CHICAGO – The United States Hockey League today announced the CCM and Reebok player awards for the seventh week of the 2012-13 USHL regular season.
 
Award winners include Mike Szmatula of the Dubuque Fighting Saints, named CCM Forward of the Week; Ben Ostlie of the Omaha Lancers, selected as CCM Defenseman of the Week; and Alex Lyon of the Omaha Lancers and Charlie Lindgren of the Sioux Falls Stampede who share honors as Reebok Goaltender of the Week.
 
Szmatula had a hand in eight of the 10 goals for the Saints over two weekend victories against Muskegon.  He scored the game-winning goal and dished out two assists in Friday’s 5-1 victory.  The 20-year-old then recorded a USHL career high five points (3g, 2a) in Saturday’s 5-3 win which included his first hat trick in the League.  Szmatula also finished the night with a game high plus-four rating.  He is currently riding a nine-game point streak which has included goals in each of the last five contests.  The Commerce Township, Michigan native is tied for the USHL scoring lead with 23 points (12g, 11a) in 14 games.
 
Ostlie dished out three assists and posted a plus-four rating in two wins for the Lancers.  He also helped Omaha limit their opponents to just two goals over the weekend.  The 19-year-old had two assists in Friday’s 6-1 victory against Waterloo.  Ostlie then had one assist in the 3-1 win over Cedar Rapids on Saturday.  He was also part of a penalty killing unit that turned away 8-of-9 opponent power plays.  The Edina, Minnesota native has collected five points (1g, 4a) through 15 games.
 
Lindgren posted a 1.00 goals-against-average and .957 save percentage while in net for two Stampede wins.  He stopped all 18 shots he faced in Friday’s 5-0 victory over Tri-City to earn his first USHL career shutout.  Lindgren then made 26 saves in the 5-2 win against Lincoln on Saturday to record the 15^th career victory in a Stampede uniform.  The 18-year-old from Lakeville, Minnesota has won four of his last five starts and is now fifth among USHL goaltenders with six victories this season.
 
Lyon allowed just two goals and posted a .963 SV% to lead the Lancers to a pair of victories.  He made 32 saves and held the League’s top offense to just one goal in Friday’s 6-1 victory against Waterloo.  The 19-year-old then stopped 20 shots in the 3-1 win over Cedar Rapids on Saturday.  Lyon has appeared in 13 games and the Baudette, Minnesota native leads all USHL goaltenders in minutes played (780).  He has posted a 1.38 GAA and .943 SV% over his five victories this season.
 
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CHICAGO – The United States Hockey League today announced the CCM and Reebok player awards for the sixth week of the 2012-13 USHL regular season.
 
Award winners include Todd Skirving of the Sioux Falls Stampede, named CCM Forward of the Week; Barrett Kaib of the Green Bay Gamblers and Matt Van Voorhis of the Sioux Falls Stampede, selected as co-recipients of CCM Defenseman of the Week; and Mike Rotolo of the Green Bay Gamblers who earned honors as Reebok Goaltender of the Week.
 
Skirving netted four goals over two games for the Stampede and earned CCM Forward of the Week honors for the second consecutive week.  He scored a pair of goals in Friday’s 6-4 win against Fargo, helping the Stampede extend their home winning streak to seven games.  The 20-year-old then added two more goals in Saturday’s 7-4 loss to Chicago.  It extended his goal streak to four games, three of which have been multi-goal efforts.  Skirving is a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario and is currently second in the USHL this season with nine goals. 
 
Kaib registered two points (1g, 1a) and a plus-four rating as the Gamblers earned back-to-back victories over Youngstown.  He scored the game-winning goal in the 5-0 shutout on Friday and also finished the night with a game high plus-three rating.  The 19-year-old then assisted on the game-winner in the 3-1 victory on Saturday.  Kaib was also part of a defensive unit that allowed just one goal over the two games and turned away all five opponent power plays.  The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has appeared in all 13 games for Green Bay this season and has four points (2g, 2a).
 
