Preview - Stars at Gamblers
January 26, 2019 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release
SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 2019 | 7:05 P.M. | RESCH CENTER
RADIO: LINCOLN STARS RADIO | WATCH: HOCKEYTV
Tonight's Game:
The Stars (8-23-3-2) will take on the Gamblers (14-16-4-1) in their second and final meeting of the season.
Last Game:
The Stars kicked off a back-to-back with the Green Bay Gamblers on Friday night.
The first period saw Lincoln skate with Green Bay but they couldn't finish chances against Green Bay goalie Evan Fear. 13 first-period shots failed to find the net, allowing the Gamblers to strike first. At 4:42 into the opening frame, Ethan Frisch found Jackson Perbix in front of Samuel Hlavaj for the 1-0 lead. On a power play midway through the period, Austin Heidemann collected Noah Prokop's rebound and shoveled it home to build a 2-0 lead that held through the end of the first.
Lincoln would answer with force in the second. Just 38 seconds in, Zach Urdahl, playing in his first game with the Stars, hopped on a Hunter Skinner rebound and put it by Fear to cut the deficit to one. Perbix would get behind the Stars defense four minutes later, and after forcing a turnover, Chase Pilawski found him for the breakaway goal. Undeterred, the Stars drew a penalty at 7:37. 18 seconds into the man-advantage, Justin Lee found Josh Lopina on the left circle. Lopina's rip found Brock Bremer's stick in front of the net, re-directing the shot past Fear to again pull the Stars back within one. Two minutes later, Ryan Doolin tipped a puck over the blue line to Tristan Ashbrook, who muscled a pass across the slot to a crashing Zach Urdahl. In front of Fear, Urdahl powered a backhand home to tie the game at three.
The Stars would push hard in the third, out-shooting the Gamblers 12-7, but Fear answered the call. The '99-born netminder would blank the Stars with a flurry of strong saves down the stretch. Samuel Hlavaj stood tall on the opposite end of the ice, stopping all seven shots sent his way. At the horn, both teams remained locked at three. The trend continued in overtime, with each goalie refusing to cede the game-winning score.
In the shootout, the Stars were blanked on each of their three tries. Ethan Frisch would score the game-deciding goal, sending the Gamblers home with their second-straight shootout win.
Head-to-Head:
After last night's shootout victory, the Gamblers hold a 1-0 lead in the season series.
By the Numbers:
Team Stats:
GF: GB-2.97 (14th) to LIN-2.69 (15th)
GA: GB-3.60 (11th) to LIN 3.86 (15th)
Shots For/G: LIN-28.81 (8th) to GB-28.51 (t-10th)
Shots Against/G: LIN-30.00 (12th) to GB-32.74 (16th)
PP: GB-24/125, 19.2% (10th) to LIN-21/150, 14.0% (16th)
PK: LIN-117/143, 81.8% (4th) to GB-100/128, 78.1% (13th)
SHGF: GB-3 (t-9th) to LIN-1 (t-16th)
SHGA: GB-2 (t-2nd) to LIN-7 (16th)
Leading Scorers:
G: LIN-Caleb Rule 11, GB-Austin Heidemann 12
A: GB-Jackson Perbix 22, LIN-Justin Lee 15
TP: GB-Jackson Perbix 28, LIN-Brock Bremer 21
Goalies (Five Games Played or More):
W: GB-Evan Fear 10, LIN-Tyler Johnson 4
GAA: GB-Evan Fear 3.28, LIN-Tyler Johnson 3.34
SV%: GB-Evan Fear .903, LIN-Tyler Johnson .898
SO: GB-Evan Fear 2, LIN-Jacob Mucitelli 1
MIN: GB-Evan Fear 1242, LIN-Tyler Johnson 970
What to Watch For:
Affiliate on the Attack:
The Stars received a major boost from affiliate Zach Urdahl yesterday as the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native scored twice in his Lincoln debut. Alongside Tristan Ashbrook and newly added forward Ryan Doolin, the trio clicked through the second and third periods, combining for five points on the night.
Jackson Perbix:
A thorn in the Stars side last night was Gamblers leading scorer Jackson Perbix. The University of Minnesota commitment and Gamblers leading scorer found the twine twice, extending a five-game point streak. In that stretch, he's recorded four goals and nine points.
Finishing Opportunities:
The Stars generated 43 shots in 65 minutes last night. It marks the fourth time this season in which Lincoln has recorded 40 or more shots on goal. The Stars have lost each game. Against Green Bay last night, there was no shortage of quality chances on net. Evan Fear made sterling saves at the end of the third and overtime periods to preserve the game for Green Bay. Finishing on chances would help the Stars reverse course tonight.
United States Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2019
- Offensive Outburst Spurs Steel Past Force 8-2 - Chicago Steel
- Stars Roll Past Gamblers 7-3 - Lincoln Stars
- Stampede Rally Late to Top Madison - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Tri-City Defeats Des Moines 7-4 - Tri-City Storm
- Phantoms Top Lancers in Shootout, 4-3 - Omaha Lancers
- Flying Aces Bounce Back to Defeat Team USA 4-1 - Central Illinois Flying Aces
- Preview - Stars at Gamblers - Lincoln Stars
- Gameday Preview: Tri-City Set for Road Game against Des Moines - Tri-City Storm
- Storm Defeat Phantoms 7-3 in Opening Game of Weekend - Tri-City Storm
- Stars Fall to Gamblers in Shootout - Lincoln Stars
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