Saturday's box score

KEARNEY, Neb. – Two goals by Layne Loomer and multi-point efforts by Dashel Oliver and Caeden Herrington powered the Lincoln Stars to a 5-2 win over the Tri-City Storm on Saturday night at Viaero Center. 

Lincoln (16-10-0, 32 pts) snapped a season-long four-game losing streak. Tri-City (13-12-3, 29 pts) enters the USHL holiday break with losses in nine of its first 15 home games this year. 

Tri-City opened the scoring early in the first. After Artemi Nizameyev controlled the puck on the right wing of the Lincoln zone, the Miami commit fired a snapshot that was halted by Stars goaltender Yan Shostak. The Belarus native allowed a high rebound on the left wing of his crease. Tri-City's Landon Fandel, who was skating toward the net, contacted the puck with his arms at chest-level, knocked it toward the ice, then used his stick to swing the puck to the back of the Stars' cage. It was Fandel's second tally of the season. 

Storm fans threw hundreds of Teddy Bears on the ice after Fandel's goal as part of Tri-City's annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Slumberland Furniture. The bears will be donated to local charities in the Tri-Cities area. 

Lincoln answered about ten minutes later while on the power play. During an extended offensive zone possession, Herrington snapped a shot from the right point near the Tri-City cage. A netfront scramble ensued after a rebound from the initial stop by Storm goaltender Adam Dybal. Daniel Shlaine found the loose puck in front of the Tri-City net and fired it home for his tenth of the year. 

The Stars took command of the game after three second period goals. 

Lincoln took its first lead at the 9:22 mark of the frame. Loomer, who carried the puck down the right wing of the Tri-City zone, initially fanned on a shot attempt off the right post of the Storm net. Loomer stayed with the puck, took it behind the cage, then sent a wrap-around shot past Dybal inside the left post. It was the Lethbridge, Alberta native's seventh of the season. 

The Stars doubled their lead just 11 seconds later. An Alex Pelletier centering pass from the left wing circle bounced off a Tri-City skate, sending the puck directly to Lincoln's Ethan Weber in the high slot. Weber quickly slung a shot past Dybal's blocker to make it 3-1 Lincoln. 

Oliver added Lincoln's third second period goal with 35 seconds left in the frame. Herrington centered the puck to Oliver from the right wing of the Storm zone. The Notre Dame commit slapped a one-timer past Dybal for his ninth of the season. 

Lincoln further extended its lead 18 seconds into the third. The Stars generated a 2-on-1 rush after receiving a turned-over puck at their blue line. Kade Kohanski carried the puck to the Storm zone, then fed Loomer on the right wing. The Penn State commit drove toward the Tri-City net, made a quick move in front of Dybal, then sent a backhand shot into the cage for his second tally of the night. 

Penalties became a major theme of the final period. At the 2:08 mark of the frame, Shostak and Tri-City's Cam Briere were each assessed game misconducts for roughing. Tri-City's Carmelo Crandell collided with Shostak after carrying the puck toward the Lincoln crease. The Stars goaltender shoved Crandell in the head area. Briere then tackled Shostak to the ice amidst players coming together. Alongside Shostak and Briere's ejections, a combined eight other ten-minute misconducts were assessed in the final frame. Each team recorded 71 penalty minutes on the night. 

Tri-City tallied its second goal while on a 5-on-3 power play with just over four minutes remaining. Nolan Roed fed the puck to Nizameyev in the slot from the right wing circle. The Miami commit snapped the puck past Prowse to extend his goal streak to six games. The streak, currently the longest active among all USHL players, now ties for the longest in the league this season. Sioux City's Tate Pritchard produced a six-game goal streak between September 18 and October 12. 

Lincoln outshot Tri-City 33-27 in the contest. Dybal, who halted 28 of the Stars' 33 shots, snapped his streak of six straight starts with a victory. 

Up next: Tri-City returns to action at Omaha on Friday, December 27 after the USHL holiday break. The Storm then play at Lincoln on Saturday, December 28.