Van Voorhis scored three points (1g, 2a) and earned a plus-three rating as the Stampede split a pair of weekend contests.  He assisted on the game-winning goal in Friday’s 6-4 home win against Fargo.  The 19-year-old then recorded his second multi-point game of the year with two points (1g, 1a) in Saturday’s 7-4 loss to Chicago.  Van Voorhis was plus-two on Saturday, marking the 10^th consecutive game he has earned an even-or-better plus/minus rating.  The Edina, Minnesota native has six points (2g, 4a) while playing in all 12 games for the Stampede this season.
 
Rotolo posted a 0.50 goals-against-average and .985 save percentage during two starts for the Gamblers.  He stopped all 27 shots in the 5-0 win over Youngstown on Friday to record his second USHL career shutout.  The 19-year-old followed up with a season high 38-save performance in Saturday’s 3-1 win against Youngstown.  Over his last three appearances, the Rochester, New York native has allowed just one goal in 155 minutes of game action and earned three victories.  Rotolo currently ranks seventh among USHL goaltenders with a .923 SV%.
 
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CHICAGO – The United States Hockey League today announced the CCM and Reebok player awards for the fifth week of the 2012-13 USHL regular season.
 
Award winners include Zach Stepan of the Waterloo Black Hawks and Todd Skirving of the Sioux Falls Stampede, named co-recipients of CCM Forward of the Week; Ian McCoshen of the Waterloo Black Hawks, selected as CCM Defenseman of the Week; and Eamon McAdam of the Waterloo Black Hawks who earned honors as Reebok Goaltender of the Week.
 
Stepan totaled five points (4g, 1a) and a plus-eight rating to lead the Black Hawks to three road wins.  He scored a goal midway through the first period on Friday which proved to be the game-winner in the 3-0 victory against Muskegon.  With his team trailing 2-1 in the third period on Saturday, Stepan tied the game and then netted the game-winner seven minutes later to spark a 3-2 win against Team USA.  The 18-year-old rounded out the weekend scoring his seventh goal of the season during the 8-3 victory over Youngstown on Sunday.  It also extended his goal streak to four games.  It is the first USHL season for the Hastings, Minnesota native who was selected by the Nashville Predators in the 2012 NHL Draft.
 
Skirving netted four goals in two victories to help the Stampede remain perfect on home ice (6-0-0).  He scored the game-winner during the third period of Friday’s 4-2 win against Sioux City.  The 20-year-old then scored the first three goals for his team on Saturday, which included the game-winner for the second straight night, in the 5-2 victory over Tri-City.  It was the first hat trick of his USHL career and his fourth multi-goal game for the Stampede.  His second and third goals came in a span of less than three minutes during the second period.  The Thunder Bay, Ontario native is currently tied for second in scoring for Sioux Falls with nine points (5g, 4a) through 10 games.
 
McCoshen registered three points (1g, 2a) and a plus-eight rating over the three Black Hawks victories.  He scored his first goal of the season in Friday’s 3-0 win against Muskegon.  The 17-year-old then dished out two assists in Sunday’s 8-3 victory over Youngstown.  He was not on the ice for any of the five goals scored against Waterloo during the weekend and played a key role in the penalty killing unit stopping all 13 opponent power plays.  The Hudson, Wisconsin native has finished with an even-or-better plus/minus in all eight games he has played this season and currently leads the USHL with a plus-13 rating overall.  McCoshen is playing in his third USHL season and is a top prospect for the 2013 NHL Draft. 
 
McAdam posted a 1.50 goals-against-average and .960 save percentage over two starts for Waterloo.  He stopped all 33 shots he faced in Friday’s 3-0 win against Muskegon to earn his second shutout in as many starts, becoming the first Black Hawks goaltender to accomplish that feat since Willie Yanakeff during the 2009-10 season.  McAdam then made a season high 39 saves in Sunday’s 8-3 win over Youngstown, his fifth consecutive victory.  The Perkasie, Pennsylvania native leads all USHL goaltenders with a .960 SV% and is fourth in the League with a 1.40 GAA.  He is the highest rated USHL goaltending prospect for the 2013 NHL Draft.
 
