Dubuque, IA – The Dubuque Fighting Saints (25-13-2-0, 52 pts) visit the Green Bay Gamblers (26-10-3-1, 56 pts) on Saturday night.
Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:
1. Road Rebound
The Fighting Saints enter Saturday's road matchup after three-straight losses, tied for their longest stretch of the season.
It is the final of three trips to Green Bay for the Fighting Saints this season. In the first pair of matchups, Dubuque is 0-1-1-0 at the Resch Center.
2. Top Trio
Colin Frank scored his 20th goal of the season in Friday's loss to Cedar Rapids, assisted by his top linemates Charlie Arend and Michael Barron.
The trio has combined for 16 goals and 47 points over the last 13 games played. Barron's 35th assist gave him sole possession of the league lead in helpers and he has 46 points overall to lead the Saints.
3. Saints Standings
The Fighting Saints enter play on Saturday trailing the Gamblers by four points in the Eastern Conference. Green Bay sits in second place with 56 points, trailing first-place Youngstown by seven points.
The Saints begin the day in fourth place with 52 points, one point behind Muskegon. Including Saturday, Dubuque has eight games remaining against the three teams it trails in the conference.
4. Saints Specials
The Fighting Saints held the RoughRiders scoreless on two power-play chances in Friday's loss, improving the team's penalty kill to 80.7%. That ranks fifth in the USHL entering play on Saturday.
On the power play, Dubuque went scoreless on two chances in the loss. The Saints still lead the USHL with a 28.4% conversion rate on the power play.
5. Gambler Glimpse
The Gamblers have taken all four previous meetings between the teams this season as they meet for the third, and final, time in Green Bay. Following Saturday's matchup, the teams meet three more times in Dubuque to complete the eight-game season series.
Green Bay finished a league-best 14-game win streak on Dec. 31 that included three wins against Dubuque. Since then, Green Bay has split eight games, winning four and dropping four after a split with Muskegon last weekend.
Saturday's game begins at 6:05 p.m. CST at the Resch Center. The game can also be found on Eagle 102.3 and FloHockey.
