Tommy Birch

tbirch@dmreg.com

Des Moines Buccaneers coach Dave Allison was driving to the arena Thursday when a fan pulled up in a car next to him.

Impressed by the team's hot start, the fan thanked Allison and told him to keep it up.

Allison's Buccaneers have shown no signs of slowing down. The Buccaneers have created a stir throughout the United States Hockey League with a 6-0-1 beginning.

"They're appreciative of the effort these guys are putting in," Allison said of the fans. "They come here and they feel as if they've been entertained and it's the effort that's entertaining."

Something has been missing for the Buccaneers over the last few years as the team has been mired in mediocrity.

But the fan base is suddenly excited after the Buccaneers' first seven contests during Allison's first season. The start is the best for the team since the 2006-07 Buccaneers began 7-0.

"A donkey gives you effort," Allison said. "That's what we tell the kids. But you've got to have hockey sense and you've got to have hockey talent."

The Buccaneers appear to have all of that. They enter today's game at Sioux City with the league's best winning percentage (.929) and sit in first place in the USHL's Western Conference. They've done it with a lethal scoring threat and a dominant defense.

The offense has already tallied 28 goals, which matches the league best with two other teams. Des Moines needed 13 games to reach that mark last season.

Alec Rauhauser leads Des Moines with nine points while Tanner Karty has a team-high five goals.

The defense, meanwhile, has limited opponents to less than 30 shots on goal in four of seven games. Goalies Ryan Ruck and Ryland Pashovitz both already own shutouts.

"You know if you come to work and you do what you're supposed to do, you do your job, that it's going to work," Karty said. "We've seen it work in these past few games."

Can it keep working? During that 2006-07 season, the Buccaneers finished in last place in the division, albeit with a 29-21-10 record.

That turned out to be the last season the Buccaneers made the playoffs. That year, every team in the USHL advanced.

"Two is a fluke," Karty said of the team's fast start. "Three is a streak, so we're still going and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon."

Allison, who took over the team before the season started and revamped the roster, said he's fine with his team's high expectations.

"I think your expectations should be high," Allison said. "But with high expectations, you've got to make sure that you come here every day and get better.

"I want them to have high expectations for themselves and for the group."