Dubuque, IA – The Dubuque Fighting Saints (14-4-0-0, 28 pts) host the Youngstown Phantoms (11-6-1-1, 24 pts) to begin a two-game weekend set in Dubuque on Friday.
Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:
1. ImOn Impact
The Fighting Saints continue a season-long five-game homestand this weekend after winning the first two games last weekend.
Dubuque swept Tri-City with an overtime win on Friday and a 4-2 win on Saturday. Dubuque is averaging 5.7 goals per game at home this season, above the team's overall average of 5.1.
2. Apples to Apples
Ludvig Lafton added a pair of assists last weekend to bring his season total to 15, the second most in the USHL this season.
The Utah Mammoth draft pick is tied for the most points by a defenseman in the USHL and is second in the league with 10 power-play assists.
3. Saints Stops
Dubuque's goaltenders combined for a .925 save percentage in last weekend's sweep over Tri-City, with Owen Crudale making a career-high 32 saves in Friday's overtime win.
Crudale has a .911 save percentage overall, tied for the sixth-highest among qualified goaltenders while Vojtech Hambálek is second in the USHL with nine wins this season.
4. Making Moves
Michael Barron enters the weekend with 98 career points for the Fighting Saints, two away from becoming the 10th Fighting Saint to reach 100 in Tier-I history.
Barron scored a goal and added two assists last weekend to overtake Gavin Cornforth (96) on the all-time scoring ranks and tie Ty Jackson for 11th with 98. Jake Sondreal was the last Saint to reach the century mark, doing so in the 2023-24 season.
5. Phantom Fix
The Phantoms enter the weekend four points behind the Saints in the Eastern Conference and tout a top-four rank in both offense and defense.
Youngstown trails only Dubuque in the league power-play rankings, converting at a 28.8% clip. The Phantoms' penalty kill is 12th in the USHL at 78.3% and has had 69 opportunities this season, the fifth-most in the USHL.
Friday's game begins at 7:05 p.m. CST at ImOn Arena and tickets are available here. The game can also be found on Eagle 102.3 and FloHockey.
