USHL Lincoln Stars

Preview - Stars at Lancers

March 1, 2019 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release


FRIDAY, MAR. 1, 2019 | 7:05 P.M. CST | RALSTON ARENA

RADIO: LINCOLN STARS RADIO | WATCH: HOCKEYTV

Tonight's Contest:

The Stars (10-31-3-3) head up I-80 to open March with a showdown against the Omaha Lancers (18-21-4-4).

Last Game:

For the the third time in the last four games, the Lincoln Stars took on the Fargo Force. With both teams coming off losses the night before, a physical, defensive tone was set immediately. At the end of a scoreless 20 minutes, both Jacob Mucitelli and Ryan Bischel were a perfect 9-for-9 in net. Fargo took the early initiative in the second. Just 31 seconds in, Jeremy Davidson squeaked a puck through the pads of Mucitelli for the 1-0 lead. The Force dictated the better portion of the first half of the frame, again being rewarded at 10:03, when Ondrej Pavel raced free on a breakaway, and ripped a shot through for the 2-0 lead. Less than a minute after Pavel's goal, Josh Lopina sprung Brock Bremer and Matt Barbolini on a 2-on-1, resulting in Bremer pitching a perfect pass across to Barbolini for the score. The Stars tied the game near the end of the frame when Logan Britt skated coast-to-coast, ripping a puck past Bischel for his fifth marker of the year. In the final frame, Lincoln would apply heavy pressure in the opening half of the third. Bischel stood tall, keeping the score locked at two. The Force pushed back as the period wore on, but couldn't find the twine behind Mucitelli. Regulation and overtime would not prove enough time to provide a winner. In the shootout, Mucitelli stopped shots in the first and third round from AJ Drobot and Hank Crone. Ben Meyers' second-round goal would prove to be the winner, after Ryan Bischel stopped all three Stars he faced. In the loss, Mucitelli stopped 26 of 28, while Bischel went 24 of 26 in the 3-2 Fargo win.

The Lancers are in the midst of a three-game weekend having come off a road trip to Des Moines last night. In a season series in which the Lancers had won four straight, the Buccaneers struck back with a decisive 4-0 win. A scoreless first saw Des Moines out-pace the Lancers 13-7 in shots, but Akira Schmid and James Durham were each perfect in net. In the second, Des Moines took a lead it would never surrender when Reed Lebster notched his 21st tally of the season off an assist from Milos Fafrak. Rylee St. Onge tacked on his 19th on a power play just prior to the 15:00 mark of the frame to bolster the Bucs advantage. In the third, Lebster would strike again at 13:28, prompting the Lancers to pull their netminder with just over five minutes to play while on a power play. Undaunted, the Buccaneers would put the game to bed with a shorthanded, empty-net goal from Scooter Brickey, finalizing a 4-0 win.

Head-to-Head:

The Lancers have won two-straight against the Stars, and lead the season head-to-head four to one. The Stars have salvaged two points with a pair of overtime losses, but haven't beaten the Lancers since November 30th. In their last meeting, Lincoln visited Omaha back on February 2nd. The contest started poorly for the Stars, as they found themselves down 2-0 before the 13:00 mark of play. Goals from Travis Mitchell and Kyle Kawamura, coupled with the strong play of Akira Schmid in net, put the Stars behind the 8-ball heading into the second. Things would only worsen from there as Austen Long and Logan Will each added to Omaha's lead, while Schmid remained perfect through 40 minutes. Ross Mitton would provide the Stars only response with a highlight-reel goal at 13:46 in the third, but the tally would prove too little, too late, as the Stars fell 4-1.

