Madison's Caleb Heil Earns Third Goalie Of The Week Honor
The USHL announced its Players of the Week on Monday as Sioux Falls forward Noah Urness, Muskegon defenseman Xavier Veilleux and Madison goaltender Caleb Heil took home the respective honors for games played between March 17-23.
It's the third honor of the season for Heil, as the Victoria, Minn. native is 23-8-1-1 with an .897 save percentage and 2.70 GAA. However, Heil's 23 wins rank third among USHL goaltenders and he's won four of his past five starts.
Madison has won five straight and seven of its past 10, and the Capitols are tied with Muskegon for second in the Eastern Conference.
Madison defeated Dubuque and Cedar Rapids at home on Thursday and Friday, both by 3-1 finals. The Caps complete the weekend sweep with a 5-3 win in Dubuque on Saturday.
Heil got the nod in both games against Dubuque and made 57 of a possible 61 saves. The North Dakota commit made 29 saves in Thursday's 3-1 win and another 28 in Saturday's 5-3 win. Madison and Muskegon trail Dubuque by just one point, and both teams have played two fewer games.
Speaking of Muskegon, Veilleux had a five-point weekend as the Lumberjacks earned three wins over Green Bay, extending their point streak to nine games (8-0-1). Veilleux had two assists on Friday, one on Saturday and two more on Sunday. He also finished the weekend a plus-6.
Veilleux has 37 points (6-31-37) through 55 games after putting up 32 (3-29-32) as a rookie. Veilleux is a Cornell commit and fourth-round pick (2023) of the New York Islanders.
Rounding out the group is Urness, who racked up eight points (2-6-8) over his four games last week.
x - Sioux Falls Stampede (@sfstampede) on X Stampede forward Noah Urness has earned USHL Forward of the Week after a six-point weekend! Read More: https://t.co/XOqu8SWvHt
Urness had a goal and assist on Tuesday as Sioux Falls fell to Waterloo in a shootout. He followed it up with two assists on Friday, three points (1-2-3) on Saturday and another assist on Sunday. The Stampede won a pair of games in Lincoln and defeated Fargo Sunday afternoon, and they've earned points in five straight (4-0-0-1).
Urness now has 17 goals and 46 points through 50 games this season. The Roseau, Minn. product is a St. Cloud State commit. Sioux Falls is currently second in the Western Conference with 79 points – three behind Lincoln and 11 ahead of Waterloo.
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