USHL Fall Classic East – Green Bay, Wisconsin
Day One
Madison Capitols 3 vs. Chicago Steel 0
The expansion Capitols made an impressive preseason debut in the USHL with a shutout in the opening game of the USHL Fall Classic Week. Goaltender Darren Smith stopped all 39 shots he faced to record the shutout for the Capitols. Madison scored a goal in each period, including the first of the game by Guillaume Leclerc with just over a minute to play in the opening frame. Freddy Gerard added the second of contest for Madison midway through the middle period. Gerard then assisted on a third-period goal by Sam McCormick which came only 32 seconds in the final period. John Lethemon made 33 saves for the Chicago Steel in the loss.
Bloomington Thunder 2 vs. Dubuque Fighting Saints 4
Dubuque scored twice on the power play to remain unbeaten thus far in the USHL preseason (5-0-0). The Saints jumped out early as Mitchell Smith scored a little more than three minutes after the opening faceoff. Bloomington would answer just two minutes later as Van Barr converted on the power play for the expansion club. Dubuque took a two-goal lead in the second period when Zack Zulkanycz netted a power play goal and Seamus Malone scored five minutes later. The Thunder would cut the lead in half when they again took advantage of a power play opportunity and Tyler Gernhofer tallied a goal. It would be all the closer Bloomington would get however as Dubuque sealed it midway through the third period when William Lagesson scored on the power play. The Saints held the Thunder to just 18 shots on goal and Kevin Reich made 16 saves to record the victory.
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 5 vs. Green Bay Gamblers 1
Jiri Fronk recorded a hat trick as Cedar Rapids knocked off the Fall Classic East host Gamblers in the closing game of Day One in Green Bay. The RoughRiders jumped the board six and a half minutes into the contest when Georgy Gorodetsky netted a goal. Fronk then scored his first of the night later in the period and the Riders went into the first intermission up 2-0. Fronk netted his second early in the middle period and Kevin Shand made it a 4-0 game only 11 seconds later. Green Bay would get on the board later in the period, but Fronk would complete his hat trick with a power play tally before the second intermission. Ben Blacker made 28 saves in net for Cedar Rapids to earn the victory.
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 13th season as the nation’s only Tier I junior hockey league in 2014-15. A record 35 players were chosen in the 2014 NHL Draft and more than 300 players on team rosters last season have committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com or visit the League’s social media platforms, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/ushlhockey), twitter (www.twitter.com/ushl), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/ushlinteractive). Fans can also watch USHL action all season long, live or on-demand via FASTHockey (ushl.fasthockey.com).
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