But at 8:31, Tarasov was given a five-minute major for head contact, and Dubuque cashed in with Milos Bubela scoring on the power play for his first USHL goal just 43 seconds later. Just 11 seconds after the penalty ended, Dubuque's Eric Freschi scored a second goal. Shane Sooth, the Saints' second-leading scorer, added a third goal in the final minute of the first period.
That chased Ice goaltender Jon Gillies, who stopped 12 of the 15 shots he faced. Dalton Izyk came on for the final two periods. Dubuque scored twice in the second period and held the Ice to five shots. Sooth and Dubuque leading scorer Zemgus Girgensons assisted on both goals. Both finished with four-point nights. Sooth had a goal and three assists, Girgensons four assists.
Tarasov got hot in the third, notching his seventh multi-goal game of the year and his first hat trick of the season. The hat trick gave him 60 goals and 120 points for his USHL career, and moved him within one goal of Green Bay's Austin Farley for second on the USHL scoring list. Lincoln's Kevin Roy leads with 28 goals. Tarasov has 23 this season, to go along with 22 assists. Roy (53), Farley (48) and Tarasov (45) are also 1-2-3 in points. At +21, Tarasov is also third in the league in +/-.
He scored a power play goal at 6:30 of the third on an assist from Fallon. Hilbrich scored unassisted two minutes later, and then Tarasov scored with 38 and 8 seconds left, the latter with Izyk pulled for an extra attacker.
The final-minute outburst meant that Izyk became the goaltender of record, as Dubuque's fifth goal became the game-winner. Saints goaltender Matt Morris made 14 saves, including three on seven third-period shots. Izyk stopped 12 of the 14 shots he faced.
The Ice have a three-game, three-city weekend next weekend, starting at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Friday against Chicago, then up to Muskegon on Saturday and Green Bay on Sunday afternoon. The Friday and Saturday home games were forced to have venue changes due to Super Bowl festivities at the Fairgrounds.
A little bit of symmetry happened Saturday night, as the Fighting Saints scored three first-period goals and then held on to beat the Ice 5-4 in Dubuque.
Dubuque entered the third period with a 5-0 lead, but the Ice scored four times in the third period to nearly steal the game. Daniil Tarasov had a hat trick, including two goals 30 seconds apart in the final minute to cut the Fighting Saints' lead to one.
Christian Hilbrich also scored for the Ice, and Jacob Fallon had two assists.
But the early part of the game didn't start off well for the Ice. The contest started with a bang -- Woody Hudson and Dubuque's Matt Youso dropped the gloves just four seconds into the game. But at 8:31, Tarasov was given a five-minute major for head contact, and Dubuque cashed in with Milos Bubela scoring on the power play for his first USHL goal just 43 seconds later. Just 11 seconds after the penalty ended, Dubuque's Eric Freschi scored a second goal. Shane Sooth, the Saints' second-leading scorer, added a third goal in the final minute of the first period.
That chased Ice goaltender Jon Gillies, who stopped 12 of the 15 shots he faced. Dalton Izyk came on for the final two periods. Dubuque scored twice in the second period and held the Ice to five shots. Sooth and Dubuque leading scorer Zemgus Girgensons assisted on both goals. Both finished with four-point nights. Sooth had a goal and three assists, Girgensons four assists.
Tarasov got hot in the third, notching his seventh multi-goal game of the year and his first hat trick of the season. The hat trick gave him 60 goals and 120 points for his USHL career, and moved him within one goal of Green Bay's Austin Farley for second on the USHL scoring list. Lincoln's Kevin Roy leads with 28 goals. Tarasov has 23 this season, to go along with 22 assists. Roy (53), Farley (48) and Tarasov (45) are also 1-2-3 in points. At +21, Tarasov is also third in the league in +/-.
He scored a power play goal at 6:30 of the third on an assist from Fallon. Hilbrich scored unassisted two minutes later, and then Tarasov scored with 38 and 8 seconds left, the latter with Izyk pulled for an extra attacker.
The final-minute outburst meant that Izyk became the goaltender of record, as Dubuque's fifth goal became the game-winner. Saints goaltender Matt Morris made 14 saves, including three on seven third-period shots. Izyk stopped 12 of the 14 shots he faced.
The Ice have a three-game, three-city weekend next weekend, starting at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Friday against Chicago, then up to Muskegon on Saturday and Green Bay on Sunday afternoon. The Friday and Saturday home games were forced to have venue changes due to Super Bowl festivities at the Fairgrounds.
