Lancers Win Game One
Des Moines, IA (4/15/98): The Bucs 11 game winning streak came to an end as the Lancers won game one of the Clark Cup Championship finals, 4 to 3. Omaha had 4 powerplays and scored on one while the Bucs were 1 of 5. Bob Revermann stopped 23 shots and Basset stopped 21 for Omaha. Vokes (pp) (Maksimenko, Searles), Vokes (Maksimenko, Bachet) and Clarke (Jensen, Fregoe) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
I have it from a very good source that the Bucs are chomping at the bit to get back on the ice. It has been 9 days since the drubbing of Lincoln and they are ready to get this series against Omaha going. In fact, many on the team they can sweep Omaha too. Ah, confidence - it can be a good thing, no?
If you have not read the chatter in the Buc Guest Book, you should. It has become the place to hang out lately. In fact, I have it from another reliable source that we now are getting over 20,000 hits per month. Now, far be it from me to say anything really negative about Omaha, having been born and raised there. Heck, Des Moines does not even have a Runza, let alone class places like the Imperial Palace or La Fonda's. I am sure I can find something to rant about - for starters, that Ortmeyer kid has got to start playing hockey or join the WWF. Well, enough of this, let's talk hockey.
Period 1
It was a Wednesday night game and we had to rush to make the game. The arena was not full, and even the usual gaggle of Lancers were not present. The Buc crowd that was there was ready for hockey. Revermann would start for the Bucs and Basset for the Lancers. When the puck was dropped both teams seemed to be ready to play. The Lancers got the puck and shot and guess who crashed into Revermann and the net? Ortmeyer! Didn't I tell you he played cheap? The Bucs came back and Jason Nightingale got a shot on net. With just 2 minutes gone, matching roughing penalties were called on Bill Birrenkott and Chris Hartsburg. It looked as though the ref wanted to set the tone for the game early.
The Bucs were playing well, and Nick Parillo showed great effort and skill in getting a pass to a Maksimenko and Vokes, but they were not able to score. Revermann had stopped a Lancer shot and Ortmeyer slashed Jim Jackson big time, but there was no call. Off the next face-off, Pete Summerfelt shot from the blue-line and scored off a deflection. The Lancers were up 1 to 0, time of the goal 4:17.
Halfway through the period, Garrett Stafford had the puck on the blue-line and faked a slap-shot. The defender went down and Stafford went around him and got a great shot on goal. In the resulting confusion around the goal, Jeff State took a cross-checking penalty. The Bucs set the powerplay up, and Jeremy Vokes skated in on net and took a tough-angle shot and scored. Time of the goal 9:21, assists to Eric Maksimenko and Jake Searles. Seven seconds later, in one of the strangest plays I have ever seen, the Lancers dumped the puck into the Buc zone and Revermann skated out to push it aside and tapped it right to the stick of Nate Mauer who shot it into the open net.
The Lancers took another penalty as Strand was taken down with a stick to the face. Maksimenko almost scored as Basset was down on the ice, but the puck went high. Nick Parillo went end-to-end with 5 minutes left, and as he approached the goal the defender was all over him, and Nick was unable to score. The period ended with 6 saves for each team.
Period 2
As I waited for the Bucs to come out on the ice, James (my son) said that he hoped the Bucs did not have their normal second period slump. As the puck was dropped it didn't appear that the slump was there. Pete Fregoe was skating well, intercepting passes and Noah Clarke was showing good hustle. Bill Birrenkott was called for a roughing penalty, and I must complain! Just a minute earlier Ortmeyer had been in the crease and blatantly roughed a Buc and there was no call - Birrenkott was doing far less. Well, life is not fair, and the Lancers scored at 5:57 on a slap shot from Pete Summerfelt, assisted by Theuer and Paradise.
Seconds later Vokes took a pass from Maksimenko and would have scored had the puck settled down a bit. As it was, jeremy was not able to get good wood on it. The Lancers came right back and just missed on a wraparound attempt. The Lancers took another penalty and Basile almost scored on a great centering pass. It seemed that the Bucs just could not get a break. As an example, Chris Dube took a pass and had a breakaway but was tripped up by a Lancer that jumped out on the ice from the player's bench. Slowly, the momentum began to swing to the Lancers. At 11:50, Paradise scored with an assist to Callahan, making the score 4 to 1 in favor of the bad guys.
