USHL week 6 preview - home-and-home series are the story of the weekend

 

• Every week, things get a bit more interesting in the USHL. It’s the time of year the contenders start to pull away, teams start to wonder if they need to change something, and the strength of schedule starts to even out. With that in mind, here’s what I’m watching for this weekend around the circuit - and in most cases, it’s a home-and home I’ll be watching. 
• Points-wise, the top two teams in the West Division play a home and home series, as Sioux City visits Lincoln Friday and the Stars travel to Sioux City Saturday. Sioux City leads the division with a 6-2-0-0 record, and their .750 winning percentage places them first as well. A meaningless stat at the end of the year, perhaps, but when the games played vary from 7 to 10, it means a lot. Lincoln is second in points at 5-3-1-0, just one point behind the division-leading Muskies and one point ahead of Tri-City and Des Moines, each of whom have played two less games than the Stars.
• There’s two ways to look at Lincoln’s strong start. The optimistic view says, of the first nine games, only 3 have been at home (2-1-0-0) while six have been on the road (3-2-1-0) - these count one game each of home and away in Pittsburgh at the Fall Classic. So the Stars have done this with only two games at the Ice Box.
• The pessimistic view says the Stars are actually fourth in the division and seventh in the league in winning percentage, and are 0-1-0-0 against teams above them percentage-wise. That was a 4-1 home opener loss to Tri-City. The Stars are 5-2-1-0 against teams below them in winning percentage - but that schedule is about to get a lot tougher the next two nights.
• Sioux City has been a cohesive, physical, entertaining team, yet they’ve managed to stay out of the penalty box. Lincoln hasn’t been as physical of a team, but with one more game played, they have 165 penalty minutes to Sioux City’s 106. A lot of those penalty minutes have come in games when the opponent has been the more physical team - and on those nights, the Stars have either lost or lost the rematch. The question is - will a pair of games against Sioux City be the galvanizing moment the Stars are looking for, or will the Muskies roll to a pair of wins?
• There’s another home and home in the West with key standings implications. Tri-City travels to Omaha Friday while the roles are reversed Saturday. The Storm are 5-2-0-0, but are on a two-game mini-losing streak after losing in Sioux City last Friday and at home to Cedar Falls Saturday. Meanwhile, the Lancers seem to have hit a bit of a stride, sweeping a pair of games from Fargo at Ralston Arena last weekend.
• Meanwhile, third place Des Moines and eighth place Sioux Falls play a pair in the Iowa capital city - keeping in the college-style trend for the weekend. Depending on the outcome of these games, as well as - you guessed it - a home and home with Waterloo and Fargo, any of the top 6 teams in the West could find themselves in first place by late Saturday night.
• It’s not like the East doesn’t have any action this weekend. First place Chicago (7-0-3-0) leads the league overall by 5 points, but has played more games than any other team. They will add to that this weekend, with a pair at the NDTP Under 18s, and then travel to Youngstown for a Halloween afternoon tilt. 
• Madison is off to the bet start in team history at 7-1-1-0, and they will play…surprise, surprise…a home-and-home with 4-3-0-0 Green Bay this weekend. Meanwhile, third place Dubuque is undefeated in regulation, but has struggled in extra time. They take their 4-0-2-2 record into a pair of games (not a home and home…really!) at 1-5-1-1 Muskegon.
• The other team that took last year off - in this case, because of serious arena damage from a derecho - Cedar Rapids, is off to a respectable 3-4-0-0 start. With two games at 2-5-0-1 Muskegon, one of them is sure to move up the ladder in the East, which currently has quite a drop off from third to fourth. 
• Cedar Rapids leads the league at 28.57 penalty minutes a game, living up to the first part of the Rough Riders name, and 8 minutes ahead of second place Des Moines. They also lead the league in majors with 6 and 10-minute misconducts with 9, despite playing a tied for league low 7 games. Is old time hockey back in Cedar Rapids? They might be an interesting watch.
• On the other end of the scale, Chicago averages just 8.7 penalty minutes per game. Their 1 10-minute misconduct is tied for lowest in the league, while only Dubuque (0) has less majors than Chicago’s 1. 
• Lincoln leads the league by 12 when it comes to minor penalties, taking 60 through 9 games. Despite just one major penalty, the Stars are sixth in penalty minutes per game at 18.33, and second in overall nujmbers at 165. 
• Including the Pittsburgh weekend, home teams are 42-18-2-2 this season, while road teams are 22-30-8-4. You’ll notice they don’t match up - but that’s what happens when some games award two points and some award three. 
• Chicago has played the most overtime games with 6 of their 10 requiring extra time, going 1-3 in overtime, but 2-0 in shootouts. On the other hand, Sioux City is the lone team not to go to overtime this season.
• Enjoy the games on this home-and-home weekend!