A smashing debut & 7 straight
New Iceman Kirill Lebedev scored the game's first goal tonight and the Ice won their seventh straight game -- and extended their regulation unbeaten streak to 11 games (9-0-2) in a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Steel on the road tonight.
Lebedev scored the game's first goal, giving the Ice a 1-0 lead after a period. Former Steel defenseman R.J. Boyd and Robbie Baillargeon -- who each assisted on Lebedev's goal -- each had two assists on the night. Robert Polosello also scored twice. The Ice -- who possess two of the league's best special teams units -- also scored power play and shorthanded goals in a complete victory.
With Green Bay losing to the USNDTP U18s tonight, the Ice gained two points on the Gamblers and now trail by seven points. The Ice are 21-7-4 with 46 points and a game in hand on GB. The Ice are also five points ahead of Dubuque, whom they visit Saturday night.
Polosello has caught fire of late, and has tallied a point in six straight games. He scored on a feed from Ryan Obuchowski 1:54 into the second to give the Ice a two-goal cushion. Sean Kuraly added a power play goal four and a half minutes later to give the Ice a 3-0 edge. It was his 19th goal of the year, putting him one behind team leader Daniil Tarasov. Kuraly now has a seven-game point streak going.
Chicago's Bo Pieper and Jacob Slavin scored within the next five minutes to cut the lead to 3-2, but Jon Gillies slammed the door the rest of the night, making 29 saves. He stopped all 10 Chicago shots in the third period, during which Polosello added a shorthanded goal.
Matthias Dahlstrom made 39 saves for Chicago in the loss, as the Ice held a 43-31 shot edge.
Jacob Fallon and Alex Barron were both plus-2 on the night for the Ice.
Tarasov was scoreless, but he got off a whopping 10 shots on goal during the game.
3 stars
1. Robert Polosello (Ice), 2 goals, +1, 2 shots
2. Bo Pieper (Chicago), goal, +1, 2 shots
3. R.J. Boyd (Ice), 2 assists, +1, 1 shot
USHL boxscore
Lebedev scored the game's first goal, giving the Ice a 1-0 lead after a period. Former Steel defenseman R.J. Boyd and Robbie Baillargeon -- who each assisted on Lebedev's goal -- each had two assists on the night. Robert Polosello also scored twice. The Ice -- who possess two of the league's best special teams units -- also scored power play and shorthanded goals in a complete victory.
With Green Bay losing to the USNDTP U18s tonight, the Ice gained two points on the Gamblers and now trail by seven points. The Ice are 21-7-4 with 46 points and a game in hand on GB. The Ice are also five points ahead of Dubuque, whom they visit Saturday night.
Polosello has caught fire of late, and has tallied a point in six straight games. He scored on a feed from Ryan Obuchowski 1:54 into the second to give the Ice a two-goal cushion. Sean Kuraly added a power play goal four and a half minutes later to give the Ice a 3-0 edge. It was his 19th goal of the year, putting him one behind team leader Daniil Tarasov. Kuraly now has a seven-game point streak going.
Chicago's Bo Pieper and Jacob Slavin scored within the next five minutes to cut the lead to 3-2, but Jon Gillies slammed the door the rest of the night, making 29 saves. He stopped all 10 Chicago shots in the third period, during which Polosello added a shorthanded goal.
Matthias Dahlstrom made 39 saves for Chicago in the loss, as the Ice held a 43-31 shot edge.
Jacob Fallon and Alex Barron were both plus-2 on the night for the Ice.
Tarasov was scoreless, but he got off a whopping 10 shots on goal during the game.
3 stars
1. Robert Polosello (Ice), 2 goals, +1, 2 shots
2. Bo Pieper (Chicago), goal, +1, 2 shots
3. R.J. Boyd (Ice), 2 assists, +1, 1 shot
USHL boxscore
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Ice defeat U18s, extend streak to 11 + roster moves
Led by Daniil Tarasov's two goals and a goal and an assist from Tyler Pham, the Ice extended their unbeaten streak to 11 straight games (and their winning streak to six straight) with a 4-3 victory over the U.S. National Team Development Program U18 squad Friday at the Pepsi Coliseum.
For Tarasov, his two-goal game gave him 20 goals for the year, second-best in the USHL behind Lincoln's Kevin Roy (26). With 42 points, Tarasov is also second to Roy in that category.
