Ducks looking for finish strong in USPHL

By Jim den Hollander

Saukhockey.info

Editor/Publisher

The Dells Ducks rode a promising stretch into the Christmas Break and came out the other side looking to continue its inspired play into the portion of the season that has been its Waterloo in previous years.

Generally, teams come out of the Christmas Break having completed their Showcase events or else have one final Showcase right away in January.

Following that, the Ducks engage in head-to-head Midwest-West Division matches through the season’s homestretch and they have had little success in those games in the past.

This season, the Ducks lost its first 14 games before finally breaking into the win column in early November. Since then, the team has posted a record of 9-12 and for the most part, they have been in every contest.

The highlight of the season so far was likely the opener at the Chicago Showcase on Dec. 15 as goaltender Chris Mazurek (‘03/Batavia, IL.) kicked out all 45 Chicago Cougars chances and led his team to a 1-0 edge against its Midwest-East Division rival. Captain Bryce Jacobsen (‘02/DeForest, WI) scored the lone goal.

The Ducks wrapped up the event 2-2 with a 5-1 win against MHC, a tournament team put together by the Metro Jets along with a 4-1 loss to the Cincinnati Cyclones from the Great Lakes Division and a 6-0 loss in its finale against the Northern Colorado Eagles from the Mountain Division.

Following the Christmas Break, the Ducks returned on a promising note with a closer than it sounds 4-1 win at home against the Steele County Blades on Jan. 7.

Noah Czech (‘04/Natick, MA) scored first and newcomer Ashot Davyton (‘05/Russia) put the Ducks in front to stay 2-1 in the final period. Ryan Hammer (‘05/Wheaton, IL) and Logan Potts (‘03/Allen, TX) both added last minute empty netters to put the win away.

The following night, the Blades responded with a 4-2 win, Ducks goals fired by Davyton and Ethan Matthews (‘02/South Bend, IN).

This past weekend was a rough one though, after dropping a narrow 4-3 decision at South Wood County Recreation Center (SWCRC) in Wisconsin Rapids Friday night, an on-ice incident sidetracked the team Saturday, and they were pounded 11-4.

Jacobsen fired the lone first period goal and the host Riverkings led 3-1, adding another in the middle period before Hammer and Mikel Ferran Cobo (‘02/Cuernabaca, Mexico) fired late goals to make it interesting.

Major penalties early allowed the Riverkings to pile up six unanswered first period goals and they never looked back

Jack Kopsfstein (‘05/Vista, CA); Matthews; Reece Atkins (‘03/Amery, WI) and Jacobsen fired the Ducks’ goals.

The Ducks will look to improve on its 1-3 record since the start of the New Year but it will be hard with the lone contest this weekend at Hudson Sports and Civic Center against the first place Hudson Havoc.

Below are some interviews from the Chicago Showcase. Not as timely now, but still some great comments from Head Coach Anthony Rohde and goaltender Chris Mazurek.

Blaine may be in USA, but its Siberia for Ducks

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Dells Ducks have enjoyed a nice turnaround to its regular season of late but one thing remains the same.

Fogerty Ice Arena is no fun for them.

Coming into a weekend set with the host Minnesota Moose riding a modest two-game winning streak and looking much better of late, the Moose brushed them aside in the first of two games by an 11-1 score. The following night the Ducks came out looking to turn the tables and led 2-1 late in the game in what would have been its biggest victory in several seasons.

But the Moose, a team the Ducks have never defeated, spoiled the day for them again, tying the game with 3:30 to play and snatching the win away just over a minute later.

The Moose fired two more in the game’s final minute, the first into an empty goal to rub a bit more salt into the wound, wrapping up a 5-2 win.

Despite the tough losses in Blaine, a win in the Twin Cities Thursday night against the Minnesota Mullets widened the Ducks in the final playoff position and the ninth place Mullets who wrapped an 0-3 weekend.

HIghlights of Thursday included another win in goal for Chris Mazurek (‘03/Batavia, IL) as he stopped 26 of 28 Mullets’ shots and Austin Holmberg (‘03/Amery, WI) fired the game winner early in the final period. Holmberg’s goal was the first of three helping the Ducks rally back from a 2-1 deficit for a 4-2 win.

Friday’s game was a mismatch from the opening faceoff as the host Moose peppered Anthony Falzone (‘03/St. Charles, IL) and Jadon Mammen (‘04/Grapevine, TX) with a combined 68 shots including the game winner notched before the halfway mark of the opening period.

MIkel Ferran Cobo (‘02/Curernabaca, Mexico), a former Moose player fired his third goal since joining the Ducks just before Thanksgiving, the lone bright spot on an otherwise rough night.

