SIOUX CITY, Ia. – The Sioux City Musketeers (9-2-1) scored two goals in each period and defeated the Tri-City Storm (4-6-2) 6-1 at the Tyson Events Center on Saturday night.

Forward Ross Olsson scored his first goal of the season for Tri-City in the loss, while defenseman Jalen Schulz got his first point of the year, picking up an assist on the lone Storm goal of the night.

The Musketeers got ahead with an early goal by Trevor Olson, but took control of the game when Cedric LaCroix deflected a puck into the Storm net with only one-tenth of a second remaining on the clock. Sioux City had themselves a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission and never looked back from there.

In the beginning of the middle period Tri-City had their chances against Musketeer goaltender Kyle Hayton, but the Storm were unable to convert on their opportunities.

At 9:15 of the second Waltteri Hopponen scored his first goal of the season for Sioux City and then Brandon Hawkins followed that up with his ninth tally of the season at 16:07. The Muskies had opened up the game and taken a 4-0 lead.

Tri-City got some life just over a minute later however, when forward Chris Wilkie made a nice pass and found Olsson open in the offensive zone on a rush. The Billerica, Mass. native made a nice deke to get Hayton out of position and backhanded a shot to the top right corner of the net for his first goal in a Storm uniform. Schulz, who initiated the play, passing to Wilkie, was credited with the second assist.

But the Storm were unable to get any closer and allowed a goal to Jake Montgomery just 19 seconds into the final period. With that, Storm head coach Josh Hauge elected to switch goaltenders, taking out starter Jacob Johansson in favor of Hayden Lavigne.

Lavigne made seven saves during his 19 minutes in net, but allowed one final goal to Olson, his second of the night.

Johansson finished with 13 saves, while Hayton made 30 stops for the Musketeers.

The Storm will return home on Nov. 8 to face the Omaha Lancers at the Viaero Event Center. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.
Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Austin Poganski, Joey DiBenedetto, Chase McMurphy and Ryan McMurphy. Forward Drew Mayer was also scratched, serving a suspension.…

 

SCORING SUMMARY

 1st Period

Sioux City – Trevor Olson (Adam Johnson, Tyler Mueller) 4:51

Sioux City – Cedric Lacroix (Dillon Eichstadt, Austin Adduono) 19:59

2nd Period

Sioux City – Waltteri Hopponen (Adam Johnson, Jake Montgomery) 9:15

Sioux City – Brandon Hawkins (Dylan Plitt, Nikolas Olsson) 16:07
Tri-City – Ross Olsson (Chris Wilkie, Jalen Schulz) 17:01

3rd Period

Sioux City – Jake Montgomery (Waltteri Hopponen, Adam Johnson) 0:19

Sioux City – Austin Adduono (Cedric Lacroix, Terrance Amorosa) 16:25

PENALTIES

 1st Period

Tri-City – Nolan Gluchowski – (Interference), 2 min, 2:40

Tri-City – Nolan Gluchowski – (Interference), 2 min, 11:55

2nd Period

Sioux City – Kyle Schmidt – (Roughing) (Double Minor) 4 min, 0:17
Tri-City – Nolan Gluchowski – (Roughing) (Double Minor) 4 min, 0:17
Sioux City – Jake Montgomery – (Roughing), 2 min, 12:30

3rd Period
Tri-City – Kevin Kerr – (Diving), 2 min, 9:57

Sioux City – Nikolas Olsson – (Hooking), 2 min, 9:57

Sioux City – Trevor Olson – (Hooking), 2 min, 17:35

Power Play

Tri-City – 0/2

Sioux City – 0/2

Shots
Tri-City: 7, 12, 12 = Total: 31

Sioux City: 8, 9, 9 = Total: 26

Saves

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – 13/18, Hayden Lavigne – 7/8
Sioux City – Kyle Hayton – 30/31

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm (4-5-2) took care of business Friday night at the Viaero Event Center, shutting out the Lincoln Stars (2-4-4) 3-0. Thomas Aldworth, Chase Berger and Tory Dello all scored goals in the Storm’s second win over Lincoln this season.