Pham's night marked his second two-point game of his young USHL career. He also had a goal and an assist on Dec. 17 against Chicago, a 6-2 Ice victory. The team's top pick in the 2011 USHL Entry Draft, Pham now has two goals and five assists.
Christian Hilbrich -- fresh off his commitment to Cornell -- also scored a goal for the Ice, who built a 4-1 lead with three second-period goals.
Team USA started the scoring just 96 seconds in, on a goal by highly-touted defenseman Jacob Truba. Tarasov tied the game with 2:28 left in the period on the power play -- the Ice were 1-for-2 with the man advantage.
Things exploded in the second. Pham scored unassisted just 44 seconds in to give the Ice the lead. Tarasov buried a feed from Robert Polosello just 1:08 later. Then, a minute after the USA switched goaltenders, Pham and Drew Smolcynski set up Hilbrich's game-winner at 13:42 of the second.
The Ice's three goals came on just six shots. Starter Collin Olson allowed three goals on 15 shots, but only stopped two of the four shots he faced in the period. Backup Jared Rutledge came in midway through the period and allowed Hilbrich's game-winner a minute later. He would stop nine of 10.
It became the game-winner because Team USA's Miles Koules scored with 2:41 left in the second, and Matthew Lane scored with 2:38 left in the third. Trouba assisted on both goals.
Jon Gillies made 31 saves for the Ice.
The Ice are now 20-7-4 as they begin the second half of the season, and remain seven points back of first-place Green Bay. They are off until next weekend, when they visit Chicago on Friday and Dubuque on Saturday.
Roster notes: Sean Kuraly returned to the lineup tonight after missing both games last weekend. He was scoreless and a minus-1. Jose Delgadillo, acquired earlier in the week from Sioux City in exchange for Alexander Kuqali, made his Ice debut. ... He wore No. 2 and was a plus-1. ... Ryan Cole has been dealt to Amarillo in the Tier II NAHL. Cole had been acquired from Lincoln earlier in the season for future considerations and had two goals and two assists in 10 games. ... The Ice have also added Russian forward Kirill Lebedev to the roster. He will wear number 91. He is from Magnitogorsk, Russia, and is currently 20, so he is in his lone year of USHL eligibility.
Three stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), 2 goals, 6 shots, +2
2. Tyler Pham (Ice), goal, assist, 2 shots, +2
3. Ryan Obuchowski (Ice), assist, +2
USHL boxscore
For Tarasov, his two-goal game gave him 20 goals for the year, second-best in the USHL behind Lincoln's Kevin Roy (26). With 42 points, Tarasov is also second to Roy in that category.
Pham's night marked his second two-point game of his young USHL career. He also had a goal and an assist on Dec. 17 against Chicago, a 6-2 Ice victory. The team's top pick in the 2011 USHL Entry Draft, Pham now has two goals and five assists.
Christian Hilbrich -- fresh off his commitment to Cornell -- also scored a goal for the Ice, who built a 4-1 lead with three second-period goals.
Team USA started the scoring just 96 seconds in, on a goal by highly-touted defenseman Jacob Truba. Tarasov tied the game with 2:28 left in the period on the power play -- the Ice were 1-for-2 with the man advantage.
Things exploded in the second. Pham scored unassisted just 44 seconds in to give the Ice the lead. Tarasov buried a feed from Robert Polosello just 1:08 later. Then, a minute after the USA switched goaltenders, Pham and Drew Smolcynski set up Hilbrich's game-winner at 13:42 of the second.
The Ice's three goals came on just six shots. Starter Collin Olson allowed three goals on 15 shots, but only stopped two of the four shots he faced in the period. Backup Jared Rutledge came in midway through the period and allowed Hilbrich's game-winner a minute later. He would stop nine of 10.
It became the game-winner because Team USA's Miles Koules scored with 2:41 left in the second, and Matthew Lane scored with 2:38 left in the third. Trouba assisted on both goals.
Jon Gillies made 31 saves for the Ice.
The Ice are now 20-7-4 as they begin the second half of the season, and remain seven points back of first-place Green Bay. They are off until next weekend, when they visit Chicago on Friday and Dubuque on Saturday.