If the Ducks were down after the loss to the Moose, it didn’t show Saturday as the team came out looking to prove something in its fourth and final meeting of the season with the Blaine-based squad.

Moose got on the board with the lone goal of the first period but defenseman Jack Kopfstein (‘05/Vista, CA) responded with the lone second period tally.

Mazurek turned in his best outing of the season, kicking out 45 of 46 to keep the game even after 40 despite a 46-17 margin for the home side on the shot counter.

A brilliant neutral zone takeaway sent Bryce Jacobsen in alone and he buried a go-ahead goal right after the Ducks killed a minor penalty with just under four minutes goal in the third giving the Ducks their first lead of the season against the Moose.

The Moose kept up its barrage against Mazurek until netting the equalizer just 3:30 from the final buzzer and breaking Ducks hearts with the game winner just over a minute later. The clincher was slid into an empty net and the Moose fired one more meaningless goal with four seconds to play.

The Ducks will be hoping the goaltending effort of Mazurek who should be the Goaltender of the Week for the division, will give them momentum as they head to the Windy City Thursday for its third and final Showcase event of the season.

The Ducks will start out Thursday at 12:40 p.m. (CST) at the Canlan Arena in Romeoville against the Chicago Cougars who they played in a couple of pre-season exhibition contests in Lake Delton. The Cougars are from the Midwest-East Division.

On Friday the Ducks will face two opponents at the Leafs Center in Elgin, IL. First up is the Cincinnati Cyclones from the Great Lakes Division at 10:10 a.m. and later they will play the MHC club, made up of Metro Jets players, also from the Great Lakes Division.

Wrapping up the pre-Christmas portion of its schedule, the Ducks will return to Romeoville Saturday to play the Northern Colorado Eagles from the Mountain Division at 7:50 p.m. Because the games are being played in a tournament format, starting times may not be exact.

After the Showcase, players will scatter around the globe to celebrate the holiday with their respective families, then return to prepare for its first home series since November Steele County Blades pay a visit to the Lake Delton Ice Arena Jan. 7-8, 2023.

Those games will kick off the 13-game homestretch for the Ducks who will wrap up the regular season on Feb. 26.

Cougars give Ducks rude welcome from break

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Dells Ducks made its return to action from a brief Thanksgiving Break and got a rude reintroduction in the Windy City.

Playing at Fifth Third Arena, the practice facility of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, the Ducks entered the weekend with some hope, having stunned the Chicago Cougars in the season opener back in September with a 5-4 overtime win.

Dells Ducks

The Ducks opened and closed the scoring in the opening contest, but the Cougars piled up seven in between to rack up the 7-2 win on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, the Cougars tightened its grip a little further and captured a 12-0 shutout win.

In the Saturday contest, Jayden Tkaczuk (02/Chanahon, IL) responded to anyone wondering if he would be ok following a brutal hit from behind in the team’s last game at the Islanders Hockey Club Showcase in November in the games first two minutes.

Tkaczuk collected his seventh goal of the season, converting a Kai Neuemaier (‘03/St. Charles, IL) feed for the game’s opening goal 90 seconds into the contest.

The Cougars tied the game 50 seconds later and the Ducks never got a sniff of the lead again. The home team was up 3-1 after a period and sank four more unanswered in the middle period, led by TJ Haas who fired three.

Bryce Jacobsen (‘02/DeForest, WI) rounded out the scoring with the lone goal of the final period, his ninth of the season, from Jack Kopfsetein (‘05/Vista, CA) and Gage Senio (‘04/Red Deer, AB)

The Cougars held a massive 54-27 edge in shots including a 28-3 margin through the middle period.

On Sunday, the second period was again a lopsided stretch as the home side turned a 4-0 first period cushion into a 10-0 gap on its way to a 12-0 win and a 60-18 margin on the shot clock.

The wins wrapped up the four-game season series between the Ducks and Cougar, 3-0-1 in Chicago’s favor.

The Ducks will play its first home game in a month and its final home game of 2021 Thursday night when the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings pay a visit for a rare Thursday night contest at the Lake Delton Ice Arena.

Opening faceoff on Thursday will be 7:30 p.m.

Back to work — Ducks kick off second half in Chicago

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

With a short Thanksgiving break behind them, the Dells Ducks move into the second half of the USPHL Premier Midwest-West regular season this weekend with a trip to the Windy City.

The Chicago Cougars are easily the team’s biggest out-of-division rival given their history and the fact they meet every season.

