The Capitols return home Friday night for the first time since October 3rd, opening a home-and-home series with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. The series shifts to Dubuque on Saturday, marking the second and third meetings between the two teams this season.

WEEKEND RECAP
After having Friday night off, Madison returned to action Saturday night and fell to the Chicago Steel. The Capitols led by a goal late before Chicago scored twice in the final four minutes to take the win. Caleb Heil stopped 25 of 29 shots in the loss, while Stephen Cover and Will Dosan each recorded their first USHL goals. The defeat evened the season series at one game apiece, with six meetings still to come, four of them in Madison.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO GOALS
The Capitols return home Friday night to face the Dubuque Fighting Saints, who enter tied for the top spot in the USHL with an 8-1-0-0 record. The teams met once already this season on opening night in Madison, where Dubuque earned a 3-2 win in a back-and-forth battle. That victory was part of an eight-game winning streak to start the season for the Saints, which ended Saturday in a 4-3 loss at Muskegon. Dubuque leads the league in offense, averaging nearly six goals per game, and boasts the top power play unit at 36.7 percent.

CONFESSION TIME: WE'VE SEEN THE SAINTS A LOT
The Capitols and Fighting Saints are no strangers to each other, with 59 meetings all time between the two clubs. Madison holds a 22-30-7-0 record in the series, including a 12-12-4-0 mark at home. Under Head Coach Andy Brandt, the Capitols have found more success against Dubuque, going 5-3-1-0 since his arrival. Sam Kappell leads all active Capitols in points versus the Saints with two goals and three assists across nine games, while Jackson Nevers leads in goals with three. Five players share the most games played in the matchup, including Madison's Kappell and Nevers, and Dubuque's Charlie Arend, Teddy Merrill, and Michael Barron, each appearing in nine contests against the opponent.

CAPS ON THE WATCH LIST
Three Capitols were recognized by NHL Central Scouting on Monday, appearing on the Preliminary Players to Watch List for the 2025 NHL Draft. Goaltender Cash Cruitt, defenseman Jet Kwajah, and forward Caleb Pittsley were each given a "W" rating, projecting as potential sixth or seventh round picks. Cruitt, from Andover, Minnesota, is in his first USHL season after being selected in the 2024 Phase II Draft. Kwajah, a Penn State commit, returns for his second season in Madison after earning All-USHL Rookie First Team honors last year as the second tender in franchise history. Pittsley, from Holly Springs, North Carolina, is committed to Augustana University and was also a 2024 Phase II Draft selection. There's still plenty of season ahead, but it's a strong sign for the organization to see all three earning early recognition.

FIRST OF MANY FOR COVER AND DOSAN
Two Capitols found the back of the net for the first time in their USHL careers on Saturday night in Chicago. Stephen Cover and Will Dosan each scored in the 4-3 loss to the Steel. Cover, a Providence commit from Pennsylvania, became the third tendered player in franchise history and joined the Capitols this season after playing at Mount St. Charles Academy. Dosan, from Minnesota, was a 2025 Phase II Draft pick and added an assist for his second multi-point game of the year.

NO EASY NIGHTS IN THE EAST
The Eastern Conference has proven to be a grind early in the season. Madison enters the weekend at 5-4-0-0, a record that would tie for third place in the Western Conference, but instead places them seventh in the East. Dubuque (8-1-0-0), Muskegon (8-2-0-0), Youngstown (7-3-1-0), Cedar Rapids (6-2-0-1), Chicago (6-3-0-0), and Green Bay (5-5-1-0) have all come out strong to start the year. Despite sitting in seventh, Madison's .556 point percentage is well above last season's seventh-place finisher, who ended the year at .403, showing how competitive the conference has been from top to bottom.

HOME STATE, WRONG BENCH
Dubuque defenseman Lincoln Krizizke returns to his home state this weekend as the Fighting Saints visit Madison. The Waukesha, Wisconsin native is in his first USHL season after being selected in the fourth round of the 2024 Phase I Draft. Krizizke spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Mission program and has made an immediate impact in Dubuque, entering the weekend tied for second in the league with a +10 rating.

BROADCAST AND GAME INFORMATION
Both games this weekend will have the puck drop at 7:05 pm. Broadcasts can be found on FloHockey, Home Feed on Friday and Away Feed on Saturday, along with the Capitols Radio Network on YouTube. The Ameriprint Apparel Pregame Show will start at 6:45 pm each night.

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