Roster notes: Sean Kuraly returned to the lineup tonight after missing both games last weekend. He was scoreless and a minus-1. Jose Delgadillo, acquired earlier in the week from Sioux City in exchange for Alexander Kuqali, made his Ice debut. ... He wore No. 2 and was a plus-1. ... Ryan Cole has been dealt to Amarillo in the Tier II NAHL. Cole had been acquired from Lincoln earlier in the season for future considerations and had two goals and two assists in 10 games. ... The Ice have also added Russian forward Kirill Lebedev to the roster. He will wear number 91. He is from Magnitogorsk, Russia, and is currently 20, so he is in his lone year of USHL eligibility.
Three stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice), 2 goals, 6 shots, +2
2. Tyler Pham (Ice), goal, assist, 2 shots, +2
3. Ryan Obuchowski (Ice), assist, +2
USHL boxscore
Thursday, January 12, 2012
New CSS rankings out
Ice goaltender Jon Gillies was ranked fourth among North American goaltenders and forward Robbie Baillargeon was ranked 43rd among North American skaters in today's latest incarnation of the NHL's Central Scouting Service rankings.
Gillies has established himself as one of the USHL's top goaltenders. The Northeastern commit leads the USHL in wins and is among the tops in save percentage and goals against average. He is also the Ice's all-time shutout leader.
Baillargeon is in his first year with the ice, and is a strong playmaker who has piled up points playing on several different lines this year.
The two are the only two Ice players ranked out of several USHL players.
The full rankings are here
Gillies has established himself as one of the USHL's top goaltenders. The Northeastern commit leads the USHL in wins and is among the tops in save percentage and goals against average. He is also the Ice's all-time shutout leader.
Baillargeon is in his first year with the ice, and is a strong playmaker who has piled up points playing on several different lines this year.
The two are the only two Ice players ranked out of several USHL players.
The full rankings are here
Saturday, January 7, 2012
(Near) Perfect 10
The Indiana Ice have extended their streak of games without a regulation loss to 10 with another strong performance in a 4-1 victory over the Youngstown Phantoms at the Pepsi Coliseum.
Tonight, the Ice exploded for three third-period goals to break open what had been a tight game, tied 1-1 going into the third.
It was the Ice's third straight victory in a "four-point game" against Youngstown -- their closest challenger for second place in the USHL's Eastern Conference -- (e.g., an Ice win gives them 2 points and therefore prevents Youngstown from getting 2), and the Ice are now 3-0-1 against the Phantoms. With a 19-7-4 record at the halfway point of the season, the Ice are now four points clear of both Youngstown and Dubuque, who are tied for third. They're also closing in on Green Bay, which was idle tonight and has 47 points.
The Ice outscored Youngstown 12-3 in those three games, which are three-fifths of a five-game winning streak. In the 8-0-2 streak, the Ice have outscored foes 38-18.
Jon Gillies and Jacob Fallon -- both of whom did not make the trip to Waterloo Friday night -- returned to the lineup and both contributed in the victory. Gillies made 36 saves for his league-best and Fallon had an assist. Sean Kuraly was a scratch for the second straight night. Another regular who was out of the lineup tonight was defenseman Alexander Kuqali, the first game he has missed this season. Only leading scorer Daniil Tarasov and captain Alex Barron have skated in all 30 Ice games this season.
In his last four starts, Gillies has a 1.22 GAA, a 4-0-0 record and a .957 save percentage. He has a league-best 17 wins.
He stopped 15 first-period shots as Youngstown dominated the first period -- the Ice got only four shots on goal. It took until past the halfway mark of the game before one of the goaltenders -- Gillies and Youngstown's Sean Romeo -- flinched. The first to break the ice was ex-Iceman Alex Gacek, who had a shorthanded tally with 7:00 left in the second period.
The Ice got another power play later in the period -- their third of the game -- and Woody Hudson cashed in with his sixth goal of the season and first since Dec. 17, in the final minute of the second. The Ice had tied the game at 1-1 despite having been outshot 28-12.
The third period was a different story. Dan Sherer started the third-period explosion at 6:43 with his first USHL goal. Six minutes later, Drew Smolcynski scored his first goal since Oct. 21 -- and tallied his fourth point in the last five games he's skated in -- to provide some insurance.
The Ice had to kill off a late penalty, and then got a power play in the closing minutes. Down two, Youngstown pulled Romeo, but it instead led to Tarasov's 18th goal of the year into the empty net.
Defenseman Matthew Krug had a two-point night, assisting on both Hudson and Smolcynski's tallies. Eleven different Ice skaters registered at least one point on the night.
