KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm (15-21-2) won in comeback fashion Saturday night, defeating the Sioux Falls Stampede (21-12-4) 4-3 at the Viaero Event Center. With the victory, the Storm finished the season series against the Stampede, winning five of the seven games against their Western Conference foe.

Tri-City has now won three straight games, defeating Lincoln on Tuesday night before the weekend sweep of Sioux Falls.

Storm forward Patrick Curry began the game with his second goal of the season, taking advantage of a power play opportunity. After one period, the Storm had a 1-0 lead.                                

Sioux Falls answered back 1:56 into the second period on a steal by Ryan Schwalbe. Schwalbe rocketed a one timer past Storm goaltender Jacob Johansson to tie things up at 1-1.

Later in the second, Logan O’ Connor squeezed the puck into the net to give the Stampede a 2-1 lead.

Sioux Falls extended their lead to 3-1 minutes into the third period on a power play goal by Tony Calderone.

After four straight penalties committed by the Stampede, the Storm found themselves on a five-on-three two-man advantage.

Tri-City began the rally when Omaha, Neb. native Chris Wilkie scored his 12th goal of the season to extend his scoring streak to eight games and bring his team within one goal, 3-2.

The Storm found themselves back on the power play and tied the game 3-3 on a Ryan McMurphy power play goal with assists from Tory Dello and Garrett Gamez.

With momentum on the Storm side, Christian Horn pushed the puck past Art Brey for his 12th goal on the season and the Storm had a 4-3 lead. Tri-City never looked back and fought on for the final nine minutes for their third straight win.

Johansson finished the evening with 29 saves, while Brey finished with 20.

Tri-City will be back in action next week as they host Des Moines for a weekend series at the Viaero Event center. Friday night’s game begins at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s contest gets underway at 7:05.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nolan Aibel and Nick Hutchison, along with defensemen Cutler Martin and Kevin Kerr. Forward Drew Mayer was also scratched, serving a suspension.…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

Tri-City – Patrick Curry (power play) (Chase Berger, Garett Gamez) 8:41

2nd Period

Sioux Falls – Ryan Schwalbe (unassisted) 1:56

Sioux Falls – Logan O’Connor (Jack Stander, Jason Stephanik) 10:27

3rd Period

Sioux Falls – Tony Calderone (power play) (Keith Burchett, Chad Duchesne) 1:48

Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (power play) (Conner Valesano, Dan Labosky) 4:29

Tri-City – Ryan McMurphy (power play) (Tory Dello, Garrett Gamez) 8:18

Tri-City – Christian Horn (Dan Labosky, Jalen Schulz) 11:45

PENALTIES

1st Period
Tri-City – Austin Poganski – (Tripping), 2 min, 2:15

Sioux Falls – Tony Calderone – (Holding), 2 min, 7:16

Tri-City – Patrick Curry – (Charging), 2 min, 10:49

Sioux Falls – Kristoffer Brun – (Interference), 2 min, 15:24

Sioux Falls – Ed McGovern – (Holding), 2 min, 18:46

2nd Period

Sioux Falls – Jack Stander – (Interference), 2 min, 3:52

Tri-City – Austin Poganski – (High Sticking) (Double Minor), 4 min, 4:26

Sioux Falls – Ed McGovern – (Checking from Behind), 2 min, 12:00

Sioux Falls – Garrett Cecere – (Interference), 2 min, 16:44

3rd Period

Tri-City – Sean Lang – (Holding), 2 min, 0:52

Sioux Falls – Eduard Simun – (Delay of Game), 2 min, 3:12

Sioux Falls – Ed McGovern – (Misconduct) (Abuse of Officials), 10 min, 3:12

Sioux Falls – Chad Duchesne – (Delay of Game), 2 min, 3:48

Sioux Falls – R.J. Majkozak – (Misconduct) (Abuse of Officials), 10 min, 3:48

Sioux Falls – Art Brey – (Roughing), 2 min, 7:04

Sioux Falls – Tony Calderone – (Holding), 2 min, 9:50

Tri-City – Tory Dello – (Holding), 2 min, 10:37

Power Play

Tri-City – 3/10

Sioux Falls –1/6

Shots

Tri-City: 7, 9, 8 = Total: 32

Sioux Falls: 14, 9, 9 = Total: 24

Saves

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – 29/32

Sioux Falls – Arthur Brey – 20/24

KEARNEY, Neb. – For the second consecutive game, the Tri-City Storm (14-21-2) were on the winning end of a five-round shootout, defeating the Sioux Falls Stampede (21-12-4) by a score of 3-2 at the Viaero Event Center on Friday night.

