April 27
Congratulations to the Fargo Force, and good luck to them in the finals.  Everyone associated with the Force organization showed a great deal of class and were very gracious throughout the season, the playoffs and after the playoff series ended.

I honestly didn’t expect the Stars to be out of the playoffs this soon… Honestly, I expected this group to win the Clark Cup more than any other I’ve been around since the 2002-2003 team.

The class, dignity and effort that our players showed, not just in the closing moments of the final game when the last second ticked off the UP Center clock, but in victory and defeat all season long, is something that our organization and every single one of our fans can be proud of.  I would like to thank each young man that laced up the skates for the Stars for the hard work and dedication in trying to bring a Championship to Lincoln.  Every single one of you has a brilliant future ahead, both on and off the ice.  It has been an honor to call your games this season.

Thank you to our owners, Irv and Anne Dana, Craig and Jane Pohlman and Shawn and Laura Reavis.  You give our staff the ability to be great.  And what a great staff it is.  On the bench; Head Coach Jimmy McGroarty.  Assistant Coaches Nick “Dark Eagle” Fouts and Ryan “Night Hawk” Bencurik.  Trainer/Equipment Manager Corey Courtney.  In the front office; President, Jim Pflug.  Vice President and Director of Operations, Steve Zoucha.  Director of Corporate Sales and Marketing, Jen Morand.  Director of Ticket Operations, Micki Buhrmann (and her game day staff).  Assistant Director of Ticket Operations, Lonna Kliment (Good luck and we’ll all miss you).  Rink Manager, Glen Newell (and his staff).  Food and Beverage Manager Sue King (and her staff).

A thank you to all of our off-ice officials, to Jeff who does most of the video for home games, to Mike who does shots, to our security staff, parking attendants and everyone else who helps make our home ice experience something special.  Speaking of that experience, the atmosphere in the Ice Box would not be anything close to as spectacular as it is without the hard work and dedication of Donnie Adams, thanks for the help you give me DA.   The Ice Box wouldn’t be what it is on game nights without our Public Address Announcer Craig Estidillo, Craig great job as always this season.  I cannot forget to say thanks to the Blueline Booster Club for all that you do to help support the Stars organization.  The goodie bags on road trips rocked this season, and way to go on bringing two buses to Chicago.  A big thank you to Jeff Wilkerson, Heidi Heusman and Jerry Kruger at Three Eagles Communications and to my game broadcast producers; Chris Wood and Tom Gemelky.  Also, thank you to Brent Wagner and the Lincoln Journal Star for the great coverage of the team.  Connie Hain, thank you for all the work you do on the web site.  Most of all I would like to say thank you to Stars Nation, you are simply the best damn fans around.

I do not know exactly where the broadcast will be next season as of yet, but I truly cannot wait to say “Good evening and welcome to the 14th season of Lincoln Stars Hockey.”  Until then, have a great summer.
Melbye

I
 

April 20
With the completion of another regular season, there are a couple of team marks and few names that have jumped up on the Stars all-time and single season stat charts.  Those would belong to:
*Kirt Hill – 10th most points in a season with 66.  He moved Keith Dore out of the top ten.
*Ryan Kretzer – 11th all-time with 106 career points.  He bumped Jason Gregoire (at 105) down to 12th.  *Jake Newton – 4th all-time among D-Men with 63 career points, his 38 this season is 6th most for D-Men. 
*Ross Henry – 4th most (all players) & 2nd most (among D-Men – behind Lee Marvin at 205) with 178 games played, also 6th most career penalty minutes with 322.
 *Michael Sdao – 4th most penalty minutes all-time with 340 (2nd most of 2-year players – behind Jared Boll at 470).
*Kevin Murdock – 3rd best Goals Against Average in a career at 2.45.  3rd best GAA in a season at 2.24.  5th best save percentage in a career at .913.  3rd best save percentage in a season at .9197.
*Team – 4th most penalty minutes in a season with 1675.  Behind 98-99 with 1681, 96-97 with 1712 and 04-05 with 1721.
*Team – 3rd fewest goals scored with 191.  Behind 07-08 at 185 and 03-04 with 168.

From a stat standpoint this will not go down as one of Lincoln’s best teams.  However, if you were able to measure grit, heart, determination, selflessness and chemistry it may be the best in the Stars thirteen years.  It’s not really fair of me to make that comparison to all thirteen teams since I’ve only been around seven of them, but it is the tightest knit group I’ve seen by far.  That starts and ends with the leaders in the locker room, and I’m not just talking about the guy’s with a letter on their sweater.

Two points were all that separated Lincoln from a share of their fourth Anderson Cup in franchise history.  It’s a disappointment that is also motivation in the chase for the Clark Cup.

The Stars disposed of Sioux Falls in round 1 of the playoffs in four games.  It was a gritty effort by the Stampede and I thought that most of their players showed quite a bit of class throughout the series, even though they couldn’t match the Stars physically, or in the crease.  It was a tough situation for Stampede Head Coach Kevin Hartzell, with his son having a rough end to his USHL career in net.  I would think that Stars fans would treat their coaching staff and players better than the Sioux Falls fans treated the Hartzells at the end of the season.  It seems as though the fans forgot that Eric is just a 19-year old kid doing the best that he can and trying to learn from his mistakes.  Having drunk idiots yell some of the crap I heard in Sioux Falls last week is embarrassing.  The two fans that I sit next to at the games (yes, the ones that have the cow bell) are a class act as I’m sure a lot of the Stampede fans are, but more than a few went a bit to far with some of their comments.

So here we are a couple of days before game 1 of round 2 of the playoffs.  The temp today was over 60 and as I stopped by the Ice Box earlier today, I figured to hear that ticket sales were “ok” but that with the warm weather it was kind of slow.  Ummm, that was not really the case.  Mickey and Lonna told me that tickets for both Wednesday’s game 1 and Friday’s game 2 were steady all day long.  Call early to get a better seat!  It would be great to see us top the attendance marks of last week against Sioux Falls.
I have to give credit where it is due.  Mr. Steve Zoucha called it before the game started on Friday night.  After I asked “What’s your feel?” I got;  “Melbye, it’s going to be a 6-1 final, and we’re grillin’ steaks on my deck tomorrow night!”  Love the belief Zou, love the belief, but where’s my steak?
Round two and the Fargo Force in town on Wednesday.  See you there.

March 30
It’s a shame that last Friday night’s  Stars game against Cedar Rapids had to end the way it did.  The total number of times that referee Curtis Marioelle came over to talk to either head coach during the game: Zero.  That doesn’t make much sense to me.

The first person to see Stars Head Coach Jimmy McGroarty when he walked off the ice after being ejected was his son Rutger, who promptly gave him a high-five and said “Way to go dad!”

The Stars find a way to win Saturday night’s game at Sioux City without their Head Coach on the bench, and with Ryan Kretzer, Mike Dalhuisen and Corey Chakeen all out of the line-up.  With two goals each in the game, David Gerths and Jake Newton become the 7th and 8th Stars to score ten goals as a Star this season (Eric Alexander has 8 as a Star, he had 17 as a member of the Chicago Steel).

There is a possibility that there could be a three-way tie for the Anderson Cup between Lincoln, Green Bay and Indiana.  The Stars have 78 points and two games to play, Green Bay has 78 points with three games left to play, Indiana has 80 points with two left to play.  Should be a fun last weekend.