Seven seconds later, Jeremy Vokes scored assisted by Eric Maksimenko and Vincent Bachet. Credit the play to Vincent Bachet who took the puck and skated past a D to confuse the Lancers. Vokes got the puck between the circles and wound-up and let it fly! This was a huge goal and it ignited the Bucs and the crowd. The score was now 4 to 2. Jim Jackson showed a glimpse of future glory when he muscled his way through several Lancers to get the puck into the Buc zone. Let's hope he stays another year with the Bucs!
Although the Bucs stepped up their play, they were unable to add another goal - although they had their chances. Either Basset was really on his game or the Bucs were just a bit off on their timing. The period ended with 10 saves for Des Moines and 5 for the Lancers.
Period 3
For the first two minutes of the period, it was all Lancers. The Bucs came back and Jim Jackson just missed on a wicked slap shot on a powerplay. After 5 minutes, it was obvious to all that the Bucs were not able to put sustained pressure on the Lancer net. When they did, they either got the Lancers to take a penalty or they scored. At 16:00, the Bucs were putting pressure on the Lancer net and the puck was tied up in the corner. All of a sudden, Noah Clarke got the puck loose and skated behind the net, pivoted and shot the puck past the netminder. Assists on the goal went to Erik Jensen and Pete Fregoe. The score was now 4 to 3. The crowd went crazy and the BUC cheer erupted throughout the arena.
The Bucs began to step up the play and the Lancers went into a more defensive stance. I began to notice that the ice was getting soft and that the arena was warmer than it should be. Halfway through the period the Lancers began to put tremendous pressure on Revermann and he came up big several times. It took the Bucs several minutes to regain control and put pressure on the Lancers. With 5 minutes left, both Erik Strand and Pete Fregoe were robbed by Basset.
As the time ticked down, I began to wonder if Revermann would be pulled. With 2 minutes left in the period the Bucs began to put pressure on in a desperate attempt to tie the game. At 1:45, Jake Ortmeyer was called for a penalty and the Bucs would have a man advantage for the rest of the period. Coach Owens called a time out and was talking, encouraging, and explaining the strategy for the last minutes of play. Stafford, Basile, Vokes, Maksimenko and Fregoe skated out to the battle. The Bucs fought hard and with 25 seconds left Revermann left the ice in favor of the extra attacker. The face-off was in the Lancer zone and Basile got control, passed it to Maksimenko who worked it into Noah Clarke. Noah shot and the puck hit the crossbar and rebounded harmlessly to the corner.
Time expired with the puck in the corner of the Lancer zone. The Lancers celebrated and there was some pushing and shoving among the players. Can you believe it? Ortmeyer skated up to Vokes from behind and grabbed him around the neck. This enraged the Bucs and more pushing and shoving ensued. The fans were equally upset - cups were thrown onto the ice, some still containing their beer. Some Lancer players taunted the fans. Coach Hastings came running out on the ice to calm his team down. The Bucs skated to the center and saluted the fans and skated off to the locker room. The Bucs needed to lose one to bring the fans - and maybe even the team - back to reality. Written by Steve Bendy.
Bucs Flat, Lancers Are Hot
Omaha, NE (4/17/98): The Lancer's scored 2 quick goals at the start of the third period break a 2 - 2 tie, then went on to dominate the third period to win 5 to 2. The Bucs are flat - and are not playing the caliber of hockey they are capable of. The Lancers now lead the best of seven series 2 games to none, and play again in Des Moines Saturday night. Fregoe (Clarke, Jensen) and Fregoe (Clarke, Parillo) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
The controversy raging in the Guest Book has shifted from Revermann's communication skills to the events that took place on the ice right after game 1 against Omaha. In case you have not read the comments in the Guest Book, here is a summary: people are shocked and outraged that Buc fans would throw cups of beer at the Omaha players. Others say that it is a part of hockey and that they need to get over it. Still others worship Christian Laden (a former Buc) in true pre-teen exuberance and write about him constantly - causing others to wonder if these girls have a life. All this activity leaves me exhausted! Who would have thought that this humble web site would be ravaged by over 20,000 connections a month? Somebody must be reading this stuff, so all I can say is: forget about all that, let's talk hockey!
The Bucs have lost game one and they now travel to Aksarben to play the Lancers. By the way, Aksarben is Nebraska spelled backwards - you know, I was going to play some of my Beatles CD's backwards to hear that secret message everyone was talking about, but I could not figure out how to do it! Anyway, Aksarben is full of hockey tradition and I am sure the Lancer fans and team will be pumped up. Revermann and Basset will be in goal. Both squads are healthy and it will be a good game.
