Dubuque and the Fighting Saints “Stick it to Cancer,” and Hopefully Muskegon

Every Wednesday during the 4 o'clock hour I have the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with your Dubuque Fighting Saints and a common theme that runs through each show is obviously hockey, the fans that support the Saints, and things that are truly BIGGER than Hockey. This weekend is as much about the third theme as it is about the first two as our Saints look to "stick it to cancer," and hopefully the Muskegon Lumber Jacks as we play back-to-back nights (tonight and tomorrow night) at ImOn Arena in Dubuque.

How with the Dubuque Fighting Saints be "Sticking it to Cancer?"

Simple really. Our players are looking super sharp in the stats and on the ice with these stellar newly designed purple jerseys. The jerseys feature the motto for the evening on the sleeves and cancer ribbons on the lower trim with the Medical Associates logo patch on the right shoulder area. By the way those special purple jerseys will be auctioned off after Saturday's game (1/6) to support cancer research.

And did you realize our Saints Head Coach Kirck MacDonald was a cancer survivor himself!? Check out his interview with Josh Starr below.

By the way, I (Tom Drake) will be on-site at ImOn Arena this afternoon starting at 4:30pm to get our local community hyped up for this huge weekend of hockey and cancer survivorship and support. Tune into my broadcast on Eagle 102.3 for all the details as I will be joined by Josh Starr, Robert Miller, and our friends at Michelin in Peosta who make these lead-up broadcasts possible. Speaking of which, if you're looking for new employment check out this website and apply to start your new career at Michelin in Peosta today.

Now back to the hockey side of things... The Dubuque Fighting Saints (19-7-1-3, 42 pts) are currently sitting pretty on 42 points and top spot in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Muskegon Lumberjacks (17-10-1-1, 36 pts) are sitting in 4th on 36 points heading into this weekend. The Saints are boasting a stellar record against conference rivals. All eyes will be on Noah Powell and his current form, as he has surged with nine points in his last five games. In the 16-game stretch, Powell has seven multi-point games for the Saints.

On the special teams end, the team's power play is currently boasting a league-best 35.4% conversion rate, led by Jake Sondreal. Sondreal has six goals and 14 points on the power play to rank second in the league with 14 power-play points. The penalty kill has been formidable as well, operating at an 84.8% clip over the last 10 games. The Lumberjacks, whom the Saints defeated 8-3 earlier in the season, present a challenge with their offensive prowess, however they struggle on the penalty kill. This will be a major key to a double victory this weekend. The action kicks off Tonight (1/5) at 7:05pm. Catch the stream here for all the action!