Best team so far: Des Moines. The Buccanners are 20-2 after 22 games, and even though they've played 14 of those games on home ice, they've been solid regardless of where they play. The Bucs have outscored their opponents 137-56, and their two losses were both in overtime. Three of the top four scorers in the league wear red and blue. Pete Fregoe has 43 points in 22 games, while Michael Chin has 37 points and Peter Sejna has 30 points. The Bucs have established themselves as the team to beat in a season that features some tough competition with Omaha, Green Bay, and the USA Under 18 team.
Biggest surprise: Green Bay. With a large portion of last year's team returning, most people expected the Gamblers to significantly improve on last year's 23-28-5 record. An 18-4 start to the season has surprised many USHL observers, however. The acquisition of goaltender Rob Anderson from North Iowa was a key move for Green Bay. Anderson has posted a 2.53 goals against average and a 91.1 percent save percentage while going 13-4 in 18 appearances. The Gamblers are led offensively by Mike Perpich (12-17-29) and Tom Preissing (8-18-26).
Team to watch in the second half: Sioux City. It seems like I said the same thing a year ago at this time, but the Musketeers are on the right track. Much of the credit for the recent success in Siouxland belongs to Ukranian Ruslan Fedotenko. Fedotenko has scored 25 of the Muskies' 83 goals, and has assisted on 12 others. The power play leads the league at 27.35 percent and the penalty killing is above average at 82.94 percent. Sioux City also has a favorable schedule, with just 14 of their final 32 games on the road.
Best Player: Ruslan Fedotenko, Sioux City. There's no shortage of talent in the USHL this year, but Fedotenko stands out from the crowd. The native of Kiev, Ukraine has scored 25 goals and added 12 assists for 37 points in 23 games. His presence on the point with the man advantage is a big reason why Sioux City has the league's best power play. Fedotenko has a shot as good as anyone in the league, and at 6'2", 195 pounds, he's a solid NHL prospect.
Toughest arena in which to play: Des Moines. Honorable mention: Omaha. At this point last season, just one team was below .500 at home. This year, five teams are below .500 at home. At first glance, it would appear that home ice doesn't seem to mean as much as it did last season. However, getting a win in the Metro Ice Sports Arena is a task that only one team has managed to accomplish this season. Included in the Bucs' 13-1 home record are two wins against the Under 18 team win and one win against Green Bay. The only loss was an overtime loss to Omaha on Halloween. Omaha has also been tough at home, posting a perfect 9-0 record so far this season.
Now that's a tough ticket: While the league's most notable sellout streak came to an end this spring when the Omaha Lancers failed to sell out a first round playoff game, the Lincoln Stars have sold out every game in the franchise's three-year history. An arena expansion at the Ice Box will add about 500 more seats before the national tournament rolls into the Star City in May.
Not a success at the box office: The Under 18 team has been a success on the ice with a 21-4-1 record, but nobody in their hometown of Ann Arbor is paying attention. Through their first 12 home games, the Under 18s have averaged just 184 fans. An Oct. 3 game against Waterloo drew just 54 fans to the Ice Cube.
Predicted playoff teams: Des Moines, Omaha, Green Bay, Sioux City, Lincoln, Rochester, Fargo-Moorhead, Waterloo. The Under 18 team is eligible to win the Anderson Cup, but will not participate in the USHL playoffs.