GF: LIN-2.53 (t-15th) to OMA-2.53 (t-15th)

GA: OMA-3.32 (11th) to LIN-3.98 (17th)

Shots For/G: OMA-28.04 (12th) to LIN-27.79 (13th)

Shots Against/G: OMA-29.85 (12th) to LIN-31.11 (14th)

PP: OMA-28/142, 19.7% (9th) to LIN-26/183, 14.2% (16th)

SHGA: OMA-6 (t-11th) to LIN-9 (16th)

PK: LIN-148/182, 81.3% (6th) to OMA-123/154, 79.9% (t-10th)

SHGF: LIN-2 (t-14th) to OMA-2 (t-14th)

Leading Scorers:

G: LIN-Brock Bremer and Caleb Rule 12, OMA-Jaxon Nelson 11

A: OMA-Travis Mitchell 18, LIN-Brock Bremer 15

TP: LIN-Brock Bremer 27, OMA-Jaxon Nelson 26

Goalies:

W: OMA-Akira Schmid and Jon More 8, LIN-Jacob Mucitelli 3

GAA: OMA-Akira Schmid 2.22, LIN-Jacob Mucitelli 3.60

SV%: OMA-Akira Schmid .922, LIN-Jacob Mucitelli .878

Shutouts: OMA-Schmid 1, LIN-Jacob Mucitelli 1

MIN: OMA-Akira Schmid 1217, LIN-Jacob Mucitelli 916

What to Watch For: :

Stars Looking to Reverse Recent Trend:

In February, the Stars found themselves locked in a frustrating pattern: struggling mightily in the first game of the weekend only to respond with a better, albeit losing effort in game two. Lincoln is aiming to break the streak this weekend, coming off a strong week of practice.

"The week of practice is definitely huge," said Stars forward Zach Dubinsky. "This week, these past three days have been good days of practice. Coming prepared for Friday is huge."

"I think the biggest thing is our week of practice and we've had three really strong skates," added forward Caleb Rule. "Coach said after (Wednesday's) skate, that was one of our best in awhile. I think a strong week of practice will lead to a good first game and I think a big thing for us is not letting that first game slip away."

"This week has been much more consistent for us throughout the week of practice," said head coach Cody Chupp. "We have to continue to build on that tomorrow and ultimately throughout the weekend. The inconsistency to me is mental and it's preparation. If you're not preparing for practice, if you're not ready to go for practice, and you have the ebbs and flows of practice, and you show up on the weekends and hope things work out for you, they don't. You have to build on that in the week, and how you practice throughout the week, more often than not, lends itself to how you play on the weekend."

Former Players not Strangers to the Box Score:

A common theme in this season's rivalry is the prominence of ex-players scoring against their former team. Former Stars forward Austen Long has two goals in three games against Lincoln. Former Lancers forward Michael Colella scored an overtime game-winner for Omaha against Lincoln in their first meeting of the season. He has since recorded two helpers in three games against the Lancers. Kyle Kawamura, who played 17 games with the Stars in 2015-16 and 2016-17, tallied a goal in the most recent meeting between sides. Newly added Stars defenseman Jaden Shields is fresh off a two-goal performance against Omaha, one of his former teams, in Sioux Falls 5-4 OT win over the Lancers last Saturday.

Two Stars Debuts:

Defensemen Anthony Follmer and Jaden Shields were added via trade this week from Sioux Falls for Mason Klee and Logan Britt. Follmer has two goals and five points in 42 games in this, his first USHL season. Shields is in his second, having played two games with Sioux City in 2016-17. The well-traveled '99 has played for Chicago, Omaha, and Sioux Falls this year. His longest stint came with the Lancers, where he recorded a goal and an assist in 22 games played. On the season, he has three goals and one assist.

"I've liked that they've come in excited to learn and excited to get better," said Chupp. "They're excited for a new opportunity for themselves. They want to learn and they want to get better every day, and that's all you can ask for. It's our job to teach and spend time with them and to make them better every single day, but that work ethic, that willingness to get better, that willingness to learn on a daily basis is extremely important. They've got a little energy. They've brought a little energy into our locker room, they're excited to be here, we're excited to have them, and we look forward to getting them in our lineup this weekend."

Check out the Lincoln Stars Statistics



United States Hockey League Stories from March 1, 2019


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