Vokes Gets Hat Trick - OT Goal Wins Game 1
Des Moines, IA (4/1/98): With two minutes to play, the Bucs were leading 4- 2 and seemed to be headed for victory. Pete Fregoe had just scored a shorthanded goal on a breakaway, and Jeremy Vokes made it 4 to 2 on a powerplay. Lincoln pulled Blackburn with 1:45 remaining and scored 2 quick goals to send the game into OT. The Bucs came back on the ice for overtime and would not let up until they scored. Jeremy "Hollywood" Vokes did the honors at 13:52 of the OT - it was his third of the night! Strand (Donnette), Vokes (Maksimenko, Parillo), Fregoe (sh) (Stafford), Vokes (pp) (Stafford), and Vokes (Maksimenko, Parillo) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-Game
We've had a winning record against Lincoln so far this season, 4-2. Our first round was a sweep of Green Bay in the play-offs and Lincoln also won their series 4-1. We were now facing the Stars in the second round. With the preparation for the Lincoln series the guest book has been riddled with plenty of fire and slander. I don't expect it to settle down any either as the series goes on. Omaha had won their first game of their second round series against North Iowa the night before (March 31), by the score of 3-2. They played again tonight.
First
Lincoln struck first with 19:08 left, they started early I guess. Revermann had been out of position and his stick didn't seem to be able to handle the weight of the puck as it followed it being pushed to the back of the net. Bob cleared it, but it was too late, the black rubber had already crossed the line. Mark Suderman was credited with that goal and a very happy team seemed to be ready to beat us (assist to Bryan Lundbohm). At 2:13 Jimmy Jackson went for roughing. I wasn't sure just why he was the only one that went, considering Antzoulatos had hi fair share of this tussle! When Pete Fregoe went after the puck as it crossed the blue line and entered the Stars zone, Richard Spiller took it upon himself to conveniently get his stick in the way. However the ref didn't think it was the accident it was made to look as and called Spiller for the discrepancy. Not long after he had served the previous penalty Spiller was again called for hooking. Erik Strand got the first goal for the Buccaneers at 13:03 when he let one rip to the top shelf (assist to Dan Donnette). The game was tied. Chris Dube was taken down by Ed Cassin late in the period and Cassin had managed to cut Dube's lip. Since Cassin had drawn blood with his high sticking blunder he was given a double-minor and thrown out of the game. This of course is no surprise, if you draw blood in a case like that you are automatically thrown out. Cassin would later, during the first intermission be walking around the halls without his skates and jersey, but otherwise fully dressed in his gear. He was certainly an oddity. When Nick Fohr had a breakaway with about one and a half minutes left, the combined effort of Basile and Revermann proved to be enough to stop his onslaught. Saves: Des Moines 10 - Lincoln 11
Second
We were 6:07 into the period and Jeremy Vokes scored when he was parked in front of the net (assist to Nick Parillo and Vincent Bachet). It was all very quick and we were ahead 2-1. They had originally credited the goal to Erik Maksimenko, but later the truth came out. Richard Spiller took a spill in the second period, ok so I found that slightly amusing, but perhaps it IS a bit lame. Crazy Larry appeared for a brief time in the second period and warmed up the crowd a bit. We'd need it, it would be a long night. At 13:04 Basile was called for tripping, however it sure looked like the guy had tripped over himself, not Basile! Then when Chad Mazurak went down in the middle of the ice while being tied up with Nightingale, it was obvious that the ref would be putting him away. Jason got the penalty for interference, while Nightie didn't complain, Stafford sure did. I was already exhausted and there was a whole period left. With a little over a minute left Antonio (Antzoulatos) laid on top of Vincent Bachet to keep him from getting to the puck. The ref paid it no mind and the crowd was mad. Our crowd sure loves the former Bucs! Saves: Des Moines 4 - Lincoln 8.