The Wild West - Sioux City’s win over Tri-City might be the game of the year

It had everything a great playoff game should have.

Momentum shifts. Great goals. A controversial no-goal. A comeback. Another comeback. Big hits. Scrums. Some nastiness after the whistles. A goalie losing his cool when an opposing player retrieved a puck for a player who scored his first goal - a pretty routine happening.

Except it was October, and neither team has played 10 games yet.

To say the Tri-City at Sioux City game Friday night - a 6-4 win for the hometown Muskies - lived up to expectations is an understatement.

Coming in, this looked like the game of the year to this point. Scrap the last three words. This might be looked back on as the game of the year.

Gavin Brindley got things started off at 4:49 for Tri-City, and it looked like the unbeaten Storm might be extending the streak. But the wheels came off a few minutes later.

Sioux City tied the game at 10:53 with Mikey Adamson’s first goal. A strange thing happened when a linemate went to retrieve the puck, as is always done when a player scores his first goal. Tri-City goalie Chase Clark seemed to take offense, giving the Musketeer player a stick in the back as he skated away with the puck.

For whatever reason, this seemingly routine play seemed to rattle Clark. Owen McLaughlin gave Sioux City the lead at 16:48 of the first, while Kirklan Irey tallied less than a minute later to give the Muskeeters a 3-1 lead.

Suddenly, Tri-City, who had given up just six goals in five games this season, gave up three in seven minutes.

Did Clark get rattled by the retrieval of the puck? It’s hard to say, but the second goal is one he’d like to have back.

The Muskies appeared to make it 4-1 early in the second, but after a lengthy review, the goal was disallowed. The best shot was from ice level, where it appeared the stick was 4-6 inches under the crossbar when contact was made with the puck, but an overhead angle and a third angle were inconclusive. It looked like a goal, but it was not ruled as such. 

That seemed to spark the Storm, who went on their own scoring frenzy. Cole O’Hara cut the lead to 3-2 at 13:10 of the second, while Gavin Brindley tied the game at 14:53, setting the stage for a crazy third period.

The Storm regained the lead for the first time since early in the game when Tanner Adams scored at 5:08, but the Muskies didn’t wait long to tie it. McLaughlin got his second of the night at 7:46, but they weren’t done there.

The eventual game winner came at 10:34 off the stick of Dylan James, and the Muskies had the lead back at 5-4. A late empty net goal made the final 6-4 - meaning Sioux City scored as many goals against the Storm in one game as five opponents had combined over the previous five games.

Sioux City is looking very much like a contender - no team has shown a better ability to win the close games and do the little things to win. Tri-City is certainly a contender as well, and last night was a good test for the Storm - one that, in many ways, they passed.

On this night, whether Sioux City wanted it a bit more or the breaks went their way, it was their night. But this matchup can’t help but make you wonder if we just saw the preview of the West Division finals.

Then again, 5-1-0-0 Des Moines comes into Sioux City tonight. And the first place team is actually the Lincoln Stars - who have played more games than the other three. In the Wild West Division, nothing is to be taken for granted.

But none of that changes last night’s game. It’s going to take a wild one to top this one. 

