OMAHA @ SIOUX FALLS Friday, Oct. 23 7:05 p.m. CDT Denny Sanford Premier Center
OMAHA vs. TRI-CITY Saturday, Oct. 24 6:05 p.m. CDT Liberty First Credit Union Arena
The Lancers (2-5-1-0): Are 100-56-8-7 all-time against the Sioux Falls Stampede in regular-season play… Have won 59 percent of head-to-head matchups with the 'Herd, which is the highest winning percentage for Omaha over any other Western Conference opponent… After last weekend, Tri-City has outscored Omaha in their all-time regular-season series 631 (3.08) – 562 (2.74) … The Lancers are one of four teams in the league that haven't committed a boarding penalty this season...
The Stampede (7-5-0-0): Lead the league with 456 shots on goal, 17 first-period goals, 8 fighting majors and 3 too many men on the ice bench minors… Went 5-0-3-0 against the Lancers last season… Won their fourth Clark Cup in May... Have not scored a shorthanded goal against the Lancers since Mar. 4, 2022 but have surrendered 4 shorthanded goals to Omaha since then… Eclipsed the 30-shot mark in each of their last 17 meetings with Omaha… Have not been held to less than 30 shots vs. the Lancers since Jan. 13, 2024…
The Storm (7-3-0-0): Are coming off a weekend sweep of Omaha… Tri-City defensemen have scored 92 goals all-time against Omaha… The Lancers have just 68 d-men tallies against the Storm all-time… Tri-City has surrendered 30 shots or more to the Lancers in their last 4 meetings dating back to March of last season; it's the first time since February 12, 2008, to October 13, 2008… Omaha registered 30-plus shots in 5 straight meetings during that span… Omaha has scored a short-handed goal against the Storm 4 times since the Storm scored a shortie against the Lancers (March 8, 2025) …
Slow Starts for Omaha: The Lancers have scored just 2 first-period goals so far this season, tying them for fewest in the league with the Green Bay Gamblers… Their most recent first-period goal came Sept. 26 against Des Moines… Their only other first-period goal came on opening night in Chicago during the Fall Classic against the Chicago Steel… However, the Lancers have given up just 7 first-period goals this season, third-best in the USHL… Overall, the Lancers have been outscored, 18-9, through the first two periods of play so far this season…
Depth Scoring an Issue: The Lancers currently have just 4 multi-goal scorers… That ties Green Bay for the fewest in the league… The Lancers have only 2 goals from rookie skaters this season… Surprisingly, Charlie Vig, Tanner Morgan, and Cam Caron have all been held off the scorers' sheet through the first 8 games this season, while Artem Prima just grabbed his first goal of the season on a power-play Saturday night against Tri-City… Since coming back from their trip in the Fall Classic, the Lancers have yet to score more than two goals in a single game… 6 of the 11 goals Omaha has scored in that 6-game span have come from either Yegor Kim or Ryan Aaronson…
Lancers To Watch: Caine Bickel has just one assist through his first 8 games after posting 5 points (2+3) in 4 preseason games… However, the promising rookie has shown signs of progress; Bickel had a career-high 3 shots on goal Friday night against Tri-City, and also rang a shot off the post Saturday night… Adam Israilov has recorded at least one point in each of the three games he has played since returning to Omaha… The second-year forward has 4 points (1+3) through those three games…
Stampede Players To Watch: Defenseman Anthony Bongo has entered his third season with the 'Herd… The Union College commit has registered 7 points (3+4) against Omaha over the last two seasons… Joey Macrina returns this year after having a 41-point season (19+22) a season ago… Macrina recorded 5 points (2+3) against the Lancers last season… Macrina is the current leading scorer for the Stampede with 15 points (3+12) …
Storm Players To Watch: Samuel Courtemanche recorded 3 points (2+1) over the weekend against Omaha, including two goals Saturday night, one of which was the overtime game-winner… Defenseman Patrik Rusnyak was also a thorn in Omaha's side last weekend… Rusnyak scored a goal and added an assist over the weekend and is currently on a 4-game point streak…
This Date In Lancers History (Oct. 23): The Omaha Lancers lambasted the Dubuque Fighting Saints, 8-2, thanks in part to Lancers forward Mike Lucci, who netted two goals and an assist... After eight players (four from each team) were ejected 6:39 into the opening frame, Lucci and the Lancers took over... "At first, we're down 4 guys, and it's like, do we pack it in and give up, or do we keep going? We dug down," Lucci told the Omaha World-Herald... The Lancers outshot the Fighting Saints 40-23, including a whopping 20-4 shots-on-goal deficit in the first period alone...
