Mustangs turn up the heat
Wisconsin rolls off three more wins

January 8, 2008

Matt Rucinski scored three goals for the Mustangs last weekend.

Hot on the heels of the first-place Minnesota Ice Hawks, the Wisconsin Mustangs kept their foot on the pedal last weekend with three victories.

“Those wins were important as far as keeping pace in the standings,” said Mustangs GM-assistant coach Brian Huebel.  “We try not to put any added pressure on the guys by saying to them that any one game is far more important than any other; they’re all big.”

The Mustangs got rolling on Friday with a 13-4 thumping of the St. Paul Lakers.  Zack Smoot rang up two goals and three assists in the triumph, while Jake Olson tallied two goals and an assist.  Between the pipes, Brian Dalbec and Alex Nowak combined to stop 21 shots.

Matt Borndale (game-winner) and Matt Rucinski each notched two goals as Wisconsin cruised to a 7-1 triumph over the Minnesota Flying Aces on Saturday.  Olson, Marcus Makinen and Jake Calleja each chipped in a goal and an assist, while Dalbec and Nowak teamed up to make 25 saves.

On Sunday, Steve Mlodozyniec’s overtime tally lifted the Mustangs to a 4-3 win over the Twin Cities Northern Lights.  Olson, Smoot and Charlie Benik added the other Wisconsin markers, and Dalbec turned aside 20 shots.

“Obviously, we scored a good number of goals and the effort was there as well,” said Huebel.  “For the most part, we stuck to what we wanted to do, and with our hard work we were able to come out with some wins."

Aside from the usual suspects – Borndale, Benik, Hjertqist and Mlodozyniec among them – Smoot, 17, and Rucinski, 18, came to the forefront with impressive weekends.

“These are two young kids who have made very nice strides at improving their game and it’s beginning to pay off for them on the scoresheet,” said Huebel.  “But, more importantly, they’re playing well in all three zones.”

Dalbec continues to prove himself as one of the league’s best stoppers.  The 20-year-old from Superior, Wis., has been fine-tuning his pipe play with goaltending coach Kevin Schuman and the results are proof positive.

“If you’re going to be successful for a long period of time, the goaltending has to be solid,” said Huebel.  “Brian’s beginning to see the puck better, controlling rebounds and challenging shots much better.”

And it helps Dalbec’s cause when his entire defensive unit goes above and beyond, especially in their own end.

“I look at these guys at not so much individuals, but as a corps,” Huebel said of his stable of blueliners.  “They’re really working on taking care of the defensive zone first and not making unforced turnovers in the zone.”

Forwards Calleja and Evan Nelson have been just as valuable defensively as two of the Mustangs’ best penalty-killers.

“In a lot of one- or two-goal games, they’ve been able to shut down the opposition’s power play and keep a lead or keep us in the game.”

Huebel also credits much of the Mustangs’ success this season to the camaraderie amongst the entire team, both on the bench and around town.

“This is a very tight-knit group,” he said.  “We knew that coming into the year with our returning players and the newcomers have fit right in.

“It’s not just on the ice, but perhaps more importantly off it. That’s where the chemistry is really formed and they all are always doing things away from the arena as a group.”

Although they wouldn’t complain with a first-place finish, catching the Ice Hawks isn’t the Mustangs’ end-all goal.  Their focus remains on constant improvement as the postseason nears.

“We aren't going to worry about where we are in the standings, but rather take each game one at a time and focus on how we’re playing and improving as individuals and as a team,” said Huebel.  “Everything else will be a by-product of that.”

The Ice Hawks haven’t missed a beat, skating to a pair of wins last weekend starting with an 11-2 victory over the Northern Lights on Friday.  Danny Grady recorded a hat trick and an assist in the win, while Brandon Rohrig added a goal and three assists.  Minnesota goaltenders Mike Brach and Brett Bergum combined to stop 16 shots.  Erik Olson assisted on both Twin Cities markers.

Jay Gorman struck for the game-winning goal and added five assists as the Ice Hawks downed the Granite City Lumberjacks on Saturday, 9-4.  MJHL leading-scorer Ryan Goodmanson added two goals and an assist, and Ricky Doyen stopped 31 shots between the pipes.  Tyler Sura connected for two goals and an assist for the Lumberjacks.

The Hudson Crusaders were also perfect last weekend, rolling off three wins beginning with a 7-1 triumph over the Minnesota Owls on Friday.  Reed Zweber registered a hat trick, including the game-winning goal, while Colin Barnauskas added a goal and two assists. Adam Buegler was sharp between the pipes, turning aside 44 shots.  Dan Liedl scored the Owls’ lone tally.

The next night, Buegler turned aside all 22 shots at the Crusaders blanked the Lakers, 2-0.  Zweber and Scott Liebsch supplied the goals for Hudson, and St. Paul goaltender Dan Jobson made 42 saves in defeat.

Zweber netted his second hat trick of the weekend on Sunday as the Crusaders doubled up the Flying Aces, 4-2.  Kyle Romanchuk scored the other Hudson goal, while Buegler stopped 30 shots.  Chris Koenen assisted on both Aces goals.