The Cougars are one of the teams in the stable of owner John Schwarz, who up until this season was also the original owner of the Dells Ducks. The teams have had some big meetings in the past including a playoff series to decide which team would move on to the National Championship tournament in the Cougars inaugural campaign.

In recent seasons, the Cougars have mostly been the dominant squad, posting a 7-2-1-0 record against the Ducks since the 2018-19 season got underway.

However, one of those two Ducks’ wins came in the season opener this year as the Ducks pulled out a 5-4 overtime win. Jake Cartland and Caden Glamkowski both scored twice in that one and Bryce Jacobsen fired the overtime game winner.

That win brought an end to an eight-game streak for the Cougars dating back to the 2018 season.

The following night the Cougars returned and pulled out a 4-2 win and the Ducks have won just twice in 22 games since then. Meanwhile, the Cougars have compiled a 12-5-2-0 record and sit atop the Midwest-East division heading into the weekend.

Making it tougher, when the weekend series starts at 12:45 p.m. Saturday, Glamkowski will be on the sidelines sitting a one-game suspension. He will be back for the Sunday afternoon game, starting at 1 p.m.

It will be an interesting weekend for the Ducks as they head to Fifth Third Arena near Chicago, the practice facility of the Chicago Blackhawks and the home arena of the Chicago Mission AAA teams.

The Ducks have a slightly more relaxed schedule this month after some non-stop play7 through the first three months of the season.

The team will become familiar with the Fifth Third Arena though as after a home game next Thursday against the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings, the team will head back to the same arena for a four-game Showcase tournament beginning Dec. 16, carrying them into the Christmas Break.

Tough finish for Ducks at MA Showcase

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

This story has been delayed somewhat due in part to a holdup in getting the gamesheet updated on the USPHL website.

After a great start to the weekend, the Dells Ducks wrapped up its stay in Massachusetts with a third straight loss and second straight shutout loss, falling to the Jersey Shore Whalers 6-0 on Sunday (Nov. 21).

The Ducks kicked off the tournament with its most lopsided win in two seasons, defeating the Wooster Oilers 9-3, but a pair of losses Saturday spoiled the celebration a bit.

On Sunday the Whalers notched one goal in the first and third periods blowing the game open with a four-goal middle frame.

An unfortunate occurrence became the talking point in the days after the game. Jayden Tkaczuk, leading scorer on the team last season and one of the top scorers again this year, was rocked by a brutal hit in the game’s final minutes. The camera angle on the broadcast of the game appeared to show a Jersey Shore skater coming from the bench all the way to the far blue line area – likely 8-10 strides – before delivering the crushing hit on an unsuspecting Tkaczuk.

Tkaczuk suffered a concussion as a result of the charge and had no memory of it or the next little while later. Making matters worse, among the players that came on in defense of their teammate was the team’s leading scorer, Caden Glamkowski who was assessed a fighting major and disqualification in the melee.

The Ducks scattered across the continent after Sunday’s game to celebrate Thanksgiving with their respective families. The team will return after the weekend to begin preparations for a fairly light December schedule.

After traveling to Chicago for a pair of games against the Cougars Dec. 4-5, the Ducks will host the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings at the Lake Delton Ice Arena Dec. 9, then heads back to the Windy City for its third and final Showcase event of the season Dec. 16-19.

Riverkings, Havoc next challenge for Ducks

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Dells Ducks will return home for its third straight weekend of three or more games with visits from the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings on Friday and the Hudson Havoc Saturday and Sunday.

After this weekend, the Ducks, who enter with a 1-14 record will have played all seven of its USPHL Premier Midwest-West Division opponents at least once. While a core group of players are enjoying stellar individual campaigns, the young team has found it difficult to find the win column.

After a thrilling overtime win against the Chicago Cougars in the third game of the season, September 24, the Ducks dropped a dozen straight.

Making things a bit more difficult, the team has played short-staffed the past couple weeks, but the defense corps got a needed boost at the Midwest-West Showcase with the addition of Evan Haddeman (‘04/Hudson, IA), who came to the Ducks after starting the season with the Lake Tahoe Lakers in the Premier Pacific Division.

Also in the lineup was Zachary Windom, an ‘05 defenseman from Allen, TX who has been with the team since opening day but recovering from an ankle injury. Easily the youngest defense corps in the division if not the league, the Ducks enter the weekend with two ‘05’s (Windom and Jack Kopfstein) and three ‘04’s (Haddeman, Thomas Howell and Lucas Taylor).

Once again, the upcoming tests will be difficult as the Riverkings and Havoc are perennial top-four finishers although a quick look at the division history books shows a Havoc team that made its own way up from rock bottom about five seasons ago.

