Ducks so close to big wins at Chicago Showcase

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

Two games into a four-game weekend at the annual Chicago Showcase tournament, the Ducks turned in two amazing efforts, but have just a single point to show for it.

After a 6-5 overtime loss against the Decatur Blaze Thursday, a late goal lifted the Detroit Fighting Irish to a 6-5 regulation win in a crazy contest.

The news became much worse as a broken collar bone for ‘05 defender Jack Kopfstein could sideline him as long as the remainder of the regular season.

That came in a wild gritty effort as reinforcements have resulted in not only a tougher, more resilient Ducks team but a team that can come up some big plays in the late minutes of the game.

Dells Ducks 5 Decatur Blaze 6

Against the Decatur Blaze on Thursday night, it was the Blaze grabbing control with three goals in less than three minutes in the first period adding another in the middle frame to carry a 4-1 lead into the final 17-minute segment.

The lone Ducks’ goal at that point belonged to Bryce Jacobsen (‘02/DeForest, WI) with an assist to Ryan Parkin, suiting up for the Ducks this weekend.

The Blaze widened the mark to 5-1 in the third before the Ducks went to work.

Caden Glamkowski (‘04/St. Charles, IL) kicked off another awesome weekend with the second goal from Gage Senio (‘04/Red Deer, AB) and Jacob Cartland (‘02/Mukwonago, WI). There was just 7:45 to play then so making it a three-goal cushion didn’t seem like an important goal.

But Senio hit the twine, from Seth Stoutenburg (‘03/Roseville, MN) about two minutes later and Glamkowski made it a one-goal game from Braedon Keel (‘03/Sylvania, Ohio) with 2:46 to go. Jacobsen’s second of the contest, from Glamkowski completed the comeback, but an overtime goal for the Blaze gave the team a not so happy ending.

Dells Ducks 5 Detroit Fighting Irish 6

Facing the Irish in an early game and its first of a pair on Friday, the Ducks were facing a team that manhandled them by a wide margin in a couple pre-season tests in August.

It appeared the same result could be coming when the Irish owned a 2-0 lead 7:34 into the game, but goals by Tkaczuk and Glamkowski evened the score by he end of the opening period. Glamkowski also had an assist along with Adam Chaudhri (‘04/Allen, TX) and Thomas Howell (‘04/Gilmer, TX).

Teams traded another pair each in the second, both Ducks goals fired by Glamkowski with help from Tkaczuk and Johnson.

Ducks rallied back to tie the game again, Glamkowski adding another with 2:41 to play, from Tkaczuk, but the Irish sank one more just over a minute later to snatch the win.

Ducks are scheduled to play again today (Friday, Dec. 17) against the Columbus Mavericks at 4:40 p.m. and will wrap up its pre-Christmas schedule Saturday at 2:20 p.m. against the Wooster Oilers.

Winless weekend but solid moments for Ducks

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

It came as no real surprise the Ducks wrapped up play at its first Showcase of the season with a tough loss against the Minnesota Blue Ox.

The Ducks have improved each time on the ice, but playing in a tough division and wrapping up a four-game weekend with a battle against perhaps the division’s best team, the 9-2 final score defeat didn’t come as a huge shock.

The Blue Ox carried a 3-0 lead out of the first period before Adam Chaudhri (‘04/Allen, TX) collected his first goal as a junior early in the second on a feed from Jacob Cartland (‘02/Mukwonago, WI) to get the Ducks on the board.

Dells Ducks

Blue Ox responded with another pair before Caden Glamkowski (‘04/St. Charles, IL) added a second for the Ducks, his 11^th of the season, from Jayden Tkaczuk (‘02/Chanahon, IL) and Dillon Collings (‘02/Golden, CO) who last played with the team in the 2020-21 season.

The Ox added one more in the second period and widened the gap with three more in the final frame.

The Ducks finished the Showcase winless and continue to home ice this coming weekend with a 1-14-0-0 regular season record.

The record is certainly not what the team what hoping for at the beginning of the season, but while the team is having its struggles, there are players who have made their presence felt in a big way.

It’s hard to miss Caden Glamkowski, on a pace for one of the best offensive seasons in the team’s history. The Illinois rookie has hit the 20-point mark (11g, 9a) in 15 games, one more than Jayden Tkaczuk had as the team’s leading scorer last season. Glamkowski collected points in all four games at the Showcase and has been kept off the sheet just twice in the team’s first 15 matches.

Tkaczuk also has been making up for lost time. He has three goals and nine assists in just 11 games with the team so far while rookie Jake Cartland has 15 points (6g, 9a) and the 14 points (4g, 10a) is five more than he collected playing in 23 games last season.

The gap between those players and the rest of the pack is wide, but 16 Ducks’ players have collected at least a point and the supporting cast is becoming more of an offensive factor.

The Ducks began preparing for another busy weekend against the only two teams the Ducks have not played yet in the Midwest-West Division.

After a Friday night contest against the always tough Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings (7:30 p.m.) the Ducks will complete an all-Wisconsin weekend with matches against the Hudson Havoc on Saturday (7:30 p.m.) and Sunday (1:30 p.m.). The homestand will be the fifth of the season for the Ducks who will not play at home again until 2022.

Fighting Irish pound Ducks in pre-season test

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Ducks fell behind early and saw the gap widen until it was far too wide in its second pre-season game of the day, a 9-2 loss at Southgate, Mich., Friday (Sept. 10).

Dells Ducks

The Ducks were playing the host Detroit Fighting Irish and like its earlier contest found itself down 2-0 after a period. But the Fighting Irish added three more before Caden Glamkowski (‘02/St. Charles, Ill.) finally got the Ducks on the board in the final minute of the middle period.

A goal in the opening minute of the third period all but clinched it, but the home side kept the offense going adding three more.

Adam Chaudhri (‘04/Allen, Texas) pulled one more back for the Ducks who might have played their best hockey of the night in the final five minutes of the contest.

The Ducks will get another shot at the Fighting Irish at 6:30 p.m. EST tomorrow and wrap up its four-game pre-season the following morning against the Metro Jets.

Caden Glamkowski fired the first goal for the Ducks in the final minute of the second period in a 9-2 loss against the Detroit Fighting Irish.

Hockey Talk – Aug. 23 — Ducks Camp Day 3

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Dells Ducks haven’t hit the ice yet, but the intensity level ratcheted up on Monday with the first of the tough workouts.

The team underwent some core workouts Monday (Aug. 23) morning then did a yoga workout after lunch, returning to the Lake Delton Ice Arena late in the day to clean the facility.

This season’s team should be bigger, in particular on the back end then last season and the returners are hungry to erase the memories of a rough 2020-21 campaign as soon as possible.

Along with workouts this week, the players will help Lake Delton Ice Arena owner Aaron Kirby with the installation of the ice beginning in the second half of this week and stepping back on the ice midway through next week will be a welcome change for the players from their tough dryland workouts.

Happy Birthday – Ben Scruton

Ben Scruton played for the Ducks in both 2019-20 and 2020-21, appearing in 74 games all together including all 44 from his rookie campaign.

The Ducks want to wish Scruton, a Chicago native, a happy 18^th Birthday today.

Ben Scruton (#22). Photo courtesy Gary Wiles.

Upcoming – Ducks and varsity hockey schedules

The Dells Ducks will kick off its regular season in just 25 days. In the next few days, watch this spot for a full home and away schedule for the Ducks as well as the four Sauk County varsity teams.