Forward Chris Wilkie scored twice in the third period for Tri-City, while Hayden Lavigne stopped 28 shots to get his second straight win in his third consecutive start.

After a scoreless first period, things headed up in the second. The Stampede took a 1-0 lead on a goal by forward Keith Burchett at 4:03 of the middle frame. Former Storm defenseman Garrett Cecere was credited with the first assist in his first game with Sioux Falls.

Later in the period, things got physical between the two teams. At 6:41, a combined total of 59 penalty minutes were assessed to both teams. Storm forward Drew Mayer as well as Sioux Falls defenseman Ed McGovern were both given game ejections as part of the scuffle.

Tri-City was still trailing at the start of the final frame, but Wilkie quickly changed things, tying the game 1-1 with a bad-angle shot that got by Stampede goaltender David Jacobson. Assists on the goal were given to forwards Christian Horn and Garrett Gamez.

Wilkie then gave the Storm the lead with less than four minutes remaining in regulation, beating Jacobson with a shot from the top of the right circle to make it 2-1 Tri-City.

The Omaha, Neb. native took a pass from his newest teammate, Conner Valesano, who was the player acquired in exchange for Cecere earlier in the week. It was Wilkie’s 11th goal of the season and Valesano’s second assist in his second game with the Storm.

But the Stampede tied things up in the final minutes when Tony Calderone found a rebound and beat Lavigne for his 12th goal of the season. Sioux Falls had an extra attacker on the ice and their late tally sent the game to overtime.

The Storm were whistled for a too many men penalty in the closing seconds of regulation, but were able to kill off the ensuing power play in the extra frame. Neither team was able to score in the overtime period so the game went to a shootout.

Sioux Falls got an opening goal from Dennis Kravchenko in the first round, but Lavigne stopped the next four shooters he faced.

Down 1-0 in the skill competition, Wilkie sent things to a fourth round in the Storm’s final chance to continue the game. Storm forward Dan Labosky got the winning shootout goal in the fifth round, beating Jacobson with a nice backhand move and sending the Tri-City fans home happy.

The Storm are now 4-2-0 against Sioux Falls this season.

The two teams will finish their season series on Saturday night at the Viaero Event Center with the game getting underway at 7:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nolan Aibel and Nick Hutchison, along with defensemen Kevin Kerr and Cutler Martin.…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
(no scoring)

2nd Period
Sioux Falls – Keith Burchett (Garrett Cecere) 4:03

3rd Period

Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (Christian Horn, Garrett Gamez) 4:09
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (Conner Valesano) 16:07
Sioux Falls – Tony Calderone (extra attacker) (Jason Stephanik, Dennis Kravchenko) 18:41

PENALTIES

1st Period
Sioux Falls – Dennis Kravchenko – (Elbowing), 2 min, 7:20
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie – (Hooking), 2 min, 7:37
Sioux Falls – Cody Milan – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 9:13
Sioux Falls – Cody Milan – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 10 min, 9:13
Tri-City – Fredric Larsson – (Elbowing), 2 min, 13:27

2nd Period
Tri-City – Drew Mayer – (Fighting (Instigator)), 2 min, 6:41
Tri-City – Drew Mayer – (Fighting), 5 min, 6:41
Tri-City – Drew Mayer – (Fighting) (Game Ejection), 10 min, 6:41
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Fighting), 5 min, 6:41
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Game Misconduct), 10 min, 6:41
Sioux Falls – C.J. Franklin – (Fighting), 5 min, 6:41
Sioux Falls – C.J. Franklin – (Game Misconduct), 10 min, 6:41
Sioux Falls – Dennis Kravchenko – (Unsportsmanlike Conduct), 2 min, 6:41