Period 1
The Lancers came out playing a more physical style of game than they did in game one. Lucci and the Ortmeyer boys took the name "Lancers" to heart as they used their sticks as weapons. The ref, who is known for letting things go, finally could no longer ignore the carnage and called Paul Caponigri for a wicked slash on Pete Capouch. The Bucs looked horrible on the powerplay and where only able to get one shot on goal.
A couple of minutes later Mark Krueger hauled down Caponigri behind a play and drew a 2 minute penalty. The Lancers set up the powerplay and Revermann saved a good shot by Breen but did not do so well when Summerfelt shot. The Lancers led 1 - 0, time of the goal 6:27, assists to Theuer and Breen. Several minutes later Dan Donnette got leveled on a cheap shot and then a Lancer decided to combine acting with the high jump! Jim Jackson was called for a penalty. The Bucs killed off the penalty and the Bucs looked as if they were on a powerplay. Vincent Bachet, Erik Maksimenko and Jake Searles were working the puck around and putting pressure on the Lancer net. The pressure paid off at 13:46 when Erik Jensen broke the puck out to Noah Clarke who had Pete Fregoe racing down right beside him. The defender went for Noah so a quick pass left Fregoe all alone in front of the goaltender and he scored! The score was tied at one each.
Another cheap shot by Ortmeyer - just had to let you know. Revermann got a break when Callahan and Hartsburg got a 2 on 1 break and the puck was shot wide. Pete Fregoe, Noah Clarke and Erik Jensen came back with some tremendous pressure but the Lancers were able to clear the puck. Chris Hartsburg took the puck from a tired D and scored on a back-hand at 18:12 to make the game 2 to 1. The period ended with 6 saves for the Lancers and 10 for the Bucs.
Period 2
The Bucs have a tendency to come out a little flat in the second period, but tonight they looked good. Erik Strand showed a lot of hustle and nifty stick-handling to get a quick shot on net that almost went in. Dan Donnette was working very hard, as was Chris Dube and Maksimenko. The hard work paid off at 4:17 when Nick Parillo got the puck behind the net and passed to Noah Clarke. Noah's shot was blocked but Pete Fregoe put the rebound in. The score was tied.
The goal ignited the Lancers and Revermann came up with a big save! Dan Donnette streaked back down the ice to get a quality shot, then Paradise returned the favor for the Lancers. It was end-to-end hockey for a couple of minutes. Mark Krueger was playing very well this period and had two great shots, the last being a miraculous save by Basset. The period ended with the Bucs having a short powerplay. The Bucs set the play up well, but nobody wanted to shoot.
Period 3
The period started with something you hate to see. Neil Breen was all alone and lost an edge and went into the boards hard. He got up slow but was OK. At 1:09, Nate Mauer got a rebound and went around behind the net and then scored. They gave assists to Theuer and Armstrong. Noah Clarke showed his great speed as he broke out and was robbed by Basset.
Chris Paradise scored at 2:28 on a breakaway to make the score 4 to 2. Revermann has not looked good in goal against Omaha. I don't have much to say about the rest of the third period because it is too painful - the bucs just looked bad. They did not seem to play as a team - it was as if everybody had their scholarships and wanted to get back north to fish.
With 1:29, the Bucs called a time out. After the face-off, Revermann was pulled and the Bucs had an extra attacker. Jason Basile shot and then hustled to keep the rebound in the zone. Garrett Stafford shot, but it was wide. Chris Paradise got the puck and shot as he spun around - without even looking! He would have won the jeep as the puck went down the ice into the center of the empty net. After the next face-off the Bucs came back and put pressure on the net as Birrenkott shot and Jason Nightingale put the rebound in the net with 2 seconds left. For a reason unexplained, it was waived off and the Bucs went down in defeat, 5 to 2. Revermann ended up with 6 saves in the period and Omaha had 10. Written by Steve Bendy.
Three In A Row For The Lancers
Des Moines, IA (4/18/98): The Bucs came out on fire and for the first period the Lancers were back on their heels. Bassett was outstanding and the Lancers escaped with just a one goal deficit. The Lancers then scored 3 - third period goals, 2 on powerplays and 1 short-handed to win the game 4 to 1. A side note: Erik Jensen must have been studying the 1995 Philpott vs Edwards fight, because when Ortmeyer dropped his gloves, Jensen pounded him as badly as Philpott pounded Edwards. Vokes (Capouch, Basile) scored for the Bucs.
Ice-Slinging
Omaha was up 2-0 so far and it was the third game of the series. Revermann had been in for both games and the Guest Book was wrought with comments about putting Walker in his place. I myself thought there needed to be a change in goaltending. I have nothing against Revermann, but there needs to be a change to put some sort of fire in the team and fans. The Bucs as a team were struggling and you could hear fans everywhere talking about them not having any heart. Anyhow, let me start with the game... though I'll warn you that it might not be as detailed since my recorder had been on pause the entire game and I did not get the notes I normally get. I have plenty to say about the game however.