Since 2018, the Ducks have won just twice in 14 starts against the Riverkings and both – a 1-0 win in 2019 that saw Emil Norrman kicking out all 47 shots he faced, and a 4-3 edge in 2020 that saw Jason Heard scoring a pair of goals. Heard has returned to the Ducks on a part time basis whenever his job commitments in Chicago allow.

Last season, the Ducks squared off with the Riverkings five times and scored just one goal….total. The Riverkings meanwhile hit double digits on the scoreboard in three of the games. Needless to say, the Riverkings have had the Ducks’ number in recent seasons.

The Ducks have posted a 2-9-2-0 record against the Havoc since 2018 but the Havoc has claimed the last 11. The Ducks last win came Nov. 3, 2018.

Game time on both Friday and Saturday will be 7:30 p.m. with a 1:30 p.m. Matinee contest on Sunday.

Coach Falzone talks strategy with his charges during a brief break in the team’s second practice of the day at the Lake Delton Ice Arena on Thursday, Nov. 4. The Ducks will entertain the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings on Friday and follow it up with Saturday and Sunday games against the visiting Hudson Havoc.

Ducks return from break and prepare for Moose

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

Following its first off weekend of the season the Dells Ducks returned to work at the Lake Delton Ice Arena Monday, beginning a long stretch that won’t see them off again until Thanksgiving.

Dells Ducks

October and November will see the team in action for seven straight weekends including two three-game sets and two four-game Showcase events in Blaine, MN and Merrimack College in New England.

In all, the 20 games played in the next seven weeks will carry the team past the halfway mark on its 44-game USPHL Premier schedule.

The last action for the Ducks was an encouraging weekend split with the Chicago Cougars. The team clearly is hoping to build on that momentum with two of the USPHL Premier Midwest-West Division’s perennial frontrunners next on the itinerary.

Head Coach Shaun Falzone said there was a little rust to shake off in the first of two practices Monday, but added the team already looked better for the second session. All areas need improvement of course, but the transition game and limiting chances for the opposition is still the primary concern and likely will be for most of the season.

The team looks more organized and confident in its own end, but still has some lengthy lapses and counted on some stellar goaltending performances to counter a pair of games this past weekend both surpassing 60 shots against.

This weekend’s series will begin Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. and wrap up with a matinee contest Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Ducks fall short, but show heart in loss to Cougars

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Dells Ducks showed its resiliency once again Saturday (September 25), bouncing back from a two-goal deficit or a third time on the weekend, but ultimately fell short in its USPHL Premier rematch with the Chicago Cougars 4-2.

Down 1-0 after a period and 2-0 early in the middle frame, a pair of goals by Jacob Cartland (‘02/East Troy, WI), his third and fourth of the weekend evened the score.

The Cougars though struck back with a late second period goal then added a clincher 6:18 from the final buzzer.

Dells Ducks

The loss leaves the Ducks at 1-3 on the season, but if you’re looking for some positives, here’s a list:

The goal is to improve on last season’s 3-38-2 regular season showing that included a 23-game season opening losing streak. Friday’s win came months earlier that last season’s first victotry.
The rate of improvement so far is nothing short of shocking. The team is already eons removed from the squad that got an early preview in Detroit just two weeks ago with four exhibition games.
Teams and players always talk about the chemistry being in place, but there is more to it that just caring about each other. Chemistry shows up on the ice and was hugely evident on the team’s second goal when young defender, Jack Kopfstein fired a 60-foot tape to tape pass on a power from the left side of the blue line to the right side of the blue paint where Cartland was waiting to tie the game at 2-2. Clearly the guys are becoming aware of where their linemates will be ahead of time.
The Ducks scored powerplay goals in both games and while the Cougars were also successful on the powerplay as well, the Ducks stepped up with some big kills in the dying minutes of the second period in both games and also killed off a five-minute major Friday.
The Ducks might be a young team, but some rookies are making their presence felt out of the game. Cartland has five goals and seven points in four games while Caden Glamkowski (‘04/St. Charles, IL) is among the league leaders with three goals and a half dozen assists. Bryce Jacobsen was an offensive leader for the Ducks last season, collecting nine points in 23 games. So far this season, the rugged center has already collected seven points in four games and has been dominant on faceoffs in both ends of the ice.

The Ducks have a couple tough assignments coming up as they wrap up the second half of its eight-straight home games to open the regular season against the Minnesota Moose (Oct. 9-10) and Minnesota Blue Ox (Oct. 16-17), but they are off this coming weekend, giving the team extra time to prepare for these four games. The Moose and Blue Ox represented the Midwest-West Division at Nationals this past season and have competed in the top half of the division since entering the league five seasons ago.