The Ice power play, which had dipped below the amazingly-high 30 percent number for the first time on the season after last night's game, converted on two of five chances.
3 stars
1. Jon Gillies (Ice), 36 saves, 1 GA, win
2. Dan Sherer (Ice), GWG, +1
3. Woody Hudson (Ice), goal
USHL boxscore
IndianaIce.com story
Tonight, the Ice exploded for three third-period goals to break open what had been a tight game, tied 1-1 going into the third.
It was the Ice's third straight victory in a "four-point game" against Youngstown -- their closest challenger for second place in the USHL's Eastern Conference -- (e.g., an Ice win gives them 2 points and therefore prevents Youngstown from getting 2), and the Ice are now 3-0-1 against the Phantoms. With a 19-7-4 record at the halfway point of the season, the Ice are now four points clear of both Youngstown and Dubuque, who are tied for third. They're also closing in on Green Bay, which was idle tonight and has 47 points.
The Ice outscored Youngstown 12-3 in those three games, which are three-fifths of a five-game winning streak. In the 8-0-2 streak, the Ice have outscored foes 38-18.
Jon Gillies and Jacob Fallon -- both of whom did not make the trip to Waterloo Friday night -- returned to the lineup and both contributed in the victory. Gillies made 36 saves for his league-best and Fallon had an assist. Sean Kuraly was a scratch for the second straight night. Another regular who was out of the lineup tonight was defenseman Alexander Kuqali, the first game he has missed this season. Only leading scorer Daniil Tarasov and captain Alex Barron have skated in all 30 Ice games this season.
In his last four starts, Gillies has a 1.22 GAA, a 4-0-0 record and a .957 save percentage. He has a league-best 17 wins.
He stopped 15 first-period shots as Youngstown dominated the first period -- the Ice got only four shots on goal. It took until past the halfway mark of the game before one of the goaltenders -- Gillies and Youngstown's Sean Romeo -- flinched. The first to break the ice was ex-Iceman Alex Gacek, who had a shorthanded tally with 7:00 left in the second period.
The Ice got another power play later in the period -- their third of the game -- and Woody Hudson cashed in with his sixth goal of the season and first since Dec. 17, in the final minute of the second. The Ice had tied the game at 1-1 despite having been outshot 28-12.
The third period was a different story. Dan Sherer started the third-period explosion at 6:43 with his first USHL goal. Six minutes later, Drew Smolcynski scored his first goal since Oct. 21 -- and tallied his fourth point in the last five games he's skated in -- to provide some insurance.
The Ice had to kill off a late penalty, and then got a power play in the closing minutes. Down two, Youngstown pulled Romeo, but it instead led to Tarasov's 18th goal of the year into the empty net.
Defenseman Matthew Krug had a two-point night, assisting on both Hudson and Smolcynski's tallies. Eleven different Ice skaters registered at least one point on the night.
The Ice power play, which had dipped below the amazingly-high 30 percent number for the first time on the season after last night's game, converted on two of five chances.
3 stars
1. Jon Gillies (Ice), 36 saves, 1 GA, win
2. Dan Sherer (Ice), GWG, +1
3. Woody Hudson (Ice), goal
USHL boxscore
IndianaIce.com story
Friday, January 6, 2012
Ice hold off Waterloo, extend streak
A week after they were both honored by the USHL, the Indiana Ice entered tonight's game without top scorer Sean Kuraly or goaltender Jon Gillies in the lineup. Neither was top-line center Jacob Fallon.
No matter. The Ice won their fourth straight game and extended their streak to 7-0-2 with a 3-2 victory at Waterloo Friday night.
As has been their characteristic during the streak, the Ice built a big lead en route to the victory.
The Ice played without hot-scoring winger Sean Kuraly, who was not in the lineup tonight.
Christian Hilbrich opened the scoring with 5:24 left in the first, assisted by Drew Smolcynski, to give the Ice a 1-0 lead in a close-to-the-vest game. It was Hilbrich's eighth goal of the year, and his first in six games.
The Ice scored two second-period insurance goals, and they would turn out to be critical later on. Emil Romig scored his fourth of the year -- and his second in three games -- with 6:21 left in the second. Defenseman Matthew Krug scored his first USHL goal exactly four minutes later. Daniil Tarasov, the Ice's leading scorer, had the first assist on both goals, giving him five points in the last three games.
