USHL Rink Report: Win streaks roll on, Celebrini overtakes point lead and busy week on tap

Antonio Fernandez Lincoln.JPG — Antonio Fernandez recorded his first multi-goal game of the season Friday night in Lincoln's 2-1 win over Sioux Falls. It was also his first USHL game-winning goal. The second-year defenseman has eight goals and 25 points in 35 games this season.

By Jordan McAlpine

February 13, 2023 at 4:54 PM

The Rink Live’s Jordan McAlpine provides the USHL’s Rink Report. Take a look back at the weekend that was, what’s ahead and various other news and notes from around the USHL.

Weekend review

*Home teams in bold*

Fri. Feb. 10
Cedar Rapids 5, Dubuque 2
Youngstown 4, Green Bay 3
Muskegon 7, Madison 3
Fargo 7, Sioux City 1
Lincoln 2, Sioux Falls 1 OT
Waterloo 2, Tri-City 1
Chicago 3, Omaha 2

Sat. Feb. 11
Dubuque 3, Cedar Rapids 2
Green Bay 3, Youngstown 2 OT
Madison 3, Muskegon 1
Fargo 6, Sioux City 3
Lincoln 5, Sioux Falls 4
Waterloo 3, Tri-City 2 OT
Chicago 7, Des Moines 4

Stick taps

Macklin Celebrini, F, Chicago
Celebrini racked up seven points last weekend (4-3-7) and is now the USHL’s point leader with 54. Celebrini netted his second hat trick and second five-point night (3-2-5) of the season Saturday night in Des Moines.

The rookie forward has a staggering 54 points (28-26-54) in 34 games this season. Celebrini’s 28 goals lead the USHL and his 11 power-play goals are also tied for second in the league.

Andon Cerbone, F, Youngstown
Cerbone has nine points (5-4-9) over his last five games, including four this past weekend. Cerbone had two goals and an assist Friday night, including the game-winner. The third-year forward has a career-high 41 points in 41 games this season.

Antonio Fernandez, D, Lincoln
The second-year defenseman scored twice Friday night, extending his goal streak to three games. Although Fernandez didn’t find the back of the net Saturday night, he did pick up an assist and currently owns a four-game point streak (4-1-5). Fernandez has eight goals and 25 points in 35 games this season.

Jack Spicer, G, Waterloo
The Omaha commit came up big Saturday night in Waterloo’s 3-2 overtime win in Kearney. Spicer turned aside 35 of the 37 Tri-City shots fired his way, including 18 in the third period.

Spicer has won 11 of his last 13 starts and is now 19-6-0-0 on the season with a .897 save percentage and 2.83 GAA. His 19 wins still lead the USHL.

What’s on tap

It’s one of the USHL’s busiest weeks of the season as the schedule features games on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. To view the complete schedule, click here. To view the current USHL standings, click here.

Without further ado, here’s a look at some of the top games on the docket.

Green Bay (23-14-1-1) at Dubuque (20-14-3-1), Mystique Community Ice Center, Tuesday. Feb. 14, 7:05 p.m.
One of two games on the calendar Tuesday night, Lincoln vs. Des Moines being the other, two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams will meet in northeast Iowa. The Fighting Saints are on a roll as of late with points in eight (6-2-2-0) of their last 10 games — including a pair of 3-0 wins over Green Bay earlier this month.

Dubuque is also 6-4-0-0 in its last 10 at home and has won six of its past seven on home ice.

Jake Sondreal netted the eventual game winner as the Fighting Saints held off Cedar Rapids 3-2! Highlights 👇 presented Matt Louis EXIT Realty Dubuque #HailToTheHalo #StarsRise pic.twitter.com/BPz23iXl8r
— Dubuque Fighting Saints (@fightingsaints) February 12, 2023

Green Bay is coming off a win itself, a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over Youngstown. The Gamblers trailed 2-0 in that game but rallied with three unanswered goals Saturday night. Green Bay currently sits second in the conference with 48 points.

Lincoln (25-13-1-0) at Fargo (27-8-1-3), Scheels Arena, Fri. Feb. 17 & Sat. Feb. 18, 7:05 & 6:05 p.m.
The Force have a six-game point streak (5-0-1-0) while Lincoln brings a five-game win streak into this week. Fargo is 8-1-1-0 in its last 10 overall and 8-1-0-1 in its last 10 at home. The Force scored 13 goals in a weekend sweep of Sioux City and have scored the USHL’s second-most goals (159).

The Stars are also coming off a sweep with a pair of one-goal wins over Sioux Falls. After a slump at the end of January, Rocky Russo’s squad has responded by winning five straight. The Stars are just three points behind Waterloo and have built a 10-point lead over Tri-City and Sioux City, who are currently tied for fourth in the Western Conference.

Great news: We won our fifth straight tonight.

Even better news: You only have to wait until Tuesday t to cheer on the Stars again.

Tonight's postgame recap is presented by @GreatClips. #AllAboard🚂 https://t.co/sZ171cwVVw
— Lincoln Stars (@LincolnStars) February 12, 2023

Lincoln has a busy week as the Stars will face Des Moines on Tuesday night at home and will also play at Sioux City Sunday on their way back from Fargo.

USNTDP (22-11-1-2) at Chicago (26-12-2-1), Fox Valley Ice Arena, Sat. Feb. 18 & Sun. Feb. 19, 7:05 & 3:05 p.m.
An intriguing matchup puts the Steel against the USNTDP in suburban Chicago. Celebrini, Michael Emerson and Jack Harvey have continued to produce and the Steel are coming off a pair of road wins in Omaha and Des Moines. Chicago has points in five straight (4-0-1-0) and leads Green Bay by seven points atop the Eastern Conference.

They’ll face an intriguing opponent, however, in the U17 team. Fans will be in for a treat between Cole Eiserman, James Hagens and Max Plante, along with Celebrini on the home side. The Steel and USNTDP are one of three games on Sunday’s slate.

MORE USHL COVERAGE:

Ice Chips

The USHL suspended a trio of players Monday afternoon: Youngstown goaltender Jacob Fowler (roughing, two games), Chicago defenseman Hunter Hady (head contact accumulation, one game) and Muskegon forward Ethan Fredericks (checking from behind, one game).
With their win Saturday, Waterloo is 8-0-0-0 in overtime this season, The Black Hawks are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games overall and trail Fargo by just four points atop the Western Conference.
Muskegon forward Sacha Boisvert recorded his second career hat trick Friday night and added an assist on Saturday. Boisvert’s 15 goals are fourth among USHL rookies. The North Dakota commit has 15 goals and 27 points in 35 games this season.
Madison goaltender Mason Kucenski earned his first win since Nov. 5 Saturday night, which snapped a 12-game skid between the pipes. Kucenski turned aside 35 of the 36 he saw in a 3-1 win over Muskegon. The win was his sixth of the season.
Muskegon racked up 47 penalty minutes this weekend. The Lumberjacks lead the USHL with 789 penalty minutes and are averaging 19.7 penalty minutes per game.
Cedar Rapids forward Dylan Hryckowian scored two goals on Friday and added an assist on Saturday. Hryckowian has points in seven of his last eight games and 12 points (3-9-12) in that stretch. He’s tied for sixth in the USHL with 43 points in 38 games.
Sioux Falls rookie forward Chris Pelosi found the back of the net twice Friday and recorded the first multi-goal game of his USHL career. Pelosi has goals in three of his last five games and has eight goals and 10 points in 22 games.