KEARNEY, Neb. – During the annual Ag Appreciation Night last Saturday, the Tri-City Storm raised $622 for the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Scholarship Fund.

The KACC Ag Committee scholarship will go to a current high school senior wishing to pursue a career in agriculture.

For the third consecutive year the Storm partnered with the chamber and committee members to provide a rebate on a percentage of tickets purchased.

A reception sponsored by Landmark Implement was held prior to the game with over 150 attendees.

Corporations that helped contribute to this fund include Bank of the West, Contryman & Associates, CW Farms, Edward Jones, Farm Credit Services, First National Bank, Heartland Bank, Landmark Implement, NebraskaLand National Bank, NU Tech Seed, Town & Country Bank, and UNL Extension.

Tri-City is currently at the top of the USHL’s Western Conference with 70 points, one ahead of second place Sioux City.

The Storm will have a chance to clinch a playoff berth this weekend, hosting Des Moines for two games. Friday’s contest begins at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s is at 7:05.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011 or visit www.stormhockey.com.

KEARNEY, Neb. – With a win in either game this weekend against the Des Moines Buccaneers at the Viaero Event Center, the Tri-City Storm will secure a spot in the 2015 USHL Clark Cup Playoffs.

It would be the team’s first playoff berth since 2012, when they finished in sixth place in the Western Conference before a first round exit at the hands of the Waterloo Black Hawks.

A spot in this year’s postseason would also secure the team’s first home playoff game since April 9, 2010, a 5-4 overtime loss to the Omaha Lancers.

Through 52 games this season, the Storm have an overall record of 32-14-6 and have 70 points, which puts them at the top of the West.

The last time the team topped the 30-win mark during the regular season was in the 2006-07 campaign, finishing with 36 wins and in second place in the West Division. Tri-City defeated Sioux City in a seven game series in the first round before falling in a Round Robin Quarterfinal series.

Tri-City is currently tied with Cedar Rapids for second in the Anderson Cup race, with both teams trailing Youngstown by one point.

Five of the team’s final eight contests will be played in Kearney against Des Moines, Fargo and Cedar Rapids.

The USHL regular season ends on April 11, with the Clark Cup Playoffs set to begin the following week.

Friday’s game with Des Moines begins at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s gets underway at 7:05.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011 or visit www.stormhockey.com.

KEARNEY, Neb. – Although he’s still in his first season playing hockey in the United States, Tri-City Storm defenseman Mattias Goransson has made up his mind. He wants to stay.

Goransson has committed to play collegiately at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell with the River Hawks in the Hockey East conference.

A native of Grums, Sweden, Goransson visited the school’s campus last week and said it was all he needed to see.

“It was a great visit,” Goransson said “I really liked the campus and the rink was awesome. The players showed me around where they lived, and I really liked that everything was close.”

The defenseman has appeared in all 52 games this season for the Storm, scoring six goals and adding 19 assists for 25 points.

It has been an adjustment for the six-foot, three-inch blueliner, who had to learn to play on a smaller ice surface than what he was used to in Sweden. Goransson credited Tri-City assistant coach JB Bittner with helping him make the necessary changes.

“I’ve worked with JB almost every day it’s helped me improve my skills,” Goransson said. “The rink was new for me. It took time to get used to playing on the smaller ice but he’s really helped me get comfortable, be in the right position with my gap control, and protect myself when I get hit.

“You don’t have as much time here, but I can use my size here much more than I could on the bigger ice.”

Goransson, who played for Brynas J20 in Sweden during the 2013-14 season, said he values the chance to play at the next level while attending classes.

“It’s a big opportunity for me to combine school and hockey,” Goransson said. “You don’t have that opportunity in Sweden on a high level. It feels great to secure the next couple years, knowing what I’m going to do. I’m feeling good with it.”

Joining Storm forward Nick Master, who is already committed to play at UML, the two will become the fifth and sixth players in Storm history to move on to Lowell, and the first to wear a Redhawks sweater since Bill Eiserman in 2012. Bobby Robins, who made his NHL debut earlier this season with the Boston Bruins, played in Lowell from 2002-06 after spending the 2001-02 season in Kearney.

Including Goransson, Tri-City now has 19 players committed to play Division I college hockey.

Goransson is the sixth player on the roster to commit to a school in the Hockey East, joining Master, Tory Dello and Bobby Nardella (Notre Dame), Garrett Gamez (Providence College), and Christopher Brown (Boston College).

Tri-City leads the Western Conference with 70 points, and is one point behind the Youngstown Phantoms for the USHL lead with eight games remaining in the regular season.

“We want to win the Anderson Cup,” Goransson said. “We’re still in the race there. That’s exciting; we still have much to play for. We’re trying to make the best of it and get a good spot in the playoffs.”

The Storm will have a chance to clinch a playoff berth this weekend, hosting Des Moines for two games. Friday’s contest begins at 7:30 p.m., whileSaturday’s is at 7:05.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011 or visit www.stormhockey.com.