Madhouse in Madison might make Capitols the team to beat in the East - if the beer holds out

It has been an impressive start to the season for the 6-1-1-0 Madison Capitols. The strangest part, however, is the most important team member might just be the beer vendor.

The Capitols have 9 nights designated as dollar beer nights this year, which is exactly what it sounds like - beer is just a dollar. They had the second of those Friday against Muskegon, and it was deja vu all over again from the home opener - the first dollar beer night. That night, the Capitols scored two late third period goals against the defending champion Chicago Steel, and won 3-2 in overtime before nearly 2,300 fans.

Friday night, the Capitols were trailing Muskegon 3-2 in the third period when the beer effect - also known as the USHL’s craziest crowd - kicked in. Four goals later, Madison left the ice with a 6-3 win - albeit after spending several minutes celebrating with the crowd.

Madison has outscored their opponents 7-0 in the third period over two dollar beer nights. In a division where the other two top contenders - Chicago and Dubuque - have struggled late in close games, this could make the difference in the East Division. 

Chicago has the Madhouse on Madison. This is the Madhouse in Madison.

Nearly 2,500 fans packed the 2,800 capacity Bob Suter Arena in suburban Middleton, and they came ready to party. Responding from every prompting of the players to make noise, the fans were once again the difference - two wins that can be directly attributed to fan noise and interaction.

The fun, loud, crazy crowds of the 1990s USHL? They aren’t gone. They’re just attending college in Madison. 

Much like Lincoln came into the league, where the running joke/semi-truth was, it was a great bar with an $11 cover charge, cheap drinks (a 24 ounce mixed drink for $5? Where else could you get that), and a hockey game going on, Madison has found the same concept still works.

In a city known for a major university, parties, government, and most of all, good quality bars and restaurants with cheap drinks and eats, the Bob Suter Arena has simply joined the list. And it works.

Attendance for the two dollar beer nights were 2,291 and 2,489. The other two home games drew 689 and 1,179. Like it or not, cheap beer sells - affordable concessions generally sell. And the Capitols are in an enviable position to do this, as Ryan Suter owns not only part of the team but the arena.

There is no middleman. No arena management group. Just pure marketing.

After the overtime winner in game one, the players went directly over to the one side of the ice, where half the seats are taken up by a mix of a student section and a soccer supporters’ section. A couple even climbed the glass, standing on the board ledge to try to hug fans. Friday night, despite the remnants of a beer snake - a 20-foot-long stack of beer cups stacked one inside another - making it’s way onto the ice after the game, the players hung around 5-10 minutes, high fiving fans and generally having a great time.

It was junior hockey the way we remember it.

And it’s not a family-unfriendly atmosphere either. There’s plenty of kids and families, especially on the side with luxury boxes above. The other side tends to be more of a party side - but both are loud. 

Does it take dollar beer to do this? I don’t know. Should it? No, it would be great to see atmosphere like this return to every USHL city.

But in the meantime, if you can take in dollar beer night in Madison, do so. You don’t have to drink beer - you can be a celiac like me and not even be able to drink it - but you’ll enjoy the atmosphere anyway.

USHL weekend 5: Sioux City hosts pair of unbeaten teams in marquee games of the weekend

What I’m looking for in the USHL tonight and this weekend:

• The game of the night Friday will be Tri-City (5-0-0-0) at Sioux City (4-2-0-0). Right now, these two teams seem poised to meet at some point down the road, and while Tri-City owns the stronger record, Sioux City has been impressive. Tri-City’s goals against of 18-6 over five games means the Storm just set up a brick wall - and they aren’t bad at putting the puck in the net either.

• On the other hand, the Musketeers are a deceptive fourth place in a tight West Division, but wins over Tri-City and Des Moines could put them in first place by the end of Saturday’s play. Sioux City has shown grit with strong third periods, and have an energetic, feisty, fun to watch team.  This is the matchup I’ve been waiting for - it should be good!

