Story by Tri-City Storm Communications
LINCOLN, NE. – The Tri-City Storm is set for a weekend series against the Lincoln Stars to wrap up the pre-holiday break portion of the 2023-2024 regular season. Tonight’s matchup will be played at the Ice Box in Lincoln, and Tri-City will return home to host the Stars tomorrow night at the Viaero Center. Puck drop for tonight’s game is scheduled for 7:05pm CT, and tomorrow’s battle in Kearney will begin at 6:05pm CT. Tickets to tomorrow’s game can be purchased online by skating to www.StormHockey.com or by contacting a member of the Storm Sales Staff at the Viaero Center Box Office by calling 308-338-8144 during Box Office Hours today and tomorrow.
Tri-City (12-8-1-1) enters tonight’s road game against Lincoln as the 4th place team in the USHL’s Western Conference standings following a 4-3 home victory over the Omaha Lancers on Friday, December 8th, at the Viaero Center. Cam Briere, Blake Steenerson, Ryan Smith, and Vladislav Lukashevich each netted a goal for Tri-City in the victory. The Storm improved to 7-4-0-1 in games played at the Viaero Center this season, and 9-2-0-0 in head-to-head games against Western Conference competition in the win. Tri-City’s powerplay has scored on 18.8% of its opportunities this season, and has a conversion percentage of 13.7% on the road. The Storm’s penalty kill has a success rate of 77.1%, and is 78.4% in road games this year. Scoring leaders for Tri-City entering the weekend’s rivalry series against Lincoln include August Falloon (11), Ryan Smith (9), Trevor Connelly (8), Cam Briere (8), and Artemi Nizameyev (8). Connelly, along with teammate Philippe Blais-Savoie, will be out of the lineup this weekend due to their participation in the 2023 World Junior A Challenge for Team USA. More information about the event can be found online at https://teamusa.usahockey.com/2023wjac.
Lincoln (7-15-0-2) collected one win in a three-game home series last weekend against the league-leading Fargo Force. The Stars opened the series by dropping a 2-1 decision on Friday, but bounced back with a 5-3 win over the Force on Saturday. Lincoln fell in Sunday’s series finale by a final score of 5-1. Keaton Peters scored the Stars’ lone goal during the matchup. Peters netted his first goal of the year during the Stars 5-3 home loss to the Storm on Wednesday, November 22nd. He has scored eight goals in the last eight games after beginning the regular season with sixteen consecutive games without scoring a goal. Lincoln’s powerplay enters tonight’s game with a conversion rate of 13.9% on home ice, and 13.4% overall this season. The Stars’ penalty kill is 83.8% on home ice, and 76.3% overall this year entering the weekend’s rivalry series. Scoring leaders for Lincoln through the opening twenty-four games of the season include Jared Mangan (9), Jack Pechar (9), Keaton Peters (8), and Blake Montgomery (7).
Last Saturday, the Storm hosted its annual Paint the Ice event ahead of tomorrow night’s Concrete Cares game. Members of the local community painted messages on the ice at the Viaero Center to support those affected by cancer. Tomorrow night’s rivalry matchup between the Storm and the Stars will be played on the painted ice, and proceeds raised during the postgame jersey auction will benefit Concrete Cares, on behalf of Kearney Concrete.
Concrete Cares is a volunteer group whose primary focus is fighting cancer on a local level. The mission of the organization is to make a difference in the local community by enabling friends, relatives, and families to join the fight to provide support for those stricken with cancer. More information on the group can be found at www.ConcreteCares.com.
Ticket specials for tomorrow’s home game include a Nebraska Lottery Rivalry Pack. The rivalry pack ticket package includes four tickets to the game, four hot dogs, four sodas, and ten Nebraska Lottery Scratch-Off Tickets for $44. For more information on tonight’s ticket specials, call 308-338-8144.
Tonight’s game is set to begin at 7:05pm CT and will be streamed on FloHockey and Storm Radio. Tickets to home games at the Viaero Center may be purchased online by skating to www.StormHockey.com, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.