Green Bay Gamblers forward Elliot Gulley has scored six goals in his last four games, which included a hat trick, to boost his squad to a three-game winning streak.
Gulley, who has appeared in 21 contests this season, leads the USHL with a plus-20 goal differential when he is on the ice and is averaging 1.19 points per game.
Gulley said he attributes his fast start to the season to the line he’s on.
“(Head coach) Patrick McCadden put me with the right guys, and they’re making plays,” Gulley said. “Obviously there’s a couple lucky bounces here and there, but I think it’s all about, meshing with the guys you’re playing with, and those guys are making unbelievable plays, and it makes everyone look better.”
Gulley, in year two with Green Bay, has combined for 13 goals and 12 assists to total 25 points overall, including nine points in his last four games. He has already eclipsed his marks in all three stats from last season, when he put up eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points for the Gamblers.
After four straight goalless games at the end of October and into early November, Gulley found his stride after scoring the final goal of the night against in Green Bay’s 5-4 loss to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders at the Resch Center Nov. 14. The next night, Gulley tallied a goal and an assist against the RoughRiders to help the Gamblers to a 7-6 shootout victory, and since then Green Bay has not lost a contest.
Gulley’s hot streak continued last weekend, when he scored his first career USHL hat trick, and dished out an assist, in Green Bay’s 6-2 win over the Omaha Lancers on Friday. Gulley’s offensive ability accounted for the first two goals of Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Lancers on the road after he registered the second assist in David Rozsíval’s opening goal of the night before slotting home a shot past the Omaha goalkeeper.
The Champaign, Illinois, native said that he spent a lot of time working on his shooting ability over the offseason.
“Throughout my career, I haven’t always had the most goals, I’ve always had more assists than goals, so that was a big focus for me,” Gulley said. “I also worked on my skating to get a little touch faster. It’s been a good start so far.”
Gulley said that he doesn’t focus on being flashy on the ice.
“I think I have the capabilities to be a top player in this league, and obviously, I’m off to a good start,” Gulley said. “I think I play the game on a different level in my head and the way I think about the game, and the way my IQ is, is kind of what has me at this point in my career, and if I can just continue doing those things I’ll be successful.”
Gulley said that playing parts of three seasons with the Wisconsin Windigo in the NAHL helped him transition smoothly to the USHL.
“The guys were a little bit older than the USHL, so that was huge for me,” Gulley said. “It was learning a bunch every day, and it took me a little bit longer to get going. When I was there though, I learned so much, and it kind of helped me to hit the ground running once I got to the USHL.”
Gulley said it was a dream come true when he got the call he was moving up to Green Bay.
“I was a little bit nervous,” he said. “I never really thought I could make it to the USHL, and now that I’m here, I’m kind of living my dream every day. So, it’s been awesome.”
As one of the two captains of the Gamblers this season, alongside Brady O’Malley, Gulley said that the team has really been meshing well off the ice.
“We feel good in the locker room,” he said. “The more we win, the more we’ll come together. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when we win a few more and what our group can become.”
Green Bay currently sits sixth in the Eastern Conference of the USHL with an 11-7-2-1 record and 25 points. The Gamblers are set to take on the Chicago Steel on Wednesday night at the Resch Center at 7:05 p.m. before facing off against the Sioux City Musketeers on Friday and Saturday at 7:05 and 6:05, respectively.
Gulley said that the only goal for the Gamblers is to win the Clark Cup.
“I think anything other than that would be a failure,” he said. “I think we have the right group. It’s just about figuring everything out and me individually, just being a good teammate and doing whatever I can to help the guys win.”