Sioux Falls – Ed McGovern – (Third Man In) (Game Ejection), 10 min, 6:41

3rd Period
Sioux Falls – Jack Stander – (Hooking), 2 min, 13:17
Tri-City – Bench Minor – (Too Many Men), 2 min, 19:53

Power Play

Sioux Falls – 0/3

Tri-City – 0/5

Shots

Sioux Falls: 8, 11, 9, 2 = Total: 30

Tri-City: 10, 5, 19, 1 = Total: 36

Saves

Sioux Falls – David Jacobson – 33/35

Tri-City – Hayden Lavigne – 28/30

LINCOLN, Neb. – Conner Valesano scored the winning shootout goal  in his first game, vaulting the Tri-City Storm (13-21-2) to a 4-3 win over the Lincoln Stars (11-X-7) at the IceBox in Lincoln on Tuesday night.

The win was the first for Tri-City in Lincoln since a shootout victory on Nov. 23, 2011. The victory was also the first for each Storm player in Lincoln, as no current members on the roster were with the team at the time of their last win at the IceBox.

Storm netminder Hayden Lavigne was credited with his second win of his first USHL campaign, turning away 39 shots and stopping four out of five shootout attempts.

Tri-City took a 1-0 lead on their first shift of the game when forward Ryan McMurphy scored his eighth goal of the season just 35 seconds in. His linemates Drew Mayer and Kyle Eastman were credited with assists on the play.

After the Storm took their one-goal lead into the first intermission, Lincoln tied the game on a power play goal by defenseman Zach Frye and then took the lead on forward Ludvig Hoff’s first career USHL goal at 8:10 of the middle period.

But Tri-City responded immediately, tying the game at 2-2 on the next shift 22 seconds later. Chase Berger redirected a pass from Patrick Curry past Lincoln goaltender Jacob Nehama for his seventh tally of the year.

Storm forward Chris Wilkie had an assist on the tying goal, extending his point streak to six games.

Minutes later, Tri-City took the lead on defenseman Jalen Schulz’s first USHL goal. Coming out of the box after serving a tripping penalty, Schulz was sprung free on a breakaway on a perfect pass from Valesano. The d-man only had time to make a quick move and got the puck past Nehama. It was the first career point for Valesano, the newest member of the team.

Frye got his second goal of the night for Lincoln to tie the game with just 3 seconds left in the period, and the teams entered the final frame tied, 3-3.

Neither side was able to score in either the third or overtime despite a power play chance for Tri-City in the extra period, and the game headed to a shootout.

In the fifth round of the skill competition, Valesano found the back of the net before Lavigne stopped Lincoln’s Brandon Smith to seal the victory for the Storm.

Lincoln outshot Tri-City 42-33 and was 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Storm were 0-for-3 with the man advantage.

The Storm will head to Lincoln on Tuesday night to face the Stars at 7:05 p.m. Tri-City will be back in Kearney to face the Sioux Falls Stampede next weekend Jan. 24-25. Friday night’s game will get underway at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s contest will start at 7:05.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Joey DiBenedetto and Nick Hutchison, along with defensemen Kevin Kerr and Cutler Martin.…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
Tri-City – Ryan McMurphy (Drew Mayer, Kyle Eastman) 0:35

2nd Period

Lincoln – Zach Frye (power play) (Thomas Carey) 5:14

Lincoln – Ludvig Hoff (Christian Lampasso, David Parrottino) 8:10

Tri-City – Chase Berger (Patrick Curry, Chris Wilkie) 8:32

Tri-City – Jalen Schulz (Conner Valesano) 13:35

Lincoln – Zach Frye (Christian Lampasso, John Simonson) 19:57

3rd Period

(no scoring)

Overtime
(no scoring)

PENALTIES

1st Period
Lincoln – Magnus Hoff – (High Sticking), 2 min, 1:52

Tri-City – Conner Valesano – (Tripping), 2 min, 13:21

2nd Period
Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (Tripping), 2 min, 3:40
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Tripping), 2 min, 11:27

3rd Period
Tri-City – Garrett Gamez – (Interference), 2 min, 1:28
Tri-City – Patrick Curry – (Slashing), 2 min, 3:08
Lincoln – Max Humitz – (Hooking), 2 min, 7:00

