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USHL Lincoln Stars

Preview - Stars vs Black Hawks

December 14, 2018 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release


SATURDAY, DEC. 14, 2018 | 7:05 P.M. | ICE BOX

RADIO: LINCOLN STARS RADIO | WATCH: HOCKEYTV

Tonight's Contest:

The Stars (7-12-3-1) will take on the Waterloo Black Hawks (14-6-3-1) for the second time this season, the first meeting between sides at the Ice Box.

Last Game:

The Stars traveled to Kearney last night to take on the West-leading Tri-City Storm. A fast start powered by Max Ellis' two goals had Lincoln up 2-1 after 20 minutes. Jake Barczewski settled in after a slow start in net for the Storm and Connor McMenamin provided a key power play goal to keep Tri-City well within striking distance after a sloppy first. The Stars pressured well through the first half of the second before Tri-City awoke from their slumber. Joe Berg ripped a shot by Tyler Johnson off a strong passing sequence to tie the game at two. Joseph Molenaar would then score at 11:41 to give Tri-City their first lead. Molenaar struck again to start the third, which was followed by McMenamin's second goal to build 5-2 advantage for the Storm. Late Lincoln pressure provided only one score when Devlin McCabe scored his fifth of the season with just 28 seconds to play. When the clock hit zero, the Storm walked away with a 5-3 win.

Waterloo's most recent action came at home against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders last Saturday. Ryan Drkulec started the scoring early, giving Waterloo a 1-0 lead just 1:22 into the contest. Liam Walsh answered for Cedar Rapids midway through the period to even the game at one. Jared Moe manned the net for the Black Hawks while his counterpart Brett Miller, tended the twine for the RoughRiders. The pair combined to stop the 16 other shots taken in the period to send the game to the first intermission in a 1-1 tie. The Black Hawks broke through in the second, receiving goals from Wyatt Schingoethe and Matt Koopman to build a 3-1 lead. Moe was perfect in the period, stopping all 12 shots he faced. Liam Walsh would provide hope for the RoughRiders in the third, scoring his second goal of the game just 1:38 in to bring the RoughRiders back within one. Waterloo answered quickly, dousing any hopes of a comeback when Emil Ohrvall scored just over two minutes later, bringing his total to 14 tallies on the season. Matt Cameron added one more insurance goal for the Black Hawks, as Waterloo cruised to a 5-2 win.

Head-to-Head:

In their first and only meeting this year the Black Hawks flexed their potent power play in a 6-3 win over the Stars. The game saw Lincoln enter play as the top penalty killing team in the league. Waterloo owned the top-ranked power play. Through too many trips to the box, the Stars gave the Black Haws too many chances, resulting in five power play goals for Waterloo. Scoring two of their own were the Stars, as Devlin McCabe and Jordan Power each found the net on the man-advantage. Josh Lopina notched the only even strength goal of the season on a slick move through the Waterloo defense. Emil Ohrvall registered a hat trick for the Black Hawks and was joined in the scoring by Wyatt Schingoethe, Matt Koopman, and Xander Lamppa. Stopping 24 shots in the victory was Logan Stein in net for Waterloo. Tyler Johnson made 33 saves for the Stars.

By the Numbers:

GF: WAT-3.88 (2nd) to LIN-2.74 (15th)

GA: WAT-3.04 (4th) to LIN-3.65 (14th)

PP: WAT-31 for 94, 33.0% (1st) to LIN-14 for 92, 15.2% (t-14th)

PK: LIN-78 for 97, 80.4% (9th) to WAT-75 for 95, 78.9% (12th)

SHGF: WAT-6 (t-1st) to LIN-1 (t-13th)

SHGA: WAT-6 (17th) to LIN-4 (t-12th)

What to Watch For:

Fast Start will be crucial:

All week the Stars have emphasized the need for a fast start. They had one yesterday against Tri-City but were unable to sustain it through the second and third periods. They play a team tonight in Waterloo that is even in goal margin in the first period this season with 22 for and 22 against. They then move to +9 in the second and +12 in the third. The Black Hawks thrive when they're allowed a good jump out of the gate. They're 8-1-1-1 when scoring first, compared to 3-5-2-0 when the opposition tallies the opening goal. When leading after one, Waterloo is 4-0-1-0, compared to 2-2-2-0 when trailing after the first. For their part, the Stars are 3-2-2-0 when going into the first intermission with the lead vs 1-9-0-0 when trailing after the first. They are 6-3-2-1 when scoring the game's first goal.

Special teams will need to be special:

The Stars penalty kill had a tough night on Waterloo's big sheet at Young Arena in their last meeting. Lincoln will look to defend their home ice tonight as owners of the USHL's fifth-best penalty kill at home with a rate of 83.1%. They'll face a Waterloo power play that is second in the league on the road, scoring at a 30.0% clip. While on the man advantage, Lincoln will need to be wary of the aggressive nature of the Black Hawks kill. They lead the USHL with six shorthanded goals. They also lead the USHL in shorthanded goals allowed, surrendering six against.

Ellis settling In:

Max Ellis had a breakout night for the Stars against Tri-City, tallying two goals in the first period. In the four games since his arrival from Central Illinois, the seasoned veteran has had a spot in the Stars top six, recording two goals and assist in that span. He's shown off impressive versatility, playing both center and wing to help fill gaps left by injury.

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