Men's Ice Hockey 3/27/2026 10:19:00 PM Joel Norman

LANCERS SUFFER FIRST REGULATION LOSS IN THREE WEEKS

The Omaha Lancers' six-game point streak came to an end with a 6-4 loss to the Waterloo Black Hawks on Friday night at Young Arena.

Omaha (17-37-3-2) suffered its first regulation loss since Mar. 7 and only its third this month. The Lancers scored two power-play goals and overcame three different deficits but saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.

Waterloo (16-38-2-2) also netted two power-play goals and had five different goal-scorers. Dylan Nolan scored twice, once on the man advantage and once at even strength.

Toby Carlson put the Black Hawks up 1-0 with the game's only goal in the first period at the 12:52 mark on the power play. His initial redirect was denied but the rebound was not and the Lancers surrendered a power-play goal for the first time in the last four games after being 8-for-8.

The two teams combined for six goals in the second period but Waterloo again went into the intermission with a one-goal lead. Omaha netted the first two goals of the period to briefly hold a 2-1 lead. Reese Lantz scored his second goal in the last three games and third of the season 1:49 in to tie the game on the power play. Cam Caron's redirection attempt at the near post was stuffed but he slipped the puck through the crease to the far post to keep the play alive. Tommy Spencer could not stuff it in but the puck popped free to the reigning USHL Defenseman of the Week all alone inside the far circle.

Ryan Aaronson cashed in a perfect bounce off the glass on a breakout pass by Ryder Reynolds that could not be settled by the defense. Aaronson batted the bouncing puck down to himself in the neutral zone, protected the puck with a spin move and sped into the attacking zone to lead an odd-man rush. Aaronson kept it and scored on the three-on-one sequence for his seventh goal over the last nine games and fifth goal in the last four games.

The Black Hawks were heavily under siege and in danger of the deficit growing until Nolan carried the puck out of his zone and cut through the Lancer defense to score his first goal of the game at the 6:098 mark of the second. Atte Vikla put the Black Hawks back up, 3-2, 21 seconds later when he scored from the left point shortly after a netfront scramble.

Ryder Reynolds was on the receiving end of a major boarding penalty that set Omaha up on a five-minute power play to tie the game. Reynolds returned to the game not long after Tanner Morgan went down to a knee at the near post and redirected a pass from Artem Prima at the 10:18 mark of the second period. Morgan extended his point streak to six games while Prima pushed his to seven games on the goal.

Nolan netted his second goal of the period, this time on the power play, at the 18:15 mark to give Waterloo at 4-3 lead.

The Lancers erased their third deficit when Todd Kilpela scored his first USHL goal at the 5:56 mark of the third period. Kilpela outwaited a sprawled-out goaltender Dane Callaway and lifted the puck top shelf for Omaha's final goal of the game.

Cullen Emery scored the game-winning goal less than two minutes later at the 7:43 mark. Hayden Russell's shot from the base of the right circle was denied but Emery poked in the loose puck in the crease. He won a key faceoff in the Waterloo defensive zone to help Salvatore Viviano score an empty-net goal with 90 seconds remaining in regulation.

Following the Lancers' annual awards banquet at 5 Saturday night they will host the Lincoln Stars for Billet Appreciation Night Sunday at 5:05. Tickets are available at bit.ly/LancersHKY

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