Captain Poolman Leads Lancers To Victory
Published on April 4, 2014 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Omaha Lancers News Release
FARGO, ND - In a thrilling, white-knuckle finish, the Omaha Lancers held on for a 3-2 shootout victory on Friday at Scheels Arena in Fargo, North Dakota over their conference rivals the Fargo Force. With the win, the Lancers improved to 38-14-7 overall this season and with 83 points in the standings, remain alone in second place in the USHL's Western Conference.
In a first period heavy on penalty minutes, Fargo claimed an early 1-0 lead at 3:51 when former Lancer Tyler Hynes forced a rebound goal through a net-front crowd. With the Lancers in need of a response, Omaha turned to their captain and with a two-man advantage at 6:44 of the first, Tucker Poolman provided just that in the form of a sizzling clapper, assisted by Steven Johnson, that burned by Force goaltender Matthias Israelsson to tie the game at one.
After a scoreless second period, the Lancers claimed their first lead of the game at 14:05 of the third when Anthony Angello wired home a one-time go-ahead marker, the Cornell University recruit's 11th of the season, on a slick drop-pass feed from Steven Spinner. With time winding down in regulation, however, Fargo kept coming and with just 38 seconds left and with the Force net empty in favor of the extra attacker, Fargo's Hunter Warner crept in from the blue line and buried a goal that leveled the game at two and forced overtime.
The Lancers weathered a storm of chances from Fargo in the extra session and by virtue, forced a shootout for the third consecutive game. In his first game back in the lineup after an 11-game absence due to a lingering dental injury, leading Lancers goal scorer Tyler Vesel couldn't convert in the first round of the shootout. Omaha goaltender Hayden Hawkey held strong in the bottom of the first round though, and as a result, delivered Jake Randolph and Poolman the opportunity to score in rounds two and three, which both players did to clinch Omaha's first shootout win of the season, a 3-2 victory over the Force.
With the win, the Lancers wrapped their six-game season series with Fargo at 5-1-0 in the head-to-head matchup, set a new single game season high for shots on goal with 50 and clinched second place in the Western Conference standings heading into the Clark Cup Playoffs, thereby securing home ice for Omaha in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
Next up for the Lancers, it's the final game of the regular season as Omaha concludes up its season-ending six-game road trip with a 7:05 pm tilt vs. the Sioux Falls Stampede at Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Saturday. Full coverage of Saturday's game begins with the "Valpak Pregame Show" at 6:50 pm on the Lancers' flagship station, "The Mighty" 1290 KOIL with Lancers broadcaster Tony Brown providing the play-by-play.
In 2014-15, the five-time Anderson Cup and seven-time Clark Cup Champion Omaha Lancers drop the puck on their 29th season in the USHL. Season ticket packages for the Lancers' third campaign at the state-of-the-art Ralston Arena are available now starting at just $12.50 per game! To reserve your seats, contact the Lancers' ticket office today at 402-344-7825, extension 1, or log on to www.lancers.com for more information. Be sure to follow the Lancers on Twitter @OmahaLancers and don't forget to 'Like' the official "Omaha Lancers" fan page on Facebook.
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