Men's Ice Hockey 1/28/2024 6:20:00 PM Joel Norman

STARS TAKE EARLY LEAD, HANG ON TO BEAT LUMBERJACKS

MANGAN, MONTGOMERY RECORD THREE-POINT GAMES

The Lincoln Stars struck three times in the first period and twice on the power play to defeat the Muskegon Lumberjacks, 5-2, on Sunday afternoon at Trinity Health Arena.

Jared Mangan scored a power-play goal and an empty-net goal to give him four goals over the last four games. He also added an assist on Lincoln's first goal of the night and leads the team with 29 points. Blake Montgomery also recorded three points with a goal and two assists.

"It just shows our resiliency as a team," Mangan said. "I think we've done it over and over again but we're really good at (bouncing back). We didn't give up.We just kept on playing our game, getting pucks deep, changing their defenseman's feet and that's how we win games here."

Mangan glided from his own blue line just into the attacking end before firing a wrister past goaltender Shikabutdin Gadzhiev and chasing him from the game. The Clarkson commit then lobbed the puck down the ice from the near side of the ice along his blue line and into the empty at the 17:09 mark of the third for his third multi-goal game of the season.

Lucas Massie earned his second consecutive win by stopping 24 shots and his third win away from the Ice Box.

Lincoln led by three goals at the end of each period and it started with a big first period. Montgomery opened the scoring by potting home a 5-on-3 power-play goal 2:25 into the game for his team-leading 14th of the season. Ryan Spinale spun along the near-post side and tried to dish the puck to Montgomery back door and, though the direct pass was broken, the puck caromed over to Montgomery as he delivered his first power-play goal of the season.

Montgomery helped set up the Stars' next goal when he forced a turnover along the near board and drove to the net on the backhand. His shot was denied but Juan Copeland found the puck just outside the far post and passed across ice to Jacob Rombach at the left point. Rombach lasered it home for his second goal of the season at the 14:12 mark of the opening frame.

The Stars' third goal came despite an injury scare on the far side. In a battle for the puck Justin Varner was upended and went down in pain but the Stars kept playing. German Yavash flicked the puck to Justin Mexico, who separated himself from the defense in the slot and found the top-right corner. That made it 3-0, Stars, at the 16:51 mark of the first.

Ethan Whitcomb weaved into the slot and put the Lumberjacks on the board 1:14 into the third before Mangan restored the three-goal lead with his first of the night. Cody Croal struck right after the face-off at 5:50 of the third but, again, Mangan answered, this time icing the game for good in the waning stages.

The Stars' next game is Saturday night when they host the Omaha Lancers at 6:05 at the Ice Box. It's Battle Of The Decades Night and fans can enjoy the best music from the 80's, 90's and 2000's all game long. Purchase a Battle Of The Decades Night pack at lincolnstars.com

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