Third
So far during the first and second Lincoln had played fairly dirty, a trait that's easy to adopt in an away barn. Also their goalie Blackburn, had really kept them in the game. Blackburn was voted the league's best goalie for the regular season, just thought you might like to know! We were going into the third period leading 2-1, but it didn't take long for the Stars to fight back. With 19:25 left to go a shot by Chris Heisten ricocheted into the back right side of the net (assist to Nick Fohr & Chad Mazurak). Lincoln had the game tied and the fans that had show up for their Stars suddenly had more to cheer about. All I could think about was that I did NOT want to go into over time! My mind was beginning to wander and I sat and stared at the beer cups lined along the boards down to the right of me. The Lincoln fans who sat down there (about six of them probably) had at least that many beers lined up in front of them along the boards with several empty cups along with them. It wouldn't take much... just a friendly check from the other side... to send all that gold liquid onto the laps of those fans. It's too bad that never happened, I was a safe distance from them and it would have been fun to watch! How were we to know that when Garrett Stafford was put away for holding at 11:02 that it would result in a goal? Well, Garrett maybe wouldn't have complained if he had known. Pete Fregoe had a breakaway with 31 seconds left on the Stafford penalty and he scored (assist to Dan Donnette and Jim Jackson). The fans were absolutely went wild at this, I don't think it was expected, the Lincoln fans certainly didn't expect it. We were ahead again 3-2, how could you not get excited? I mean after all nobody wanted to go into overtime, most of us had to work the next morning. We got another goal from Vokes at 13:48 (assist to Garrett Stafford), and we were now ahead 4-2. It was a great relief to be two goals ahead of Lincoln. With about 1:45 left Lincoln took a time out and the fans got to their feet sure of the victory. Lincoln pulled their goalie and amazingly enough got a third goal with 1:13 left in the period from Mark Suderman (assist to Bryan Lundbohm and Jake Wiegand). The Lincoln fans were back on their feet cheering along with the rest of us. Blackburn was put back into the net... only to be pulled again with just seconds left. Then the unthinkable happened. With 36 seconds left Jake Wiegand got the tying goal for Lincoln (assist to Suderman and Bryan Lundbohm). Nobody could believe it and the comments flying in the halls sounded like "Just tell me this... what happened?" "I can't believe it!" "I wanted to go home!" "I have to work tomorrow!"
Overtime
We were going into a twenty-minute sudden-death overtime. The first team to score would win the game, but we could keep playing until someone scored. Hopefully it wouldn't take all night. It didn't take long, with still 16:08 left in the period play had frozen for the Lincoln Stars. Blackburn was down on his knees to the right of the net, directly in front of him another Star was laying on the ground, and to the left of the net a player stood, supporting himself by the net. They had just lost and Jeremy Vokes had gotten a hat trick (assist to Maksimenko and Parillo). Total Saves: I didn't get the overtime saves so I regret to say I cannot give you the total saves at this time. Written by Sarah Bendy.
Player of the Game: Jeremy Vokes of course!
Revermann Hot in Shut Out
Lincoln, NE (4/3/98): Bob Revermann was hot in goal as the Bucs beat Lincoln 2 - 0 in the "Icebox". The Bucs scored both goals in the first period; Pete Fregoe scored first on a beautiful pass from Noah Clarke. Vincent Bachet, besides playing excellent D, scored on an assist from Nick Parillo just 4 minutes later to clinch the game. The Bucs now hold a 2 - 0 lead in round 2, and have beaten Lincoln 5 games in a row - including 3 shutouts. Fregoe (Clarke, Jensen) and Bachet (Parillo) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-Game
It was the second game of the Lincoln series and we were leading it so far 1-0. Omaha was also playing North Iowa, it was their third game in the series. I had come down with some sort of flu or cold early Friday morning so I was not feeling well at all. Revermann and Blackburn were both in goal. That in itself is quite a match up considering both goalies are among the top in the league.