March 23

How the West was won:  With gritty, gut-wrenching, pressure packed performances by all 23 players and the coaching staff.  The Stars clinch the USHL’s Western Division for the fourth time with Saturday night’s 5-1 win over Fargo.

Two great games at the Ice Box this past weekend with great crowds to boot.  What a finish to Friday’s game, and it was all set up by the Stars PK unit.

The one thing that stood out to me more than anything else on Saturday night is when the final of the Omaha v Green Bay game was announced.  That may be the only time I’ve ever heard our fans cheer a Lancer win.  For those that don’t get it, Green Bay’s loss meant that the Stars were going to be first in the overall USHL standings and race for the Anderson Cup for the first time this season.  The Gamblers can grab the lead back on Tuesday the 24th with a win over Cedar Rapids.  Cedar will tie the Stars with a win in that game.  Indiana can vault over the Stars if they win on Wednesday at Waterloo.  There is less than two weeks left in the regular season, and five teams have a chance to win the Andy.

Stars fans again come up big for charity.  $33,050 was raised for the MDA at the jersey auction last Saturday night.  Great looking throw-back jersey’s designed by Corey Courtney too.  A huge thank you to the players as well for being such good sports during the auction and trying to help get the bids a little higher.  We’d all heard the stories about the dancing ability of Jake Newton, and for those that attended the auction you got to see proof as he showed off some moves.

Get your playoffs tickets!  Games can start as early as April 9th, depending on arena availability.

March 16

The Stars have been in a bit of a funk since the 5-1 loss at Waterloo on the 21st of February (going 3-4-2 through Saturday’s SO loss to Chicago), but have kept the right attitude and continued to work hard.  It was nice to see the hard work and dedication taken by the coaching staff and team pay off with a gritty character building win in Cedar Rapids on Sunday.

If you fly into Chicago and need a cab, be sure to use your brain and find Mohamed.  Not only will you get a reasonably priced ride to your destination, but you’ll get quality entertainment as well.

Welcome back to Ryan Bencurik.  Benny, you need to go run and touch that tire.  Now.  Seriously, get going.

The Blueline Booster Club brought two buses to the game in Chicago on Saturday night.  It was great to see so many Lincoln people on the road, and I hope everyone had a great time.  The Booster club also puts a snack bag full of goodies together for everyone for each away game.  Thank you very much to everyone who helps get them ready and delivers them (no matter what time of day the bus leaves).  Best bag of the season last weekend!

The most dominating performance of the weekend goes to Corey Courtney, with a sweep of the sharples games on the way to Chicago Thursday morning.  Come on Corey; give us a chance next time.

Get your playoff tickets!  The 1st round starts as early as April 7th.

March 2nd

The Stars get a big road win on Saturday night in Chicago, ending the Steel’s eight game winning streak.  I’m not sure GB could have played a whole lot better than they did against us on Friday night, as their coaching staff made the comment that it was one of their best games of the season.  So how bad were the Stars on Friday?  Why don’t you ask Waterloo since they lost 11-0 to Green Bay on Saturday night.  Granted Friday’s game wasn’t the Stars best, but Doc was very good and our guy’s never quit.  We’ve got the Gamblers back in our house (where they won 8-3 on October 18th) on Friday March 20th.  Get your tickets while you can.

I thought Lincoln needed five points out of the three road games last week to be right in the mix for the Anderson Cup.  Four is not bad at all though.  The Stars are currently just three points behind Green Bay in the race for the Andy.

When you look at the Stars remaining schedule, their opponents currently have a combined record of 330-231-52 and ten of the thirteen remaining games are against opponents with a winning record.  Green Bay has two games in hand on the Stars, and has six of their fifteen remaining games against Des Moines or Tri-City.  Their opponents combined record is 309-327-64.  Don’t call the engraver quite yet, but when looking at the remaining schedules of all the teams still in the race for the regular season title, Green Bay has the least difficult schedule.

Remember kids, always take the keys out of your vehicle and lock it up, you never know what might happen if you don’t.

We found out for sure this past weekend that Bingo really was his name-o, but Mr. McCarron, how do you forget the words?

Three in a row at home starting this Friday with Waterloo.  They just got rolled 11 zip, I’m sure they won’t want to take out any frustration.  Again, I hope you have your tickets for that one.  Don’t forget that on Friday we’d like for everyone to bring items to put in care packages that will be sent to U.S. soldiers overseas.  You can find a list of requested items here on LincolnStars.com.

February 22

This past weekend was a big weekend for the Stars with games against their two biggest rivals. A 4-1 win over Omaha at home on Friday night, then a 5-1 loss at Waterloo on Saturday night. Yep, Waterloo seems to have become the Stars 2nd biggest rival during the past two seasons. If you listened to the post-game show following last Tuesday’s 8-3 win over the Black Hawks and last night’s game, AND you’ve taken a peek at the box score of all three games with Waterloo this season, you might understand why I say that. Can you say 380 penalty minutes in three games? Coaches being ejected from games, hard fought OT games and a punch in the mouth to the other team with a convincing win, what more do you want?

The tradition in Waterloo before P.K. O’Hanley arrived was a tradition of being a doormat. That has changed. The Black Hawks have a very high caliber staff, and high caliber players. I’m hoping the off-ice officials quickly get to the level of the rest of the organization and their fans. The second toughest barn to play in behind the Ice Box is now Waterloo’s Young Arena because of the crazy fans. Seriously, that place is nuts.

The upcoming week is big with three road games. Lincoln is in Kearney on Tuesday, Green Bay on Friday and Chicago on Saturday. How many points do you think the Stars need to get out of those three to have a realistic shot at an Anderson Cup? I’ve got my number…. Next week I’ll tell you if we got to it.

Congratulations to the Lincoln Jr. Stars on their first league CHAMPIONSHIP in thirteen years! I hope all of the players and parents enjoyed having the Star drop and the intro on Saturday. The Stars organization is very proud of your accomplishment! I have to be the first to say it… BACK TO BACK!

February 15

39 games and only one goes past regulation time to start the year. Two shootouts in two nights this weekend, and both games wind up with the Stars on the short end of things. Combined with the loss last Sunday to Fargo, the Stars have dropped three in a row for the second time this season.

Coach McGroarty following the game Saturday; “We’re on a slippery slope.” … “If the guys weren’t working hard and getting their chances, we’d be worried. But they’re giving the effort and we’ve had our chances. We just need to figure out a way to get over that hump.” To me that says Coach McGroarty is very well aware of how quickly bad habits can develop and confidence can get shaken when you work hard and don’t get a bounce or some puck luck. It also tells me he has a lot of confidence in this team.

Don’t forget that this is a 60 game, six-month long grind of a regular season. With only 19 games left before the playoffs start, the light at the end of a very long tunnel has just been spotted. Knowing the character and leadership of this team in the locker room, the focus and determination is going to get moved up another notch with the adversity that comes with a three game losing streak, and seeing that the goals that were set at the beginning of the season are still within reach.

A reminder to all interns: Do not try to stop a puck with your face. Although doing it is a great way to talk your way out of a speeding ticket, I’d not recommend it.

To insure he gets mentioned in someone’s blog this week – Steve Zoucha.

