Stars Lose Late Lead, Fall 5-3 to Force
December 5, 2020 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release
FARGO, ND - The Lincoln Stars (1-3-1) couldn't hang onto a late lead and fell 5-3 against the Fargo Force (6-1-1) Scheels Arena on Friday night.
Jack Horbach broke the early deadlock with his first goal with Lincoln following 47 games with the Madison Capitols last season. The University of Wisconsin commit kept a puck in at the deep slot before firing a puck on goal from the left circle and pounding home his own rebound. Horbach's goal came at 14:06 and was unassisted.
Kyle Smolen tied the game with under 45 seconds to go in the opening period for Fargo. Shots were tied apiece at ten following 20 minutes.
Erik Bargholtz gave the Force the lead at 16:39 of the second period, finishing off a pass from the right circle by Ryan Siedem. Lincoln would head into the third period down 2-1 and outshot 26-20.
Jack O'Leary, in his first game with the Stars, provided the equalizer at the 3:16 mark of the third. Nikolai Mayorov fed the Cornell University commit from the far-side corner and O'Leary made no mistake, blasting a shot from the left circle past Fargo goaltender Brennan Boynton. It was Lincoln's first power-play goal of the 2020-21 season, snapping an 0-for-20 stretch.
The Stars would get another power-play chance around the 12-minute mark, where Noah Laba would pounce on a loose puck, roofing it for his first career USHL goal. Laba's go-ahead tally came at 13:54 with assists from O'Leary and Gleb Veremyev, who picked up his first USHL point with the helper.
Fargo would push the pace in response, tying the game up at three with 3:02 left thanks to a Ryan Richardson goal. Mason Salquist would cash in during a 4-on-4 sequence at 18:45 and add an empty-netter for good measure at 19:35.
Ryan Ouellette made 37 saves in the loss while Boynton stopped 27 shots in the win. The Stars won the special teams battle, scoring twice on six power-play opportunities. Their penalty kill was perfect, killing off all three Fargo man-advantages.
Lincoln has now lost two straight and will have the chance to come away with a victory against the Force tomorrow night at 6:05 p.m.
### The third and final game of Lincoln's three-game series in Fargo is set for tomorrow night at 6:05 p.m. Watch the game on HockeyTV or listen in on Mixlr!
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