First
In the first 45 seconds of the period most of the time was spent inside the Buc zone. However soon Revermann was making it clear that he was in goal and ready to play. The fans were loud and excited and we would have to shut them down along with the Lincoln players as well. Pete Fregoe scored first at 9:53 off of a good pass by Clarke (assist to Clarke and Jensen). Just four minutes later Vincent Bachet would score the second and last goal for the Buccaneers (assist to Nick Parillo). After this the game became a fairly defensive game and Revermann continued to be solid in the net. At 18:54 Garrett Stafford went for tripping which nullified the power play that we had just had. We would go into the second period giving Lincoln a power play. Saves: Des Moines 16 - Lincoln 7
Second
With four seconds left on the Lincoln penalty the remaining 32 seconds on Stafford's penalty would be in favor of Lincoln. The power play however did them no good and the score was still 2-0. With 16:07 left in the second period Clarke and Cassin got tied up, but they didn't end up going for coincidental's. We had fifteen minutes left in the period and I was so sick I began to fall asleep. Pete Fregoe went for slashing at 10:33 and the crowd livened up for this one to cheer for their team. The cheering didn't help much because the Bucs killed off the penalty and the crowd was fairly quiet from that moment on. With two seconds left in the second period Cassin went after Revermann getting his stick up into his face. Immediately the Bucs came to his rescue and nothing was called. This should have been an interference penalty. Saves: Des Moines 13 - Lincoln 9
Third
Halfway through the third period Revermann was still doing really good and coming up with some big saves. The score was still 2-0. With 8:20 left Austin Messer took a tripping penalty. I'm not sure but I believe it was because he took Jackson down. It was only our second power play opportunity and the Star fans all booed the Ref's decision. One minute into the Messer penalty Jensen got a penalty for slashing which gave Lincoln a one minute power play. With under a minute left the Lincoln fans started filing out of the Ice Box. Then with 21.2 seconds left the Stars called a time out. There really wasn't a whole lot to talk about during this third period...everything was shut down and there wasn't much excitement. This was good for us however, we needed to keep it a very defensive game. Saves: Des Moines 10 - Lincoln 7. Total Saves: Des Moines 39 - Lincoln 26. Written by Sarah Bendy.
Player of the Game: Bob Revermann.
Solid Team Effort Gains 5 - 1 Win
Des Moines, IA (4/4/98): Solid play by Revermann, the Buc offense, and the Buc defense was too much for the Stars as the Bucs won game three of the best of seven series. The Bucs need to win one more game to advance to the final round of the Clark Cup. It took the Bucs just 44 seconds to score as Pete Fregoe took a great pass from Clarke to lite the lamp. Pete also scored a shorthanded goal midway through the third period, again assisted by Clarke. Fregoe (Clarke), Vokes (Maksimenko), Capouch (unassisted), Fregoe (sh) (Clarke) and Basile (unassisted) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
Let's get out the old stat sheet and check some numbers, shall we? In the last 10 games, the Bucs are 9 - 1 , have 4 shutouts, and have outscored their opponents by 26 goals. Wins include 4 over Green Bay, 1 over Omaha, 1 over Sioux City and 3 over Lincoln. Now, if I was a gambling man, who do you think I would bet on tonight? Well, I don't gamble, but let's look at what is at stake. The Stars need to win. If they lose tonight, it means they would need to win the remaining 4 games to advance for a chance at the Clark Cup and a shot at the national championship. They will be playing for all this and for their pride. Considering these are two great teams and how anything can happen in hockey, I would have to bet on the Stars tonight.
Two former Buccaneers, Bill Trainor and Scott Clemmensen, will be playing in the NCAA division I championship game tonight. Bill will be playing for Michigan and Scott will be in goal for Boston College.
The arena began to fill up and it was sold-out - even the standing room only area was sold. I noticed that quite a few Star fans made the trip. It is great how they support their team, but I have one complaint and it is a major one. C'mon Stars fans - show a little respect for the USA and don't yell Stars! during the national anthem. I know you are trying to establish traditions for your team; is this a worthy and honorable tradition that you want to start? I don't think so, it is not right. I'm sorry, that's the way I feel. Well, enough of this, let's talk hockey.
Period 1
Sure enough, some disrespectful Stars fans right behind me yelled Stars! during the national anthem. Sad, really sad. The Bucs were starting Revermann in goal and the Stars would go with Blackburn. The other Buc starters would be Basile and Capouch on D, with Searles, Strand and Nightingale up front.
It took only 44 seconds for the Bucs to score. Noah Clarke left a drop-pass for Pete Fregoe who let loose a quick snap-shot that made the score 1 to 0. The crowd went crazy, and the "Let's Go Bucs!" chant began throughout the arena in a thunderous unison. The Bucs were playing very well, their passes were crisp and accurate and they kept the puck in the Lincoln zone.
With 5 minutes gone, Jeremy Vokes got control of the puck and skated across the front of the net. Blackburn made his move, going down and Vokes went up high. Blackburn showed his quickness and got a piece of it. The puck dropped to the ice spinning in front of the goal line. The Bucs did not have any one there to put it in and Blackburn covered up. After the play, Nick Parillo got mugged, but there was no call.
A minute later, Jason Nightingale got a quality shot off that was stopped. Erik Strand got slashed after the play - no call. It was 7 minutes before Lincoln got a quality shot on goal - a hard slap shot from the top of the circle. Despite the blatant infractions by Lincoln, it was Vincent Bachet who went to the box first, for holding - which he did not do. Lincoln was only able to get one shot off on the powerplay, while the Bucs almost picked up a short-handed goal with a breakaway by Noah Clarke.
