Stars Can't Sustain 2nd Period Rally, Fall to Phantoms
February 8, 2019 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release
Youngstown, OH - The Stars traveled east this week to meet the Youngstown Phantoms for the first time this season.
The first period saw the Stars limit Youngstown early, allowing just two shots to reach Samuel Hlavaj in the first 7:30 of the opening frame. For their part, the Stars managed three, but found it hard to navigate Youngstown's steady defense in the middle of their own zone, as many chances missed the net. At 9:40, Youngstown cracked the scoreboard on Travis Kuntar's 11th goal of the season. For the rest of the first period, Phantoms netminder Christian Stoever and Hlavaj hunkered down and stopped all further chances, sending the teams to intermission with Youngstown sporting a one-goal advantage.
A quiet start to the second saw the Stars kill off their first two penalties of the game, negating a Phantoms power play that entered as the second-best in the USHL. Youngstown cashed in even-strength, finally besting a stellar Hlavaj in the second on a highlight-reel dangle and drive to the net from Matthew Barnaby Jr. The 2-0 lead created at 10:31 would last exactly four minutes. The Stars cracked the scoreboard after Matthew Barbolini glided into the slot before firing a back door pass to an open Josh Lopina for the score in close. Lincoln followed up less than a minute later with a tic-tac-toe passing sequence started by Michael Colella on a cross-slot feed to Logan Britt. Britt returned the puck to the middle to a crashing Tristan Ashbrook on a nifty back-handed pass that Ashbrook deposited in the back of the net. After killing a third penalty, the Stars were bested once more at even strength. Connor MacEachern sprung free at the top of the slot where he fired the puck past Hlavaj for a 3-2 lead at 19:17.
The Stars couldn't re-gain their momentum in the third. Goals from Brett Murray at 7:33 and Liam Robertson at 15:43, coupled with unsuccessful power plays at the beginning and end of the period, left Lincoln in a hole too deep to dig out of. At the final horn, they fell 5-2.
Lincoln will be back at it tomorrow night with another showdown in Youngstown starting at 6:05 pm CST. Lincoln will then return home next week with a Valentine's Day showdown against the Sioux City Musketeers at 7:05 pm CST. Bring a date or your fellow single friend to the Lincoln Stars game and receive two All You Can Eat Hockey tickets and four FREE adult beverages for $40 total. You can also upgrade your tickets to the John Henry Comfort Zone section to receive two All You Can Eat Hockey tickets and four FREE adult beverages for a total of $60! Enjoy All You Can Eat Hockey at single home 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!
United States Hockey League Stories from February 8, 2019
- Recap: Storm Blast Green Bay 7-0 at Viaero Center - Tri-City Storm
- Muskegon Holds off Central Illinois 4-3 for 29th Win - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Greenway and Lipe Tally Two Points Each, Dubuque Clips CR 4-2 - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Stampede Win 8-6 Barnburner over Steel in South Dakota - Chicago Steel
- Stampede Stomp the Steel in Wild One at PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Central Illinois Valiantly Fights Back But Can't Overcome First Period - Central Illinois Flying Aces
- Stars Can't Sustain 2nd Period Rally, Fall to Phantoms - Lincoln Stars
- Gameday Preview: Storm Host Green Bay Gamblers Tonight at Viaero Center - Tri-City Storm
- Preview - Stars at Phantoms - Lincoln Stars
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