Thanks to Justin Schreiber for hanging out during the broadcast on Saturday night. Remember the name, he might be a future voice of the Huskers.

Happy Birthday to my dad today, the now retired mayor of Waverly is 65. The catfish in Harlan County are in serious trouble.

February 11

It was an interesting three games played by the Stars last weekend. They outshoot their opponents 137-70, yet only have two one goal wins and they give up three in the third and lose on Sunday. Coach McGroarty’s comment; “Tough pill to take” sums up the loss Sunday in Fargo.

We saw the Stars go through a stretch earlier in the year when they would outplay teams for the majority of a game, but come up with a loss. The staff and team all learned from those games, and I am positive they will all learn from the last three. Biggest thing though is the fact that they found a way to win two of the three this time.

The trade deadline has come and gone with two roster moves made. Eric Alexander is added in a trade with Chicago. Enjoy the line of Hill—Kretzer—Alexander for the rest of the season. That is unless you are a player or fan of another team. Chris Volonnino is a young man out of New Jersey who’s a physical player that has pretty good hands and instincts. Quoting Assistant Coach Nick Fouts; “He’s a grinder. Hard nosed, but with some good playmaking ability.”

I’m looking forward to seeing a thousand or so of the USHL’s best fans at the Mid-America Center this Friday to cheer on the Stars.

Omaha moving to ….. well, Omaha next year is a much needed change. It will be nice to see the best rivalry in Tier One hockey back into an old barn with a lot of character when the Lancers host a game.

February 1st

A home and home series this past weekend against Tri-City results in… Well, the results you’d hope for when you’re leading the division and playing against a team that’s lost 17 in a row. Two wins. Hats off to the Storm for their effort on Saturday night though, what a great game for another sell-out crowd to watch. TC’s back in our barn this Saturday night; let’s hope they leave the fan who threw the beer on the ice late in the game, back in Kearney.

What a weekend by Stars D-man Cory Hibbeler, he gets his first 2 USHL goals and another assist. He was +4 on the weekend as well. In his last four games his stats look like this; 2-3-5 (2 goals, 3 assists, 5 total points) and he was +3. In the 25 prior games his stat line looked like this: 0-3-3, and he was -7. Props to Kory Kaunisto as well. Two goals in Friday’s 6-2 win. I’ll bet he didn’t realize that would be cause for him to be bag skated at the end of the game. What’d he play, the final 3 minutes of the game without going off the ice? That’s what you get when your coach and teammates care enough to try and get you the hat trick. I’m betting Kory wouldn’t have had it any other way.

The trade deadline is this Tuesday February 3rd. Will Stars Head Coach and General Manager Jimmy McGroarty make any moves? I guarantee he might... Or he might not… I guess we’ll see on Wednesday morning.

Congratulations to Stars Assistant Coach Nick Fouts on being a coach in the All-Star game this Wednesday night. The honor and recognition is very much deserved.

We all know that there could have been at least five other Stars named to the All-Star team other than the five who made it. That shows the depth the staff has to work with. Don’t think that depth won’t pay off when the Stars play 11 games in 23 days starting with this Friday’s game against Sioux Falls. Not to mention the 9 games in 16 days in the middle of March.

Trivia question of the week. At what temperature does water boil? Hint: It’s below 313 degrees… Is that your final answer?

January 25th

A really low, low and a really high, high. All in 24 hours to boot! The Stars get rolled 5-1 at home by a Sioux City team that’s almost 20 points behind them in the standings (at the time) a week ago last Friday. Then on Saturday night come out shorthanded (they dressed only 16 skaters) and win one of the best (if not the best) regular season games in the storied rivalry between Lincoln and Omaha… Shorthanded. That was a fitting word for that night as Eric Meland scored his third shorty of the year for the game winner in the third period. Another fitting word was ‘guts.’ Quoting Stars head coach Jimmy McGroarty in the post game show; “Our guys showed a lot of guts tonight.” Another fitting word for last Saturday’s win over Omaha. Incredibly, deafeningly LOUD! I don’t remember the ole’ barn being that loud since Game 5 against Omaha in 2006. Stars fans, you gave me chills at times that night.

This past Friday the Stars posted a workmanlike win over Des Moines. There was nothing to flashy, just hard work, grit and determination by Lincoln in what was viewed by a few as a trap game. Des Moines goaltender Michael Houser is pretty damn good. Between Wednesday’s game DM played at Sioux Falls and the game in Lincoln on Friday, he saw 102 shot and had a .941 save percentage. Oh and by the way, he’s only 16.

Friday night was also the first time the USHL’s new Commissioner Skip Prince was able to attend a game in Lincoln. I hope a lot of you got a chance to listen to the chat he had with me during the first and second intermissions. Here’s a few comments he made that stood out to me – Talking about the atmosphere and fans of the Stars; “Everybody in hockey knows about the Lincoln Stars.” – The sports editor of the Chicago Tribune shared this with Mr. Prince; “The USHL is the best league that nobody knows about.” – Talking about how the league is now presenting itself to the hockey community; “This year’s Fall Classic was the most scouted event in hockey history, there were 175 registered scouts there.” – In talking about league expansion; “We want the next city in this league to be as good as this one (Lincoln) is, and you set a high standard. When we’re talking to prospective owners, we want to bring them here (to Lincoln) and say ‘Unless you can create this kind of an environment on ice and off ice, with all due respect, we don’t want you.’ And for the first time we’re able to be in that situation.”

The USHL is in very good hands. In my sixteen plus years in radio, I’ve interviewed more rock bands than I care to remember, and I’ve interviewed enough race car drivers, football, basketball, softball and hockey players to fill the stage next Saturday when we play Tri-City. My chat with Mr. Prince will go down for me as one of the handful I’ll remember the most. It was an honor.

Saturday night in Cedar Rapids was frustrating on several levels. We’ll start with the fact that the Stars lost. All I’m going to do now is point out that Cedar Rapids had 10 power plays and the Stars had two. And the fact that Cedar Rapids has had 39 more power plays than anyone else in the league, and has been down a man 31 fewer times than anyone else in the league so far this season. Not throwing stones here, just looking at the stats on Pointstreak. I’m betting I can name ten other teams that might be as frustrated. If you listened to Coach McGroarty’s post-game show I’m sure you could tell his frustration with the way things played out.

Almost every time I call a game from the arena in Cedar Rapids, I get disconnected from the studio at least twice a game. It happened twice again on Saturday night. I was told by one of their staff that B2 had an issue with their feed at times last night as well. To bad CR doesn’t have Donnie Adams to make sure there are no problems like that in the building. As for the Cedar Rapids fans, 99% are great. They are just like the fans all through the USHL, loud, a little obnoxious, into the game and having a good time. Then there’s the one percent (that I know all organizations have) that make you scratch your head. For some odd reason, that one percent and I seem to meet in CR. I apologize if anything got on the air that may not have been the most family friendly.

January 15th

30 games down, 30 games to go. First a few thought’s on the first half of the season.

