Top Two Teams in Western Conference Meet
November 21, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release
The Lincoln Stars travel to Young Arena to face the Waterloo Black Hawks this weekend in a pair of matchups between the top two teams in the Western Conference. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. on Friday and at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday.
The Stars look to add to their winning streak after scoring a combined 15 goals in a pair of wins against the Chicago Steel last weekend. Lincoln had gone 12 straight games of scoring four-or-fewer goals before last weekend despite opening the season with at least five goals scored in three of the first four games. Last Saturday was the second time that the Stars have scored eight-or-more goals in a game this season, marking the first time since the 2021-22 season (Mar. 4, 8-4 vs. WAT and Apr. 8, 8-1 vs. OMA). Lincoln has won each of its last three games and is second in the USHL with 69 goals scored while its 46 goals allowed are second-fewest in the Eastern Conference and fifth-fewest overall.
Gio DiGiulian shined last weekend, scoring four goals in the two wins. His hat trick last Saturday was the Stars' second this season, joining Daniel Shlaine from Sep. 27 vs. Green Bay. It was the Stars' first on the road since Keaton Peters' effort at Sioux Falls Nov. 24, 2023. It also represented the 64th hat trick in Lincoln Stars history since the USHL became a Tier-I junior league in 2002. DiGiulian's 10 goals are tied for the most among USHL rookies and his 16 points are third-most.
Lincoln's power-play jumped from 25.5-percent to 33.9-percent thanks to going 7-for-9 last weekend. The Stars also boast the top penalty-killing unit in the USHL at 86.2-percent. Lincoln went 7-for-8 down a skater last week against Chicago and has not allowed a power-play goal in 11-of-18 games.
Through 18 games the Stars have recorded a 10-game turnaround from a season ago. Lincoln opened last season 3-12-0-3 and was outscored 68-31 while it has opened this season 13-5-0-0 while outscoring opponents, 69-46.
Waterloo is looking to get back in the win column following dropping both games against Tri-City last weekend. The Black Hawks are three points behind the Stars for first place in the Western Conference. Waterloo fell to Tri-City, 5-4, in a shootout last Friday and then lost 5-3 in regulation the next night. The Black Hawks are 8-4-0-1 but are 4-3-0-1 in their last eight games, including a 3-0 loss to the Stars in the teams' only head-to-head matchup of the season thus far.
Brendan McMorrow leads the Black Hawks with nine goals and is tied for second on the team with 14 points. He has five goals over his last seven games and opened up the season with two multi-goal efforts over the first four games. The USA Hockey NTDP product recorded 16 points (5+11) in 27 games vs. USHL opponents last season.
Both games can be heard for free on Mixlr or watched on FloHockey with an active subscription. Lincoln's next home game is Nov. 27 when it faces the Tri-City Storm at the Ice Box the night before Thanksgiving. Drink specials that night include $6 adult hot chocolate and $7 wine. Purchase a Blackout Wednesday package to get four tickets and two drink vouchers for $75 plus tax.
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United States Hockey League Stories from November 21, 2024
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- Top Two Teams in Western Conference Meet - Lincoln Stars
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