USHL Around the League Week 16

By Brian Werger, USHL

In the Groove…Forward Cody Bradley has found his scoring touch with the Dubuque Fighting Saints as he has netted five goals during his current four-game goal streak. He has scored all six of his goals with the Saints this season over his last six games. Teammate Max Gardiner has also been lighting the lamp frequently, scoring four goals over his last five games after putting up two goals in his previous 16 USHL games.

Positive Effect…Waterloo Black Hawks defenseman Eddie Wittchow is riding a streak of 10 consecutive games posting an even-or-better plus/minus rating, compiling a plus-11 rating in that span. He is plus-19 through 29 games which is the fifth best overall mark in the USHL this season. The first-year USHL defenseman has finished a game with a minus rating only four times this season.

First Impression…It has taken long for defenseman Alexander Kuqali to endear himself to his new teammates. After being acquired earlier in the week by the Sioux City Musketeers, he scored a goal in each of their games during the weekend. The two goals in two games with the Musketeers equaled his goal total in 29 previous games with the Indiana Ice.

No Shortage of Shorties…The Des Moines Buccaneers and Muskegon Lumberjacks combined for three shorthanded goals in the second period alone of their contest on Friday. Anthony Greco led off for the Buccaneers with a shorthanded tally for his 10th goal of the season before John Padulo netted his second shorthanded goal over a span of three games for the Lumberjacks. Gasper Kopitar then answered for Des Moines with the third shortie of the period and his 11th goal of the season.

New Riders…Two of the newest players for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are getting into the scoring act for the team as of late. With only 17 games among them in a Riders uniform this season, forwards Dennis Kravchenko and Davey Middleton have combined for eight goals. Kravchenko has scored three goals over his last four games for while Middleton recorded three points (2g, 1a) in Saturday’s win vs. Chicago, his third multi-point game over his last five contests.

Winter Heat in Fargo…It has been a huge turnaround for the Fargo Force who currently own a seven-game winning streak, tied for the USHL high this season. Less than two months ago, the team was sitting with a 5-11-3 record, but winning 11 of their last 13 contests has resulted in a climb up the Western Conference standings. During the win streak, they have outscored the opposition 33-10, including a pair of shutouts by Zane Gothberg who has been in net for each of the last nine games. Bryn Chyzyk is riding a four-game goal streak, lighting the lamp five times over the span, including two game-winners. Austin Farley scored a goal in consecutive games to push his point streak to seven games.

Point Collection…The Indiana Ice are also enjoying a winning streak that has now reached six games. But they have an even longer streak of earning points in that standings as the Ice are 9-0-2 over their last 11 games. Indiana has not lost in regulation since December 4th. Sean Kuraly had his five-game goal streak snapped on Friday, but he dished out an assist to extend his point streak to six games. Goaltender Jon Gillies earned his USHL best 18th win of the season when he made 31 saves in the 4-3 win over Team USA on Friday.

All Square…They are only separated by 60 miles on the map, but Omaha Lancers and Lincoln Stars are even closer during USHL play this season. Both have a total of 20 wins – each with 10 home and 10 road victories – and 42 points in the standings as they currently sit tied for first in the Western Conference. The Lancers have won five straight, equaling their season best streak. Two of those victories have come against their rival Lincoln, including a 6-3 win on Saturday that saw the teams combine for seven goals in the third period. Casey Bailey scored two goals to increase his team-leading total to 16 while Max Vallis added a tally one night after recording his second hat trick of the season for the Lancers. Brent Tate is riding a five-game streak (2g, 5a) for Lincoln and goaltender Charles Williams has won his last four starts, including a 32-save shutout on Tuesday night.

Boxscore Fillers…Lincoln Stars forward Kevin Roy has continued to pace the USHL in scoring, helped by a current five-game point streak in which he has earned multiple points in all five contests. His 27 goals leads the League which is already the most by a Lincoln Stars player since Jason Gregoire netted 37 goals during the 2007-08 season. Austin Farley of the Fargo Force (21 goals) and Indiana Ice forward Daniil Tarasov (20 goals) are the two other USHL players that have hit the 20-goal mark so far this season.

Goals Galore…The Green Bay Gamblers have a League best win total of 26 which has included five straight victories. They have scored at least five goals in each of those five wins and have lit the lamp a total of 36 times during that stretch. Green Bay leads the USHL with 144 goals this season, averaging 4.50 per game, which is nearly one goal more than the next highest USHL team (Indiana, 3.61). Four Gamblers are among the top ten in USHL scoring while seven players on the roster have scored 10-or-more goals this season.

Double Take…One day, two games, and four points in the standings – that was a Saturday’s worth of work for Team USA. The Under-18 squad earned a 5-0 win against Des Moines that included a pair of goals by defenseman Jacob Trouba, two days after he was rated the highest USHL skater (#9) on the midterm rankings by NHL Central Scouting. The game also marked the third USHL career shutout for goaltender Jared Rutledge. Down the road, the Under-17 squad collected their fourth consecutive USHL win as six different skaters tallied a goal in the 6-4 win over Youngstown. Tyler Kelleher scored his second goal in as many nights and Michael McCarron added his third tally over his last three games.