Storm goaltender Jacob Johansson made 33 saves in the winning effort, recording his second shutout of the 2013-14 season.

Both teams kept each other off the board in the opening period and the game was scoreless heading into the first intermission.

In the second period, the Storm took control of the game. Tri-City dominated possession, keeping the puck in the Lincoln end and giving Bitzer all he could handle in the first half of the frame.

A crafty pass in front of the net by Kyle Eastman to an open Thomas Aldworth put the Storm up 1-0 four minutes into the period. It was the second goal of the season for the Keller, Tex. native. With the assist, Eastman picked up his first point of the year.

Johansson was forced to come up big after his team was whistled for covering up a loose puck in the crease and a penalty shot was awarded to the Stars. Lincoln forward John Simonson was given the chance, but Johansson held his ground, making a blocker save and keeping the score 1-0.

Later in the frame, with Tri-City killing a penalty, Dan Labosky won a race to a loose puck in the Lincoln end and found a streaking Chase Berger, who was open on the rush. Berger then sent a screamer under Bitzer and into the net for a shorthanded goal.

For Berger, who hails from St. Louis, it was his third goal on the young season and it vaulted Tri-City to a 2-0 after 40 minutes of play.

In the final period Lincoln was in full attack mode against Johansson as they attempted a comeback. The Stockholm, Sweden native proved to be up to the task, recording his second shutout of the season in front of a loud crowd in Kearney.

An open net goal that took a funky bounce sealed the win for the Storm and gave Tory Dello his first career USHL goal.

Tri-City will take to the road and wrap up their three-game week against the Sioux City Musketeers on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. The Storm will return home on Nov. 8 to face Omaha. Puck drop is at 7:30.
Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Austin Poganski, Joey DiBenedetto, Chase McMurphy and Drew Mayer. Forward Ross Olsson was also scratched, serving a four-game suspension.…

 SCORING SUMMARY

 

1st Period

(no scoring)

 

2nd Period

Tri-City – Thomas Aldworth (Kyle Eastman, Tory Dello) 4:35

Tri-City – Chase Berger (shorthanded) (Dan Labosky) 17:47

 

3rd Period

Tri-City – Tory Dello (empty net) (Joel L’Esperance, Christian Horn) 17:41

PENALTIES

 

1st Period
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Tripping), 2 min, 1:17

Tri-City – Cutler Martin – (Holding), 2 min, 10:46

Lincoln – Zack Pittman – (Holding), 2 min, 13:24

Tri-City – Cutler Martin – (Head Contact), 2 min, 19:57

 

2nd Period
Lincoln – Connor Chambers – (Elbowing), 2 min, 5:36

Lincoln – Connor Frantti – (Fighting), 5 min, 12:39

Tri-City – Steven Haydon – (Fighting), 5 min, 12:39

Tri-City – Sean Lang – (Slashing), 2 min, 17:36
3rd Period
Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (Head Contact), 2 min, 5:48

Lincoln – Luke Voltin – (Hooking), 2 min, 9:32

Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (Cross Checking), 2 min, 15:24

 

Power Play

Lincoln – 0/6

Tri-City – 0/3

 

Shots
Lincoln: 10, 10, 13 = Total: 33

Tri-City: 8, 9, 8 = Total: 25

 

Saves

Lincoln – Michael Bitzer – 22/24

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – 33/33

KEARNEY, Neb. – Christian Horn tallied four points, while his center Joel L’Esperance scored his third and fourth goals of the season as the Tri-City Storm (3-5-2) ended their six-game losing streak, defeating the Waterloo Black Hawks (7-3-0) 4-2 on Wednesday night at the Viaero Event Center.

Storm goaltender Jacob Johansson was magnificent once again for the Storm, making 34 saves on a Waterloo team that continued to throw the puck that the net.

