Historic Weekend Leads Omaha into Home Games
February 28, 2017 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Omaha Lancers News Release
Ralston, NE - Omaha (18-23-5-1. 42 pts, 6th Western) hosts Des Moines and Chicago for a rare Friday, Sunday weekend series at Ralston Arena. The Lancers and Bucs will face off three more times including Friday, while the Steel make their lone trip of the season to Ralston Arena.
Need To Know:
After Sunday Omaha will play back-to-back home games one more time this season. With two points (1g, 1a) on Saturday night Emilio Pettersen now has 12 points in his last 12 games giving him 21 points on the season. Cole Gallant became the first player in Omaha's Tier 1 history (since 2002) to record three consecutive multi-goal games with two goals on Friday.
Last Week
Friday, February 24 at Dubuque, L, 5-2
Saturday, February 25 at Waterloo, L, 5-3
This Week
March 3 vs. Des Moines (29-14-1-3, 62 pts, 3rd Western)
March 5 vs Chicago (30-11-2-3, 65 pts, 1st Eastern)
The Week Ahead:
Omaha hosts a pair of games at Ralston Arena this weekend for the second to last two-game home stand remaining this season. The Lancers and Bucs have gone past regulation in each of the last four meetings between the teams. Omaha took the most recent meeting 1-0 in a shootout on January 28 at Ralston Arena. Des Moines leads the season series having won four of the first five match ups.
Des Moines currently holds the third spot in the Western Conference, seven points clear of fifth place Lincoln.
Omaha and Chicago haven't faced off since before the teams made a four-player swap sending Brannon McManus and Peter Thome to Chicago in exchange for Greg Printz and Tommy Nappier. In the first meeting Chicago stopped Omaha's four-game winning streak topping the Lancers 4-2 at Fox Valley Ice Arena.
Coming into the weekend the Steel find themselves sitting atop the Eastern Conference and one point back from Sioux City in the race for the Anderson Cup.
Making History:
Forward Cole Gallant headed into Friday's game having recorded multiple goals in back-to-back games the previous weekend, making him the first Lancer to do so this season. A pair of goals in the contest against Dubuque pushed Gallant's goal total to nine on the season but also gave the Florida native three consecutive multi-goal games.
Since the beginning of the Tier 1 era (since the 2002-03 season) no Lancer has accomplished that feat. Multiple times players have scored multiple goals in back-to-back games, however no one had been able to complete the trifecta. In recent history four players (Shane Gersich, Steve Spinner, Matt White, and Andrew Conboy) recorded two goals in back-to-back games before being held to a single goal in a third game.
Seven goals in the last four games has propelled Gallant up the Lancers scoring ladder. With nine goals on the season Gallant is now second on the team in goals behind only Emilio Pettersen (10).
Where There's a Will There's a (Nor)Way:
Emilio Pettersen continued his run of offensive consistency over the weekend recording two points (1g, 1a) to run his total to 21 points. Over the course of the last twelve games however the Norwegian forward has recorded 12 of his 21 points.
Heading into Friday's game at Dubuque Pettersen was riding a four-game point streak. Prior to that streak Pettersen had not record points in back-to-back games since October 15-22 (three games). When the forward scored on January 27 against Waterloo it had been over two months (Nov. 26) since his last goal.
Pettersen now ranks first on the team in goals (10) and second in points (21) trailing only captain Filip Rydstrom (30 pts).
United States Hockey League Stories from February 28, 2017
- Historic Weekend Leads Omaha into Home Games - Omaha Lancers
- Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Buccaneers Stand Pat as USHL Trade Deadline Passes - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Thirsty Thursday, Beauty and the Bernie this Weekend - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- USA Hockey to Participate in Congressional Briefing Thursday - U.S. National Team
- Stampede Make Moves at the Trade Deadline - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Stars Acquire Jack Doremus from Sioux Falls - Lincoln Stars
- Fighting Saints Acquire Alex Stevens - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- 2 Home Games for Storm, Young Pieces Contributing (Weekly) - Tri-City Storm
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