Plymouth, MI - The Dubuque Fighting Saints (3-4-0-0, 6 pts) visit the USA NTDP U18 (1-3-0-0, 2 pts) on Friday night to begin a three-game weekend against the NTDP.

Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:

1. Top Trio

The Fighting Saints' top line of Melvin Ekman, Arsienii Voroteliak and Caden Dabrowski combined for eight points in last Friday's win.

Overall, the three players have combined for eight goals and 15 points this season. Melvin Ekman leads the Fighting Saints with four goals through seven games.

2. Dubuque Dabrowski

Dabrowski missed the first five games of the season, but returned on Oct. 9 to tie a career high with four points (1-3-4). The forward missed the first five games of the season, but matched a career mark for the third four-point game in his 52-game career.

Last season, Dabrowski logged 37 points in 50 games for the Saints. In his rookie season, Dabrowski hit his stride in the final 20 games. He recorded 22 of his 37 points over the final 20 games of the season in 2025-26.

3. Road Reinforcements

Following Dabrowski's return to the lineup last week, the Fighting Saints will see Luke Brierley back on the ice after missing the last six games for Dubuque.

Brierley left the season-opener early on Sept. 17 and has not played in six games since. The defenseman finished last season, his first in the USHL, with a plus-28 rating to tie for third in the league. 
 

4. Saints Saves

Luke Carrithers made a season-high 33 saves in last Friday's win over the Phantoms and played his first back-to-back of the season, making 17 more saves the next night. Overall, Carrithers logged a .909 save percentage for the weekend.

This week, Carrithers returns to Plymouth, Michigan to take on the USA NTDP. Carrithers suited up for the NTDP in 33 USHL games and 68 more times at the international level.

5. All-American

The U18s play their first USHL home games of the season after most recently splitting a series in Muskegon at the end of September.

Nolan Fitzhenry and Finn Sears lead the team with five points each in four USHL games. Last season, Sears set a career-high with a hat trick and four points against Dubuque in a January contest.

Friday's game begins at 6:00 CT and can be found on Eagle 102.3 and USAHockey TV.