Ice goaltender Dalton Izyk -- making his first start since Nov. 25 -- held the fort down. He made 20 stops in the first two periods to hold the Black Hawks off the board. Waterloo's Vince Hinostroza and Mitch Witek scored 12 seconds apart midway through the third and then the Ice went shorthanded due to a penalty on John Doherty but Gillies held the Black Hawks off the scoreboard for the final 12 minutes to seal the victory.
The Ice's penalty kill was a perfect 5-for-5. Izyk made 27 saves in the victory, giving him a USHL-best 17 for the year.
The Ice are now 18-7-4 and in second place in the USHL Eastern Conference (and in the entire league) with 40 points -- two ahead of third-place Youngstown and four ahead of fourth-place Dubuque. Green Bay leads the chase for the Anderson Cup with 47 points, but the Ice have been closing in over the last nine games.
The Ice return home Saturday to face Youngstown at the Pepsi Coliseum. The Ice swept two meetings against the Phantoms last week in Indianapolis, outscoring them 8-2 along the way.
Also of note: Cam Lerner was suited up as the backup goaltender to Izyk, making his Ice debut.
3 stars (as chosen by the Waterloo staff)
1. Vince Hinostroza (Wat): goal, assist
2. Eddie Witchow (Wat)
3. Max Edison (Wat): assist
Of course, a neutral 3 stars selection would likely have included -- at the very least, Izyk (27 saves, win) and Tarasov (2 assists, +2).
USHL boxscore
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier story
No matter. The Ice won their fourth straight game and extended their streak to 7-0-2 with a 3-2 victory at Waterloo Friday night.
As has been their characteristic during the streak, the Ice built a big lead en route to the victory.
The Ice played without hot-scoring winger Sean Kuraly, who was not in the lineup tonight.
Christian Hilbrich opened the scoring with 5:24 left in the first, assisted by Drew Smolcynski, to give the Ice a 1-0 lead in a close-to-the-vest game. It was Hilbrich's eighth goal of the year, and his first in six games.
The Ice scored two second-period insurance goals, and they would turn out to be critical later on. Emil Romig scored his fourth of the year -- and his second in three games -- with 6:21 left in the second. Defenseman Matthew Krug scored his first USHL goal exactly four minutes later. Daniil Tarasov, the Ice's leading scorer, had the first assist on both goals, giving him five points in the last three games.
Ice goaltender Dalton Izyk -- making his first start since Nov. 25 -- held the fort down. He made 20 stops in the first two periods to hold the Black Hawks off the board. Waterloo's Vince Hinostroza and Mitch Witek scored 12 seconds apart midway through the third and then the Ice went shorthanded due to a penalty on John Doherty but Gillies held the Black Hawks off the scoreboard for the final 12 minutes to seal the victory.
The Ice's penalty kill was a perfect 5-for-5. Izyk made 27 saves in the victory, giving him a USHL-best 17 for the year.
The Ice are now 18-7-4 and in second place in the USHL Eastern Conference (and in the entire league) with 40 points -- two ahead of third-place Youngstown and four ahead of fourth-place Dubuque. Green Bay leads the chase for the Anderson Cup with 47 points, but the Ice have been closing in over the last nine games.
The Ice return home Saturday to face Youngstown at the Pepsi Coliseum. The Ice swept two meetings against the Phantoms last week in Indianapolis, outscoring them 8-2 along the way.
Also of note: Cam Lerner was suited up as the backup goaltender to Izyk, making his Ice debut.
3 stars (as chosen by the Waterloo staff)
1. Vince Hinostroza (Wat): goal, assist
2. Eddie Witchow (Wat)
3. Max Edison (Wat): assist
Of course, a neutral 3 stars selection would likely have included -- at the very least, Izyk (27 saves, win) and Tarasov (2 assists, +2).
USHL boxscore
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier story
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Ice Players of the Week & Prospects Game
Three Indiana Ice players were selected Thursday for the 2012 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, which will be played Jan. 24 at the L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon.
This game is intended to showcase the top players eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft from the USHL. This is the first year of the Top Prospects Game. Thirty-seven of the selected players are 2012 draft-eligibles, four more are 2013 draft-eligibles.
Selected from the Ice are goaltender Jon Gillies, rated by the CSS as the top draft-eligible goaltender in the USHL. With a 16-5-4 record, two shutouts and a 2.32 GAA, Gillies ranks first in the USHL in games played, minutes and wins, and third in goals-against average. He also leads the league with a .926 save percentage.
