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USHL Lincoln Stars

Preview - Stars vs Buccaneers

December 15, 2018 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release


SATURDAY, DEC. 15, 2018 | 7:05 P.M. | ICE BOX

RADIO: LINCOLN STARS RADIO | WATCH: HOCKEYTV

Tonight's Contest:

The Stars (7-13-3-1) will play the Des Moines Buccaneers (15-8-1-2) for the second-straight Saturday tonight at the ice Box.

Last Game:

Lincoln jumped out of the gate against the Waterloo Blackhawks last night, scoring three times in the opening 6:23. Josh Lopina, Josiah Slavin, and Tristan Ashbrook, combined to chase Waterloo starter Jared Moe following Ashbrook's goal. The Black Hawks turned to Logan Stein in net who helped anchor the turnaround for the Waterloo. Vladislav Firstov and Hank Sorensen scored in the second half of the first period to bring the Black Hawks back within one. In the second Emil Ohrvall tied the game and in the third Firstov clapped a puck through to give Waterloo its first lead. They would add a late empty net goal from Ohrvall to seemingly put the contest away. Instead, Samuli Niinisaari ripped a goal by Stein to bring the Stars back within one with 36 seconds left in play. Through one final push, Stein held the Stars at bay, stopping a heavy shot from Justin Lee with seconds remaining to secure the Waterloo victory.

In a thriller against Central Illinois, Des Moines fell 3-2 in a five-round shootout last night. A scoreless first gave way to an explosive second as the Bucs struck first off the efforts of Connor Senken at 6:21. The Flying Aces rallied back with two goals from Tate Singleton and Jeremy Davidson to head into the third with the 2-1 lead. Brady Meyer scored for Des Moines at 13:41 to even the game at two. There the score would remain as goalies Mitchell Gibson and James Durham dueled to a draw after 65 minutes, forcing the game into a shootout. Tate Singleton provided the game-winning goal for Central Illinois in round five of the showdown.

Head-to-Head:

Last Saturday the Stars and Bucs met on Lincoln's annual Teddy Bear Toss Night. Des Moines climbed out to a 3-0 lead over the first 45 minutes, receiving goals from Casey Carreau and TJ Walsh on the power play, before Walsh scored again during four-on-four to open the third period. Justin Lee would break the shutout pitched by Roman Durny through 46 minutes of play, when he buried a power play strike of his own. Two minutes later, Mason Klee would crash to the net to drive home the Stars second of the game. Though they pulled back within one, their push late would be stopped by Des Moines defense and Durny's strong play. At the horn, the Bucs skated away with a 3-2 win. On the season Des Moines has a 3-1 series lead against the Stars.

By the Numbers:

GF: DM-3.54 (4th) to LIN-2.79 (15th)

GA: DM-3.12 (t-5th) to LIN-3.71 (15th)

PP: DM-18 for 101, 17.8% (t-11) to LIN-14 for 95, 14.7% (t-15th)

PK: LIN-80 for 100, 80.0% (t-9th) to DM-88 for 110, 80.0% (t-9th)

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

SHGA: DM-1 (t-2nd) to LIN-4 (t-12th)

What to Watch For:

Pedal to the Metal:

In their last loss to the Buccaneers, the Stars were held off the scoreboard until the third period, finishing strong, but just short of making a full comeback. In the two games since, Lincoln has started fast, jumping out to a 2-1 lead Thursday in Tri-City and a 3-0 advantage last night against Waterloo. In both games, the Stars were unable to sustain their momentum and lost both on comebacks in regulation. Tonight they'll look to string together a full 60 minutes in hopes of heading into the Christmas break on a high note.

"We have to find a way to capitalize on momentum," said Stars head coach Cody Chupp after last night's loss. "I think last night [against Tri-City] was a similar story. Taking advantage of opportunities where we have the lead, putting that game out of reach is really important to us. At 3-0, it's early in the game, but we have to continue our push."

Avoid the 2nd Period Quagmire:

The Buccaneers lead the USHL in second period scoring this year with 35 goals tallied in 26 games played. They're +9 makes them a formidable opponent to adjust to coming out of the first intermission. Through 25 games played, the Stars have struggled the most in the middle frame, scoring just 17 goals while allowing 29. In their four meetings this season, the Bucs have outscored the Stars 5-3 in the second period, outshooting them 49 to 39.

Stopping the Hot Hands:

The Stars allowed two players to tally multiple goals last night, extending a streak of three games in which they have allowed at least one opponent to register multiple scores. Last Saturday, TJ Walsh scored twice, including the game-winner against Lincoln.The leading scorer for Des Moines, Walsh has totaled five goals in his last five games. Against Lincoln this season he has three goals and two assists in four games played. On the Stars side of the ice, Josiah Slavin's success against the Bucs in his career has been well documented, scoring 18 points in 16 career games. The Stars captain enters play with a two-game point streak and 2-1-3 in his last four games.

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