Some dates that stick out in my mind:
October 18th – Three fights in four seconds to start the game. The Stars won all of the tilts that night, but Green Bay won the game 8-3.
October 25th – A loss at Waterloo in OT.
October 30th – Anthony Borelli is added to the roster.
October 31st – Doc shuts out Des Moines.
November 5th – Ryan Kretzer is added to the roster.
December 12th – AB shuts out Green Bay.
January 2nd – Lincoln comeback win over Sioux City, Hill & Puskar both from Gerths :21 apart.
January 3rd – Kretz with 4 goals in 11:11 vs Indiana.

I can pick something out of every road trip and every game that I remember, but those eight stick out a bit more than the rest.

Quoting Ryan Kretzer: “Such is life on the road in junior hockey.”

Oh the memories – Road trip happenings. In no particular order and with a detail or two left out:

I found a new leader in the most vulgar, foul-mouthed opponent’s fan category earlier this season in Kearney. I learned two new cuss words from her! .… “Do we have to pay to ride the elevator?” …. “Can I add a dozen hot wings to that?”…. sorry Kretz, no wings …. “You don’t see that in the CFL” …. A town I didn’t know existed – Wahpeton, ND. I would have never guessed that they’d have a Domino’s …. “Hey, are you going to eat your grapes?” …. “Hi Coach, I’d like to let you know that I talked to my dad and I’d like to come play hockey for you.” …. How many people can fit inside the breezeway between the outside door and inside door of a McDonalds? We got up to 19 or 20 at one point, but could have managed a few more …. “Ice in his veins” …. “I’m sorry you can’t bring in outside food, you’ll have to leave.” …. Have you ever walked through a drive-thru when it’s seven below zero? IT’S AWESOME! …. “I’ll trade you a granola bar for your fruit gushers.” …. Nutty’s, bluegrass, the big blue cooler, flying peanuts and the mothership …. “I’ll go in and help em’ flip some burgers” …. “That’s what it says in the yearbook.” …. Howling windows …. “Boom goes the dynamite!” …. Cold bus rides home suck …. “Hey buddy, is this your first shift?” …. “What are you doing out here again? What’d you do, sneak past the coach?” …. “But he has a wild card and I don’t.” “Ya, but his hand is better than yours, so it doesn’t matter.” “Well that sucks.” …. I’ve never seen the team leave a restaurant in a quicker and more orderly fashion than they did after Matt Bruneteau showed off his singing voice in a Perkins somewhere in Wisconsin.

The quotes are not mine, they belong to Kirt Hill, Nick Fouts, Jimmy McGroarty, an anonymous hotel employee, Corey Courtney, Garrett Vermeersch, David Gerths, Chris Forfar and Eric Meland. Ooops, I guess there is one in there that I uttered… but Fouts made me say it.

20 wins in the first 30 games. I asked Coach McGroarty if he was happy winning that many in the first half of the season. His response; “No, I want to win them all.”

Jim, I’d like to apologize in advance, but I just have to.

MP3 player with an FM receiver to listen to the game in the arena, $169.
Ticket to the game in which Stars PA Announcer Craig Estudillo gets hit on top of the head with a rogue puck and has to get five stitches, $14.
Food and beverages for the evening $12.
Souvenir puck for Craig to sign so you have a keepsake of the night, $5.
Getting to listen to Jim Pflug do play by play that night…. Priceless.

Tidbits: A 6-game, 5-game and 4-game winning streak in the first 30. Last year the Stars won 2 in a row once in the first 26 games, and the first winning streak of more than two came in games 27-36 when they won 10 in a row. Lincoln has had seven different players win player of the week honors eight total times so far, more players and more times than any other team; Doc twice. Forfar,Newts and Doc all in one week. Chartier, Kretz, AB and Gerths as well.

Stars fans, you have one hell of a team to be proud of and to cheer for. I hope you’re enjoying this season as much as I am. Trust me, when the final horn sounds on the 08-09 Stars season, you won’t be ready for it to end.

January 11, 2009

We were in Fargo on the 22nd of November when Coach McGroarty called his Captains together before we got off the bus at the Urban Plains Center. His message was simple, “We’re not starting fast enough. We’ve been outscored by 2 in the first period so far this season. That’s unacceptable.” The Stars led 1-0 after the first that night. Lincoln has not trailed at the end of the first period since that chat took place. (knock, knock, knock) Lincoln has outscored their opponents 21-5 in the first period since that time.

In the first period of the two games this weekend Lincoln 6, Des Moines and Fargo 1. In the second and third periods of the two games this weekend Lincoln 2, Des Moines and Fargo 4.

Friday night we learned the answer to a question that has plagued mankind for years. If you order thirteen pizzas to be delivered at 9:45, what time do they arrive? The answer, 10:20.

In the post-game show following the Saturday victory over Fargo, the coach talked about some of the lesson’s that not only the players, but the coaching staff learned from the two games this weekend. The coach apologized to Anthony Borelli for the two late Fargo goals, saying they were his fault because of how he handled the team with the score what it was at the time (4-1). Speaking of Mr. Borelli and his counterpart in the crease Kevin Murdock, have you looked at the goalie leader’s page at Pointstreak.com yet?

Sorry about the less than enthusiastic call of the games this weekend. It seems to be my turn to get whatever evil cold that is going around.

Omaha will make their first appearance at the Ice Box this season next Saturday night (remember the game starts at 8:05, not 7:05), get tickets while you can.

January 6, 2009

A good start for the Stars after the Christmas break, 3-0. However, Green Bay and Omaha did the same thing. A stellar race for the Anderson Cup is heating up with Indiana, Green Bay, Cedar Rapids, Lincoln, Waterloo and Omaha all within 2 points of the top spot.

Interesting to read and hear about how poor the Stars played, in some fans eyes, in their win on Friday night over Sioux City. It’s nice to see that the expectations of a dominant performance every night are there, but …. Stars trainer Corey Courtney touched on that in the pre-game on Saturday, and thought Sioux City played one heck of a game with the trap they used to offset some of the success the Stars had against them earlier in the season. The bottom line to me in Friday’s win is the fact that is was exactly that, a win. Earlier in the season we seemed to lose a game like that.

The Stars get 2 USHL POW’s this week, a very well deserved honor for both Ryan Kretzer and Anthony Borelli.

As far as Saturday’s game goes. Let’s see. Hmmm. Kretz and Doc both. Wow. For those wondering about Kretzer’s four goals, it has been done twice before in Stars history. John Snowden had four at Topeka on March 1, 2002 in a 7-5 win, and Adam Bartholomay had 4 at Waterloo February 20th 2004 in a 6-4 win. Bart also had an assist on the other two goals. As far as the fastest three goals (or four for that matter), I have no idea. All I have to go on prior to the 2002-2003 season is a compilation of stats kept by former Stars beat writer Mark Derowitsch, although quite complete, “fastest” is not one of the categories. Why don’t we call Kretzer’s the fastest by a Star though? It’s tough to imagine anyone having 3 in less than 4:40. The fastest hat trick in USHL history is by Ron Buckmeier of the Rochester Mustangs in November of 1994 at 2:23. (Thanks Jen!). I think overlooked by a lot of people is the play of Kevin Murdock on Saturday night. The young man was peppered at times by Indiana. Let’s not forget that the Ice went 0-10 on the power play, and Doc is a big reason why. Layoff, what layoff?