Forwards Drew Mayer and Joel L’Esperance put the Storm on the board in the opening period and allowed their team to take control of the game. For Mayer, it was his first goal of the season in his tenth game wearing a Storm sweater.

The Troy, Mich. native took a pass from Horn just over the opposing blue line and wristed the puck over the left shoulder of Waterloo goaltender Mathias Israelsson and into the net to give Tri-City a 1-0 lead.

L’Esperance added to the lead later in the frame on another play started by Horn, who sprung linemate Dan Labosky free in front of the Waterloo net. Labosky then set up L’Esperance, who was all alone and made it count, extending the Storm lead to 2-0.

Midway through the second, Christian Horn joined in on the Storm offensive attack, scoring his first goal of the season to make it 3-0. Horn finished his first game in front of the Kearney faithful with one goal and three assists. Assists on the play were given to Cecere and Labosky.

But the Black Hawks bounced back, scoring two straight goals of their own to make it 3-2. Within two minutes of one another, Alec McCrea and Brandon Salerno each slipped the puck past Johansson and tightened the game up going into third period.

In danger of extending the losing streak, the Storm entered the third period determined to pick up win number three of the season by playing hard nose defense against the Black Hawks.

Waterloo kept it interesting, as they put 16 shots on net, but Johansson came through when his team needed him most.

After a slow beginning to the period, L’Esperance scored his second goal of the night and the Storm never looked back. Once again with assists from Labosky and Horn, the Brighton, Mich. native found the net for the fourth time this season to put the Storm up 4-2 with 8:26 left in the game.

With only minutes remaining, Waterloo pulled goalie Mathias Israelsson and sent six players on the ice in hopes of a comeback. Johansson proved to be too much as he picked up his third win on the young season.

Tri-City will stay at home in Kearney to face the Lincoln Stars on Friday night at the Viaero Event Center. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Austin Poganski, Joey DiBenedetto, Chase McMurphy and Steven Haydon. Forward Ross Olsson was also scratched, serving a four-game suspension.…

 

 SCORING SUMMARY

 1st Period

Tri-City – Drew Mayer (power play) (Christian Horn, Garrett Cecere) 7:59

Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance (Dan Labosky, Christian Horn) 14:34

2nd Period

Tri-City – Christian Horn (Garrett Cecere, Dan Labosky) 9:42
Waterloo – Alec McCrea (power play) (Ryan Cloonan, Nick Olczyk) 16:07

Waterloo – Brandon Salerno (Nick Olczyk, Ryan Cloonan) 17:28

3rd Period

Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance (Dan Labosky, Christian Horn) 11:34

 

PENALTIES

 1st Period

Tri-City – Christian Horn – (Tripping), 2 min, 4:54

Waterloo – Mark Friedman – (Interference), 2 min, 6:20

Tri-City – Drew Mayer – (Elbowing), 2 min, 11:28

Waterloo – Brandon Montour – (Slashing), 2 min, 15:40

2nd Period

Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Interference), 2 min, 2:12

Waterloo – Derek Pratt – (Interference), 2 min, 4:58

Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance – (High Sticking), 2 min, 10:38

Waterloo – Blake Winiecki – (Charging), 2 min, 11:59
Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (Tripping), 2 min, 15:40

3rd Period
Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance – (Tripping), 2 min, 6:32

Tri-City – Sean Lang – (Holding), 2 min, 15:40

Tri-City – Nolan Gluchowski – (Roughing), 2 min, 19:54

Waterloo – Zach Sanford – (Roughing), 2 min, 19:54

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – (Roughing), 2 min, 19:54

Power Play

Tri-City – 1/4

Waterloo – 1/8

 

Shots

Tri-City: 11, 10, 9 = Total: 30

Waterloo: 8, 12, 16 = Total: 36

 

Saves

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – 34/36

Waterloo – Mathias Israellsson – 26/30

LINCOLN, Neb. – After the Tri-City Storm (2-4-2) defeated the Lincoln Stars (2-2-4) on opening night back on Sept. 28 in Kearney, Lincoln got the revenge they were seeking in the teams’ second battle of the season, knocking off Tri-City 6-1 at the Ice Box on Friday night.

