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Lincoln Stars

Preview - Stars vs Musketeers

December 29, 2018 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release


SATURDAY, DEC. 29, 2018 | 7:05 P.M. | TYSON EVENTS CENTER

RADIO: LINCOLN STARS RADIO | WATCH: HOCKEYTV

Stars, Musketeers Look to End Slumps in Sioux City

Tonight's Contest:

The Stars (7-15-3-1) meet the Sioux City Musketeers (14-7-3-0) on Saturday at the Tyson Events Center.

Last Game:

The Stars played the Tri-City Storm in Kearney last night. The Storm came away with a 3-1 victory off multi-point efforts from newly acquired forward Brendan Furry, and captain Ronnie Attard. The pair each registered a goal and an assist, while Isaiah Saville was tremendous in net, stopping 22 of 23. The first goal of the game came off Joe Berg's tip of an Attard point shot, just 1:30 into the first period. In his first game back with the Stars, Shane Pinto answered with a dazzling goal after he deked through Tri-City's defense to beat Saville. The goal extended an eight-game point streak for Pinto. It would serve as the only score of the night for the Stars. Furry answered three minutes later to give the Storm a 2-1 lead that would hold through the remainder of the first and the entire second period. Attard's goal came on the power play just under three minutes into the final period. Saville and the Tri-City penalty kill locked the Stars down the rest of the way, finishing off a 3-1 win.

Due to inclement weather, Sioux-City's contest against Fargo was postponed last night. Their last action came against the Dubuque Fighting Saints on December 15th. The 2-1 loss saw all three goals scored in the first period. Logan Pietila scored his eighth tally of the season at 6:40 to give the Saints the early 1-0 advantage. Martin Pospisil answered with his 11th tally of the season at 9:58 to even the score at one. Matias Maccelli gave Dubuque a lead they wouldn't give back with under four minutes to play in the first period. Goalies Matthew Thiessen and Jake Sibell dueled for the remaining two periods, with the former earning a 23-save win, and the latter a tough-luck, 19-save loss.

Head-to-Head:

The Stars and Musketeers have split their two meetings this season, with Lincoln taking the most recent encounter back at the Ice Box on December 7th. Egor Postnov kicked off the scoring with his first goal of his Stars career with just 24 seconds left in the first period. His tip of a Declan Carlile shot stood as the only goal until the 2:52 mark of the third. It was at that point Marcus Kallionkieli scored on Tyler Johnson to even the game at one. The tie prevailed over regulation, forcing overtime. The Stars earned their first such win at the Ice Box in 2018-19 when Josiah Slavin ripped home a Caleb Rule rebound, set up by Justin Lee to send the Stars home with the victory. Johnson was stellar in net, stopping 31 of 32 in the Stars win. Ben Kraws was steady, denying 26 of 28 in the loss.

By the Numbers:

GF: SC-3.42 (9th) to LIN-2.62 (15th)

GA: SC-2.83 (3rd) to LIN-3.65 (13th)

PP: SC-19 for 84, 22.6% (t-5th) to LIN-15 for 104, 14.4% (15th)

PK: LIN-90 for 111, 81.1% (6th) to SC-64 for 79, 81.0% (8th)

SHGF: SC-3 (t-7th) to LIN-1 (t-14th)

SHGA: SC-2 (t-3rd) to LIN-4 (t-11th)

What to Watch For:

Pinto Power:

A recurring theme around the USHL this time of year is the return of some of the league's most talented players after the conclusion of the World Junior A Challenge. The Stars are no different as Shane Pinto immediately made his presence felt upon re-joining their lineup last night. The young forward made his case for goal of the year, dangling his way through the league's top defense and netminder for a power play goal. In addition to extending an eight-game point streak, Pinto has been the Stars ace on the power play. On the season, Lincoln has notched 15 goals on the man-advantage. 33% of those tallies have come from Pinto after last night's score gave him five power play goals on the season. He's assisted six others, meaning he's directly responsible for 11 of the 15 Stars power play goals (73%).

Back from the Brink:

Bobby Brink finished the World Junior A Challenge tied for the lead in points with eight. Despite being away since November 24th, Brink is still second in the USHL with 33 points this season. He trails only teammate Martin Pospisil and the aforementioned Matias Maccelli of Dubuque. His return to the Musketeers lineup will have the Stars attention. In November, Brink recorded a hat trick against Lincoln, in a game Sioux City won 4-2 after trailing 2-1 entering the third period.

Looking for a Spark:

With players returning from the WJAC and injury for both sides, both teams will look to leave behind their December woes. The Stars have lost five straight with their last win coming against Sioux City on December 7th. They've been outscored 20 to 12 over six games in the month. The Musketeers have dropped four of their last five, scoring just 2.00 goals per game while allowing 3.40 per contest in that stretch.

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Looking for a belated holiday gift this season, or any season? Order a Stars 5-Game Holiday Pack for loved ones! For all other tickets, call the Stars Box Office at (402) 474-7827, or order tickets online! 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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