The crowd on Friday night when Jon Puskar scored gave me the chills. Deafening. Speaking of the crowd, I had a nice conversation with Garrett Vermeersch (former Cedar Rapids Roughrider) about how opposing players react to our introduction and our crowd at various times during the game. I’ll chat with him a lot more about it when I interview him as our featured player of the week on Lincolnstars.com. Look and listen for that before the end of January.

January 1, 2009

First, I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year.

The Stars first game after the holiday break, last night in Sioux Falls, looked a lot like some of the games earlier in the season with one small exception. A win was the result, not a loss. For anyone who got a chance to listen to Coach McGroarty’s post game show early in the season, there seemed to be a theme after about every loss. “We played well enough to win, we’ve just got to figure out a way to put the puck in the back of the net and get the victory.” As the season progressed we’ve seen the steps being taken to get the W’s on a more consistent basis.

The one really bright spot for the Stars all season has been their penalty kill unit, and last night was no exception. Lincoln got their fourth short-handed goal of the season, and it would wind up being the game winner. Ross Henry jumped the played and made a great feed to Ryan Kretzer, and then what a move by Hill to send Stampede goaltender Eric Hartzell sprawling.

The power play has a new wrinkle. Look for it this weekend and the rest of the season.

So how does a hockey team celebrate New Year’s Eve when midnight hits and they’re on a bus somewhere between Sioux City and Omaha? “Ok guys one minute.” “Hey, my phone says it already midnight.” After a brief pause, there was a nice quiet “yea” from most, and a couple of “woo’s”. Then back to the friendly card games and story telling.

A very nice job by Corey Courtney in the pre-game as always, but I thought his analysis of Anthony Borelli was really solid.

December 23, 2008

The Christmas break has arrived with the Stars on top in the Western Division in the USHL. Their 31 points is tied with Omaha, but don’t forget that the Stars have played three fewer games too. A good but not great start for the season, however, lets not forget that the goal is to be playing your best hockey in March, April and May, not November and December.

I was going to run through the squad and say who I thought surprised me with their play so far. The more I thought about it though, the less I thought anyone surprised me. Every single Lincoln Star on the roster right now has made me, the fans and coaching staff notice them on more than one occasion at some point in the first 24 games.

Knowing what we had coming in from chatting with our coaching staff before the season started, there’s not many surprises. Every single player who wears a Stars sweater can be the hero on any given night, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. 11 different players have a game winning goal in the fifteen wins by the Stars so far. One night you’re a healthy scratch and the next night, you’re the best player on the ice and have a game winner and no one is surprised. This is a seriously fun team to watch.

Looking to 2009, I’d expect the Stars to stay very physical. The power play will be tweaked and get rolling again. (Anyone else in Omaha last Friday notice Michael Sdao in front of the Omaha net on the PP?) Injuries will heal and a roster move or two will be made, as they always are.

Fargo is a team that the West should be more than a little nervous about, and the East has five teams with a legit shot at the Division title.

The Stars have two West Division rivals and the best team in the league in the first three when things get going again. I’ll bet a lot will be learned in that four day stretch. Until then, keep your shoes checked, your singing voice in perfect tone and clear tape off of your skate blades.

On behalf of the Lincoln Stars organization, I’d like to wish everyone a very safe and happy Holiday Season.

December 14, 2008

Now in my seventh year of being associated with the Lincoln Stars, I had what I would consider the neatest experience so far on the way home from Indiana Saturday night.

This is the side of a phone conversation I heard as I sat next to one of the players shortly after we left the Pepsi Coliseum. “Hi Coach, I talked everything over with my dad, and I want to let you know that I’ve decided to come to your school and play for you.”

I know I talk about our players committing to this school and that throughout every year, but to actually hear that one sentence …. Knowing a dream to earn a scholarship has been accomplished. Cool. Michigan State is getting one hell of a player in Chris Forfar.

Everybody knew how big of a test this weekend was. One player mentioned that this just might be Anderson Cup weekend. A win and a loss. Mixed results? No. The Stars lost 3-2 to Indy, but played the last four minutes of the second and all of the third without two of their best players. Kirt Hill was given a game ejection for a check from behind, and Stars Captain Chris Forfar was injured late in the second and didn’t return. Let’s not forget that Brett Chartier and Corey Chakeen were on the shelf with injuries too. Gritty performance in the loss by everyone.

Anthony Borelli gets the 50th regular season shut-out in Stars history on Friday night in a hard fought win. Borelli is the 15th different Stars goalie to post a shutout.

Matt Bruneteau and Anthony Borelli were kind enough to share their fantabulous singing voices with us on the trip. I picked up the check… well shoe check at least, at supper on Thursday night.

The eleven hour trip home will be remembered for (other than Chris’ commitment to Michigan State) the heater on the bus that just didn’t seem to want to work most of the time. Oh ya, and the wonderful sounds of the howling window. It’s a sound that you could almost fall asleep to. Almost.

Three more road games this week before we head into the Christmas break; Tuesday in Sioux City, Friday in Omaha and Saturday in Cedar Rapids.

December 13, 2008
Here's from my vantage point in Indy.

December 12, 2008

Straight down from where I sit.

My vantage point to the right at the Resch Center. I'm about 20 rows up near the blue line

This is a picture of the front of the Resch Center. Lambeau Field is to the West (left) and our hotel is to the right (East), right next to the arena.

This picture was taken from the street in front of the Resch Center looking back to the West at the East side of Lambeau Field.

This picture is of a huge fenced in three tent tailgate area in the parking lot of Lambeau Field, which just happens to be located four blocks away from the Resch Center where we will play Green Bay tonight. Husker fans and Packers fans both like to tailgate in style.

December 7, 2008

The Stars have had a nice few weeks with wins in seven of their last eight, including five in a row. If I had to pick a reason why the recent success has happened, I’d have to single out …. Well, umm… I’m not sure I could leave out any member of the team or the coaching staff.

If you missed the pre and post game shows in any of the past few games, Coach McGroarty, Coach Fouts and Stars Trainer Corey Courtney have commented on how tough it is on a game by game basis to sit anybody. This is as deep of a team as I can remember since 02-03.

An awesome job by all of the Lincoln Stars fans that helped out with the teddy bear toss last Friday night. Tim & The Animal from 104-1 The Blaze raised over $18,000 (plus thousands of new un-wrapped toys) for kids in Lincoln. More than 2,000 stuffed animals and over $1,300 in cash was donated by Stars fans. Thank you!

The Stars are in Green Bay this Friday night and Indiana on Saturday (remember the start time is half an hour early at 635 CST). The last time the Stars and Gamblers faced off, there were eleven goals scored and the teams combined for 93 penalty minutes (50 of which were for the five fights that took place). It’s also the first game that the Stars had lost in regulation when scoring first since March 31st, 2007 (a 5-1 loss to Des Moines). Indiana just happens to have the USHL’s best overall and home record (16-3-1 and 11-1-0). I hope everyone is able to listen on 92.9 The Eagle, and/or watch on the B2 Network!

November 23, 2008

Five good periods of hockey and two points come out of the first overnight road trip of the season. Kevin Murdock and Anthony Borelli were both very good this weekend!

After Friday’s game Ryan Kretzer noted to Stars trainer Corey Courtney, that he felt the team played better when they played more physical. The Stars forecheck laid back in the first period on Friday, but attacked in the second and third. There was a noticeable difference. -- Jimmy Siers KO of Max Grover was one of the five most dominant fights I’ve witnessed. Siers didn’t even look winded when it was over either.

