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

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.