Preview - Stars vs Capitols
January 17, 2019 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release
THURSDAY, JAN. 17, 2019 | 7:05 P.M. | BOB SUTER'S CAPITOL ICE ARENA
RADIO: LINCOLN STARS RADIO | WATCH: HOCKEYTV
Tonight's Contest:
The Stars (8-20-3-1) are in Madison to take on the Capitols (6-20-2-2) in the first of three games in four days.
Last Game:
The Stars traveled east to Dubuque Saturday night in search of their second-straight road win. Things started poorly. In the game's first minute, Matias Maccelli sprung free on a breakaway and beat Tyler Johnson for the 1-0 lead. Johnson was excellent for the remainder of a heavy chance period for Dubuque. 13 more shots were sent Johnson's way, and not a one found the twine. The Stars struggled to put shots on net on the other end, as the team began trying new line combinations to generate better quality chances. Through the line juggling, Dubuque's Matthew Thiessen answered each Lincoln challenge, protecting the 1-0 lead through the end of the first. Lincoln bolted out of the gates in the second. Getting a near miss from Caleb Rule on their first rush up ice set up an offensive zone draw in the first 15 seconds of the middle period. On the very next shift, Rule chipped a puck off of Thiessen which kicked out to Shane Pinto who buried the rebound to tie the game at one. Mason Klee picked up the secondary helper on the score. Galvanized, the Saints erupted. The top line chipped in another goal for the Saints when Matias Maccelli found Logan Pietila on a perfect feed from the corner to quickly re-take the lead. Chris Lipe picked up the additional assist on the score. Midway through the period, Willie Knierim found Verners Egle on a 2-on-1 for a 3-1 lead at 10:37. On a power play two minutes later, Egle found Dallas Tulik to build a 4-1 lead that held through the end of the second. The Stars had better push in the third. They fended off early chances from the Saints, and responded with a goal five minutes in. After Mason Klee pushed the puck deep into the offensive zone, Josiah Slavin filtered a puck in front to Tristan Ashbrook who beat Thiessen with a wrister to cut the deficit to two. Through the remainder of the period, the Stars pushed play into the attacking in end, but saw their rallies grow shorter as time ground away. The final push with the net empty failed to produce necessary scores to keep play going, and at the horn, the Stars dropped their third straight game.
The Capitols last contest also came against Dubuque, one day after the Fighting Saints bested the Stars. For over 39 minutes of play, both teams struggled to find the back of the net. Robert Blueger finally ended the drought, giving Madison the lead with just 14 seconds left in the second period. After seeing over 30 shots fail to get past Capitols goalie Joseph Lamoreaux through 47 minutes of play, Dubuque finally broke through in the third. Logan Pietila continued his hot streak, scoring his 10th goal of the season on a power play at 7:34. Ty Jackson followed that up with his 10th of the year at 15:58 give the Saints their first lead. Willie Knierim put the game to bed with an empty netter at 19:39 as Dubuque took home their fourth-straight win. Lamoreaux was sterling in the tough-luck loss for the Caps, stopping 38 of 40 shots sent his way.
Head-to-Head:
In their one prior meeting in 2018-19, the Stars skated to a definitive 4-1 win over Madison. After a scoreless first period, the sides exchanged a goal in the second. Shane Pinto opened the scoring for the Stars at 6:53 in the middle frame, only to be answered by Matthew Gould for Madison at 14:08. In the third, Josiah Slavin drew a penalty shot which he promptly put behind Garrett Mackay for the 2-1 lead. Lincoln would notch their third goal at 14:41 off of Justin Lee's first tally with the Stars, and then finish the game off with Shane Pinto's second of the game at 16:43. Strong in his first win with Lincoln was Tyler Johson, who saved 28 of 29 shots sent his way.
By the Numbers:
GF: LIN-3.25 (11th) to MAD-2.68 (15th)
GA: MAD-3.34 (9th) to LIN-3.71 (t-13th)
PP: LIN-19 for 131, 14.5% (16th) to MAD-8 for 109, 7.3% (17th)
PK: LIN-104 for 129, 80.16% (t-4th) to MAD-98 for 123, 79.7% (10th)
SHGF: MAD-3 (t-7th) to LIN-1 (t-15th)
SHGA: MAD-4 (t-11th) to LIN-6 (t-15th)
What to Watch For:
New Additions:
The Stars made waves this week by trading with the Muskegon Lumberjacks for defenseman Hunter Skinner and forward Brock Bremer. Both players will be thrust into prominent roles immediately. Bremer will assume a top-line role in tonight's lineup, skating next to Caleb Rule and Shane Pinto. Bremer enters play with seven goals and 11 assists through 30 games. Skinner, a prospect with a B-rating on Central Scouting's Watch List, will slot in next to veteran Logan Britt. In his second season in the USHL, Skinner has posted three goals and 11 points through 24 games.
Lifted by Lamoreaux:
Should he get the start tonight, Joseph Lamoreaux will prove a tough solve for the Stars attack. The St. Cloud State commit leads the USHL in shots faced while owning and the leagues fourth-best save percentage at .911%. The '99 is sixth in the league with 1415 minutes played. Five of Madison's six wins have come with Lamoreaux in goal.
Captains on the Attack:
Three Stars with letters will join forces as assistant captains Tristan Ashbrook and Devlin McCabe join Josiah Slavin as a line tonight. The trio with 328 games played in the USHL have combined for 22 goals 33 assists this season.
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On Sunday, Faith & Family Day returns to the Ice Box for another matinee for an afternoon of faith and community as well as a post-game skate with the Stars and a playing of the movie Facing the Giants. A portion of ticket sales for Faith & Family Day will benefit Food for the Hungry, a faith-based mission to build clean water solutions in third-world countries. Last year, the Stars and the Lincoln Stars Foundation helped to raise over $230,000 toward clean water initiatives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Order your ticket today!
Enjoy All You Can Eat Hockey at single games by purchasing a group of five or more, or grab one of our multi-game memberships to secure the same seat each game. Parking is completely FREE this season!
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