During the first intermission on Saturday Coach McGroarty mentioned that the staff sat down with the Captains and pointed out that the focus at the start of games seems to be lacking at times. It wasn’t on Saturday night.

How about best friends Eric Meland and Ryan LaDouceur (both grew up in Grand Forks) giving their respective families a show with an old fashioned, punch trading tilt during the second period? By the way, both players and their families hung out after the game for an extended amount of time.

I mentioned at the start of Saturday night’s broadcast that for those who enjoy going to away games, you need to put Fargo on the top of the must do list. The arena is spectacular, even though the $25 million first phase is still not complete (a $14 million second phase that will include four more sheets is in the works as well). From a fans perspective, you couldn’t ask for much more. The light boards and video screens around the arena give you the feel of being at an NHL game, but the size of the facility (it seats 5,000 – 3,000 reserved, 1,000 bleacher and another 1,000 in the club seats and luxury boxes) helps create an intimate atmosphere. The kinks that accompany any new arena were noticeable, but handled well by the staff. Lincoln is back in Fargo Sunday February 8th and Saturday April 4th.

Other things of note from the weekend;
- The return of the sleeper bus
- No outside pasta allowed
- Bluegrass
- Wild cards in made up card games can be annoying… for some

The Stars host Sioux City Wednesday night (the fourth of seven in a row against the Western Division).

December 5th is the annual Teddy Bear Toss. Stars fans have already been awesome this season in helping with the fight against breast cancer jersey auction ($7,500 raised), and the Skate with the Stars event to benefit the Lincoln Action Program ($1,300 raised)! Keep the roll going and help out a local child by bringing a new unwrapped stuffed animal (or two) to the game against Tri-City on December 5th.

November 22nd - Vantage Point in Fargo

November 21st - Vantage Point in Sioux Falls

November 16, 2008

“….. with the week it’s been, nothing would surprise me right now.” - Anonymous Lincoln Star player at Sunday’s ‘Skate With the Stars’ event to benefit the Lincoln Action Program. It was the response to a smart-alec comment made by yours truly. The point in sharing it is to try and show what a learning curve every young man, not only in Lincoln but the USHL, has to go through each year. You can play your butt off and dominate on any given night, and not win. It’s part of the intrigue of the game of hockey, and an annoying lesson for young players to learn.

It has been quite a week (call it 9 days). The Stars played three games on the 7th, 8th and 11th that should have netted them three wins. It didn’t. A lone 2-goal victory, coupled with two losses that left many wondering what the guys have to do to get a W. The heart is there. The grit is there. The effort is there. The only thing that wasn’t there on Friday and Tuesday was a win. Chicago and Tri-City found a way to win….

…THEY found a way to win…. After Tuesday’s game Coach McGroarty said; “We have to find a way to win games, find a way to get over the mental hump that has kept us from winning games. Ours guys need to finish their chances and put the puck in the back of the net…. We’ve got to figure out how to do that, and we will.”

For those who missed the pre-game interview each night this weekend, Wednesday’s practice was the best of the season. Let me point something out; a team that should be down and out, and frustrated with losing when they play well. A team that should be angry at each other and pointing fingers at teammates simply did nothing of the kind. All they did was come out and have their best practice of the season so far.

WE found a way to win both games this past weekend…. We could have very easily lost both. 23 Lincoln Stars made a significant contribution to two very important victories. Not 22, 21 or 12 or 9 or 5, but 23 Lincoln Stars earned four points.

Garrett Peterson and Kory Kaunisto get their first goals as Lincoln Stars, and Anthony Borelli gets his first win as a Star on Saturday night. Borelli’s first save was on a break-away to boot. Garrett Vermeersch has points in 10 straight (best in the USHL so far this season), and Kirt Hill has points in 8 of 9. I might be wrong, but in the over 250 games I’ve called for the Lincoln Stars, I have never witnessed a ‘Gordie Howe Hat Trick’ by a Star. That is until last Friday’s game against Indiana. Ryan Kretzer, 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 fight. Nice to have you back Kretz.

A huge thank you to all who came down and helped out at the ‘Skate With the Stars’ – Don’t forget the teddy bear toss game on December 5th, and the Campout for Kids the same day at Wal-Mart at 27th & Superior. Everything raised at the Campout goes to kids right here in Lincoln.

No time to let down, two division rivals this weekend in their barns. Sioux Falls on Friday and Fargo on Saturday. Listen to it on 92.9 The Eagle!

November 15th

My vantage point for the game in Sioux City tonight.

November 11th

My vantage point in Kearney

November 8, 2008

The Stars get 2 points out of the weekend which is obviously not what they wanted. 4 points would have sufficed, although if I look at the standings the Stars are still on top of the Western division. For the home fans, I wish those of you that did not make the trip over to Des Moines could have watched them play Saturday night, what a dominant performance. For those that did, thank you for making the trek! A very nice representation by Lincoln fans on the road.

In this picture on the left you can see the vantage point I had in Des Moines. This is where I call the games from. Hopefully I can take a picture on future trips to help everyone listening at home get a better mental image of what's going on.

Des Moines was missing three of their top players, but it wouldn’t have made a difference. If the Stars get any kind of a break during the game they win by three or more. Credit the Bucs for a gutsy performance though.

Friday night the Stars played a solid 40 minutes, the only problem is that Chicago took advantage of the second period. We don’t see the Steel again until Valentines Day, but I promise you that the memories of Friday’s game that got away will remain with this bunch.

The pre-game meal on Saturday was at Valentino’s on Maple in Omaha. If you ever get the chance to ask Garrett Vermeesch about what you don’t see in the Canadian Football League (CFL), please do so.

On the way home from Des Moines, Behind Enemy Lines was the movie of choice.

A big thank you to Mike Dalhuisen for jumping into the second intermission on Saturday night as well, I would have had Corey Chakeen on but did not have time.

The Stars are in Kearney on Tuesday, and then home on Friday against Indiana. Indiana is the best team in the USHL at the current time. If you don’t have tickets, I have one simple question. Why not?

November 1, 2008

First of all Happy Halloween! A big thank you to everyone who dressed up on Friday night, especially all of the younger ones that came out on the ice during the second intermission. There were also some awesome costumes in the building worn by Stars staff members. Which concession stand had the best costumes? Tough call.

Before I get into any thoughts about this weekend’s games, I’d like to say that Dan Dreger and Tim Mayer (the two referees in the Ice Box this weekend), and their linesmen did a great job. They let the kid’s play the game. If there was an obvious penalty, they called it. If it looked like they could have called a penalty, but it was just flat out hard work and nothing dirty or intentional, they let them play.

To the games -- Des Monies is struggling and the Stars should have won the game on Friday night. They did quite easily, although the Bucs came out like any coach would want their team to on the road. The only problem for J.P. Parise’s bunch is that Kevin Murdock stood on his head in the opening six minutes. Kevin really earned the 2nd shutout of his career (and 49th in the 13 year history of the Stars franchise). I think Kory Kanisto may have played his best game as a Star on Friday night. Jake Newton had his best game of the young season, and Chris Forfar was stellar.

