Dubuque, IA – The Dubuque Fighting Saints (27-14-2-0, 56 pts) earned their second shutout-victory of the season with a 4-0 win on Friday over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (20-14-2-5, 47 pts).
Late in the second period of a scoreless game, the Fighting Saints set up Gavin Lock for his 17th goal of the season. Teddy Merrill carried the puck into the offensive zone, found Caden Dabrowski in the corner and he set Lock up from the slot. The goal stood as Lock's seventh game-winner of the season, tied for the USHL lead.
Vojtech Hambálek made 19 saves in his second shutout of the season for the Fighting Saints, logging his 20th win of the year.
Nearly four minutes after Lock's ice-breaker, in the final minute of the second period, Charlie Arend knocked a puck out of the air into the net to give Dubuque a 2-0 lead.
Early in the third, Lock took a Merrill pass off the endwall from center ice and beat Ryan Cameron for his second of the game. Lock stripped the Riders' goaltender and buried his 18th of the season.
Dubuque killed three penalties in the third to complete the shutout, and Kris Richards netted a shorthanded goal into the empty net. It was the Saints' league-leading eight shorthanded goal of the season.
The Saints bounced back after a Thursday-night loss to earn two points and tie the Green Bay Gamblers with 56 points.
Dubuque and Cedar Rapids meet again on Saturday to finish a home-and-home series on Saturday.
