CHICAGO, Ill – It has come down to two clubs remaining in the quest for the Clark Cup as the Green Bay Gamblers and Dubuque Fighting Saints are set for a best-of-five series to determine the USHL playoff champion. Game One of the Clark Cup Final drops the puck on Friday, May 13th at the Resch Center in Green Bay.
Green Bay Gamblers vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints
The Matchup
The series is a matchup of the defending Clark Cup champs versus an expansion club and both are coming into the series having lost just once in the postseason, carrying identical 6-1 records. Green Bay looks to become the first USHL repeat champion since the Omaha Lancers won their second consecutive Clark Cup following the 1993-94 season. Dubuque is seeking to become the first expansion team to win the Clark Cup since the Lincoln Stars won the title during their inaugural season of 1996-97. The last team to reach the Clark Cup Final in their first season was the Fargo Force two seasons ago (2008-09). The first time Dubuque had a USHL team, they won the Clark Cup in their inaugural season 30 years ago (1980-81).
Familiar Foes
– The teams met seven times during the regular season with Dubuque capturing four wins.
– Saints forward John Gaudreau scored nine goals against Green Bay, including a hat trick in the 5-4 win on December 4th.
– The Fighting Saints outscored the Gamblers in the first period 11-6 during the regular season series, but Green Bay held a 8-4 advantage in the third period.
– Green Bay out-shot Dubuque in the second period 91-50 over their seven regular season meetings, but the teams both ended up with seven goals apiece in the second period.
The Players
– Ten players for Green Bay were on the roster when the club won the Clark Cup a year ago.
– Just four players for Dubuque had appeared in a USHL Clark Cup Playoff game prior to this season – Jordan DiGiando , Scott Wamsganz , T.J. Schlueter , and Tyler Amburgey .
– Players competing in the series come from 16 different states, including C.J. Eick of the Gamblers who is from 30 miles outside Green Bay in Appleton, Wisconsin and Saints forward Brooks Bertsch who grew up in Dubuque.
– A total of five countries besides the United States are represented by players on the rosters in the Clark Cup Final – Denmark ( Markus Lauridsen – GB), Sweden ( Ludwig Karlsson – GB), Russia ( Nikita Sirotkin – GB), Latvia ( Zemgus Girgensons – DUB) and Canada ( Jackson Teichroeb – DUB).
– Two players in the series have already been selected in the NHL Entry Draft – Dubuque’s Nick Luukko by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and forward Vinny Saponari by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2008.
– Seven players in the series are ranked among the top prospects by NHL Central Scouting in advance of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft – Green Bay’s Andrew Welinski (D), Austin Czarnik (F), Aaron Harstad (D), and Adam Wilcox (G) along with Dubuque’s Joakim Ryan (D), John Gaudreau (F), and Jackson Teichroeb (G)
– The top line for Dubuque – John Gaudreau , Vinny Saponari , and Zemgus Girgensons – has accounted for 11 of the team’s 19 goals in the playoffs.
– Thirteen different skaters for the Gamblers have scored a goal in the postseason, including Nolan LaPorte and Austin Czarnik who have three each. Two for Czarnik have been game-winners.
– Green Bay forward Alex Broadhurst and defenseman Markus Lauridsen are tied for the USHL lead during the postseason with a plus-seven rating.
In the Crease
Green Bay goaltender Ryan McKay leads the playoffs with a 1.34 goals-against-average while Dubuque’s Matt Morris is second with a 1.40 GAA. They were also first and second during the regular season. Morris is tops in the postseason with a .947 save percentage and McKay isn’t far behind with a .941 SV%.
Behind the Bench
Green Bay coach Eric Rud and Dubuque coach Jim Montgomery are both in their first season as USHL head coaches. Each was an assistant coach last season in college hockey – Rud at St. Cloud State University and Montgomery at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Final Series Fodder
– Neither team has lost at home (4-0) this postseason
– Green Bay has been the least penalized team in the playoffs averaging just 5.57 penalty minutes per game while Dubuque is averaging 13.43 thus far in the postseason.
– The Gamblers are 4-0 when scoring the first goal of the game in the playoffs
– Dubuque has won both of their overtime games in the playoffs and Green Bay has won their only game that has gone past regulation time.
– Green Bay has posted the top penalty killing in the playoffs (93.3%), but Dubuque has been the second highest efficient team on the power play (24.1%).
– The Gamblers have out-shot their playoff opponents by a total of 70 shots in the postseason (236-166) and Dubuque has a five-shot advantage in that category (193-188).
Green Bay playoff stats
Dubuque playoff stats
Green Bay regular season stats
Dubuque regular season stats
Head-to-head stats
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