Storm forward Joel L’Esperance scored his second goal of the season in defeat for Tri-City. The Brighton, Mich. native’s second goal in as many games was set up by Drew Mayer and Cutler Martin.

The Stars scored two goals in all three periods, taking control of the game early and never letting off the gas pedal, outshooting Tri-City 44-31.

Lincoln’s first goal was the lone power play tally of the night, scored by forward Luke Voltin. The Stars went up 2-0 with just 35 seconds remaining in the opening frame when Hunter Anderson scored his first goal of the season.

John Simonson and Tommy Marchin also registered goals for Lincoln before L’Esperance gave Tri-City some momentum late in the second period.

L’Esperance’s goal also gave Mayer his first point of the season, while Martin picked up his fourth assist of the year.

Tri-City had chances to get back in the game in the third, but were unable to convert on the power play, finishing the night 0-7 on the man-advantage.

Hayden Lavigne got his second start in net and made 20 saves on 23 shots before being pulled in favor of Jacob Johansson. The Stockholm, Sweden native made 18 saves on 21 shots while playing the final 33 minutes of the game.

The Storm now head to Omaha to face the Lancers for the first time this season at the Ralston Arena on Saturdaynight at 7:05 p.m. Tri-City will then return home to take on the Waterloo Black Hawks on October 30 at the Viaero Event Center, also at 7:05.
Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nick Hutchison, Steven Haydon, Joey DiBenedetto and defenseman Sean Lang. Forward Ross Olsson was also scratched, serving a four-game suspension.…

KEARNEY, Neb. – Tri-City Storm head coach and general manager Josh Hauge announced the club will add forward Christian Horn to the roster for the remainder of the 2013-14 season on Thursday.

Horn started his season as a redshirt freshman at the University of Minnesota but decided to leave the team to play in the USHL. He will give the Storm added depth and talent as a forward with collegiate hockey experience.

“I think he’s going to bring a high level of skill,” Hauge said. “He is extremely excited to play and is going to bring a lot of energy right away. I think he’ll be a leader and a guy that can score some big goals for us. He’s been practicing and playing every day with unbelievable hockey players so he’s going to be prepared.”

The Plymouth, Minn. native played his high school hockey at Benilde St. Margaret’s with Storm forward Dan Labosky, winning a Minnesota state class AA title in 2012. Horn served as the team captain and finished school with team records for career points (207) and assists (127).

After a 4-0-0 start to their season, Minnesota is currently ranked No. 1 in both major college hockey polls.

The move, similar to one the Storm made last season to add Trevor Mingoia from Union College, comes exactly one year to the day that Hauge brought in the talented forward. Mingoia played in 43 games last season with the Storm, scoring 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 points. He is now a member of the Providence College Friars.

Hauge also announced three trades as corresponding moves with the addition of Horn.

Tri-City has traded a fifth round draft pick in the 2014 Phase I Draft for defenseman Sean Lang of the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Lang played in nine games for the Jacks this year, registering four assists, 10 shots and four penalty minutes.

The blueliner is a native of Apple Valley, Minn., and spent last season with Coulee Region in the North American Hockey League. With Coulee, Lang played in 55 games, scoring seven goals and assisting on 14 others. He also had 40 penalty minutes and finished the season with a +6 rating.

The Storm have also traded forward Robbie Payne to the Chicago Steel in exchange for future considerations. Payne had an assist and 20 shots on goal in five games with Tri-City this season.

Finally, the Storm have dealt defenseman Thomas Delaney to the Minnesota Magicians of the NAHL for undisclosed compensation. Delaney played in seven games with Tri-City this season. He didn’t register a point, but had two fighting majors and 18 penalty minutes along with five shots on goal.