Fargo came into the Saturday afternoon contest missing their number one goaltender and one of their best forwards (Mike Lee (G) and Josh Birkholz (F)). The Stars were missing David Gerths, who just so happens to have an eight game point streak going. All three to Team USA in the 2008 World Junior A Challenge in Camrose Alberta, Canada. It’s another game that the Stars should have won. Obviously they did. It was a tad boring at times (quoting Stars Head Coach Jimmy McGroarty during our first intermission chat, which I wholeheartedly agree with), but the Stars got the W. That quietly speaks volumes about the character of this team in my opinion.

Does Murdock get his second USHL Goalie of the Week honor of the year? He probably should. All Chris Forfar did was put up 2 goals (including the game winner on Saturday) and 5 total points on the weekend. He might see an honor as well. Don’t forget that Lincoln did all of this while missing some pretty important parts of their team too. – Speaking of parts… How about fill-in parts - Matt Bruneteau. Great night on Friday for the Stars futures player. His 1st USHL game winds up pitting him against his brother and the Buccaneers (By the way, he got himself an assist in the Stars victory). Then Saturday afternoon he winds up on the PK unit in the third period with the Stars holding a one goal lead. I’d call that a nice showcase of what he brings to the table.

I can’t part without mentioning the D play of Ross Henry over the weekend… the whole season so far. In a word, spectacular.

We’re home against Chicago and at Des Moines next weekend. We’re 1-2-1 against the East so far this season. BTW - Friday will sell out, so get your tickets early in the week.

October 26, 2008

Some thought’s on this past weekend’s games.

The East is pretty good. I know it’s only 4 weeks into the season, and I am by no means saying either division of the USHL is better than the other yet, but there does not seem to be the disparity between the two that has been there in the recent past.

Mark Carlson always has a team that contends for the East title. Stars fans need not be disappointed in a loss to CR. The Stars needed a bounce to go their way or one less turnover, and they win that one.

Saturday night in Waterloo was a game that we may look back on at the end of the season and say; “That game defined who we are. That game made us the team we are today.” Coach McGroarty said in his post game remarks that; “We became a family tonight. I don’t know what it is about this building, but we faced some adversity tonight, and guy’s had each other’s backs.”

I remarked when I closed the broadcast, that for a coach who had just won the game, P.K. O’Hanley didn’t seem as happy as he should have been when he walked onto the ice in recognition of his 200th victory. He saw what happened to the Stars after a game like this one last year. In case you are new to Lincoln Stars fandom, or have a short memory, the Stars won ten in a row after a similar loss December 28, 2007 in Waterloo. No bold prediction about any upcoming wins for the Stars, but you could sense what was happening as the game played out. Waterloo deserved the win, they busted their collective butts to get it, but in the long run the Stars may benefit more from the loss.

Mike Dalhuisen gets the gutsy performance of the year award. Talking with Stars trainer Corey Courtney and Coach McGroarty after the first, they both said Mike would not be back that night after a check from behind into the boards that had him on the ice for over five minutes during the first period. Three of his teammates (and coach) get tossed from the game at the 4:13 mark of the second, and low and behold, guess who makes an appearance. Not just any appearance either, he wound up with an apple on Kirt Hill’s power play goal that got the Stars on the board. I get the feeling with this squad that there are 22 other young men that wear the black and blue that would have done the same damn thing.

We (maybe all broadcasters more than anyone) all need to remember the next time we scream at a player, coach or ref, that the USHL is a league that exists to help develop players, coaches and referees. They’re not perfect and make mistakes, and all of them are doing something that every single one of us can only dream of ever doing. There were 36 power plays in the two games this weekend. There didn’t need to be more than twenty in my mind. The only thing I ask after watching last weekend’s games is for the refs to let the kids play. The fans came to watch the most talented 17-20 year olds in the country play hockey, not to watch you blow a whistle.

October 18, 2008
Three fights in the opening :04 seconds of the game, all KO’s by the Stars Sebastien Geoffrion, Jimmy Siers and Michael Sdao. The Stars dominate the opening 20 minutes, however, are tied 1-1. In the intermission interview, Coach McGroarty called the opening 20 minutes the best the Stars have played yet this year. The 2nd & 3rd were not the best the Stars have had this season.

- The elbow on CJ Lee by the Stars Jon Puskar seemed to light a fire under the Gamblers. They score 3 goals over the next five minutes.
- Give credit to Green Bay for capitalizing on the mistakes the Stars made and being in the passing lanes all night long.
- Justin Bruckel with 2 apples on the night.
- Jon Puskar, Ross Henry and Jimmy Siers all with their first of the year tonight.
Quoting the coach following the game; “I feel bad for the fans, losing 8-3 at home is unacceptable We’ll go back to the drawing board and get it figured out.”

October 17, 2008

A nice come from behind win for the Stars tonight against Fargo, where several things stood out.

- Fargo is quick; they may be the fastest team in the league.
- Mike Lee (the Fargo goaltender) is solid. Expect to see him drafted next spring.
- How good was Ross Henry? Quoting Coach McGroarty in the post-game show; “He was a man amongst boys tonight.”
- Kevin Murdock was as good as he’s been in his career with the Stars during the third period tonight.

David Gerths now has goals in four straight.

Overheard in the hallway following the game – “How physical of a team do we have? I mean there’s not one guy on our roster doesn’t finish their checks or that won’t give up the body to block a shot. Not one guy that will back down from anyone. It’s as blue collar of a group as I can remember.”

A welcome back to Stars trainer Corey Courtney who spent last weekend in Dubuque at his best friends wedding. In the pre-game interview Corey chatted about the two Canadian players we have on the roster (Kirt Hill and Brett Chartier). Also, he talked about the effort of the team in practice, and the chemistry and vibe that seems to be forming.

All in all tonight was not the best game the Stars are going to play, especially the first two periods. However, they found a way to win. That’s three in a row that the Stars have come from behind to win too. Trailing stinks, but coming back to win is a nice habit to get into. Don’t be to surprised to see Fargo make a few waves throughout the season, they’re obviously well coached and have a very nice team.

Unbeaten Green Bay at the Ice Box tomorrow. See you there.

October 14th
Click here for a history of the Lincoln Stars Hat Tricks and Shutouts.

Click here for team all time history of the Lincoln Stars.

October 11, 2008

A very nice road win by the Stars tonight, it’s always good to be able to spoil another team’s home opener. Where were the Musketeer fans? Only 2,556 showed up.

Saving Silverman was the movie choice for the trip home. Not much else to report, other than B2 wasn’t able to get a signal from me tonight. I don’t know if it was an issue in the building or with B2.

Six of the next seven are at home, get you tickets!

October 10, 2008

A 5-4 win over a division rival (Sioux Falls) with rookies leading the way, all while the team played with only 11 forwards, as four were suspended for a violation of team rules. This was a very nice win for the Stars on home ice.

Almost all of the nine goals scored in the game were either “snipes” or “dirty.” To me this means that both teams have some talent and some grit. That will pay dividends for each team all season long.

--- The Stars allow only 23 shots on net
--- Mike Dalhuisen winds up +3 on the night
--- LOUD crowd. I took my headset off after Chartier scored what would be the game winner. Nice to see the Stars faithful are already in mid-season form
--- Jay Camper (wore 14 last night) might have even softer hands than his older brother. He’s a futures player that the Stars have the rights to.
--- The how to handle adversity award goes to Dan Weiss. A healthy scratch in Omaha last Saturday, Dan scored the first 2 for the Stars and made some smart plays throughout. How deep is our D?
--- Another game, another change up of the forecheck. It’s nice to see the coach with faith in his players to be multi-dimensional with their defensive look so early in the season.

