Lancers Weekly
March 24, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Omaha Lancers News Release
RALSTON, NE - The Lancers drew ever-closer to the long-awaited end of the USHL regular season last weekend by splitting a pair of road games that launched the team's season-ending six-game road swing. Following a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders on Friday at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Lancers fell to their fierce Western Conference rivals, the Sioux City Musketeers, on Saturday at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa by a final score of 5-2. At 37-14-5, the Lancers remain alone in second place in the Western Conference standings and in third place in the overall USHL standings, four points behind the Waterloo Black Hawks and six points behind the Eastern Conference's Indiana Ice in the race for the 2014 Anderson Cup, awarded annually to the league's regular season champion. Niklas Folin, Anthony Angello and Luca Frigo led the charge on Friday with one goal apiece and, by virtue of the lone assist on Frigo's game-winner, leading USHL scorer Jake Randolph, a Nebraska-Omaha recruit, drew within one helper of tying the USHL's all-time single season assists record in the league's Tier-1 era. On Saturday, the Lancers got goals from Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson and Ryan Tait in defeat, while Matt Nelson, Connor Light, Angello and Steven Spinner collected assists with Spinner's assist serving as his first point in a Lancers uniform. On the injury front, Lancers second-leading scorer Tyler Vesel remains at least one week away from returning from a dental injury that has cost the Rochester, Minnesota native and future UNO Maverick an appearance in each of the Lancers' last nine games played. Next up for the Lancers, it's the middle weekend of a regular-season ending, six-game road stretch, continuing on Friday at 6:15 CST at L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon, Michigan, vs. the Muskegon Lumberjacks
(27-24-4, 58 pts., T4th in Eastern Conference). Then on Saturday, it's a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan and the Ann Arbor Ice Cube for the finale of the Lancers' and Team USA's
(25-24-4, 54 pts., 7th in Eastern Conference) two-game regular season series at 6:05 pm CST. Full cov erage of both games begins with the "Valpak Pregame Show, " at 6:00 pm CST on Friday and 5:50 pm CST Saturday, only on the Lancers' flagship station "The Mighty" 1290 KOIL with Lancers broadcaster Tony Brown providing the play -by-play.
LANCERS NOTES:
OMAHA LANCERS (37-14-5), 79 pts., 2nd in Western Conference, L1
- Leading USHL scorer Jake Randolph (23G, 58A - 81 PTS), a Nebraska-Omaha recruit, continues to lead the league in assists and power-play assists (23) and is now just one helper away from tying the USHL's all-time single-season record for assists.
- Despite missing the last nine games due to a lingering dental injury, fellow future Maverick Tyler Vesel (32G, 38A - 70 PTS) continues to rank second in the USHL in goals and points, tied for second in game-winning goals (6) and tied for fourth in power-play goals (10).
- Louie Rowe ranks fourth in the USHL in penalty minutes (144) and leads the league with 12 major penalties.
- Lancers goaltender Hayden Hawkey (30 GP, 21-6-1, 3 SO, 1.93 GAA, .926 S%), a Providence recruit, leads the league in goals- against average and save percentage.
- While his high-school teammate Steven Spinner earned his first point as a Lancer (1A) in Saturday's 5-2 loss in Sioux City, Luc Snuggerud is set to make his Lancers debut on Friday vs. his former team, the Muskegon Lumberjacks.
- Lancers captain Tucker Poolman (14G, 25A - 39 PTS) leads all USHL defensemen in goals and power-play goals (9), ranks second in shots (133), third in points, fifth in assists and is tied for the league-lead in game-winning goals (3).
- The Lancers lead the USHL in goals-against per game (2.30) and overall penalty-kill percentage (88.7%).
OPPONENT NOTES:
MUSKEGON LUMBERJACKS
(27-24-4), 58 pts., T4th in Eastern Conference, L1
- Leading Lumberjacks scorer Matt Iacopelli (39G, 19A - 58 PTS) leads the USHL in goals and shots on goal (261), ranks second in power-play goals (12) and tied for fifth in points.
- Muskegon's Carson Gatt leads all USHL defensemen in shooting percentage (13.2%) and Daniel Willett leads USHL blueliners in shootout goals (3) and ranks fourth in shootout percentage (75.0%).
- 'Jacks goaltender Eric Schierhorn ranks third league-wide in shootout save percentage (91.7%) while fellow Muskegon backstop Jordan Uhelski ranks fifth (85.7%).
- As a team, the Lumberjacks rank 14th league-wide in shorthanded goals allowed (11).
- The 'Jacks lead the USHL in shootout percentage against (10.5%).
TEAM USA U-18 (25-24-4), 54 pts., 7th in Eastern Conference, L1
- Team USA is currently one of four teams battling for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and currently trail Muskegon and Green Bay by four points and Chicago by two points in the standings.
- Jack Eichel ranks fifth league-wide in shooting percentage (22.6%).
- Collectively, Team USA leads the USHL in shorthanded goals (12).
- Team USA leads the league in goals-per-game (3.96).
- Noah Hanifin's four-game assist streak (8A) is tied for the league's second-longest such active streak.
United States Hockey League Stories from March 24, 2014
- Stampede's Franklin & Cecere Named USHL Players of the Week - Sioux Falls Stampede
- NCS Donates $1,500 in 'Dash for Cash' - Tri-City Storm
- Franklin, Pinho, Cecere, and Stewart Earn USHL Weekly Honors - USHL
- Lancers Weekly - Omaha Lancers
- Ice Lock down Eastern Conference Championship - Indiana Ice
- Waterloo Black Hawks Name Players of the Week - Waterloo Black Hawks
- 16 Former Bucs Head to NCAA Tournament - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Black Hawks Feast and Reflect - Waterloo Black Hawks
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