Jacobsen’s ot goal completes Ducks comeback win

By JIm den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Dells Ducks rallied back from a pair of lopsided defeats the previous weekend with a thrilling 5-4 overtime edge against the Chicago Cougars for the team’s first win of the 2021-22 USPHL Premier regular season.

A marked improvement was already in place on Wednesday night when the Ducks played host to the UW-Oshkosh Titans and the team showed character battling back from a two-goal deficit twice before grabbing its first lead of the game and the season when Bryce Jacobsen (‘02/DeForest, WI) slammed home a pass from Caden Glamkowski (‘04/St. Charles, IL)with just under two minutes to go in the overtime period.

Dells Ducks

For Jacobsen, the goal was his third point of the night while Caden Glamkowski finished with two goals and two assists. Jacob Cartland (‘02/East Troy, WI) fired the other two goals.

The Cougars built a 2-0 lead through the game’s first six minutes with goals from Brenden Miranda (‘03/Romeoville, IL) and Michael Sliwinski (‘01/Franklin Park, IL).

Cartland got the Ducks on the board with his second goal of the season with 8;12 to play in the opening frame then added another on a Ducks’ powerplay a little more than four minutes later.

Teams were even heading to the middle frame, but goals from Andreas Zorn (‘02/Chicago, IL) and Daniel Danko (‘02/Skokie, IL) restored the Cats’ two-goal cushion.

A key point for the Ducks came late in the middle period when they killed off its first two-minute minor of the game and another 90 seconds or so of sustained pressure before the second period buzzer sounded.

Glamkowski made it a one-goal contest 3:09 into the period and pulled his team even with his second goal a little after three minutes later, tying the game and setting the stage for Jacobsen’s overtime heroics.

Anthony Falzone (‘03/St. Charlies, IL) turned in easily his best effort in a Ducks’ uniform, kicking out 60 Cougars’ shots while the Ducks tested MIke Lenhart (‘01/Syracuse, NY) stopped 32 in goal for the Cougs.

The same two teams are scheduled to square off again Saturday (September 25) at 7:30 p.m. at the Lake Delton Ice Arena.

Ducks entertain Titans in exhibition contest

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Dells Ducks got a midweek tune-up in preparation for its second home weekend of the United States Premier Hockey League Premier Midwest-West Regular season with an exhibition game against the UW Oshkosh Titans at the Lake Delton Ice Arena.

Dells Ducks

The Titans collected a 4-1 win, carrying a 2-1 margin out of the opening period and adding two more in the third.

A surprisingly physical and chippy exhibition contest showed a Ducks team not afraid to go toe-to-toe with the older squad, but also a little more disciplined on the night. As a result, the Ducks were assessed 14 minutes in minor penalties while the Titans sat 47 minutes including a five-minute major and a 10-minute misconduct.

Trent Bachman, a former member of the Dells Ducks was a captain for the Titans and his younger brother Sam Bachman suited up for the Ducks after debuting for the team this past weekend.

The Bachman brothers squared off in an exhibition contest at Lake Delton Ice Arena Wednesday night. On the left is Trent Bachman who played with the Ducks last season with his younger brother Sam. Both are defensemen.

Oshkosh hit the scoreboard first 6:44 into the contest but Jake Cartland equalized just 94 seconds later.

The winning goal came about three minutes later. After a scoreless middle frame, the Titans clinched the win with two more down the stretch.

The Ducks will be back in action this weekend against the Chicago Cougars in their third and fourth of eight straight home games to open the regular season.

For a weekend preview, the Ducks are asking fans to join us at Bobbers Island Grill on Thursday night to support former Ducks player Colin Cross who now is a successful Nashville-based County Western musician.

Happy Birthday Jacobsen

Bryce Jacobsen was looking for a place to play last season as the DeForest Norskies suspended play for its varsity hockey team due to the pandemic restrictions, in particular in Dane County. The Ducks are so happy he came looking in the Dells area.

Jacobsen tested the ice and liked the environment with the Ducks, signing on to play the final 23 games of the season. The center was an instant fit and went to to scoring five goals and add four assists through the remainder of the season.

Back for the 2021-22 season, Jacobsen was recently named one of the four team captains and despite a rough ride on the weekend against the visiting Rum River Mallards, Jacobsen scored a goal on a penalty shot and added an assist.

On Wednesday, Jacobsen celebrated his 19th Birthday. Saukhockey.info and the Dells Ducks want to wish Jacobsen a Happy Birthday