Omaha Lancers News & Notes - Week 27
March 27, 2013 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Omaha Lancers News Release
Ralston, Neb. - With just six regular season games remaining, the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) continue their push for one of the four playoff spots in the Western Conference this week as the team prepares for a I-29 road weekend with showdowns in Sioux Falls Friday and Sioux City on Saturday.
Omaha (32-25-1, 65 pts.) earned one critical standings point in a pair of games last weekend as the team suffered a 3-2 overtime defeat at the Lincoln Stars on Saturday before falling in a 4-2 decision to the Des Moines Buccaneers at Ralston Arena on Sunday. Saturday's overtime defeat was the first such setback of the season for the Lancers who moved to within one standings point of the Waterloo Black Hawks for the fourth and final playoff spot in the West. Waterloo has eight regular season games remaining and welcomes the Tri-City Storm and Fargo Force to Young Arena this weekend.
Omaha returns to action this Friday as the Lancers brace for a key match-up with the Western Conference-leading Sioux Falls Stampede. Sioux Falls (42-14-2, 86 pts.) earned three wins in four days last week in becoming the first team in the West to clinch a berth in the 2013 Clark Cup playoffs. The busy week started Wednesday with a 2-1 victory at home over the Storm before the Stampede claimed 2-1 and 6-3 wins in Lincoln and Tri-City last Friday and Saturday. The wins extended Sioux Falls' winning streak to seven consecutive games as the Stampede have now claimed eight straight games on the road. After hosting the Lancers on Friday, Sioux Falls welcomes the Lincoln Stars to town Saturday.
Meanwhile, Omaha's weekend concludes Saturday as the Lancers travel to the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City for their final regular season meeting with the Musketeers. Sioux City (19-28-11, 49 pts.) won two out of three games last week claiming a 7-4 victory at home over Tri-City on Tuesday and a 7-2 win in Des Moines on Saturday with a 2-1 setback at the Green Bay Gamblers in between. The Musketeers enter the week having won seven of their last 10 games and 10 of 15 overall. Before welcoming Omaha on Saturday, Sioux City plays host to Lincoln on Friday.
Omaha Notes:
Omaha Lancers - 32-25-1, 65 pts. (5th Western Conference)
- Omaha enters the week in sole possession of fifth place in the Western Conference standings. The Lancers are just one standings point behind the Waterloo Black Hawks for the fourth and final playoff spot in the West. Meanwhile, Omaha is six points back of the third-place Lincoln Stars. Lincoln and Omaha are even in games played while Waterloo has played two fewer games to date.
- D Matias Cleland leads all Omaha defenseman and is second among all USHL blueliners in scoring this season with 37 points (nine goals, 28 assists). Committed to the University of New Hampshire, Cleland is tied for second among all USHL defensemen with 28 assists.
- G Alex Lyon has started 21 of the team's last 24 games and has produced a 13-7-1 record during that stretch. Committed to Yale University, Lyon is third among all USHL goaltenders with 25 wins this season and also boasts the league's third-best save percentage (.917) and fourth-best goals-against average (2.59).
- The Lancers are 14-13-1 on the road this season and have been outscored 80-78 in 28 prior road contests. Omaha is winless in its last four road games going 0-3-1 during that stretch. The Lancers haven't won a road outing since a 2-1 shootout victory in Des Moines back on February 8th.
- Omaha's power play currently ranks sixth overall at 18.2% while the Lancers penalty kill remains first in the USHL at 86.5%. Omaha is 24-8-1 when scoring a power play goal this season and 25-13 when holding its opponent without a man-advantage conversion.
Opponents Notes:
Friday, March 29 @ Sioux Falls - 42-14-2, 86 pts. (1st Western Conference)
- Friday's contest marks the seventh of eight total meetings during the 2012-13 regular season between the Omaha Lancers and Sioux Falls Stampede. Omaha is 4-2 against Sioux Falls this season with the home team having claimed each of the first six head-to-head meetings. The Lancers and Stampede will conclude their regular season series in Sioux Falls on Saturday, April 13th, the final day of the regular season.
- Sioux Falls enters the week in sole possession of first place in the Western Conference. The Stampede are the only team in the West and just the second team in the USHL to have already clinched a berth in the 2013 Clark Cup Playoffs.
- The Stampede enter the week in the midst of an eight-game road winning streak and a seven-game winning streak overall. Sioux Falls has outscored its opposition 27-14 over the last seven games. Four of the Stampede's last seven victories have come by just a single goal.
- Sioux Falls F Dennis Kravchenko leads all scorers in the season series with seven points (2 goals, 5 assists). Meanwhile, the Stampede's C.J. Franklin and Kyle Schempp along with Omaha's Connor Chatham and Jake Randolph have all registered six points apiece.
- Kravechenko leads all Stampede skaters in scoring with 55 points (20 goals, 35 assists) while Franklin in second on the team with 54 points (31 goals, 23 assists).
- Sioux Falls is 21-6 at home this season and has outscored its opposition 113-81 in 27 prior home contests.
- The Stampede's power play enters the week ranked ninth overall at 16.4% but is just 2-for-20 (10.0%) against Omaha this season. Meanwhile, Sioux Falls' penalty kill is fifth overall at 83.8% and is 23-for-27 (85.2%) head-to-head against the Lancers.
Saturday, March 30 @ Sioux City Musketeers - 19-28-11, 49 pts. (T-7th Western Conference)
- Saturday's contest marks the ninth and final meeting of the 2012-13 regular season between the Omaha Lancers and Sioux City Musketeers. Omaha is 4-4 against Sioux City this season but has dropped three straight head-to-head contests with the Musketeers.
- Sioux City enters the week tied with the Des Moines Buccaneers for seventh and last in the Western Conference. Like Omaha, the Musketeers enter the week with six regular season games remaining.
- Musketeers F Jake Guentzel leads all scorers in the season series with eight points (3 goals, 5 assists). Guentzel also leads all Sioux City skaters and is 10th overall in the USHL in scoring with 60 points (22 goals, 38 assists). Committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Guentzel enters the week in the midst of a 15-game scoring streak having recorded 10 goals, 22 assists and 32 points during that stretch.
- Sioux City is 12-12-4 at home this season and has outscored its opposition 91-87 in 28 prior home contests.
- The Musketeers' power play currently ranks fifth overall at 19.3% but is just 4-for-36 (11.1%) against Omaha this season. Meanwhile, Sioux City's penalty kill is 12th in the USHL at 80.1% and is 36-for-41 (87.8%) against the Lancers this year.
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