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CHICAGO – The United States Hockey League today announced the CCM and Reebok player awards for the second week of the 2012-13 USHL regular season.
 
Award winners include Andrew Poturalski of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Austin Ortega of the Indiana Ice, named co-recipients of CCM Forward of the Week; Marcus Ericsson of the Des Moines Buccaneers and Clay Anderson of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, selected as co-recipients of CCM Defenseman of the Week; and Nick Ellis of the Des Moines Buccaneers who earned honors as Reebok Goaltender of the Week.
 
Poturalski totaled five points (3g, 2a) and a plus-four rating in two games to help the RoughRiders claim a pair of wins against Indiana.  Playing in his first USHL game of the season, he scored the game-winner in Friday’s 4-3 victory which was a power play goal in the second period.  The 18-year-old New York native then collected a career high four points (2g, 2a) in Saturday’s 7-5 win.  Poturalski also posted a game high plus-four rating.  First appearing with the RoughRiders last season, he has now scored eight points (5g, 3a) in four USHL games.
 
Ortega recorded five points (4g, 1a) and a plus-four rating in three games during the week for the Ice.  He netted a goal and dished out an assist, while also posting a game high plus-four rating, in the 5-3 win against Green Bay on Wednesday.  The 18-year-old from Escondido, California added a goal in Friday’s loss to Cedar Rapids and then scored two more goals on Saturday against his former team.  It was the sixth multi-goal game of his USHL career and he is now tied for second in the League with seven goals this season.
 
Ericsson scored two goals and posted a plus-three rating to help the Buccaneers extend their winning streak to four games.  He scored the first goal of the game on Friday and added a second goal in the third period of the 10-1 victory over Team USA.  The Lulea, Sweden native also finished the game with a plus-three rating.  He was also part of the defensive unit that allowed just two goals over the weekend for Des Moines.  Ericsson is playing his first USHL season and has scored three goals for the Buccaneers through eight games, tying for the lead among League defensemen. 
 
Anderson produced four points (1g, 3a) and a plus-two rating in two victories for the RoughRiders.  He assisted on a pair of first-period goals in Friday’s 4-3 victory over Indiana.  The next evening, the 18-year-old scored his first USHL career goal when he found the net on the power play in the second period.  It began a stretch of four consecutive goals for the RoughRiders as they went on to capture a 7-5 win.  Anderson would then dish out an assist on the game-winning goal to record his third consecutive multi-point game.  It is the first USHL season for the Omaha, Nebraska native.
 
Ellis posted a 0.96 goals-against-average and .970 save percentage in a pair of starts for the Buccaneers.  He stopped 28 shots in Friday’s 10-1 win against Team USA.  Ellis then made 37 saves and turned away all three attempts in the shootout of Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Sioux City.  It was the third consecutive victory for the USHL rookie goaltender and helped the Buccaneers push their win streak to four games.  The 18-year-old from Millersville, Maryland currently boasts a 1.95 GAA and .943 SV% over four appearances this season.
 
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CHICAGO – The United States Hockey League announced Monday the CCM and Reebok player awards for the second week of the 2012-13 USHL regular season.
 
Award winners include Sam Rothstein of the Sioux Falls Stampede and Dominic Toninato of the Fargo Force, named co-recipients of CCM Forward of the Week; James Roll of the Des Moines Buccaneers, selected as CCM Defenseman of the Week; and Cal Petersen of the Waterloo Black Hawks and Billy Christopoulos of the Des Moines Buccaneers who share honors as Reebok Goaltender of the Week.
 
Rothstein totaled five points (3g, 2a) and a plus-four rating in two games to help the Stampede extend their winning streak to four games.   He netted the game-winner in Friday’s 4-2 victory over Indiana.   The 19-year-old from Minnetonka, Minnesota then recorded a USHL career high four-point game (2g, 2a) in Saturday’s 6-5 overtime win against Fargo.   His first goal came just 21 seconds into the contest and he also finished the night with a game high plus-four rating.   It was the 20^th career USHL game for Rothstein after he appeared in 14 games for the Stampede last season.
 