• The questions in Lincoln are a bit different. After a rough season last year, the Stars are 4-2-0-1, sitting in third in the West Division - albeit with more games games played than anyone else in the division - except this weekend’s opponents, Waterloo (3-3-0-0). For the second straight weekend, Lincoln plays back to back games on the road against the same opponent. Last weekend in Fargo, after winning 4-2 Friday, they lost 5-4 Saturday in a game that was not as close as it sounds most of the way. 

• The turning point last weekend in Fargo seemed to come in the third period, when Fargo mixed things up in a number of scrums, most of which Lincoln wanted nothing to do with. In at least one case, the Stars failed to defend a teammate who was up against 3 Fargo players in a scrum. The questions in Lincoln aren’t the talent - a simple look at where the players have committed to for college shows the talent is there - but rather, the physicality and cohesiveness. There have been a few who have quietly expressed concern this team is not physical enough to contend for the division or win in the playoffs, and the Stars can answer those questions with a good weekend in the Cedar Valley. 

• Somewhat quietly, Des Moines has also posted a perfect 5-0-0-0 record. This weekend, they face 3-0-2-1 Dubuque on the road and then travel to Sioux City Saturday. Dubuque has been an interesting team - they have some one-sided wins, but three losses in extra time means they’ve struggled in close games. Either way, this is one of the tougher tests so far for Des Moines, if they remain unbeaten after these two games, there is no doubting they are for real. 

• A three-way race between Chicago, Madison, and Dubuque is shaping up in the East. Chicago (6-0-2-0) travels to Green Bay (3-3-0-0) before returning home against Dubuque Saturday, so it will be tough test for the defending champions. Meanwhile, Madison sits at 5-1-1-0 and will play a pair of games at 1-3-1-1 Muskegon. It’s a chance for the Lumberjacks to get back in the race, but also a chance for Madison to cement themselves as a legitimate contender in the East. 

• Of note, 7 goalies in the USHL have a goals against under 2.00, and all have played more than one game. Cameron Whitehead of Lincoln leads with a minuscule 0.86 goals against over three games. He also leads all goalies with a .971 save percentage, one of four goalies with a save percentage over .950. 

• Three of the top four scorers come from - you guessed it - Chicago. They’ve played the most games in the league at 8, but Jackson Blake has an impressive 15 points, while Adam Fantilli his second with 13 and Sam Lipkin tied for third with 11.

• The highest scoring team is Des Moines at a 1980s-like 5.6 goals per game, while the stingiest team is Tri-City is 1.20 goals against per game. The two unbeaten squads are clearly getting it done in different ways. 

• Still wondering if Madison is for real? They are second in goals per game at 4.71 and second in goals against per game at 2.29. They also lead the league with an average of 37.71 shots per game.

• Enjoy the games everyone

Sioux City, Lincoln win in very different ways

I had Lincoln at Fargo and Sioux City at Sioux Falls on my two OLED TVs tonight (the house that became a sports bar…since the pandemic shut them down, I made my own!). The Sioux City-Sioux Falls game was spirited from the start, some good hits, momentum shifts, big crowd. The Muskies led 1-0 after one, but the Stampede got three quick ones early in the second to lead 3-1 after two. 

Sioux City fought back, literally and figuratively (there was a decent fight and some good hits), and scored 3 in the third - on the road - for an impressive 4-3 win.

Lincoln was again…posititionally sound, fundamentally good (except for Fargo’s second goal, which was an own goal actually assisted by two Lincoln players…even though the stats sheet doesn’t show that), they did the right things. But there’s a wow factor, an excitement that’s completely lacking from their game right now. 

A few times in the third, Fargo would try to start something after a whistle, Lincoln actually looked disinterested - not just turning away, but like they’d rather be elsewhere. In one case, a Stars player was taken down in front of the net, three Fargo players went after a Stars player behind the net, one Stars player went to step in but saw a Fargo player coming and decided it was too much trouble. 

