Slow Start Dooms Stars against Storm
October 16, 2018 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release
KEARNEY, NE - The Stars entered play for a rare early-week contest looking to snap a two-game slump. Their opposition, the Tri-City Storm, entered play atop the Western Conference with a 4-0-0-0 record. On Tuesday, it didn't take long for the Storm to show why.
Chase McLane scored just 52 seconds into the game, hopping on a turnover before turning a few shots on Stars starter Jacob Mucitelli from in close. After Mucitelli stopped the first two, McLane circled the net and scored on a wraparound.
The Stars would begin to push back as the period progressed, but had a handful of quality chances thwarted by Isaiah Saville, the USHL's reigning goaltender of the week. Late in the period, Colby Ambrosio's line extended a shift, with Ambrosio and Filip Forsmark setting up numerous chances around the net. Finally, Forsmark fed an open Ambrosio the puck in the low slot where the latter ripped it home for the 2-0 lead.
The second began as inauspiciously as the first for the Stars. Khristian Acosta jammed a puck off the side of Mucitelli's pads and had it flutter perfectly into the net from a near-impossible angle. Lincoln then saw a power play shortened by a penalty, resulting in little offensive production for the first half of the middle frame. Following a successful penalty kill and the drawing of Storm penalty with just over seven minutes in the period, the Stars began to pick up speed.
Though unsuccessful on their second man advantage, Lincoln's zone time and subsequent chances on Saville produced a spurt of momentum that carried through the remainder of the second. With just under two and a half minutes to play in the period, affiliate player Aidan Thompson swung an entry pass to Shane Pinto. Pinto fed it to a wide open Mason Klee, giving the savvy veteran time to bury a beauty past Saville to put the Stars on the board and give them momentum heading into the second intermission.
That momentum played into a similar trend for the Stars of late: they tipped the ice significantly in the second half of the contest and well into the third but ultimately came up short, having dug too deep a hole to escape. Isaiah Saville and a sturdy Storm defense held on for the 3-1 victory, improving to 5-0-0-0 on the season while dropping the Stars to 2-4-1-0. Saville made 27 saves in the win, while Mucitelli stopped 23 in the loss. Both special teams were held off the board on the power play, but were perfect on the penalty kill.
Another quick turnaround will send the Stars to the Ice Box Friday, October 19th at 7:05 pm for a game against Madison. 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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United States Hockey League Stories from October 16, 2018
- Storm Set Team Record in 3-1 Defeat of Rival Lincoln - Tri-City Storm
- Slow Start Dooms Stars against Storm - Lincoln Stars
- Stephen Halliday Named to Team Canada Roster - Central Illinois Flying Aces
- Stars Look to Halt Storm's Surge - Lincoln Stars
- Owen Power Named to Team Canada Roster - Chicago Steel
- Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Preview: Storm to Host Lincoln for Color out Cancer Night - Tri-City Storm
- Kaiser Named Saints Affiliate of the Month - Dubuque Fighting Saints
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