“Sean is a defenseman who is going to round out our defensive core,” Hauge said. He can be dependable and move pucks. We wish Robbie and Thomas the best; they’re both great people and I hope they have a lot of success in the future.”

Horn and Lang are expected to join the team on Thursday for practice and will be available to play when Tri-City hits the road this weekend.

The Storm will be in Lincoln to face the Stars on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. The team will then make the short trip to play the Omaha Lancers on Saturday night at the Ralston Arena, also at 7:05 p.m.

The Storm are back in Kearney on Wednesday, October 30 to face Waterloo on Zombie Night at the Viaero Event Center. Face-off is at 7:05 p.m.

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm (2-3-2) fell short on Duck Dynasty night at the Viaero Event Center, taking a tie game into the third period but losing 7-4 to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (5-1-0).

Joel L’Esperance and Steven Haydon scored their first goals of the season for Tri-City in the loss, while Chase Berger and Austin Poganski also added tallies in the Storm’s highest offensive output of the season to date.

Jack Rowe opened the scoring for the RoughRiders just 3:58 into the game, beating Storm goaltender Jacob Johansson for the first of his two goals on the night. Cedar Rapids took a 1-0 lead into the locker room after the opening period.

The Storm got back into the game in the second however, getting goals from Berger and Poganski which gave them the lead.

Berger found the net for the second time this season at 2:54 of the middle frame, taking a pass from Ross Olsson to beat RoughRiders’ goalie Chris Birdsall. With the assist, Olsson picked up his first point in a Storm uniform against his former team.

Later while the Storm were shorthanded after a slashing call on Drew Mayer, Poganski and Ryan McMurphy found themselves on a rush. McMurphy put a pass right on Poganski’s stick and the forward wristed the puck into the top right corner of the net, beating Birdsall glove side for the Storm’s first shorthanded tally of the season.

That goal gave the Storm a 2-1 lead and lots of momentum to go with it. But a late penalty to Cutler Martin for holding gave Cedar Rapids a power play and the RoughRiders cashed in as Rowe tied the game with his second of the night.

The game didn’t stay knotted for long as Alec Marsh scored 1:22 into the final period and gave Cedar Rapids the lead for good.

The RoughRiders got five goals in the third to take over the game and control play.

L’Esperance found the back of the net for the first time this season on the Storm’s only power play opportunity later in the period.

Tri-City forward Steven Haydon also got in on the scoring, putting home his first goal as a member of the Storm with just over three minutes remaining in the game.

The Storm will hit the road next week for two games in Lincoln and Omaha on Friday and Saturday night. Tri-City returns home to take on the Waterloo Black Hawks on October 30 at the Viaero Event Center at 7:05 p.m.
Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nick Hutchison, Thomas Aldworth, Joey DiBenedetto, Kyle Eastman and defenseman Garrett Cecere.…

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Des Moines Buccaneers (2-4-1) scored six goals en route to their second win of the season on Friday night at the Viaero Event Center, defeating the Tri-City Storm (2-2-2) by a final score of 6-2.

Storm forward Austin Poganski scored both Tri-City goals on power plays in defeat. Poganski now has three goals in his last two games and leads the team in scoring with four total points in five games.

Poganski had the only goal of the opening period, putting Tri-City on top 1-0 with 6:21 remaining in the first. With the Storm on the power play, defenseman Nolan Gluchowski took a shot off a pass from forward Dan Labosky. Poganski was in front of the net to redirect it past Des Moines netminder Ryan Ruck and gave the Kearney boys the early lead.

But the tide turned in the second, as the Buccaneers scored three unanswered goals to take control of the game.

Des Moines forward Willem Nong-Lambert had a big night, scoring the first two Buccaneer goals of the second to give his team the lead. Another tally was added later in the frame by Ryan Galt, and Tri-City was trailing 3-1 to start the third.

A fight off the opening draw in the final period between the Storm’s Drew Mayer and Garrett Cockerill didn’t change the momentum, as Des Moines was able to score again just 24 seconds later when Daniel Elser found the back of the net on a delayed penalty.