Also selected are forward Robert Polosello. In 28 games, he has a 6-8-14 line. He is a +4 with five power-play points. Forward Robbie Baillargeon is the third Ice player selected to the team. He has 11 goals, 16 assists and is a +4 on the year. He has 11 points on the power play, including three goals. He is also highly-rated by the CSS.
The Ice also had two players selected to USHL weekly awards.
Forward Sean Kuraly continued his team-best streak by scoring a goal in five consecutive games when he tallied goals in each of the Ice's wins last week. He had three goals, an assist and a +5 rating. He now has a team-high 18 goals on the season. He was the USHL Forward of the Week, while goaltender Jon Gillies was again the Goaltender of the Week. He had three wins, a 1.30 GAA, a shutout and a .949 save percentage in the three games. He shared the honor with Sioux Falls' Adam Wilcox.
Full rosters for the prospects game (from the USHL)
This game is intended to showcase the top players eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft from the USHL. This is the first year of the Top Prospects Game. Thirty-seven of the selected players are 2012 draft-eligibles, four more are 2013 draft-eligibles.
Selected from the Ice are goaltender Jon Gillies, rated by the CSS as the top draft-eligible goaltender in the USHL. With a 16-5-4 record, two shutouts and a 2.32 GAA, Gillies ranks first in the USHL in games played, minutes and wins, and third in goals-against average. He also leads the league with a .926 save percentage.
Also selected are forward Robert Polosello. In 28 games, he has a 6-8-14 line. He is a +4 with five power-play points. Forward Robbie Baillargeon is the third Ice player selected to the team. He has 11 goals, 16 assists and is a +4 on the year. He has 11 points on the power play, including three goals. He is also highly-rated by the CSS.
The Ice also had two players selected to USHL weekly awards.
Forward Sean Kuraly continued his team-best streak by scoring a goal in five consecutive games when he tallied goals in each of the Ice's wins last week. He had three goals, an assist and a +5 rating. He now has a team-high 18 goals on the season. He was the USHL Forward of the Week, while goaltender Jon Gillies was again the Goaltender of the Week. He had three wins, a 1.30 GAA, a shutout and a .949 save percentage in the three games. He shared the honor with Sioux Falls' Adam Wilcox.
Full rosters for the prospects game (from the USHL)
Forwards Defensemen
Ray Pigozzi
– Chicago Steel Ian Brady – Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Kevin Irwin
– Des Moines Buccaneers Jaccob Slavin – Chicago Steel
Zach Saar – Des Moines Buccaneers Mike Matheson – Dubuque Fighting Saints
Cody Bradley
– Dubuque Fighting Saints Brian
Cooper – Fargo
Force
Zemgus Girgensons – Dubuque Fighting Saints Justin Wade – Fargo
Force
Nate Arentz
– Fargo Force Dakota Mermis – Green Bay Gamblers
Austin Farley –
Fargo Force Jordan Schmaltz – Green Bay Gamblers
Alex Kile – Green Bay Gamblers Mike McKee – Lincoln Stars
Nicholas Schilkey – Green Bay Gamblers Mark Yanis – Muskegon Lumberjacks
Robbie Baillargeon – Indiana Ice Cliff Watson – Sioux City
Musketeers
Robert Polesello – Indiana Ice Ian McCoshen – Waterloo
Black Hawks**
Zach Aston-Reese – Lincoln Stars Chris Bradley – Youngstown
Phantoms
Luke Johnson
– Lincoln Stars ** Michael
Downing^ – Dubuque
Fighting Saints**
Kevin Roy – Lincoln Stars
Adam Chlapik
– Muskegon
Lumberjacks
Matthew DeBlouw
– Muskegon
Lumberjacks Goaltenders
Jordan Masters
– Muskegon Lumberjacks Jon
Gillies – Indiana
Ice
Justin Selman
– Sioux Falls Stampede Alex Lyon – Omaha
Lancers
Austyn Young
– Sioux Falls Stampede Stephon Williams – Sioux
Falls Stampede
Taylor Cammarata – Waterloo Black Hawks** Jay Williams – Waterloo
Black Hawks
Vince Hinostroza – Waterloo
Black Hawks
A.J. Michaelson
– Waterloo
Black Hawks
Austin Cangelosi – Youngstown
Phantoms
Richard Zehnal
– Youngstown
Phantoms
**2013 draft-eligible
^will not participate
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