Offensive Stampede: Lancers Strike For Six
Omaha Lancer Dan Hacker, No. 11, follows his shot on goal as Sioux Falls' Kellen Briggs defends during Tuesday's USHL contest at Ak-Sar-Ben.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It's hard to imagine how anything could go more right than it did Tuesday night for the Omaha Lancers.
Omaha Lancer Dan Hacker, No. 11, follows his shot on goal as Sioux Falls' Kellen Briggs defends during Tuesday's USHL contest at Ak-Sar-Ben.
Omaha scored a pair of shorthanded goals and one on the power play en route to a 6-2 win over Sioux Falls in front of 3,163 (4,664 paid) at Ak-Sar-Ben. The victory lifted the Lancers into a tie for second place in the West Division with the Stampede, a team the Lancers have been chasing all season.
The Lancers also got some unexpected help Tuesday night from Des Moines, a 6-2 road winner over first-place Lincoln. The Stars have 58 points, while Omaha and Sioux Falls have 55.
"I thought we played well," Omaha Coach Mike Hastings said. "And when we had some breakdowns, (goalie) Marty (Magers) was there to keep the puck out of the net."
Magers steered aside 20 shots to boost his record to 11-2-1. He entered the game as the goals-against average leader in the United States Hockey League at 1.70.
While Magers helped anchor the defense, the return of forward Yan Stastny from a shoulder injury sparked the offense. Stastny helped fill the void created when Dan Welch, second on the team in scoring with 35 points, missed the game to attend his grandmother's funeral.
Stastny, son of former National Hockey League forward Peter Stastny, scored midway through the second period to put Omaha ahead 4-2. He then added a shorthanded goal early in the third period to help put the Stampede away.
"It felt great just to get back out there," Stastny said. "It's frustrating just sitting there watching the game."
Omaha took advantage of a two-man advantage 7:08 into the first period with a goal by defenseman Jason Krischuk. The Colorado College recruit took a pass in the slot and beat goalie Kellen Briggs with a hard wrist shot that found its way through traffic.
Marty Guerin scored with 4:16 left in the first period, his third goal of the season, to give Omaha a 2-0 advantage. He picked up the puck at center ice, cut past defenseman Jon Dubel and scored on a shot from the slot.
The Stampede broke through less than two minutes later when James Massen scored on the power play, his 27th goal of the season. Sioux Falls, seeking to snap a three-game losing streak, then tied the game early in the second period on a goal by forward Joe Jensen.
But the Lancers responded five minutes later when forward Riley Riddell took a pass from defenseman Lee Green and scored Omaha's first shorthanded goal of the game. It was the sixth shorthanded goal for Riddell and the first surrendered this season by Sioux Falls.
Stastny's even-strength effort later in the second period made the score 4-2. He took a centering pass from behind the net by forward Jim Dahl and zipped a shot past Briggs.
"I heard Yan yelling for it, and I didn't even really look when I put the pass out there," Dahl said. "It's great to have him back."
Stastny added to the lead early in the third period, scoring Omaha's second shorthanded goal of the game. He took a pass from Riddell at center ice and put a shot between Briggs' pads.
Forward Matt Moore notched his second of the season midway through the third period to close out the scoring.
"I keep seeing the maturation of our young guys, and that's great," Hastings said. "When people like Guerin and Moore can score for us, we're that much tougher to defend."
The Lancers return to action Friday night with a road game against Sioux City.
Sioux Falls 1 1 0-2
Omaha 2 2 2-6
First period - Scoring: 1, Omaha, Krischuk 7 (Ballard, Riddell), power play, 7:08. 2, Omaha, Guerin (Slattengren), 15:44. 3, Sioux Falls, Massen (Iannozzo, Doyle), power play, power play, 17:16. Penalties: SF, Massen (hooking), 1:18. SF, Ulwelling (tripping), 5:37. SF, Dubel (slashing), 6:15. SF, Scott (bench, too many men) 12:14. O, Thomas (high sticking), 16:28.
Second period - Scoring: 4, Sioux Falls, Jensen (Massen), 2:28. 5, Omaha, Riddell 21 (Green), shorthanded, 7:04. 6, Omaha, Stastny 9 (Lampman, Dahl), 11:13. Penalties: SF, Doyle (holding), :32. O, Hacker (slashing), 1:54. SF, Barker (slashing), 4:16. O, Lampman (slashing), 6:45. O, Fleming (cross checking), 11:22. SF, Zaleski (tripping), 14:21. O, Green (holding), 16:25.
Third period - Scoring: 7, Omaha, Stastny 10 (Riddell), shorthanded, 2:25. 8, Omaha, Moore 2 (unassisted), 9:04. Penalties: O, Fleming (double minor checking from behind), :19. SF, Booras (high sticking), 11:38.
Shots on goal:
Sioux Falls 5 11 6-22
Omaha 16 14 7-37
Goalies: Sioux Falls, Briggs (31 saves); Omaha, Magers (20 saves)
Power-play conversions: Sioux Falls, 1-5; Omaha, 1-8
A - 3,163 (4,664 paid).
NOTES: Two of the Stampede's top offensive players, defenseman Jamie Mattie and Thomas Vanek, missed the game. Mattie (9 goals, 38 assists) broke a bone in his foot blocking a shot Sunday night, and Vanek (19 goals, 10 assists) recently had surgery to repair a broken collarbone. ... Omaha was 1 for 8 on the power play, and Sioux Falls went 1 for 5. ... This was the Lancers' first win in three games against the Stampede.
Buccaneers 6, Stars 2
At Lincoln - Des Moines scored five straight goals after falling behind 1-0 to hand Lincoln its first loss at home during regulation. Des Moines goalie Mike Mantua set a State Fair Park Coliseum record with 48 saves as Des Moines won its sixth straight.
