Omaha Lancers Weekly
Published on January 12, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Omaha Lancers News Release
The Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) hit the ice three times in a four-day stretch this weekend looking to continue their charge up the Western Conference standings. Omaha (16-8-3, 35 Pts.) enters the week third among the eight teams in the West and is coming off a weekend split over Conference rivals Des Moines and Lincoln. The Lancers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games last Friday with a 4-0 shutout over the Buccaneers. The contest marked the second consecutive shutout for Omaha and the club's eighth victory in the last ten games. The Lancers saw that winning streak snapped, however, just 24 hours later when the Lincoln Stars upset a record crowd of 7,764 fans at the Omaha Civic Auditorium with a 4-3 victory.
Omaha returns to action tomorrow evening in the club's fourth meeting of the 2010-2011 regular season with the Fargo Force. The match-up marks the first of three games in the coming week for the Lancers, which is the first of seven three-game weeks for Omaha over the next 11 weeks on the USHL calendar. Fargo (16-11-4, 36 Pts.) currently sits one point ahead of Omaha in second place in the Western Conference. The Force saw their six-game winning streak come to an end last Saturday in a 5-0 home shutout at the hands of Conference-leading Dubuque. Prior to Saturday's setback, Fargo had won six consecutive games while outscoring the opposition 27-10.
The Lancers busy weekend continues Friday as the team heads to the state capital of Nebraska for a rematch with the Stars. Lincoln (13-13-1, 27 Pts.) snapped a season-long six-game losing streak with a pair of victories last weekend but still enters Week 16 of the USHL season in last place in the Western Conference. The Stars, however, currently rest just three points back of Des Moines, Sioux Falls and Tri-City. With 87 goals against through the first 27 games of the season, Lincoln has allowed the second most goals in the Western Conference.
Finally, after an off day Saturday, Omaha's three-game weekend comes to a close Sunday back at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in the club's final meeting with the Indiana Ice this season. Indiana (16-10-2, 38 Pts.) is currently third in the Eastern Conference and enters the week in the midst of a six-game winning streak. The Ice have outscored their opponents 29-10 during their recent surge and, with 99 goals scored this season, have now registered the most goals of any USHL team to date.
Thursday, January 13th vs. Fargo Force, 7:05 PM CDT, Omaha Civic Auditorium
Friday, January 14th @ Lincoln Stars, 7:05 PM CDT, Lincoln IceBox
Sunday, January 16th vs. Indiana Ice, 5:05 PM CDT, Omaha Civic Auditorium
**Radio coverage for all three games this week can be found on 1290 AM KKAR or www.1290kkar.com beginning with the Valpakdeals.com pre-game show at 6:50 PM CDT Thursday and Friday and 4:50 PM CDT on Sunday.
NEWS & NOTES FOR THE WEEKEND
- Two Omaha Lancers were recognized earlier this week when NHL Central Scouting released its mid-term rankings of draft-eligible prospects in preparation for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Seth Ambroz was ranked 30th overall among eligible skaters while John Keeney was tabbed 33rd overall among goaltenders.
- With a pair of goals this past weekend, Omaha native Nick Oddo has taken over the team lead with 24 points this season. Oddo has registered 12 goals and 12 assists in 25 games this year and has now amassed at least one point in 16 of his last 20 games overall.
- Lancers goaltender John Keeney enters the week as one of the hottest netminders in the USHL. Over his last four starts, Keeney has posted a 3-1 record with just five goals against, a 1.21 goals-against average and a .962 save percentage.
- Thursday's contest marks the fourth of eight total meetings during the 2010-2011 regular season between the Lancers and Fargo Force. Omaha is 2-0-1 against Fargo this season with Omaha's Nick Oddo leading all scorers in the season series with five points (goal, 4 assists).
- Fargo is led by first-year forward Jimmy Mullin who enters the week tied for fourth among all USHLers in scoring with 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists). The native of Cincinnati, Ohio has tallied 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists) in his last 10 games and has amassed nine multi-point games this season.
- Friday's match-up marks the fifth of eight total meetings during the 2010-2011 season between the Lancers and Lincoln Stars. Omaha is 2-1-1 this season against Lincoln and claimed the only prior meeting at the IceBox with a resounding 6-2 victory back on November 24th.
- Stars netminder Kevin Murdock was recently recognized as Reebok Goaltender of the Week last week after a pair of victories, including his third shutout of the season in a 3-0 blanking of the Tri-City Storm on Friday. It's the second time this season Murdock has been recognized as the USHL's Goaltender of the Week.
- Sunday's showdown marks the second and final meeting of the 2010-2011 regular season between the Lancers and Indiana Ice. Indiana claimed the only prior meeting with a 3-0 shutout of the Lancers back on October 24th. That game marked the only time Omaha has been blanked to this point in the season.
- Indiana currently boasts the USHL's leading scorer in forward Blake Coleman. The first-year skater from Plano, Texas leads all USHLers with 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) this season and enters the week in the midst of a five-game scoring streak. In fact, Coleman has registered points in 13 of his last 14 games overall having totaled 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) during his recent hot streak.
United States Hockey League Stories from January 12, 2011
- Omaha Lancers Weekly - Omaha Lancers
- Party Bus Trip to Waterloo February 19th - Green Bay Gamblers
- Austin Coldwell Commits to University of Alaska-Anchorage - Des Moines Buccaneers
- 4 Stampede Players Listed on NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Busy Weekend for Saints Features Two Home Games - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- USHL Update - Week 15 - USHL
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
