Saints Bag 5-in-a-Row, Plus Knocker Ball Fun at Dubuque Ice Arena
What a great weekend for Hockey in Dubuque. Your Fighting Saints continue their hot run of form taking down two in state rivals; the Des Moines Buccaneers on Friday, followed by an exciting and brutal Saturday night match-up against the Waterloo Blackhawks.
The Saints came out the gate strong Friday (1/20) against the Buccaneers, and after the return of both Ryan St. Louis and Marcus Brännman after stints with their respective National teams (US & Sweeden) the Saints continue to look better organized and full of gritty determination. The evidence was on display early against the Buccaneers. Despite the fact that the Saints were outshot 26 to 20, a tightly woven defensive strategy saw the Saints absorb pressure before mounting attacks of their own.
The Saints 2 score first period saw them through the game, as the Buccaneers adjusted spacing and tightened their defense across the next 2 periods shutting down all Saint attacks, but were only able to capitalize on one goal. Both teams lucked-out on powerplays; the Saints going 0 for 3 and the Buccaneers going 0 for 2. Check out the highlights below including the stellar first goal from Ryan St. Louis, where he knocks the puck into goal out of the air with a back-hand "high-stick" movement.
Before the game was done and after Saints 2 goals in the first period, it was time to have some fun. Knocker Ball fun that is! It was Longhorn Saddlery versus the Bruisers and boy was it entertaining fun, with only one score to separate the teams at the end.
Check out the slippery chaos below!
Saturday night (1/21) saw the in-form Waterloo Black Hawks (21-12-0-0) stroll into town. They would be leaving with another loss as the Saints stepped up big to put away a goal from Ryan St Louis in the final seconds of the game, as the Saints claimed a 3-2 victory. On the evening the Saints outshot the Black Hawks 30 to 26 but were unable to score on their lone powerplay attempt. On the opposite end, the Saints WERE able to shut down all 3 of the Black Hawks Powerplays, showing their stellar defensive resolve when they needed it most. This big win is just another step towards winning the in-state rivalry Dupaco Cowbell Cup. Check out those standings across the Iowa USHL teams!
More hockey action coming this week away from home as our Saints will take on the USA U17 team and the USA U18 team in back-to-back nights in Plymouth Michigan this Friday and Saturday. Tune in to Eagle 102.3 for 6:05pm puck drops each night as your Saints, led by Captain Riley Stuart and top points-getter Ryan St. Louis. The Saints are currently 17-12-1-1 on the year.
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