Game played on 10/5/2024.
General Game Notes: In a closely fought USHL matchup, the Lincoln Stars edged out the Sioux Falls Stampede with a 3-2 victory on the road. Both teams battled hard throughout the contest, with Lincoln managing to hold off a late push from Sioux Falls. Strong goaltending and timely offense allowed the Stars to secure the win in this competitive game. Scout: Nick Dineen
Jacob Rombach (D, L, 6’6″, 195, Lincoln Stars, 04/01/2007, Minnesota)
Grade: B+
Comments: A solid game from the big defenseman. Jacob consistently retrieves pucks and makes quick exits out of his zone. When he is receiving d to d passes he was able to under handle the puck while getting his eyes and skates up ice to make passes moving forward. There was nothing flashy to his game but a good first pass after good first pass. Jacob did a wonderful job of drawing in the forecheckers and absorbing a hit to move the puck to open players.
John Hirschfeld (C, L, 5’8″, 174, Lincoln Stars, 07/06/2006, Vermont)
Grade: B
Comments: John ended up with the game winning goal scored early in the second period. After a shot to the net John found himself above the hash marks and made the decision to drive the net where a rebound popped out slightly from underneath the goalies pad. John was able to pull the rebound out move enough to elevate the puck into the empty net. Throughout the course of the game he excelled at drawing in defenders and moving the puck then moving himself into open ice for a give and go.
Daniel Shlaine (C, L, 6’1″, 172, Lincoln Stars, 10/30/2005, Minnesota Duluth)
Grade: A
Comments: Shlaine started the game with a behind the back pass into the slot from the tops of the circles. The puck ended up right on his linemates tape for a one timer goal 27 seconds into the game. He was a threat every time he stepped onto the ice in this contest.The pace of the game was set by Daniel every time he was on the ice. He was able to slow the game down to find open players or speed the game up at will. Daniel always wanted the puck, he continues to demand the puck so he could influence the game with his vision and patience. In the third period he set up another great scoring chance when he was working down low in the offensive zone. He won a battle along the boards low and made another behind the back pass right to his teammates stick in front of the net. Daniel was strong defensively as well. He played tight to his defensemen in scrum situations along the boards. He would then win pucks out of the scrum and then dictate the rest of the play from there.
Jack Pechar (RW, R, 6’1″, 197, Lincoln Stars, 03/20/2005, Northeastern)
Grade: B+
Comments: Jack scored the game tying goal early in the second period. Lincoln received a power-play late in the first period and started the second period on the power-play on fresh ice. Jack was in the bumper position above the hash marks and got a pass from down on the goal line. He was unable to one-time the shot and instead caught the pass and quickly released a hard shot between the goalie’s right pad and his blocker. This quick and powerful release gave Lincoln the momentum and they were able to score again shortly after to take the lead.
Dashel Oliver (RW, R, 5’10”, 187, Lincoln Stars, 02/24/2005, Notre Dame)
Grade: A-
Comments: Oliver scored the first goal of the game only 27 seconds into the game. He was the third man into the zone and bided his time waiting in the slot. He got a pass from his linemate and wasted no time unleashing a powerful one timer that beat the goalie low blocker side from above the tops of the circles. He was always looking to shoot and was successful in getting his body in a position to do so quickly. Dashel played the game with a linemate who is a pure puck distributor and continued to put himself in positions to get the puck in a scoring area. On multiple occasions throughout the game he worked back through the middle of the ice on the back check and broke up plays with his effort and body positioning
Filip Nordberg (D, L, 6’5″, 216, Sioux Falls Stampede, 03/05/2004)
Grade: A-
Comments: Nordberg was a force out there. He uses his big frame and long reach to break up plays on defense. He is always regrouping through the middle of the ice to give himself options with the puck. He makes tape to tape passed to his forwards while moving forward and is always an option for his defensive partner. His ability to read the play and cover ice with both his long reach and his explosive skating gave his defensive partner the ability to jump up in the play and join the offense. When Filip went back to retrieve pucks in his own zone he used the net effectively to shed off the attacking forwards and find his open forwards. Moving forward a more physical punishing game from the big defenseman would be ideal.
Gennadi Chalyi (D, R, 5’10”, 205, Sioux Falls Stampede, 08/22/2005, Michigan)
Grade: B+
Comments: Gennadi joined in on the offense every time he was on the ice. Whether that was him using his explosive skating to skate around people or using a give and go with his wingers, he is always joining the play. For a defenseman, he is always moving forward. He pinched down the walls in the offensive zone, to break up plays and create chaos. He factored in on Sioux Falls second goal. He was able to draw the penalty killer up to him with lateral movement along the blue line and distributed the puck to the attacking half wall forward who was able to release and wrist slot and eventually a rebound goal.
Hayden^Reid|
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Hayden had a great drive late in the third period. He drove down the outside and was able to hold off the defender using his speed and strength. After passing the defenseman he was able to locate his linemate in the slot and made a tape to tape pass leading to the grade A scoring chance to tie the game up late. He used his speed to hunt defenders on the forecheck and going forward should look to get more involved offensively.
Ethan Wyttenbach (LW, R, 5’9″, 180, Sioux Falls Stampede, 02/10/2007, Quinnipiac)
Grade: B
John McNelis (LW, L, 5’9″, 157, Sioux Falls Stampede, 01/09/2006, Boston University)
Grade: B
Comments: McNelis worked back through the middle of the ice and used his stick and body to break up plays consistently. His back pressure allowed his defensemen to gap up and stop plays and create transition. On the power-play goal he took the pass from Chaly and drove to the middle. He faked and got around the first defender before ripping a puck off the defenseman in front of the net leading to a rebound goal. His head is always up and he creates space for himself by a good use of shot fakes getting the defenseman to try and block his shots.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images