Kearney, NE – The Tri-City Storm prepares for its regular-season opener after finishing the 2015 preseason with a 3-1-0 record, tied for the most wins of any Western Division team.
For the second straight week, the Storm’s pair of preseason games each came down to the wire; Tri-City fell by a goal Friday against Fargo before scoring four third period goals on Saturday to edge Sioux Falls by two tallies. Continue reading “Storm opens season at home, Friday at 7:30”
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm have completed a trade with the Chicago Steel, acquiring defenseman John Marino in exchange for a third round pick in Phase II of the 2016 USHL Draft. Continue reading “Tri-City Trades For Defenseman John Marino”
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm has announced the hiring of David Fine as the team’s new Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting.
Fine recently graduated with a broadcast journalism and digital journalism degree from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications. While at school, Fine worked as a Media Relations/Broadcast Assistant with the Syracuse Crunch in the American Hockey League (AHL) for four seasons. Continue reading “Storm Hire David Fine As New Broadcaster”
KEARNEY, Neb. – After a national search, new Tri-City Storm Head Coach and General Manager Bill Muckalt has chosen his assistants, hiring Ben Gordon and Taylor Nelson to join him behind the bench for the 2015-16 USHL season.
“It was a very extensive process,” said Muckalt. “What I like about Ben and Taylor is that they’ve both played on championship teams at high levels on hockey. They’re both very eager, have attention to detail and are passionate about the game. Our players are going to be able to relate to them and they’ll demand respect. I’m really happy to get them on board and excited to get their families integrated in the Tri-City community.”
Gordon comes to the Storm from The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn., where he served as an assistant coach during the 2014-15 season. Before making the transition to coaching, Gordon played six years of professional hockey with various teams in the ECHL, AHL, DEL and CHL.
Continue reading “Muckalt Names Gordon, Nelson As Assistants”
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm and United States Hockey League (USHL) announced its 60-game regular season schedule for the 2015-16 season Thursday, after the team’s home opener was unveiled Wednesday.
The new campaign will be the first in the USHL for new Head Coach and General Manager Bill Muckalt and his staff.
Tri-City kicks off the season with a rematch of last spring’s Western Conference Semifinal playoff series, hosting the Omaha Lancers on Friday, Sept. 25 at the Viaero Event Center in Kearney.
The matchup will be presented by Viaero Wireless, and will feature a premium promotion from the wireless retailer.
In addition to eight games each against in-state rivals Lincoln and Omaha, the Storm will host Eastern Conference foes Cedar Rapids, Bloomington, Dubuque, Madison and Team USA’s Under-18 team.
Tri-City will make trips to Muskegon and Green Bay for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The team will also travel to three other Eastern Conference buildings in Chicago, Cedar Rapids and Youngstown.
The USHL has also announced preseason games for all teams in lieu of the annual Fall Classic. Tri-City will participate in a regional preseason event in Lincoln with the Stars, Omaha Lancers and Des Moines Buccaneers. Games will be played at the Ice Box on Sept. 17 and 18. Official matchups and game times are still to be determined.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the top four teams in each conference based on total points in the standings will qualify for the Clark Cup Playoffs. All three rounds in the postseason will follow a best-of-five games format.
Dec. 12 vs. Bloomington will be Stormy’s 16th birthday, with an afternoon start time of 3:05 p.m. All other promotions and game times will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tri-City Storm season tickets for the 2015-16 season are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011.
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm will open its 2015-16 schedule with a rematch of last spring’s Western Conference Semifinal playoff series, hosting the Omaha Lancers on Friday, Sept. 25 at the Viaero Event Center in Kearney.
The full schedule for the 2015-16 season will be released by the USHL league office on Thursday morning.
Expected returning players from the 2014-15 season include Nolan Aibel, Wade Allison, Tory Dello, Mattias Goransson, Jason Krych, Dan Labosky and Jake Wahlin.
Tri-City Storm season tickets for the 2015-16 season are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011.
KEARNEY, Neb. – A total of 12 former Storm players are attending NHL development camps this summer with various teams throughout June and July.
Both of Tri-City’s picks in June’s NHL Draft, Mason Appleton and Chris Wilkie, have already been on the ice, participating with the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers respectively.
In addition, alumni draft picks saw time with their teams including Chris Brown with the Buffalo Sabres, Alec Dillon with the Los Angeles Kings, Austin Poganski with the St. Louis Blues, and Adam Wilcox with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Six other former Storm standouts were invited to play in camps as free agents. Those alums include Nolan Gluchowski with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nick Lappin and Cody Murphy with the Washington Capitals, Brad Schierhorn with the Winnipeg Jets, Mike Vecchione with the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild, and Brian Ward with the Carolina Hurricanes.
A full list of the players participating in camps, along with their college or current team, is below.
Tri-City Storm season tickets for the 2015-16 season are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011.
2015 NHL Development Camp Players
Mason Appleton – Winnipeg Jets (Michigan State)
Chris Brown – Buffalo Sabres (Boston College)
Alec Dillon – Los Angeles Kings (Edmonton Oil Kings)
Nolan Gluchowski – Toronto Maple Leafs (St. Lawrence)
Nick Lappin – Washington Capitals (Brown)
Cody Murphy – Washington Capitals (Miami)
Austin Poganski – St. Louis Blues (North Dakota)
Brad Schierhorn – Winnipeg Jets (Dartmouth)
Mike Vecchione – Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild (Union)
Brian Ward – Carolina Hurricanes (St. Lawrence)
Adam Wilcox – Tampa Bay Lightning (Minnesota)
Chris Wilkie – Florida Panthers (North Dakota)
KEARNEY, Neb. – At his introductory press conference Monday afternoon, new Tri-City Storm head coach and general manager Bill Muckalt emphasized his role in the development process for junior hockey players, working hard to better themselves each day.
Muckalt is someone who knows the development process well, playing junior hockey for the Merritt Centennials in British Columbia for two seasons before joining the University of Michigan. After scoring over 100 goals and winning two national championships as a Wolverine, Muckalt went right to the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks.
Now as a coach, Muckalt is getting his first Tier 1 coaching opportunity with Tri-City after a successful stint with Michigan Technological University, where he served as an assistant coach for the last four seasons.
Continue reading “Muckalt Brings History of Winning to Kearney”
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm have announced the promotion of Dana Wright to Vice President of Business Operations, effective immediately.
The position will oversee all day-to-day office operations for the hockey team, including marketing, promotions, gameday operations, merchandising and part-time employees.
Wright has been with the team in various capacities since 2008, previously serving in roles as the Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising, Financial Director/Graphic Artist, Corporate Sales Associate and Maintenance Staff.
Continue reading “Wright Promoted to VP of Business Operations”
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm announced this morning that Bill Muckalt (pronounced Muck-Calt) has been named the seventh head coach and general manager in franchise history, agreeing to a multi-year contract.
Muckalt, a forward in the NHL for five seasons from 1998-2003, comes to Kearney from Michigan Technological University, where he served as an assistant coach for the Huskies for the last four seasons.
A native of Surrey, B.C., Muckalt helped Michigan Tech to a 29-10-2 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament during the 2014-15 season. The record was a 15-win increase from the previous campaign and was the first 20-win season for MTU since the 1982-83 year.