Overtime
Lincoln – Biagio Lerario – (Roughing), 2 min, 0:44

Power Play

Tri-City – 0/3

Lincoln – 1/5

Shots

Tri-City: 12, 8, 8, 4 = Total: 33

Lincoln: 14, 17, 8, 3 = Total: 42

Saves

Tri-City – Hayden Lavigne – 39/42
Lincoln – Jacob Nehama – 29/32

KEARNEY, Neb. – Tri-City Storm head coach and general manager Jim Hulton announced two trades Monday afternoon which will position his team for the future.

The Storm will acquire forward Conner Valesano from the Sioux Falls Stampede, along with a second round pick in the 2014 Phase I Draft in exchange for Storm defenseman Garrett Cecere and an eighth round pick in the 2014 Phase I Draft.

Tri-City has also agreed to send forward Joel L’Esperance and future defenseman Logan Fauber to the Sioux City Musketeers in exchange for future forward Jake Wahlin of White Bear Lake High School, a second round  pick in the 2014 Phase II Draft and a player to be named later.

“It has been a difficult day and this is the business side of the game that none of us enjoy,” Hulton said. “This is an opportunity for two outstanding, loyal players that have been a huge part of the Storm family. It will allow them to play in playoff competition that will have them better prepared for their colleges next year.”

“Most importantly, it’s a huge boost to the future for the long-term health of our franchise. It was quite simply two offers that were too good to refuse, that allows us to stay highly competitive this year and hopefully catapult into one of those top four powerhouse positions next year.”

Both Cecere and L’Esperance came to the Storm within the same week, via trades with Dubuque and Des Moines in 2012. They now leave the team as some of the better skaters in recent memory.

Cecere, an assistant captain, scored four goals and assisted on 27 others while in Kearney. He was a mainstay on defense, who was also a contributor on the power play.

“Garrett was a highly sought after player throughout the league but in particular with Sioux Falls,” said Hulton. “They’ve been heavy in their pursuit for a while. We were insistent that we have Valesano; he’s a player that we think has all the attributes of what we want to build. He’s got a huge work ethic, grit, character, leadership skills and we’ll have him for a year and a half as opposed to Garrett who is leaving next year.”

“The second round pick in the Phase I draft allowed us to address a lot of needs for our future in one deal.”

L’Esperance was the Storm’s leading scorer this season with 21 goals and 13 assists in 35 games. He finishes his career in Tri-City with 53 points in 86 games on 31 goals and 22 assists.

The Michigan Tech commit will stay in the Storm record books, as his total of 31 goals in under two seasons is 17th best all-time.

“This was also a very, very difficult deal for us,” Hulton said. “Anytime you move your leading scorer it is hard, but again the package sets us up for the future. There might be a little bit of short term pain for this one but there will be long term gain. Jake Wahlin is a highly regarded offensive player out of Minnesota. All of our reports both internal and external using NHL sources indicated that he was going to be a very high end producer immediately in this league. We also get a second round pick in the Phase II Draft which is hopefully someone who steps right in to our lineup.

Valesano is expected to join the team and dress for Tuesday night’s game in Lincoln. The Duluth, Minn. native is in his second season in the USHL, and has accumulated 12 goals and 23 assists for the Stampede in 90 games.

Wahlin, originally selected by Des Moines in the 2012 USHL Futures Draft, has starred at White Bear Lake and played for the United States at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament with current Storm forward Austin Poganski. The St. Paul, Minn. native is also committed to play collegiately at the University of Massachusetts.

The Storm will head to Lincoln on Tuesday night to face the Stars at 7:05 p.m. Tri-City will be back in Kearney to face the Sioux Falls Stampede on Friday and Saturday evening. Friday night’s game will get underway at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s contest will start at 7:05.

KEARNEY, Neb. – Joel L’Esperance scored his 20th and 21st goals of the season for the Tri-City Storm (12-21-2) but it wasn’t enough as the Dubuque Fighting Saints (21-10-1) pulled out a 5-3 victory on Saturday night at the Viaero Event Center.