First
The beginning started out very well. It seemed that the Bucs, if they kept up the momentum they seemed to be having, could win the game. They were playing well and seemed hungry. 2:15 into the period Jeremy Vokes scored (assist to Pete Capouch and Jason Basile). The crowd was loud and everything seemed to be going well. There were also a slue of Lancer fans that had invaded the rink as well as Lincoln fans that showed up for the game in support of Des Moines. I just have to address the people who are writing in the Guest Book, I'm in a bad mood now and excuse me if I rip on everything and everyone! First I want to talk about the South Omaha Lancer fans who have been writing in with lude comments about how great their team is. I'll remind you that you are writing on OUR Guest Book and if we so chose we can erase all of your messages. This is a web page and a Guest Book to support our team, I'd appreciate it if you keep the Guest Book clean. Thank you, to the Lancer fans who had more class and were real hockey fans for telling your not-so-classy fans to basically shut-up. What's the deal with all you Omaha fans defending our goalie?! You probably wouldn't be defending him at all if he hadn't played for your team at one point. Sure he is a great guy and a great goalie, but it's time to give Walker a chance too. Revermann is not having any help and the whole team is not showing up to play, but at least give Walker a chance, who knows maybe he has some heart to play. We can't do much worse then we've already done. Hey guys, our coach has been giving Bob a break... three to be specific, the job is not getting done. By the way I'm not saying it's all his fault... far from it. Maybe he could do better if he had some help from the defense. The offense isn't doing much to help either... shoot the puck already! I'm sorry this is just the way I feel, if I upset some people, then get used to disappointment. Alright, let's talk hockey. The Lancers were crashing our net and Revermann with dirty play. At one point in time our players had enough of this after the Lancers were mucking it up. The Bucs came to the defense of Revermann with a wonderful show of support. Jed Ortmeyer who has been a punk throughout the whole series was in that line and pushing and shoving was going on throughout the whole group of guys there. Erik Jensen who was tangled with Ortmeyer was pushing him... it didn't take long for the two to go at it. Ortmeyer's helmet flew off along with his gloves and Jensen's gloves came off too. Jensen's helmet never came off, he never got a chance too. This was possibly a bigger fight then the Philpott fight was, Ortmeyer deserved this. Jensen gave him a thorough giving over and Jed didn't stand a chance. The absurd thing about all of this was that Ortmeyer was not thrown out of the game, only Jensen was!! That was a stupid play on the Ref's part, when there's a fight and both guys throw their gloves you're only going to throw one out?! However Ortmeyer did leave the ice, I think he was hurting just a little! Though Ortmeyer ended up coming back he wasn't the same the rest of the game. Jensen took care of him.
Second
The firs period play was good and I applaud the Bucs for doing so well, but when they skated out for the second period things didn't seem quite as hopeful. They weren't playing as hard. Omaha scored early in the second and we still had 17 minutes left of play. #55 got the goal (assist to 12 and 20). The Bucs seemed to give up at this point. The game was tied, but it seemed like the Bucs had already lost. That was the only score of the entire second period. Omaha was cheap and dirty, and though I was told it was smart hockey, I will not and cannot condone it. I do, however, agree with this same person who told me this, that every team has there slumps. You all have to lose sometime. You just hope it's not in the final round of the playoffs. I couldn't believe the calls the ref was making. He called Strand twice for something he never did, it was only the Lancers diving. I mean when a Lancer player goes flying when Strand didn't even touch him, how can you honestly call it cross checking?! That does require touch right? I don't think that Erik has any special powers. Though he was getting penalized unjustly he was playing very hard throughout the game. Ok, enough about the second period, I don't have much to say about it.
Third
This is where the game turned ugly and became a massacre. Omaha scored three goals in this period, one was a giveaway by Flynn. Our players couldn't pass well, couldn't keep it away from the Lancers, had a hard time getting a shot on the net. I know the boys can play well, we've seen them play...but right now they seem to be giving up. Omaha was playing with heart, I will give them that, though it's hard to do since I am a Buc fan and would rather not give them an inch. Fans left the arena early when Omaha scored their fourth goal at 13:47, I don't blame them one bit. We ended up losing 4-1 and our loyal Buc fans still got to their feet to cheer their team on. There is still loyalty and always will be. Even if we are swept by the Lancers we still have the nationals and to their fans, the Bucs will always be the best team. Written by Sarah Bendy.
