Lancers Outscore Opponents 9-0 In Season-Opening Weekend
September 30, 2013 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Omaha Lancers News Release
RALSTON, NE "" It would be difficult to imagine a better start to season 28 in the United States Hockey League (USHL) than the Omaha Lancers experienced on Friday and Saturday night in a pair of shutout victories over Western Conference foes. On Friday, the Lancers impressed in a 5-0 shutout victory over the defending Western Conference playoff champions, the Fargo Force, and on Saturday, Omaha's hot hand held up, as the Lancers completely overwhelmed the Des Moines Buccaneers in a 4-0 road win. At 2-0-0, the Lancers currently sit alone in second place in the USHL's Western Conference standings.
The story of the weekend was undoubtedly the rock-solid play of veteran Lancers goaltender Cole Bruns. The Prairie Grove, Illinois native turned in a pair of spectacular performances on Friday and Saturday, stopping all 36 of the combined Force and Buccaneer shots he faced to register a pair of shutouts, already doubling his shutout total from the entirety of the 2012-13 season. For his ultra-stingy season-opening efforts, Bruns was awarded the Reebok ̩̉ USHL Goalie of the Week Award on Monday.
Duluth, Minnesota native, future Nebraska-Omaha winger, leading returning Lancers scorer from 2012-13 (13G, 31A "" 41 PTS) and 2013-14 Lancers assistant captain Jake Randolph led the Omaha charge offensively over the weekend, registering two goals and four total points in his first two games of the season.
Likewise, Omaha native Gage Hough was stellar with two power-play goals and three points of his own in the pair of Lancers wins and Luca Frigo, a returning veteran forward from the 2012-13 season and Minnesota State-Mankato commit tallied a pair of goals in his own right to tie for Randolph's team lead in that department. All told, seven Lancers skaters notched multi-point weekends including Randolph, Hough, Frigo, defenseman Steven Johnson (2A), Lancers captain Tucker Poolman (2A) and rookie centermen Brian Williams (1G, 2A) and Tyler Vesel (1G, 2A).
Next up for the Lancers, it's a Saturday road tilt with the defending regular season Western Conference champions and current first-place entry, the Sioux Falls Stampede, winners of the first three games of their 2013-14 regular season. Full coverage of Friday's game in Sioux Falls 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.
LANCERS NOTES:
OMAHA LANCERS (2-0-0), 4 pts., 2 nd in Western Conference, W2
ïÃâ- The 2013-14 Lancers opening-day roster features 11 returning players (Forwards: Nash Worden, Alex Rauter, Gage Hough, Jake Randolph, Ryan Tait, Tyler Hynes, Drew Melanson, Luca Frigo, Defensemen: Tucker Poolman, Niklas Folin, Goaltenders: Cole Bruns), three import players (Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Folin ïÃÆàSweden, Frigo ïÃÆàItaly) and 12 players that have already made their college commitments (Connor Light, Hynes ïÃÆàUnion College, Poolman ïÃÆàNorth Dakota, Rauter, Anthony Angello ïÃÆàCornell, Randolph, Tyler Vesel ïÃÆàNebraska-Omaha, Tait ïÃÆàProvidence College, Jimmy Schuldt ïÃÆàSt. Cloud State (MN), Melanson ïÃÆàRensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Matt Nelson ïÃÆàPrinceton, Frigo ïÃÆàMinnesota State-Mankato.
ïÃâ- The Lancers announced Poolman as their 2013-14 captain and Randolph, Hough and Hynes as assistant captains on Monday.
ïÃâ- On May 31st, 2013, former Lancers assistant coach Brian Kaufman was named the 11th Head Coach and General Manager in Lancers history, later hiring former college teammate at Miami University (OH) and longtime Head Coach of the Chicago Mission midget program, Chris Michael, and all-time winningest goaltender in Nebraska-Omaha program history, John Faulkner, as his Assistant Coaches.
ïÃâ- Lancers starting goaltender Bruns named Reebok Hockey Ãâé USHL Goaltender of the Week on Monday following back-to-back season opening shutouts (36 combined saves).
OPPONENT NOTES:
SIOUX FALLS STAMPEDE (3-0-0), 6 pts., 1 st in Western Conference, W3
ïÃâ- Stampede return 14 players from franchise-record setting and Western Conference playoff championship 2012-13 squad including four of the team's five top scorers from a year ago.
ïÃâ- Sioux Falls native and Minnesota State-Mankato committed forward Zeb Knutson leads Stampede and USHL with eight goals and nine total points in the Stampede's first three games of the 2013-14 season.
ïÃâ- Knutson was awarded the CCM Hockey Ãâé USHL Forward of the Week Award on Monday for his opening-weekend heroics.
ïÃâ- With one goal and seven total points apiece through three games, Stampede forwards CJ Franklin and Dennis Kravchenko are tied for third in the league in scoring so far in the 2013-14 season.
ïÃâ- Stampede set a new franchise standard with a 45-17-2 regular season in 2012-13 and were paced in scoring by 2013-14 returner Kravchenko (22G, 41A "" 63 PTS).
ïÃâ- Stampede defenseman Joe Schuldt is the older brother of Lancers defenseman Jimmy Schuldt.
United States Hockey League Stories from September 30, 2013
- Lancers Outscore Opponents 9-0 In Season-Opening Weekend - Omaha Lancers
- Bruns Named Reebok USHL Goaltender of the Week - Omaha Lancers
- Knutson, Frye, and Bruns Earn USHL Weekly Honors - USHL
- Stampede's Knutson Named USHL Forward of the Week for Second Straight Week - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Ice Weekly - Indiana Ice
- Lumberjacks Announce Book Drive - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Buccaneers Moving Closer to Full Strength - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Waterloo Black Hawks Name Players of the Week - Waterloo Black Hawks
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