Storm goaltender Hayden Lavigne made 40 saves, keeping Tri-City in the game, while defenseman Garrett Cecere recorded two assists.

Chris Wilkie also scored for Tri-City, upping his point streak to five games.

Dubuque took the lead on a power play goal by Jacob Benson at 11:56 of the first period, but the Storm tied it up when L’Esperance got his first tally of the night just 46 seconds later.

Christian Horn, back in the lineup after missing three games with an injury, found L’Esperance, who drove to the net and beat Dubuque netminder Kevin Reich with a shot to the upper right hand corner. Cecere picked up the second assist on the play.

The Fighting Saints took the lead in the second on a goal by Eric Robinson, and once again the Storm responded within a minute, re-tying the game.

This time it was Patrick Curry who found Wilkie at the center of the crease for a one-timer that went under Reich. The goal was the Omaha native’s ninth of the season. Center Chase Berger was credited with the second assist.

But Dubuque scored twice more later in the middle period, getting tallies from Seamus Malone and Robby Darrar to take a 4-2 lead at the end of two.

L’Esperance scored his second of the night at 2:17 of the third period to bring Tri-City within one goal at 4-3, but Tri-City never got over the hump.

An empty net goal for Shane Eiserman with less than two minutes remaining in the game sealed the win for Dubuque.

Reich made 28 saves for the Fighting Saints, winning his second game of the season.

Dubuque outshot Tri-City 45-31.

The Storm will head to Lincoln on Tuesday night to face the Stars at 7:05 p.m. Tri-City will be back in Kearney to face the Sioux Falls Stampede next weekend Jan. 24-25. Friday night’s game will get underway at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s contest will start at 7:05.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Thomas Aldworth, Joey DiBenedetto and Nick Hutchison, along with defensemen Kevin Kerr and Cutler Martin.…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
Dubuque – Jacob Benson (Robbie Darrar, Alexx Privitera) 11:56

Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance (Christian Horn, Garrett Cecere) 12:42

2nd Period

Dubuque – Eric Robinson (Karson Kuhlman, Dylan Gambrell) 8:37
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (Patrick Curry, Chase Berger) 9:05
Dubuque – Seamus Malone (unassisted) 11:17
Dubuque – Robbie Darrar (Jacob Benson, Seamus Malone) 14:24

3rd Period

Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance (Garrett Cecere, Garrett Gamez) 2:17
Dubuque – Shane Eiserman (empty net) (unassisted) 18:21

PENALTIES

1st Period
Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (Elbowing), 2 min, 10:53
Dubuque – Shane Eiserman – (Boarding), 2 min, 13:00

Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Tripping), 2 min, 15:34

2nd Period
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Tripping), 2 min, 19:23

3rd Period
Dubuque – Seamus Malone – (Holding), 2 min, 4:33
Tri-City – Tory Dello – (Kneeing), 2 min, 5:58
Tri-City – Austin Poganski – (Tripping), 2 min, 7:41
Dubuque – Alexx Privitera – (Slashing), 2 min, 8:48

Power Play

Dubuque – 1/5

Tri-City – 0/3

Shots

Dubuque: 18, 12, 15 = Total: 45

Tri-City: 10, 15, 6 = Total: 31

Saves

Dubuque – Kevin Reich – 28/31

Tri-City – Hayden Lavigne – 40/44

OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha Lancers (26-6-4) defeated the Tri-City Storm (12-20-2) 4-1 in the finale of the teams’ nine-game season series on Friday night at the Ralston Arena.

Garrett Gamez scored the lone goal for Tri-City in the loss, while goaltender Jacob Johansson made 30 saves in a losing effort.

The Lancers won their eighth game in nine matchups with the Storm this season. A year ago in 2012-13, Tri-City won six of the eight meetings.

Omaha took a 1-0 lead halfway through the first period when forward Brian Williams found room in the slot and beat Johansson for his fourth goal of the season.

In the opening frame, the Lancers outshot Tri-City 13-9 and took the one-goal lead into the first intermission.

Omaha added to their lead in the second when Nash Worden scored at 13:30 to make it 2-0 Lancers. Worden got a perfect feed in front of the net, where he was left open, and slammed the puck past the line.