Halfway through the period Bill Birrenkott came up big as he slid in front of the net to break up a shot. Eric Maksimenko picked up the loose puck and raced down the ice with Jeremy Vokes on a 2 on 1 break. Vokes took the pass and slapped it into the open net. Talk about terror - Maksimenko and Vokes coming at you! The Bucs were now up 2 to 0, time of the goal 9:43.
The Stars were getting frustrated and they soon took a stupid penalty. The puck was already in the Star zone when back in the Buc zone Chris Antzoulatos cross-checked Erik Strand to the ice and then slashed him when he was down. The slash sent Strand's stick flying and the ref's hand into the air. He had seen the whole thing. Chris got 2 minutes for slashing, 2 minutes for cross-checking and a 10 minute misconduct.
The Bucs set it up and got some great shots on net, but Blackburn was playing his very best. He was sliding back and forth across the net making save after save. After the penalty was killed off, Pete Capouch decided to take the puck and play forward. A Buc forward fell back covering for him as Pete almost scored. With 4 minutes left, Dan Donnette almost scored on a pass from Erik Strand and the Stars were back on their heels. Brendon Hodge lost his stick and with a frustrated look in his eyes boarded a Buc drawing a 2 minute penalty. The Bucs were not able to do a thing on the powerplay and the period ended with 16 saves for Blackburn and 9 for Revermann.
Period 2
The Stars came out with more energy, playing a very physical game. The Bucs were not able to get a shot on net for 2 1/2 minutes. Vincent Bachet got a good shot off and Nick Parillo continued the pressure after the next face-off. Even though the Stars had the momentum, Jason Basile, Pete Capouch, Vincent Bachet, Bill Birrenkott, Jim Jackson and Garrett Stafford were taking care of business on D. The Stars were not getting quality chances.
There was an anxious moment when Jim Jackson mishandled a pass and Brendon Hodge fired a point-blank shot on Revermann. The shot was wide so Revermann did not even have to make a save. This episode fired up the Stars and they got several more shots on Revermann.
Nightingale, Vokes and Maksimenko teamed up for a rush on the net that almost made it 3 to 0. Nick Parillo made a nifty move to get around a defender and fed it to Maksimenko who was robbed. Both Nick and Maksi were having a good period. Gradually, the momentum began to swing to the Stars again. They were skating hard. The next goal would be crucial.
Halfway through the period, Mark Krueger blew by the defender as he crossed the blue-line and got a great shot on goal. This shot by Krueger inspired the Bucs and the momentum returned to their favor. Pete Fregoe and Chris Dube both got good scoring chances. The Stars came back on a rush and the attacking Star collided with Revermann, causing a pileup in the net. Stafford took exception to this treatment and let his opinion be heard - well, not so much with his voice... The Stars got an extra 2 minutes and the Bucs were on a powerplay. Behind us, "Crazy Larry" began to dance to the music, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. He finished his dance with a pelvic thrust and then led a huge B-U-C cheer.
Erik Jensen came back with a great scoring chance but missed by inches. Maksimenko launched a rocket that blew the stick right out of Blackburn's hands. Unfortunately, he did not score. Fortunately, Pete Capouch did. The Bucs were working the puck around behind the net and the puck went to Capouch who was all alone in front of the net in between the circles. He took a couple of steps then puckered the twine with a rocket. It was now 3 to 0, time of the goal: 17:02. The Stars did not give up - they came back with furious play in front of the net. The Bucs looked cool and composed. The period ended with 9 saves for Blackburn and 10 for Revermann.
Period 3
The period started with everyone in our section in a good mood - John almost won the Jeep, missing the tiny hole by inches! The Bucs looked good at the start of the period, but Austin Messer scored at 1:38 on an innocent looking play (assisted by Chad Mazurak). It was a shot from between the blue-line and the top of the circle that Revermann appeared to stop. Obviously not, and the score was now 3 - 1.
With 3 minutes gone in the period, Jim Jackson put a huge hit on Brendon Hodge, slamming him into the boards with a loud thud and knocking his helmet off. Two minutes later, Jake Searles just missed on a great pass from Strand. The Stars had a 3 on 1 break, with Capouch the loan defender, the slap shot was way wide.
