The United States Hockey League (USHL) has named Green Bay Gamblers forward Sam Herr the CCM Offensive Player of the Week and Gamblers goaltender Mike Rotolo as Reebok USHL Goaltender of the Week.

Herr scored 6 points (5g, 1a) and recorded a plus-six rating to lead the Gamblers to a pair of wins. 

Rotolo posted a 1.00 goals-against-average and a .958 save percentage in two victories for the Gamblers.  He stopped 22 shots in the 8-1 win against Tri-City on Friday, then made 24 saves in the 7-1 win at Chicago on Sunday.  Rotolo is 6-1-0 in seven starts this season.

The Gamblers have won three straight games, outscoring their opponents 25 to 3 during that stretch.  Green Bay returns home to host Chicago on Friday night at the Resch Center.

The Green Bay Gamblers are trying to become the first USHL team since 1994 to repeat as Clark Cup Champions.

The Gamblers are in Dubuque to face the Fighting Saints in games 3 & 4 in the Best-of-five series.  The series is even at a game apiece.  The Gamblers must win 1 of the 2 to force a deciding game 5 back in Green Bay on Tuesday.

The Green Bay Gamblers will be losing a number of defensemen to college next season, which is why they used 4 of their first 5 picks in the USHL entry draft on defensemen.

The Gamblers, still in the middle of the Clark Cup Championship series with Dubuque, used the top pick on Dakota Mermis from Alton, Illinois.  The Gamblers then added Gustav Olofsson, Andy Ryan and Dima Sinitsyn to a defensive core that will likely include only three returning players. 

Mermis and Ryan are from the National Team Development Program. 

In all, the Gamblers selected a total of 14 players in the USHL entry draft.

The Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League are introducing a new head coach and general manager this afternoon. 

St. Cloud State assistant coach Eric Rud is expected to take over after Jon Cooper left after two seasons for the head coaching job with Norfolk of the American Hockey League.

Rud has been an assistant with the Huskies for the last 5-years.  But he’s both played and coached in the USHL previously, playing with Des Moines and coaching in Cedar Rapids.  The Gamblers open their training camp on Sept. 12th.

With just 1-month to go before the start of fall training camp,  the             Green Bay Gamblers are faced with having to replace their head coach and

Jon Cooper

general manager Jon Cooper.

After posting a 84-27-9 record and winning two Anderson Cups and one Clark Cup with the Gamblers over the last two seasons, Cooper is leaving to become the head coach of the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Norfolk Admirals, the top minor league team of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.

Counting playoffs, Cooper had a .738 winning percentage and an overall record of 97-33-9.  He was named the USHL General Manager of the Year in both 2009 and 2010 and USHL Coach of the Year in 2010. 

Gamblers President Brendan Bruss said the search for Cooper’s replacement will begin immediately.

AUDIO: Bill Scott with GB Gamblers President Brendan Bruss on Jon Cooper 4:52