Lancer forward Louie Rowe had the first assist on both of the Lancers first two goals.

Tri-City got their only goal of the evening with two minutes remaining in the middle frame and cut the Omaha lead to 2-1.

Forward Joel L’Esperance started the play, controlling the puck against multiple layers of the Lancer defense and making a cross-ice pass  to linemate Chris Wilkie. Wilkie moved in on net and dropped the puck off to Gamez for a point-blank shot. While Omaha netminder Hayden Hawkey made the initial save, Gamez picked up the rebound, moved around the sprawled out goaltender and fired it into the back of the net.

The goal was the fourth of the season for Gamez, who has been playing well for Tri-City over the past few weeks. Wilkie’s assist gives him a point in each of his last four games.

Trailing by just one goal to start the third, the Storm couldn’t break through against the Omaha defense and Hawkey to tie the game.

The Lancers got a goal from Ryan Tait just 3:36 into the third to make it 3-1, and sealed the win with an empty net goal by leading scorer Jake Randolph.

Hawkey finished the game with 21 saves won his sixth game of the year against Tri-City.

Omaha outshot the Storm 11-4 in the final period and finished with the edge in shots on goal, 34-22.

The Storm return home to face the Dubuque Fighting Saints at the Viaero Event Center Saturday night at7:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Thomas Aldworth, Christian Horn and Nick Hutchison, along with defensemen Kevin Kerr and Cutler Martin.…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
Omaha – Brian Williams (Louie Rowe) 9:23

2nd Period

Omaha – Nash Worden (Louie Rowe, Brian Williams) 13:30
Tri-City – Garrett Gamez (Chris Wilkie, Joel L’Esperance) 18:00

3rd Period

Omaha – Ryan Tait (Connor Light, Jimmy Schuldt) 3:36
Omaha – Jake Randoph (empty net) (Tyler Vesel, Gage Hough) 19:09

PENALTIES

1st Period
Tri-City – Nolan Aibel – (Cross Checking), 2 min, 2:27
Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (Tripping), 2 min, 16:24
Omaha – Bench Minor – (Too Many Men), 2 min, 17:34

2nd Period
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie – (Slashing), 2 min, 7:38
Omaha – Gage Hough – (Interference), 2 min, 7:50
Omaha – Ryan Tait – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 9:39
Omaha – Ryan Tait – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 10 min, 9:39
Tri-City – Nolan Gluchowski – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 14:48

3rd Period
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (High Sticking), 2 min, 5:45
Tri-City – Patrick Curry – (Roughing), 2 min, 9:17
Omaha – Nash Worden – (Slashing), 2 min, 9:17
Tri-City – Patrick Curry – (Delay of Game), 2 min, 15:45
Omaha – Nash Worden – (Delay of Game), 2 min, 15:45

Power Play

Tri-City – 0/3

Omaha – 0/5

Shots

Tri-City: 9, 9, 4 = Total: 22

Omaha: 13, 10, 11 = Total: 34

Saves

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – 30/33

Omaha – Hayden Hawkey – 21/22

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm are recognizing St. Louis Blues forward Jaden Schwartz along with the University of Denver’s Trevor Moore and Ferris State’s Jason Binkley as their alumni of the month.

Schwartz is having a breakout season for St. Louis, with 15 goals and 17 assists in 43 games. The forward has the third-best goal total on his team, which includes one game-winning strike.

Most impressively, Schwartz is currently leading the NHL in plus-minus, with a rating of plus-25.

The Wilcox, Sk. native suited up for the Storm during the 2009-10 season and scored 33 goals and 50 assists for 83 points in 60 games. Schwartz still owns many records including his single season marks for assists, points, power play goals, power play assists and shots on goal.

Moore, who played two seasons with the Storm from 2011-13, is enjoying success in his freshman season as a Pioneer. The forward is the leading scorer on the roster with nine goals and nine assists in 22 games.

A native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., Moore is 12th in the nation in freshman scoring with 0.82 points per game. His three game-winning goals are also 11th in the country.

In 111 games with Tri-City, Moore scored 32 goals and 63 assists. He was the Storm’s leading scorer a season ago with 63 points in 62 games.