The Stars had to get something going, and where really taking some chances by having the D pinch up. Clarke and Dube both had breakaways because of this style of play. With 7 minutes to play, Jeremy Vokes was called for tripping and the Bucs were down a man - this was huge. The score was 3 to 1 and there were only 7 minutes left.
The Stars were setting up the powerplay and the D was getting ready to pass it across the ice because of Fregoe's pressure. Pete poked the puck away and put on a burst of speed. Noah Clarke was rushing down the side of the boards a little ahead of Pete. Pete almost made the pass, but saw that it would be a two-liner so he skated a little further and then passed. The D peeled off to cover Clarke and Fregoe headed for the net. As Blackburn committed to Clarke, he passed it back to Fregoe who was wide open. Red light! Short-handed! Bucs score!, baby it is over! The Bucs were up 4 to 1, time of the goal, 13:03. The Bucs killed the remainder of the penalty and brought the puck into the Star zone. Jason Basile wound up and put a slap shot in the back of the net to make it 5 to 1. After the goal, Ed Cassin was assessed a 10 minute misconduct penalty. I guess he was upset. As I looked across the rink, I saw several Lincoln fans heading for the door.
The time ticked away and the Stars did not attempt to pull their goalie. In fact, they were not even able to put sustained pressure on the net. The buzzer sounded and the Bucs had won game three. Revermann had 10 saves for a total of 29. Blackburn had 5 for a total of 03. The Stars need to win all four of the remaining games to advance to the final round. So what are the odds of that? I am glad I do not bet, I would have lost tonight. Written by Steve Bendy.
Maksimenko Gets Hat Trick; Win Streak at 11
Summary
Lincoln, NE (4/6/98): The Bucs stretched their winning streak to 11 as they swept the Stars with a 9 - 3 win in Lincoln's "Ice Box". Eric Maksimenko picked up a hat-trick and Dan Donnette had 2 goals. Jon Walker had a solid night in goal, coming up big for the Bucs. Maksimenko (pp) (Stafford, Fregoe), Donnette (unassisted), Searles (Strand), Fregoe (Jensen, Jackson), Donnette (unassisted), Maksimenko (Vokes), Stafford (sh) (unassisted), Basile (pp) (Jensen) and Maksimenko (unassisted) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
Driving home from the 5 - 1 win Saturday night, we left the sprawling metropolis of Des Moines and headed for our home in Adel, Iowa. As the lights of the city grew dim, the stars became visible in the night sky. Streaking across the horizon I saw a falling star. Could this be a foreshadowing of things to come? I certainly never expected the Bucs to have won 3 in a row, let alone 10. Yes fans, the Bucs are now undefeated in their last 10 games, outscoring their opponents by 46 - 15. Four of those victories have been over the Stars including 2 shutouts in their barn! The Bucs could end round 2 in Lincoln Monday night. They have the talent, and they have the heart. I pondered these things as game day drew near.
Pete Capouch and Bill Birrenkott will not be playing tonight because of minor injuries. Bill Rosseau and Josh Flynn will fill in for them. I have also had some e-mails concerning whether Revermann and Searles will play in the playoffs as they turn 21 this month. If they do play, they lose some portion of their college eligibility. Revermann will play as he has chosen to forego college to go pro. Jake will probably not play after 4/23/98. Chris Antzoulatos and Chris Wyzgowski would be out for the Stars.
Period 1
The Stars will go with Blackburn, and the Bucs will start Walker. The Ice Box was rocking as usual. The fans were upbeat, but I overheard some admit that they did not see how Lincoln could win the next 4 games. At the drop of the puck, both teams came out equally strong. Noah Clarke got the first shot on net, but Blackburn was up to the challenge.
The Stars came back on a rush and Donnette and Walker saved the shot by Drew Omicioli. Omicioli then plowed into Walker, knocking his helmet off. Stafford came to the rescue and matching double-minors were called. The Stars were playing a very physical game, but they were not playing cheap like Green Bay did when they were about to be swept. After the roughing penalties, Josh Flynn came back on a one-on-one and got a great shot on goal.
The Stars were to score first at 9:52 when Tim Schneider scored after Walker had saved the first two shots (assists to Wiegand and Mazurak). Right after the goal, Mark Krueger was called for slashing and the Bucs would be short a man for 2 minutes. Brendon Hodge got a good shot, but after that, the Bucs were able to kill off the penalty - in fact, Pete Fregoe and Noah Clarke teamed up for a quality chance, but Clarke's shot went high. After the penalty was killed, Jim Jackson had a great chance on a behind the net pass from Chris Dube. Jim was unable to get good wood on the bouncing puck, however.