Player of the Game: Erik Jensen - I have to give this to Jensen because of the fight he won. It's about time somebody does something about Ortmeyer!
Lancers Win Clark Cup
Omaha, NE (4/21/98): After sweeping the first two rounds against Green Bay and Lincoln, the Bucs got a taste of their own medicine as they lost to Omaha 2 to 5. Jon Walker came up with some huge saves in his first appearance of the playoffs. The Junior A National tournament begins May first. We will post the schedule as soon as it is posted. Pete Fregoe and Jeremy Vokes scored for the Bucs.
Ice Slinging
Ok, hockey fans, because we all are hockey fans, right? From the responses on the guestbook you’d think it was World War III! I’m proud of the Buc fans that have so far found it in themselves to congratulate Omaha. Things are finally cleaning up on that guestbook. I want to state, for the record, that I was born and raised in Omaha and all of my relatives still live in Omaha. Some of them are die-hard Lancer fans. I have a lot of good friends that are die-hard Lancer fans. I love all these people dearly. I’ve always been treated with the greatest respect in Omaha, even when I sat in the rowdiest section! I have also always thought that Omaha and Lincoln fans are among the nicest in the USHL. However this play-off series has brought the worst out in all of us. I want to wish Omaha the best of luck in the National’s, but, sorry guys, I hope we cream you! Oh and for those claims that I don’t support Revermann. That’s just bogus. I never said it was all his fault and I never said it was the coach’s fault either. I have always supported Owens and always will as long as he’s the coach. People need to quit crying over Fergie. He’s gone, get over it! Give Owens some respect and credit.
First
The Bucs were in quite a straight. If they lost the game tonight the Omaha series would be over and they would have been swept. Walker was in goal for the first time in the play-offs. Bassett was still in goal for Omaha because he was doing well for them. Something we had to be ready for was a physical game. The Bucs had the first power play at 2:07 when Pete Summerfelt went for hooking. We had about thirteen minutes left and Chris Paradise went down and Jensen got a two minute interference penalty for that. With just 3 seconds left in the Lancer power play Theuer got a snap shot goal (assist to Paradise and Summerfelt). Not only was Revermann beat up in the previous games but now Walker was also getting beat up. The first period ended and the Bucs were trailing once again. Saves: Des Moines 8 ? Omaha 3
Second
Within a minute and a half the Lancers had over three shots on goal and the Bucs still had none. Jed Ortmeyer went for hooking early in the second giving us our second power play. If only it had helped! The Lancers killed it off. The Bucs put on some heavy pressure with Pete Fregoe and some other players. It didn’t last long enough though. Drew Kliner scored on a rebound for Omaha. Kliner was able to step right up and get to Walker, he wasn’t stopped at all. We now had 10:33 left to go. Summerfelt, wide-open, scored again at 12:42. It was now 3-0. Omaha scored on a penalty to Stafford. They were 2-3 on the power play opportunity. The Bucs seemed to have gained some heart, but they weren’t getting the chances. Saves: Des Moines 5 ? Omaha 6.
Third
The Bucs had so far been outshot and outplayed. The Lancer defense had been playing solidly. By the way, this is the longest losing streak for this years Buc team. The Bucs looked a bit better in the third period and Pete Fregoe came from behind the net and scored, top shelf (unassisted). The crowd was extremely quiet at 2:48 after this. If only it had lasted longer. Jon Walker wasn’t quite ready off the face-off and Omaha scored their fourth goal just 59 second after the Bucs. The crowd by this time was wild again. Parillo and Westcott got into a fight close to the end of the period. I’d say Nick won that fight! Now because Nick and Westcott had the fight, Nick I believe, will not be playing for the next two games. Westcott may not be either. Hmm... the interesting thing about the end of this game was the amount of items thrown onto the ice!!! Lemons, fish, pop (or soda for you Easterners and Southerners), brooms. All those things sure beat our beer and plastic cups! Amazingly Vokes scored with 3 and a half minutes left. It would have been a great comeback if it could have happened. The minutes just slipped away though. Omaha had another goal when a player got a breakaway. It was now 5-2 in Omaha’s favor. So Omaha won? your Minnesota players beat our Minnesota players, that’s all. We can always chalk it up to El Nino!! After all it’s causing everything else! Saves: Des Moines 11 ? Omaha 5. Total Saves: Des Moines 24 ? Omaha 21. Written by Sarah Bendy.
Player of the Game: I give the honors to Pete Fregoe and Jon Walker.