You will begin to notice that some of the Stars all-time stat history is being posted. If anyone has any questions about a former player or if you notice a discrepancy, please e-mail me at lstarquestions@aol.com.

October 6th, 2008
Click here for a history of the Lincoln Stars.

October 4th, 2008

The Stars get a win in the MAC tonight, we had lost 5 in a row (regular season) there going in. Solid game by everyone on the ice for the Stars. Sebastian Geoffrion had some huge hits in the first, Jimmy Siers and Brett Chartier each had a nice scrap and Kevin Murdock was really good in net.

How about Mike Dalhuisen getting his 1st USHL goal in 74 career games too. A game winner against Omaha to boot. Nice.

The MAC felt a little different without Mike Hastings on the Lancer bench. It didn’t look much different though, about half of the 1,000 – 1,200 on hand were Stars fans. For those wondering about the B2 feed for the night, I wasn’t provided a cord to get connected to the network.

The Lancers wore special uniforms that they are going to auction off for charity. That is the great part, anything any of us can do to help others in need… The not so great part, the uniforms – Think old San Diego Padres or Houston Astros uniforms from the late 70’s. Speaking of uniforms, great job by Corey on the design of the new sweaters the Stars wore for the home opener.

Overheard on the bus after the game – “Man it’s nice to get the first win!” and “Listen up, who wants more bread?”

October 3rd, 2008
Coming into tonight’s season opener at the Ice Box, season opener stats looked like this; Overall 7-5, and in home openers the Stars were 8-4, having won their last four.

Tri-City wins tonight 5-2.

First of all, Storm goaltender Nick Maricic was very good. For the 4,610 plus that were in the building, how many of you thought that after we scored to make it 5-2 with 3:03 left, we just might come back and win? I did. There’s something about the heart and pride of this team that you can notice, even this early in the season.

Some other quick thoughts and observations -----

-- Nice job by Duncan McKellar to make the most of his opportunities tonight.
-- How many times did you watch a Storm player try to finish a check and wind up being the one who got knocked down?
-- By my count we hit one crossbar, four pipes and missed two open nets. Complain about the loss if you want to, but this was not a 5-2 game.
-- Hats off to Anthony DeSenzo and the Tri-City PK unit on the shorty, essentially that was the game.
-- Can someone please keep track of “pancakes” like the Husker offensive linemen do. I think Cory Hibbler had at least half a dozen tonight. As a team, what would you say, 15, maybe 18?

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

The production that is a Lincoln Stars home game does not happen by magic, especially not the home opener. Long hours and an incredible job were put in by more people than I can mention. Some that you may want to shake the hand of and say thanks to though – - - Donnie Adams – Seriously, D.A. tonight, GREAT HAIR!
- Glen Newell and the whole pit crew made a hockey rink out of a horse barn in record time.
- Sue King and her concession staff.
- Mickey, Lana and the entire ticket staff.
- Jim Pflug, Steve Zoucha and Jen Morand deal with more … Let’s just say they find a way to make everything work out the way it is supposed to. By the way Zou, nice shirt.

Lancers in their place tomorrow night. We’re 6-16 all-time in the MAC (regular season), and 1-6 in our last 7 there.

September 24, 2008

Last night at the Ice Box the Stars held a very well attended pre-season event. There were more fans there last night than the actual number of people that usually attended games in Chicago and Ohio last season. There were three different skills competitions – Fastest Skater, Team Relay Race and a team Shootout Challenge, plus an intra-squad scrimmage.

The fastest skater was Mike Dalhuisen, who then beat Coach McGroarty in a race. Mike made a lap around the ice in 15.3 seconds – Garrett Peterson was second at 15.4.

Coach McGroarty went bar down past Kevin Murdock in the shootout challenge. Asst. Coach Fouts tried the five hole on Alan Armour, which worked really well other than the fact that Armour seemed to be waiting for it and knocked it away. Jake Newton and I think Garrett Vermeersch had the only other goals in the shootout.

In the scrimmage, Coach McGroarty and Asst. Coach Fouts played for Team Black; however, Team White defeated Team Black 5-4. There was a little wager on the game as well, the losing team had to untie and remove the skates of the winning team. No official stats were kept, but I believe Garrett Peterson may have had 3 goals. Corey Chakeen, Sebastian Geoffrion, Dan Weiss, Ross Henry and Brett Chartier were some others that scored.

Richard Manley and David Gerths both sat out last night due to injury.

Two of the players will need to be cut by the end of the weekend. After watching several practices and the events last night, good luck to the coaching staff on the coin flip they’ll need to make. What a talented and hard working group.

September 17, 2008 -- Although there is not a press box at Ashland Country Club, I thought I’d recap the evening for those who could not attend last night’s pre-season banquet.

First of all, the banquet almost didn’t happen last night. Chef Michael at Ashland and his staff were able to get the whole event put together in just four days. Jim Pflug, Steve Zoucha and Jen Morand worked tirelessly over the prior two weeks to secure a location and land the Stars radio broadcast a new sponsor for the intermission reports.

Steve Zoucha started the evening off by recognizing the people who dedicate a big chunk of their lives to insure things work the way they need to. The food was very good, and there was some great team work shown by Nick Courtney to go to the kid’s corner and snag a few of the prized chicken nuggets for myself, Nick Fouts and Corey Courtney.

As Coach McGroarty went through and introduced his players, there seemed to be a pattern. Speaking about both vets and first year guys, he continued to make the comment “Now this young man had a chance to play for _________ this season, but he wanted to be a part of the Lincoln Stars and play in front of our fans.”

Coach also said that the shape the team as a whole is in was impressive. “All of our guy’s had great summers, and got themselves in shape to come in and make a difference.” He also said that in that aspect, we were quite a ways in front of where we were last year.

Other highlights included the Dalhuisen/Peterson comparison. Cooper Zoucha crying as his dad had the microphone and was introducing the staff, and several of the players seeming to be a touch on the nervous side as they got up to introduce their housing parents.

16 days and counting.

I’d like to welcome everyone to Tales from the Press Box. This is another of the new features of our updated website here at Lincolnstars.com.

My goal for this feature is not to give props or to trash those who don’t deserve it, nor will it be to jump on a soapbox and tell you the way things should be if I ran the world. All I hope to accomplish with this journal is to give Stars fans a little more insight on all things that are Lincoln Stars Hockey.

I will try to point out the highlights of Coach Fouts and Corey Courtney’s pre-game interview plus Coach McGroarty’s post game show, and maybe tell you a bit of what we talked about off the air. I will share with everybody what goes on behind the scenes at each opponent’s arena, both the good and the bad. I hope to be able to post a photo or two from our opponent’s arenas so that everyone who wants to can see what vantage point I have when I call the games, as well as be able to see what the arenas look like from the outside. On our road trips, both the long and short, I will post some entries on how things went along the way.

I doubt that any secrets will be revealed, or any new ground will be broken. However, I do hope that everyone finds that this feature is insightful and entertaining.

Mike Melbye