Another season has come to an end in the USHL (United Sates Hockey League), and for the second time in three years, the Green Bay Gamblers are the Clark Cup (Playoff) Champions. The Gamblers won the franchise’s 4th Cup in game 5 of the finals over the Waterloo Blackhawks Wednesday night to win the best of five series.
The 2011-12 season not only marks another Clark Cup Championship for the Gamblers, but also another Anderson Cup (League) Championship, their third Anderson Cup in four seasons.
Growing up as a hockey fan close to Green Bay, the Gamblers’ organization played a big role in my childhood and has been a staple in the Green Bay area since its 1994 inception into the USHL.
The Gamblers have consistently been a force in the USHL, but the 2011-12 season was especially impressive. Green Bay set league records in points (98), road wins (25), and also set a franchise record with 47 regular season wins.
Gambler alumni have also had much success in higher leagues. Twenty-one current Gambler players have committed to NCAA division I schools.
Forwards
Peter Maric (Colorado College)
Matthew Weis (Ohio State)
Grant Arnold (Denver)
C.J. Eick (Michigan Tech)
Kyle Novak (Western Michigan)
Alex Broadhurst (Nebraska-Omaha)
Nick Schmaltz (North Dakota)
Nicholas Schilkey (Ohio State)
Alex Kile (Michigan)
Ville Jarvelainen (St Cloud St)
Sam Herr (Notre Dame)
Nolan LaPorte (Western Michigan)
Sheldon Dries (Western Michigan)
Defensemen
Max Hartner (Air Force)
Jordan Schmatz (North Dakota)
Dakota Mermis (Denver),
Brandon Kirk (Dartmouth),
Markus Lauridsen (St. Cloud St)
Andy Welinski (Minnesota-Duluth)
Goaltenders
Mike Rotolo (St. Lawrence)
Ryan McKay (Miami of Ohio)
Congratulations to the Gamblers on their championship season!
Congrats to the Gamblers! My friend Niklas Nordlund, who I wrote about in one of my articles, is good friends with Ville Jarvelainen, so he is probably very happy about this :)