Stars Rally Late to Defeat Buccaneers
October 23, 2022 – United States Hockey League (USHL) – Lincoln Stars News Release
The Lincoln Stars scored twice in the final four minutes of regulation to defeat the Des Moines Buccaneers, 4-3, on Saturday night at the Ice Box.
The Stars (6-1) trailed by one after giving up the go-ahead goal at the 12:05 mark but Doug Grimes scored the game-tying goal two minutes before Boston Buckberger netted the game-winner.
Grimes and Buckberger both recorded a goal and an assist apiece to give Lincoln its fourth consecutive victory and third in four games at the Ice Box.
“We talked about how the points in October matter just as much as they do in April” head coach Rocky Russo said. “You don’t want any of them to slip away. There are going to be games where we play well and just don’t win. We were flat today for a couple periods but it’s how you respond when you’re not playing well. Our leaders really took over, picking the bench up and being optimistic.”
Lincoln never trailed until midway through the third when former Stars forward Christian Kocsis scored on a slapper from the point. His goal followed up Michael Bevilacqua’s power-play tally at 4:32 of the second period.
The Stars led two different times before eventually winning it late. Patrick Raftery redirected a shot from the point from Buckberger 1:09 prior to Bevilacqua’s equalizer in the second. Keaton Peters opened the scoring with a wrist shot in the slot off a feed from Daniel Sambuco at 4:34 of the first.
The Buccaneers (3-3-1) tied the game up in the final minute of the first period on a netfront scramble that ended with a goal by Henry Bartle that just got across the goal line at 19:24 of the opening of the frame. The call on the ice was originally no goal but upon video review was overturned.
Shortly before Kocsis’s go-ahead goal the Stars nearly took the lead on the power play when Antonio Fernandez hit the post, but Lincoln would even the game up with just under four minutes to go in regulation. Tanner Ludtke set up Adam Kleber with a one-timer from the point and Grimes, who was camped in front of the net screening netminder Max Lundgren, redirected the shot for his fourth goal in the last five games.
That goal was a jolt in a huge period for Lincoln as they outshot 16-9 in the final 20 minutes. Grimes helped set up the game-winner as he passed to Mason Marcellus just to the right of him at the goal line. Marcellus looked across ice and found Buckberger, who tapped the ice asking for the pass as he was crossing the blue line and getting onside. Buckberger received it at the top of the slot, drifted in and smoked a wrister past Lundgren to give the Stars the lead.
“Great play by Mason to find me in the high slot,” Buckberger said. “I just saw the opportunity to shoot the puck, put it where I wanted and was fortunate enough to have it go in and the crowd went crazy, it was unreal.”
Lucas Massie stopped 28 shots in net to pick up his second win is as many games with the Stars.
The Stars’ fourth consecutive victory moves them back into first place in the Western Conference and a tie for first overall in the USHL with the Chicago Steel with 12 points. Lincoln is one-of-two teams in the USHL with one regulation loss and is the only team to have only one loss of any type.
The Stars will look to add two more games to their winning streak next weekend as they hit the road to face the Omaha Lancers on Friday, Oct. 28, and the Tri-City Storm on Saturday, Oct. 29. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. both nights and the Stars next home game is Nov. 4 against Omaha. Tickets can be purchased at lincolnstars.com and fans can also still purchase tickets to all three home games in November with a November 3-Pack package.
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