Now some might say that’s smart, you have the lead, don’t give any momentum. But here’s the thing - out of all the scrums, each team got one penalty total, and Fargo got a few face washes, takedowns, shoves in while Lincoln didn’t. Fargo built momentum for the next game, Lincoln didn’t. And I’m not sure what it says to a player outnumbered in a scrum when nobody will step in and help him.

I know, a 4-1-0-1 team shouldn’t be looking for the negative, but what I saw tonight in Sioux City was a scrappy team that won’t quit, one that’s on the same page. What I saw in Lincoln is a team that’s winning on skill…but how long can that last?

Questions to be answered as USHL enters fourth weekend of play

 What I’m looking for in week four of the USHL:

• Tri-City to stay undefeated at 5-0-0-0 (the last two columns are overtime wins and overtime losses). Pretty safe bet, since they don’t play. And yet we hear there isn’t ability to move one week of the regular season so we can have best-of-five in the first round - and two teams - the Storm and Youngstown - don’t play this weekend.

• Lincoln is off to a 3-1-0-1 start and looks much improved with five points in their first seven games. But they haven’t played the hard-nosed, physical hockey new coach Rocky Russo talked about prior to the season when he said he wanted to bring back traditional Lincoln hockey and have the visiting team leaving with ice bags. To an extent, it’s come easy to Lincoln so far, but that will all change with a pair of games in Fargo. More physicality and an intense game will be required to leave North Dakota with points this weekend.

• Sioux City is just 2-2-0-0, but they have looked like the type of team you don’t want to play in the playoffs - physical, intense, hard working, and never say quit. They play in Sioux Falls tonight (more on that later) and then at traditional rival Omaha Saturday night. If you’re looking for a good, hard nosed, physical game this weekend, don’t miss the Sioux City at Omaha game. It’s your best bet. 

• It’s rare for Chicago to play back to back nights in Muskegon, since it’s the second closest team to the Fox Valley, but that’s what’s on the card Friday and Saturday. Chicago has continued where they left off last season with a 5-0-0-1 record, while last year’s East runners-up Muskegon sit in last at 0-2-1-1. This is as close as either team has to a true rivalry, so these games will still be interesting. 

• Nobody has noticed, so don’t say this too loud, but Tri-City is not the only unbeaten team in the west, as Des Moines is also 4-0-0-0. If they win in Cedar Rapids Saturday night in their lone game of the weekend, they will be tied for first with the Storm…unless Lincoln sweeps Fargo.

• With a 2-0-1-1 record and some impressive goal totals, Dubuque looks like they’re for real. This weekend, they host Green Bay before traveling to Waterloo Saturday. With two wins, they’ll be right on Chicago’s heels. 

• Sioux Falls sits at 1-4-0-0 and hasn’t looked impressive at times, so it will be interesting to see if what promises to be a physical game against Sioux City knocks them out of their funk tonight. If the Muskies win this easily, Sioux Falls may need some changes or it could be a long year. If the Stampede respond in front of a big crowd, it would go a long ways to answering questions after a slide that saw them lose 17 of their last 19 games last year 

• Madison is 3-1-1-0, but is the league’s most unknown team. After sitting out last season, they drew over 2,300 to the 2,800 seat Bob Suter Arena opening night, but followed it up with two crowds that total less than the first one. On the ice, they’ve been anywhere from pretty good to great, with the later coming when they scored two goals late and then defeated Chicago 3-2 in overtime in their home opener, giving the Steel their only loss.

• Attendance. There’s been a lot of concern about some of the numbers, with only two crowds over 2,400. However, those are in Sioux Falls (who host closest rival Sioux City tonight) and Fargo (who have two home games against Lincoln this weekend). The league’s average should get a bump this weekend.

• Speaking of attendance, “home” games in Pittsburgh should not count towards a team’s home attendance total. They should be in a “neutral site” category. Hopefully the stats people fix this as the year goes on.

• Enjoy the games, see you at the rinks!