Stars Surge by Capitols in Explosive Third Period
October 19, 2018 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release
LINCOLN, NE - On a beautiful Friday night in Nebraska, the Stars welcomed the Madison Capitols to the Ice Box as both teams looked to end losing streaks entering play. It was Madison who jumped out the gate early in the evening's action, testing starter Tyler Johnson with seven shots to Lincoln's one through the first half of the period.
The Stars turned the corner halfway through, firing off eight shots to the Caps three in the second half of the frame. It ultimately ended in a push as Johnson and Garrett Mackay stood tall to keep both offenses off the board. Making his USHL debut, Mackay stopped all nine shots he faced in the opening 20, erasing grade-A looks from the Stars and one extremely pesky stanchion after a puck bounced awkwardly and landed just millimeters from the edge of the goal line.
The game opened wide in the second. The action saw furious rushes to both ends of the ice, with Lincoln grabbing hold of play around the five minute mark of the middle frame. After near misses on multiple odd-man rushes, the Stars saw results from three of their most electric producers. Declan Carlile led Steven Agriogianis into the top of the Madison zone. The Penn State commit dropped the puck back to Stars leading scorer Shane Pinto, who ripped it over the glove of Mackay for the game's first goal.
The 1-0 lead would't survive through the end of the period. Though Tyler Johnson made several more impressive saves, he was finally bested when Matthew Gould got away on a 2-on-1 rush. Faking the pass across with a quick shoulder move, Gould then lined and fired a perfect shot, top-shelf to best Johnson and even the score at one heading into the second intermission.
In the third, the Stars were thrust into the fire after they were assessed a five-minute major for head contact. Not only did Lincoln cancel off the penalty, they scored the eventual game-winner midway through. Josiah Slavin proved his prowess on the kill yet again, poking a puck loose at the top of his own zone before racing away up the ice. While bearing in on Mackay he was grabed, resulting in a penalty shot. The Stars captain took the opportunity in stride, bounding in on his rookie opponent, going right then directly through the five-hole for the 2-1 lead at 6:18.
In the time that remained, Lincoln finished off the major unscathed, then added insurance with Justin Lee's first tally of his Stars career. The agile defenseman broke loose on a rush and was led into an open left circle on a great stretch pass from Steven Agriogianis. From there, he laced a perfect shot past Mackay for the 3-1 lead.
Late in the third, Logan Britt fired an offering onto the pads of the rookie netminder, where a rebound kicked out to a crashing Shane Pinto. The forward scooped and scored around Mackay to put the game away at 4-1. When the clock hit zero, the Stars had secured their first win at the Ice Box this season. Tyler Johnson was stellar in the contest, making 28 saves on 29 shots in his first win with the Stars. The Lincoln penalty kill stopped three more chances against, to improve their PK to 93.8% on the season.
The Stars will be at the Ice Box Friday, October 26th at 7:05 pm for a game against Cedar Rapids. They'll then host Tri-City the next evening at 7:05 pm for Pink the Rink Night. Fans in attendance will be invited to stay after the game for a jersey auction and to paint inspirational messages on the ice. Stay tuned to lincolnstars.com and Stars social media for updates on the evening's events. 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 October 19, 2018
- Youngstown Beats Dubuque in a Shootout 4-3 - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- RECAP: Lumberjacks Hold off Steel 5-3 - Chicago Steel
- Stampede Top Waterloo in Overtime at PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Stars Surge by Capitols in Explosive Third Period - Lincoln Stars
- Storm Fall to Des Moines 4-2 in First Loss of Season - Tri-City Storm
- Penalties Slow Down Sioux City - Sioux City Musketeers
- Another OT; Hawks Get the Point - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Flying Aces Win in Commanding Style over Team USA - Central Illinois Flying Aces
- Bucs Announce Hiring of NHL Alum and Olympian Corey Millen as Assistant Coach - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Ian Murphy Announces Commitment to Princeton - Tri-City Storm
- Preview: Storm Faceoff against Des Moines in Road Matchup - Tri-City Storm
- Lincoln Looks to Snap Skid against Capitols in Return to Ice Box - Lincoln Stars
- Bucs' Center Welsher Commits to Merrimack - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Pregame Primer: Saints vs. Phantoms - Dubuque Fighting Saints
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