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For the second consecutive night, the Lincoln Stars rallied in the third period. Alex Pelletier had two assists and the game-winning goal, breaking a 3-3 tie eight minutes into the third period as the Stars defeated Sioux City 6-3 on Saturday at the Ice Box. Lincoln now holds a 2-0 lead over the Musketeers in the USHL Clark Cup Playoffs best-of-five, second-round series.
The Stars responded with two more goals in the third period to turn the tide. Dashel Oliver scored his first of the playoffs to give Lincoln a 5-3 lead late in the third, and Bruno Idzan had a pair of bookend goals for Lincoln. Idzan gave Lincoln a 1-0 lead in the first and added an empty-net goal with 2:03 left to play.
“Whether we are winning or losing, we try to play the same way,” Pelletier said. “There is a lot of belief in our locker room, and we stuck with it tonight and were able to come out on top.” People are also reading.
.. Layne Loomer gave Lincoln a 2-0 lead early in the second period, but it was the Musketeers rallying in the second frame for the second consecutive night with three goals in a three-and-a-half-minute span to take a 3-2 lead over the Stars.
“We dug ourselves a hole there a little bit,” Loomer said. “We were only down one goal, so our message was stay calm, keep everyone focused and play our game. It ended up going our way for sure.
” But with the next goal big for either side, Hunter Anderson stepped up for Lincoln, just like he has done numerous times since joining the Stars. Anderson's first goal in the playoffs knotted the score 3-3 with just under 4 minutes to play in the second period. “When they got that third goal, I think there was still half a game left,” Anderson said.
“There was so much hockey. The bench stayed high and had lots of energy. It led us to momentum to score those next few goals there.
” With the score in firm control, Lincoln also outshot the Musketeers 14-2 over the final 20 minutes of play and kept the Sioux City offense at bay. “It's just all about our pride and our willingness to be under pucks and under sticks,” Lincoln head coach Rocky Russo said. “We were blocking shots, but more importantly, when (Sioux City) is on us, they are ramping in their neutral-zone forecheck and they are touching pucks first.
We were breaking pucks out really well. That started with our (defense) having confidence going back to go get it ..
. When you have a lead and put pucks behind them, it creates a frustration level for an opponent.” Lincoln will travel to Sioux City on Monday to face the Musketeers in a potential series-clinching contest at 7 p.
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