Binkley, a junior at Ferris State, has been one of the squad’s most consistent blueliners throughout his college career. The defenseman has appeared in 23 games, and has registered three goals and 13 assists.

The Bulldogs are ranked No. 2 in this week’s USCHO.com poll and have a record of 17-3-3 this season. Binkley is 25th in the country in defensive scoring, averaging 0.70 points per game.

The Powell, Ohio native had four goals and 10 assists in 56 games during the 2010-11 season with Tri-City.

Tri-City’s next game will be their final matchup of the season with Omaha at the Ralston Arena on Friday night at 7:05 p.m.

The Storm will then return home to face the Dubuque Fighting Saints at the Viaero Event Center on Saturday, also at 7:05. Fans in attendance are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal and participate in the annual Teddy Bear Toss promotion. All bears tossed onto the ice will be donated to local kids in need.

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm will be skating outdoors at Libs Park from 6-7:30 p.m. on Jan. 30 in advance of their home games with Des Moines at the Viaero Event Center on Jan. 31 and Feb 1.

Various Storm players will partake in a hockey exhibition, demonstrating their hockey skills on the outdoor rink before skating with fans in attendance.

The event, which is weather permitting, will give fans in Hastings a chance to see the Storm in action as they prepare for their upcoming games.

Similar events have been held at Yanney Park in Kearney, and the Storm are hoping this will be a hit in Hastings.

“The new outdoor ice surface at Libs Park gives us a great opportunity to showcase our players in front of our loyal fans in Hastings,” said Kyle Means, Vice President of Marketing and Game Operations for the Storm. “We are always interested in engaging our fans in the local markets outside of Kearney, and we are very excited about this event.”

The Storm’s radio partner The Breeze 94.5 FM will also be on location at the event. All Tri-City games are broadcast live on the station, which is located in Hastings.

Ice skates will be provided for fans who wish to get on the ice and do not have their own.

Tri-City’s next game will be their final matchup of the season with Omaha at the Ralston Arena on Friday night at 7:05 p.m.

The Storm will then return home to face the Dubuque Fighting Saints at the Viaero Event Center on Saturday, also at7:05. Fans in attendance are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal and participate in the annual Teddy Bear Toss promotion. All bears tossed onto the ice will be donated to local kids in need.

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm’s Jerseys For a Cause program raised a total of $1,326 in the month of December. All of the proceeds have been donated to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Central Nebraska.

Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, the program benefits a different organization each month. At each home Tri-City Storm game, a limited edition pink jersey which was worn by the team on Oct. 4 against Sioux City is raffled off to fans who donate.

The program has continued into the new year and the funds raised during the six home games in January will be donated to the Phelps Memorial Healthcare association.

The Storm’s next home game is this Saturday night. Tri-City will take on the Eastern Conference’s Dubuque Fighting Saints at 7:05 p.m.

Saturday is also Teddy Bear Toss night. Fans who bring a bear to the game can throw it onto the ice after the Storm’s first goal. All of the bears will be collected and donated to local charities for kids in need.

Tri-City’s next game will be their final matchup of the season with Omaha at the Ralston Arena on Friday night at 7:05 p.m.

KEARNEY, Neb. – After injuries left Tri-City with just four healthy members of their defense for Saturday’s game with Sioux Falls, the Storm have traded for Fredric Larsson of the Youngstown Phantoms.

Larsson, who was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL Draft (111th overall), has appeared in 26 games for the Phantoms this season, registering a goal and four assists.

Hailing from Karlstad, Sweden, the defenseman becomes the second Swedish native on the Storm roster, joining goaltender Jacob Johansson.

Larsson will bring size to the back end, measuring in at six-foot four-inches and 170 pounds.

The 19-year-old defenseman is expected to join the team this week and dress for Friday’s game in Omaha.

In exchange for Larsson, the Storm will send Youngstown a sixth round pick in the 2014 USHL Phase II Draft.

The Storm will travel to Omaha for their final matchup of the season with the Lancers on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. Tri-City will then return home to face the Dubuque Fighting Saints at the Viaero Event Center on Saturday, also at 7:05.