Stars captain Mason Marcellus recorded his first multi-goal game of the season to lead the Lincoln Stars past the Sioux City Musketeers, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at the Tyson Events Center.
Lincoln (23-13-1) wrapped up a perfect three-for-three weekend. The Stars defeated the Sioux Falls Stampede, 6-5, in a shootout on Friday before defeating Sioux City (18-15-2-3), 6-3, on Saturday and then again on Sunday.
The six-point weekend marked a strong opening to the busiest month of the Stars' 2022-23 season. Lincoln is three games into a stretch where they are playing 11 times over a 25-day period.
"We just had a lot of resolve and stuck to what we needed to do," head coach Rocky Russo said. "I was really proud of the fact that we found a way."
Sioux City opened the scoring by cashing in 53 seconds into the game. Grant Slukynsky scored the only goal of the first period and gave the Musketeers their third different lead over the Stars of the last two games.
The Stars answered by scoring three consecutive goals beginning early in the second period and ending a few minutes into the third. Antonio Fernandez tied the game up at 1-1 with his second goal in as many days and sixth of the season off an assist by Brennan Ali.
Ali was shaken up later in the period in a moment that helped lead to Lincoln taking the lead for good. Sioux City's Easton Zueger received a game misconduct and a five-minute major boarding penalty that bloodied Ali and put the Stars on the power play. Marcellus scored from the left circle less than a minute into the power play play for his first goal of the game. Â
That goal gave the Stars the lead and their captain added to on a wrist shot following a stretch pass ahead from Cole Crusberg-Roseen for his second of the night at the 2:20 mark of the third. The Musketeers answered just under two minutes later when Tyler Hotson cut to the net and slipped the puck in to score the final goal of the game.
The Stars improve to 3-2 against the Musketeers and seven points out of first place in the Western Conference. Lincoln began Saturday just two points ahead of Sioux City for third place but not has a six-point lead.
Next up is a home-and-home set with the Sioux Falls Stampede to open up a stretch of six games in 11 days. It begins on Friday at 7:05 p.m. at the Ice Box and tickets can be purchased here.
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