Stars Snap Skid with Gritty Win over Omaha
November 30, 2018 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release
Lincoln, NE - Stars and Lancers hockey kicked off for the third time in the 2018-19 regular season Friday night. The meeting of two sides looking to end extended losing streaks began with the Stars striking the all-important first blow. Just seconds into the game's first power play, newcomer Max Ellis fed a puck to Declan Carlile on the blue line. The latter found Shane Pinto in his office on the left-wing circle. Pinto hammered a blast by Lancers starter Jake Kucharski to give Lincoln the 1-0 lead. A stellar first-period effort from Tyler Johnson came with just one blemish. At 11:36, Christian DiCesare tied the game with his first Lancers goal through a screen in front of Johnson. The netminder's strong response kept the game tied at one at the end of the first, as Johnson stopped 17 of 18 shots he faced.
The second period saw an early strike from Caleb Rule, set up by Shane Pinto, where Rule's rebound kicked off a Lancers skate and past Kucharski to give Lincoln a 2-1 lead. The Stars would score again at 8:31, when Matthew Barbolini skipped a puck to Devlin McCabe on the left circle, where McCabe fired a perfect shot under the bar to build a 3-1 advantage. After Kucharski was lifted in favor of Akira Schmid, the Lancers responded, scoring when former Stars forward Austen Long notched his first of the year on a great pass from Aleksi Peltonen in front. Just as it had in their last meeting, the scoreboard read 3-2 Lincoln at the end of 40 minutes, but Omaha taking momentum with them into the second intermission.
In the third, both sides hunkered down for the coming dog fight. Previous comebacks from Omaha had Lincoln on their a-game defensively as the combination of Tyler Johnson in net and the Stars heady backchecking stood tall in the third. Fending off nine shots in the period, the defense forced Omaha pull Schmid with a minute and a half to go. At 19:11,Barbolini fought for a puck, turned it up ice, and buried it into the open net. The 4-2 lead held through the final horn, sending Lincoln home with the win.
Lincoln will return home next week with a pair of games against Sioux City on Friday, December 7th followed by a match up with Des Moines on Teddy Bear Toss night on Saturday, December 8th. Both games will take place at 7:05 pm. To purchase 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!
United States Hockey League Stories from November 30, 2018
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- Muskegon Downs Green Bay 4-2 in Rubber Match - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Stampede Can't Weather the Storm in Kearney - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Central Illinois Drops 5-4 Game to Chicago - Central Illinois Flying Aces
- Stars Snap Skid with Gritty Win over Omaha - Lincoln Stars
- Putting November to Bed with a Win - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Gameday Preview: Storm Host Stampede for Final Time this Season - Tri-City Storm
- Preview - Stars vs. Lancers - Lincoln Stars
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