Men's Ice Hockey 11/16/2024 9:59:00 PM Joel Norman

STARS KEEP GOALS COMING, SWEEP STEEL

DIGIULIAN NETS HAT TRICK, OLIVER SCORES TWICE

The Lincoln Stars finished off a weekend sweep with a 8-5 win over the Chicago Steel on Saturday night at the Fox Valley Ice Arena.

Gio DiGiulian recorded the Stars' second hat trick of the season, joining Daniel Shlaine's three-goal effort Sep. 27 vs. Green Bay, and the first by a Star on the road since Keaton Peters did it against Sioux Falls Nov. 24, 2023. Dashel Oliver also scored twice and Jack Pechar recorded a three-point night (1+2).

Saturday concluded an outstanding offensive weekend for the Stars following Friday's 7-0 win. Lincoln (13-5-0-0) tallied 15 goals on the weekend, scored seven power-play goals and scored three times in four-of-six periods. Saturday's win was the Stars' third straight and pushed them three points ahead of Waterloo for first place in the Western Conference.

DiGiulian picked up goals in back-to-back games when he lit the lamp at the 5:14 mark of the first. His shot from just inside the right-wing circle off a feed muscled to him off the wall from Darian Anderson moved DiGiulian into the team lead for goals and put the Stars up, 1-0.

DiGiulian did it again later in the period with his ninth goal of the season and second multi-goal game of the season at the 14:04 mark. His power-play snipe to top-right corner of the net from the left dot made it 3-1, Lincoln.

He earned the hat trick in the third with another power-play goal. Pechar's rebound attempt hit off a skate and bounced to DiGiulian alone in the left circle and he wired it in for the Stars' second power-play goal of the night and his third on the man advantage of the campaign.

Oliver cashed in on a penalty shot in a chaotic way at the 6:42 mark of the second. Jack Parsons made the initial save with his right pad but the rebound hit off his glove and ended up in the net. The initial call was no goal but the goal was awarded after video review. Lincoln improved to 8-0 when Oliver records at least one point in a game.

Oliver earned his second multi-goal effort in the last three games when he scored on a wrist shot shortly after a right-wing zone entry at the 10:32 mark of the third period. Matt Maltais did enough to advance the puck north to Oliver before sustaining a huge center-ice hit from Reid Conn to make it 7-5, Stars.

Aiden Janz scored his first of the season in between DiGiulian's two tallies. Lefty Markonidis disrupted a clearing attempt and the puck ricocheted to Kade Kohanski, who found Janz in the slot to put the Stars ahead, 2-0.

Chicago picked up its first goal of the weekend at the 8:18 mark of the opening period when Ashton Schultz followed up his own shot and poked the rebound in just before the net was knocked off its moorings.

The Steel bounced back from being outshot, 19-7, in the first period by outscoring the Stars, 3-2, and outshooting them, 17-10, in the second period. Kolin Sisson, Owen Tyler and Ryder Betzold all tallied in the period to put the Steel only down one after two periods. The latter two players scored after Oliver's penalty shot briefly restored Lincoln's three-goal lead.

Lincoln pulled away in the third period by outscoring Chicago, 3-1. Jack Pechar netted a power-play goal just 15 seconds into the frame on a rebound that rolled to him in front of net for his third point of the night.

The Steel answered 2:17 later on a net front scramble of their own that saw Will Tomko cut the deficit to one for a third time before Oliver's second goal of the game. Ethan Weber scored his first goal of the season with a one-timer from the blue line on the power play at the 15:27 mark of the third for the 13th combined goal and final one of the night.

The Stars are on the road again next weekend as they face the Waterloo Black Hawks for a pair of games. Lincoln's next home game is Nov. 27 when it faces the Tri-City Storm at the Ice Box the night before Thanksgiving. Purchase a Blackout Wednesday package to get four tickets and two drink vouchers for $75 plus tax.

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