5 Things: Stars Beat Down Sioux City
December 4, 2021 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release
The Lincoln Stars (11-5-1-1) closed out the Sioux City Musketeers 5-1 at the Ice Box on Friday night. Here are five things that happened.
1.) #PrayersForOxford
Before puck drop, the Stars held a moment of silence for the victims of the senseless act of violence that took place in Oxford, MI on Tuesday at Oxford High School. Stars captain Dalton Norris attended the school before starting his USHL career in Lincoln.
Playing with a heavy heart, Norris' presence on the ice was evident, helping lead the Stars to a 5-1 win. He also scored the eventual game-winning goal on the power-play 17:51 into the first period. Norris' goal marked his seventh of the season and sixth on the man-advantage (leading all USHL defensemen in that category). The 20-year-old only trails Tri-City Storm blueliner Mitchell Miller for goals among defensemen (nine) so far in 2021-22.
2.) Johnson SCORES 5-ON-5
It had been over 180 minutes since the Stars last scored a 5-on-5 goal dating back to November 19th. Luke Johnson had enough of that stat. The 20-year-old forward started the scoring at 15:25 in the first period off a feed from Antonio Fernandez in the defensive zone.
Fernandez sent the pick up the ice around a pinching Sioux City defender, springing Johnson on a 2-on-1 with Dashel Oliver. Johnson glided into the left circle and ripped a shot past the left arm of Alex Tracy. With the tally, Johnson was Lincoln's top goal-scorer with seven goals ... until Norris matched him two minutes later.
3.) Reinforcements Have Arrived
Lincoln's lineup received a massive boost from their returning players on Friday night. Gleb Veremyev was back in the lineup following a two-game suspension while Aidan Thompson and Carter Schade recovered from upper-body injuries.
Schade established the tone physically by planting Musketeers on the ice after coming into contact with Kaidan Mbereko following whistles. He had a strong night breaking pucks out of the defensive zone and making smart decisions offensively.
Thompson, who led the USHL in assists at the time of his injury, showed little rust as he sent an excellent seam pass to Norris in the first period, picking up a helper. His biggest moment, however, came in the third period when he was given a drop pass from Griffin Jurecki after a zone entry.
Thompson skated to the right circle and fired a perfect shot off the far-side post and in for his third goal of the season. The University of Denver commit's strike came at 4:36, giving Lincoln a 3-1 lead. Thompson is averaging 1.36 points per game this season, tied for fifth-best among USHL players with ten appearances or more.
Veremyev snagged an empty-net goal for his fourth goal of the year, closing out the game with under a minute to go. The Colorado College commit was strong on the puck and hard to play against: exactly what Stars head coach Rocky Russo said he needed him to be. Veremyev has six points in his last six games.
4.) 30 SAVES FOR NO. 30
After posting two outstanding efforts last weekend, Mbereko was back at it again on Friday night. He made 14 first-period saves, keeping Sioux City off the scoresheet despite a tilted period in favor of the visitors.
Johnson and Norris' goals masked a period in which the Stars got outplayed, but the home team had their goalie to thank for their two-goal lead after 20 minutes.
Mbereko's ability to cut the pucks behind the net following Musketeer dump-ins was critical to killing their forecheck. Ben Steeves broke through 40 seconds into the middle period, but that was the only shot that beat Mbereko through 60 minutes.
Mbereko stole the show with acrobatic saves and brought the Ice Box crowd to its feet for a different reason in the third period. With under five minutes left in the game, Mbereko made a routine save off a Garrett Brown shot from the right point. Following the stoppage, Sam Deckhut skated into the crease and cross-checked Mbereko in the side of the head.
The Stars goaltender had enough and started swinging at the Musketeer forward with his blocker and glove. Patrick Raftery fought Connor Welsh behind the goal during this chaos, registering his first USHL fight.
Mbereko showcased his ability to shut up the opposition with a 30-save effort, but also proved he won't be intimidated by cross-checks and spears. Deckhut was assessed a two-minute minor for charging and a ten-minute misconduct.
5.) STORM INCOMING
As Rocky Russo said postgame, the game against Tri-City on Saturday has been circled on the calendar for quite some team. Lincoln secured a massive win against Sioux City, but the job's not finished. The Stars eye a weekend sweep as the best team in the West comes to town. Tri-City fell to the Omaha Lancers 6-4 on Friday night, so they'll have plenty of reason to come out aggressively on the road.
Lincoln has faced the Storm once in 2021-22, losing 4-1 on October 1st. Tri-City is 14-3-1 this season, three points behind the Chicago Steel for the USHL lead. You can #RockTheBox by getting tickets to Saturday night's game!
United States Hockey League Stories from December 4, 2021
- Third Period Rally Not Enough to Knock off Sioux City - Omaha Lancers
- Saints Split with Steel Saturday - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Steel Pull Away from Dubuque, Earn 6-3 Road Win - Chicago Steel
- Stampede Top Black Hawks to Earn Weekend Split - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Hawks Fall, Dodge Shutout - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Tresca Pots a Hat Trick, Lumberjacks Take Game 2 over Cedar Rapids in 5-2 Win - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Kyle Smolen Reaches 100 Game Milestone - Fargo Force
- 5 Things: Stars Beat Down Sioux City - Lincoln Stars
- Tri-City Seeks Bounce Back Win against Stars - Tri-City Storm
- Barrage of 3rd Period Goals Lifts Caps over U17s in Series Opener - Madison Capitols
- Phantoms Comeback Falls Short in 4-3 Loss to Green Bay - Youngstown Phantoms
- Lancers Take Down Tri-City in a Barn Burner - Omaha Lancers
- Offense Flexes Its Muscle as Saints Take Down Steel - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Dubuque Tops Steel 7-3 Friday Night - Chicago Steel
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