Monday, May 27, 2013

SAINTS TO FACE WORLD'S BEST IN RUSSIA

Press Release

DUBUQUE, Iowa- The Clark Cup Champion Dubuque Fighting Saints are headed overseas for a chance to prove they are the world's best. The Fighting Saints announced today they have accepted an invitation to play in the 2013 Junior Club World Cup international tournament in Omsk, Russia. The third-annual tournament is sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation and will take place August 24-31.

The tournament features junior hockey teams from all over the world including the returning Junior Club World Cup champion Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. The tournament includes teams from eight countries, including Belarus, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Sweden, and the USA. Teams invited to the tournament are top talent, as most had previously claimed their league or division championship including the host team, the Omsk Hawks.

"We're honored to receive an invitation to the Junior Club World Cup in Omsk," said Dubuque Fighting Saints President Dan Lehv. "For our organization to be showcased on this international stage is incredibly exciting. We are proud to represent the United States Hockey League and the City of Dubuque in the third annual event. Our players, coaches and staff are looking forward to the experience of a lifetime."

The USHL will be represented in the event for a second straight year. In 2012, the Clark Cup runner-up Waterloo Black Hawks participated in the tournament and won the silver medal, advancing to the championship game where they fell to Sudbury 2-0. The Black Hawks and its staff have been extremely helpful in providing travel details and information on the trip to help Dubuque prepare for what is ahead overseas.

The Fighting Saints plan to fly to Moscow on August 20 or 21. The Fighting Saints will look into possibly scheduling an exhibition game or two while in Russia's capital. The team will then fly to Omsk on August 22 to prepare for the tournament and get accustomed to its new surroundings.

Dubuque will be seeded in Group A along with the Omsk Hawks, Vitkovice Steel from the Czech Republic, and HC Riga from Latvia. Group A will play and train at the Omsk Arena, a 10,318-seat facility opened in 2007 that houses Avagard Omsk, a professional hockey team in the KHL.

Group B will play at the smaller 5,500 seat Sports-Concerts Complex Viktora Blinova and will be composed of Sudbury, HV 71 from Sweden, HPK from Finland, and Dynamo-Shinnik from Belarus.

Dubuque will open the tournament against HC Riga. The next day they will continue play with a matchup against the Vitkovice Steel. After a day off, the Fighting Saints will battle with the hometown Omsk Hawks. Semi-final play will take place the following day, with the championship game and bronze medal game being played on August 31.

Omsk is the seventh largest city in Russia and is located in southwestern Siberia. The city has a population of over 1.1 million people and is located 1,700 miles from Moscow.

The Fighting Saints are coming off a franchise best 45-11-8 season that saw them claim the Anderson Cup, the USHL's regular season title, as well as the earn the Clark Cup Championship with a 3-0 series sweep of the Fargo Force in the Final. Information on how to follow the team in Russia, as well as a complete 2013-2014 season schedule will be available later this summer.

 


 (Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)

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