Toninato produced six points (3g, 3a) in helping the Force to a 2-0-1 record over the week.   He had multi-point nights in each of the three games.   The 18-year-old netted two goals in Thursday’s 6-5 win over Indiana.   On Friday, he scored a goal and dished out an assist in the 6-3 victory against Sioux City.   Toninato completed the weekend with a pair of assists in the 6-5 overtime loss to Sioux Falls.   The Duluth, Minnesota native is playing in his first full USHL season after suiting up in four games last season.   He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2012 NHL Draft.
 
Roll scored two goals in helping the Buccaneers earn their first two wins of the season.   He scored his first USHL career goal in Friday’s 6-2 win against Omaha which was also the first USHL head coaching victory for Jon Rogger.   The 19-year-old defenseman followed up with a power play goal in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win against Muskegon.   Roll was also part of a penalty kill unit that turned away all seven opponent power play chances during the weekend.   The West Seneca, New York native is playing his first season in the USHL.
 
Petersen stopped all 25 shots he faced, including 12 in the third period, to lead the Black Hawks to a 2-0 victory against Omaha on Friday.   He was a big part of the team’s penalty kill as they successfully turned away all seven power plays by Omaha.   It was the first start of the season for the Petersen who celebrates his 18^th birthday this week.   It was also the first USHL career shutout for the native of Waterloo, Iowa who appeared in five games for the Black Hawks last season.
 
Christopoulos earned his first USHL career victory on Saturday when he made a season high 47 saves in the 3-2 shootout win over Muskegon.   It was the most saves made in a contest by a USHL goaltender this season.   The 18-year-old made 19 of his saves in the first period and also stopped two of three attempts in the shootout, the first time he has competed in the USHL extra session.   Christopoulos is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina and has appeared in four games for the Bucs
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CHICAGO – The United States Hockey League today announced the CCM and Reebok player awards for the second week of the 2012-13 USHL regular season.
 
Award winners include J.T. Stenglein of the Youngstown Phantoms, named CCM Forward of the Week; Garrett Cecere of the Tri-City Storm, selected as CCM Defenseman of the Week; and Kevin Lindskoug of the Muskegon Lumberjacks who earned honors as Reebok Goaltender of the Week.
 
Stenglein recorded five points (4g, 1a) and a plus-four rating over two victories for the Phantoms as they improved to 4-0-0 this season, the team’s best start since joining the USHL.  Stenglein scored four goals on Friday in the 9-6 victory against Waterloo and tallied them four different ways (unassisted, power play, even strength, and empty net).  He opened the game with a goal just 1:10 into the contest.  The 19-year-old added another in the second period and then completed his first USHL career hat trick midway through the third period. He wasn’t done there as he scored an empty net goal late in the contest, recording the first four-goal in the USHL since last season when Vince Hinostroza scored four times for Waterloo on March 17^th.  Stenglein is currently tied with teammate Austin Cangelosi for the USHL lead with five goals.
 
Cecere scored two points (1g, 1a) in Saturday’s 4-3 victory over Sioux City to help the Storm notch their first win of the season.  The 17-year-old defenseman netted his first USHL career goal in the first period and then set up the game-winning goal by Brian Ward with just 38 seconds remaining in the third period.  Cecere also finished the night with a game high plus-three rating and helped the penalty kill unit turn away all eight power plays by Sioux City.  The native of West Des Moines, Iowa is playing his first season with the Storm after appearing in six games last season with Dubuque.
 
Lindskoug posted a 1.00 goals-against-average and .969 save percentage while leading the Lumberjacks to a pair of wins, improving their record to 3-0-0 and the best start for the team in their USHL history.  Making his first appearance in the USHL, Lindskoug made 36 saves in the 3-1 road win over Chicago on Friday.  The 20-year-old from Trelleborg, Sweden followed up with a 27-save performance the next evening in the 4-1 victory against Indiana on home ice.  At one point during the two-game stretch, Lindskoug did not allow a goal over nearly four periods of play.
 
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