The Green Bay Gamblers will play the Madison Capitols in a home-and-home series on Saturday, March 19, and Sunday, March 20. The Gamblers will host the Sunday contest at the Resch Center. These will be the eighth and ninth meetings between the teams, and the Gamblers are currently 4-3 against the Capitols.
The teams last played each other on New Year’s Eve at the Resch Center, where Green Bay beat Madison 5-2. The series also holds massive implications for the conference standings, with the Gamblers only five points behind the Capitols in the Eastern Conference.
The Gamblers have a 21-24-2-1 record and are currently sixth in the USHL Eastern Conference with 45 points. Some players to watch for include Matt Deboer and Cameron Lund.
Deboer enters this weekend with a hot stick for Green Bay. In the three-game slate over the weekend, the forward finished with two goals and two assists, making him the most consistent performer offensively for the Gamblers. The Holy Cross commit also has one of the best resumes against Madison this season, scoring goals in four of seven contests with an assist in another.
Lund has continued his stellar rookie campaign, including two goals and one assist over the weekend. The Northeastern commit now takes over as the top active goal-scorer on the team with 18 and second in active point-scorers with 35. Like Deboer, Lund has seen great success against Madison on the year, recording six points on two goals and four assists against the Capitols.
With both players getting hot at the right time and already giving Madison troubles in the past, expect to see their impact this weekend.
The Capitols have a 24-24-2 record and are currently fifth in the USHL Eastern Conference with 50 points. Some players to watch for include Luke Mittelstadt and Kyle Kukkonen.
Brother of Gambler forward John Mittelstadt, Luke has been a stellar player for the Capitols. The defenseman tops the team with 43 points on 16 goals and 27 assists, which both rank in the top three on the team as well. Despite a quiet weekend with no points, he previously tallied assists in four straight games, proving to his success as a playmaker for Madison.
Kukkonen has been another one of Madison’s best after a long journey to play in the USHL. Drafted in 2018, this is Kukkonen’s first full season, and he’s been outstanding for the Capitols. The Anaheim Ducks draftee is second on the team with 42 points. He also leads the team in goal-scoring with 18 and is third in assists with 24. Kukkonen is also a mark of consistency, scoring points every weekend since November.
Look for both Mittelstadt and Kukkonen to give the Gamblers a hard time defensively.
Puck drop is at 3:05 PM on Sunday. It’s also Military Appreciation Day. All active and retired military personal receive a free ticket for the game. You can get your tickets at www.gamblershockey.com.