Poganski scored another power play tally with 7:44 remaining to bring the Storm closer but it wasn’t enough.

Both teams were able to score twice with the man advantage, Tri-City going 2-for-7 and Des Moines finishing 2-for-12 on the night.

The Storm are back at the Viaero Event Center Saturday night to take on the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The game gets underway at 7:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Robbie Payne, Joey DiBenedetto, Steven Haydon, Kyle Eastman and defenseman Garrett Cecere.…

KEARNEY, Neb. – It took a shootout to decide a winner once again at the Viaero Event Center on Saturday night, as the Waterloo Black Hawks (4-1-0) squeaked past the Tri-City Storm (2-1-2) by a final score of 3-2.

Tri-City got goals from forwards Austin Poganski and Thomas Aldworth, while goaltender Jacob Johansson had another outstanding night between the pipes, making 53 saves.

After a scoreless opening period, the Storm were able to survive falling behind twice during the second, as Waterloo took two separate leads during the middle frame.

The Black Hawks wasted no time once they got out of the locker room for the second, scoring just 10 seconds into the new period. After winning the faceoff and moving into the Storm end, Zach Sanford deflected a Mark Friedman shot past Johansson for the first tally of the night.

Waterloo wanted more, taking control of the first few minutes of the period, but Johansson would have none of it and kept the score 1-0.

The Storm were able to tie up the game nine minutes later with a power play strike from Poganski. While on the man advantage, Chase Berger found the forward from St. Paul, Minn. open in front for his first goal of the season. Linemate Chris Wilkie picked up the second assist on the play.

Before the end of the second the Black Hawks retook the lead on a power play goal by Hayden Shaw at 12:36.

Down a goal in the final period, the Storm found what they needed when Aldworth found a loose puck and took off, streaking down the ice. Ahead of the play, he fired a shot past Waterloo netminder Mathias Israelsson to tie the game and give Tri-City some momentum.

Both sides had chances late but neither could break a 2-2 tie and the game headed to a shootout.

Waterloo forward Patrick Russell was the only player who converted in the shootout and he sent the Black Hawks home with a 3-2 victory.

Johansson continued his dominance in his fourth career USHL game, making key saves at important times, but fell just short in the shootout.

The Storm are back at the Viaero Event Center next week for two more home games. The first tilt is on Friday against the Des Moines Buccaneers at 7:30 p.m. and the action continues Saturday with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders at 7:05.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Robbie Payne, Joey DiBenedetto, Nick Hutchison, Chase McMurphy and defenseman Garrett Cecere.…

KEARNEY, Neb. – Sioux City (2-2-1) got goals from six different forwards on their way to their second win of the season at the Viaero Event Center, defeating the Tri-City Storm  (2-1-1) 6-1 on Friday night.

The lone Tri-City tally was scored by forward Chris Wilkie, who collected his first goal in a Storm sweater.

The Musketeers took the initial lead on a power play goal from Jared Thomas at 13:45 of the first period. It was their first of three man-advantage goals on the evening.

But the Storm battled back in what was an even first period, getting the goal from Wilkie in the final two minutes of the opening frame to knot the score at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.

Things changed in the second period however, as Sioux City scored four unanswered goals in the middle frame to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Musketeer scorers in the second included Adam Johnson, Avery Peterson, Jake Montgomery and Kyle Schmidt.

The Storm couldn’t dig themselves out of that hole in the third, allowing one final goal to Joe Snively and fell 6-1.

Hayden Lavigne made 39 saves, taking the loss in his USHL debut, while Connor Girard picked up his first win of the year for the Musketeers, making 31 saves.

The Musketeers went 3-7 with the man advantage, while Tri-City was held off the board, going 0-4.

The Storm are back at the Viaero Event Center on Saturday night to host Waterloo in Fire and Ice Night at 7:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Ross Olsson, Steven Haydon, Joey DiBenedeto, Thomas Aldworth and defenseman Garrett Cecere.…