The Bucs set it up as Jensen passed to Clarke, who sent it to Fregoe. Pete skated with it looking for an opening and passed it back to Clarke. Noah quickly got it to Jackson who handed it to Fregoe who shot wide. The whistle sounded and the Stars would go down another man as Basile was interfered with behind the play. The Bucs wasted no time as Eric Maksimenko beat Blackburn low to the stick side on a one-timer from Garrett Stafford. An additional assist went to Pete Fregoe. Time of the powerplay goal, 15:53.
The Bucs almost scored again on shots from Erik Jensen and Erik Strand, but it was Dan Donnette who was to score next. Dan's deke was so convincing that he left the defenders jock sliding on the ice, and shot it past Blackburn to make it 2 to 0. The unassisted goal was at 18:32. The period ended with 10 saves for Walker and 7 for Blackburn. The Bucs are 32 and 2 when they lead after the first period.
Period 2
The second period is when the Bucs usually have a slight let down, but not tonight. It was almost 4 minutes before Lincoln was able to get any pressure on the Buc net - and the pressure was intense! Omicioli and Lundbohm took shot after shot, but Walker stood his ground. The Stars D began to pinch up. Erik Strand poked the puck ahead to Jake Searles who took off down the ice on a breakaway. Jake showed tremendous patience as he waited for Blackburn to make his move. Just as jake was about to skate behind the net, Blackburn went down and Jake put it topside to score. It was Jake's first goal of the playoffs. The score was now 3 to 1. Time of the goal, 4:47.
The Stars almost scored on a great shot from Chris Heisten, but the Star faithful saw the Bucs take a 3 goal lead when Pete Fregoe scored on a 3 on 2 break. Assists to Jensen and Jackson at 7:49. The faces of the Stars players looked tired and frustrated. They are a class act though, and continued to play good clean hockey.
Dan Donnette is an animal. When you watch this guy play you can tell that he wants to score, and that nothing is going to get in his way. At 13:19, Dan picked up a loose puck, got around the loan D, and scored his second goal of the night, unassisted. Adam Kragthorpe was so confused by Dan's moves that he too lost his jock. The score was now 5 to 1. The crowd was stunned. Dan Donnette came right back, going for the hat trick.
At 15:58, Jason Basile cleared the puck to Parillo, who passed it to Vokes. Jeremy shot and the goalie left a huge rebound. Maksimenko did a 360 degree spin and shot the puck in. I could hardly believe it. The Bucs were now up 6 to 1.
Lincoln finally scored their second goal on a great shot that beat Walker cleanly. Marc Suderman got the goal, with assists to Bryan Lundbohm and Andy Lundbohm at 17:16. The goal really fired up the Stars and they put a lot of pressure on Walker. This got the crowd going again too.
Garrett Stafford got in one of his "I'm tired of this and I am going to take the puck all the way down and score" moods. Oh, baby I love those moods! Garrett came down on a shorthanded breakaway and deked and scored on his backhand, top shelf at 18:27. Hey, move this guy to center! You could hear the groans in the crowd. The Bucs were up 7 to 2 and they were not letting up.
Period 3
Brian Haaland started the period in goal for Lincoln. The Stars had to get something going, but what they got was a penalty just 58 seconds into the period. The Bucs responded with pressure from Searles and then Maksimenko. In fact, Maksimenko scored but it was waved off immediately because a Buc was in the crease. No matter, Jason Basile put the puck in the net low on the glove side just seconds later, assisted by Jensen. The score was now 8 to 2. Marty, my brother-in-law (a Lancer fan) always tells me that it is not over until the fat lady sings, and I could hear her warming up in the lobby.
Eric Maksimenko got his hat trick at 10:11 on a breakaway that was a thing of beauty. He came in, deked, and then went to the top-left corner to make it 9 to 2.
The Stars did not give up, and in the last 30 seconds Lundbohm scored a goal on a hard slap-shot. The seconds ticked down and the Bucs had beaten the Stars 4 games in a row. Walker had a total of 36 saves, and Lincoln had 20. The Bucs now play the winner of the Omaha - North Iowa series. Written by Steve Bendy.
