Lincoln Looks to Snap Skid against Capitols in Return to Ice Box
October 19, 2018 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release
SATURDAY, OCT. 19, 2018 | 7:05 P.M. | ICE BOX
RADIO: LINCOLN STARS RADIO | WATCH: HOCKEYTV
Tonight's Contest:
The Stars (2-4-1-0) and Capitols (1-4-0-1) each enter tonight's competition looking to break out of slumps.
Last Game:
On a road trip to Kearney, the Stars took on the unbeaten Tri-City Storm is a cross-state clash on Tuesday. Chase McLane's quick score in the game's first minute kicked off a strong first period for Tri-City. Colby Ambrosio tacked on a second tally before the end of the opening frame to give the Storm a 2-0 lead. In the opening two minutes of the second, Khristian Acosta wrapped a puck off the pads and over the shoulder of Jacob Mucitelli to put his team up 3-0. The Stars slowly picked up steam as the period progressed, finally cracking the score sheet with under three minutes to play in the middle stanza. Mason Klee was set up Shane Pinto on a dart that gave Klee his first goal of the season, revitalizing a comeback effort heading into the third. Unfortunately for Lincoln, they were opposed by red-hot goalie Isaiah Saville, who fended off a furious 10-3 shot tilt from the Stars in the third, securing the Storm's 5th win of the season.
A similar story unfolded in Madison. The Capitols fell behind early to Central Illinois after goals from Trevor Janicke and Lynden Breen. After Joseph Lamoreaux entered the game to start the second, the Caps struck back with Anthony Stark's second goal of the season, cutting the Flying Aces lead in half. Trey LaBarge brought Madison even just under four minutes into the third to force overtime. The Caps and Flying Aces each failed to find the net in OT, pushing the game to the shootout. After Max Ellis and Calvin Pokorny traded goals in round one, Ryan Snowden and Josh Graziano matched saves in round two. In the third and final round of the shootout, Travis Janicke scored to win the contest for Central Illinois.
Head-to-Head:
The Stars and Capitols met twice last season with Madison winning both contests. In their first meeting, a back-and-forth affair saw Stars veteran Devlin McCabe score a game-tying goal with 5:15 remaining in the third. Alec Broetzman answered on a penalty shot for Madison just three minutes later, delivering the Capitols a 3-2 win.
The rematch saw another close finish. With the score 4-2 Caps and the Stars net empty late in the third, Stars forward Austen Long scored with just over a minute remaining in play. With the net emptied a second time, Madison's Mick Messner put the puck between the vacant pipes to seal the Caps 5-3 victory.
By the Numbers:
GF: LIN-3.00 to MAD-1.83
GA: MAD-3.50 to LIN-3.71
PP: LIN-6 for 30, (20.0%) to DM-2 for 30, (6.7%)
PK: LIN-27 for 29, (93.1%) to DM-22 for 27, (81.2%)
What to Watch For:
No Love Lost:
In just two games last season, the Stars and Caps combined for 34 penalties. Entering play tonight, Lincoln ranks higher in both power play and penalty kill percentages but the Capitols average six less penalty minutes per game. In last season's head-to-head, the duo combined for just three goals on 23 power play chances.
Ice Cold vs Cold Blooded:
Both teams share a strength and a weakness: the penalty kill and the power play. Entering tonight's game, the Stars are on an 0-13 drought on the man-advantage. The Capitols have failed to convert on their last 16 opportunities. Conversely, Lincoln has killed 12 consecutive penalties, while Madison has successfully nullified their last 18.
If at first you don't succeed...:
Each side has struggled to hit the ground running in games this season. Lincoln has only scored first in two games, but has won in both instances. They are also without a win when trailing at the end of the first period. The Capitols have yet to score the initial goal in any contest this season. They've scored just once in the first period through their first six games.
...Try, try again:
Despite the slow starts, Lincoln holds a +22 shot differential over their opposition in the first period this season. The team as a whole is shooting at a healthy clip of just under 10%. If the quality of chances can improve even slightly in the first 20 minutes, it could mean a world of difference in the standings.
United States Hockey League Stories from October 19, 2018
- Youngstown Beats Dubuque in a Shootout 4-3 - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- RECAP: Lumberjacks Hold off Steel 5-3 - Chicago Steel
- Stampede Top Waterloo in Overtime at PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Stars Surge by Capitols in Explosive Third Period - Lincoln Stars
- Storm Fall to Des Moines 4-2 in First Loss of Season - Tri-City Storm
- Penalties Slow Down Sioux City - Sioux City Musketeers
- Another OT; Hawks Get the Point - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Flying Aces Win in Commanding Style over Team USA - Central Illinois Flying Aces
- Bucs Announce Hiring of NHL Alum and Olympian Corey Millen as Assistant Coach - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Ian Murphy Announces Commitment to Princeton - Tri-City Storm
- Preview: Storm Faceoff against Des Moines in Road Matchup - Tri-City Storm
- Lincoln Looks to Snap Skid against Capitols in Return to Ice Box - Lincoln Stars
- Bucs' Center Welsher Commits to Merrimack - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Pregame Primer: Saints vs. Phantoms - Dubuque Fighting Saints
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