KEARNEY, Neb. – On the heels of Saturday night’s win that moved the team into first place in the Western Conference, Tri-City Storm players Chris Wilkie and Tory Dello have been recognized by the USHL league office as players of the week.

Wilkie was named Forward of the Week after accounting for seven points on two goals and five assists in the team’s three games, while Dello was named Defenseman of the Week after scoring his first two goals of the season, including the game-winning tally against Omaha on Saturday night.

A commit to the University of North Dakota, Wilkie leads the league with 31 goals in 51 games. The forward is currently riding a 5-game point streak in which he has nine points on four goals and five assists.

The Omaha native also leads the USHL in four other categories including power play goals (14), shots on goal (257), game-winning goals (7), and shootout goals (7).

Wilkie started off his week with a goal and an assist in a 6-1 win over the Stars in Lincoln on Tuesday. He then picked up assists on each of the Storm’s three goals during Friday night’s loss to Lincoln. Wilkie assisted on Dello’s game-winning goal Saturday, before scoring his 31st of the season for some insurance in the third period of a 5-3 victory.

A Notre Dame commit, Dello has two goals and 14 assists with a +9 rating in 48 games this season. The defenseman also has an active point streak of four games, with two goals and two assists to go along with a +3 rating.

Both skaters are in their second season with Tri-City and are receiving their first honors of the season from the league. Other Storm players who have been recognized during the 2014-15 season include defensemen Bobby Nardella and Mattias Goransson, as well as goaltender Alec Dillon.

Tri-City leads the Western Conference standings with 70 points, one ahead of Sioux City.

The Storm will have a chance to clinch a playoff berth this weekend, hosting Des Moines for two games. Friday’s contest begins at 7:30 p.m., whileSaturday’s is at 7:05.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011 or visit www.stormhockey.com.

KEARNEY, Neb. – Three unanswered third period goals helped the Tri-City Storm (32-14-6) defeat the Omaha Lancers (29-15-7) and move into first place in the USHL’s Western Conference with a 5-3 victory on Saturday night at the Viaero Event Center.

Storm captain Garrett Gamez led the way with four assists, while Nick Master scored his third goal of the weekend and Chris Wilkie notched his league leading 31st goal of the seson.

The Storm finished the season with a record of 4-2-2 against the Lancers, splitting the series with their in-state rival. After eight games played, each team had a total 205 shots on net.

Tri-City erased three Lancer leads in the game, and didn’t lead until 4:45 of the third period.

Omaha took their first advantage early on, getting an unassisted goal by Matthew Meier at 6:15 of the first.

The Storm responded when Nick Master scored his third goal of the weekend from Gamez and Christopher Brown at 15:10 to take a 1-1 game into the first intermission.

Steven Spinner game the Lancers their second lead at 7:30 of the second period, making it 2-1 on a rebound in front with assists from Meier and Ryan Donato.

Tri-City tied the game six minutes later on a goal by Vince Pedrie that hit off a Lancer skate in front and got past netminder Zach Driscoll. Gamez and Master were both rewarded with assists on the play.

But Omaha re-took the lead heading into the second intermission on a power play goal by Shane Gersich at 15:18 of the second period.

It was all Storm in the third, as Tri-City tied the game for the third time on a deflection by Chase Berger at 3:49 of the final period. Berger’s ninth goal of the season came from defenseman Kevin Kerr and forward Kyle Eastman.

Tory Dello gave the Storm a 4-3 lead less than a minute later, scoring his second goal of the season on a wrist shot that beat Driscoll low blocker side. Gamez found the Notre Dame commit for the first assist, while Wilkie earned the second helper on the go-ahead goal.

With their first lead all weekend, Tri-City got the insurance they needed from Wilkie at 11:18 of the third. The tally was the Omaha native’s fifth goal against his hometown team this season, which leads the team.

Gamez picked up his fourth first assist of the game on Wilkie’s strike, while Nick Master was credited with his third point of the evening with the second assist.

Storm goaltender Alec Dillon picked up the victory, making 25 saves in the win. The Victoria, B.C. native leads the USHL with a goals against average of 2.12, and has earned 21 victories in 36 appearances this season.

The Storm will have a chance to clinch a playoff berth next weekend when they host the Des Moines Buccaneers for two games in Kearney. Friday’sgame begins at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s starts at 7:05.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Matthew Freytag, Mason Appleton and Nolan Aibel…

 

SCORING SUMMARY

 

1st Period
Omaha – Matthew Meier (unassisted) 6:15
Tri-City – Nick Master (Garrett Gamez, Christopher Brown) 15:10

2nd Period

Omaha – Steven Spinner (Ryan Donato, Matthew Meier) 7:30
Tri-City – Vince Pedrie (Garrett Gamez, Nick Master) 13:37
Omaha – Shane Gersich (power play) (Steven Spinner, Louie Rowe) 15:18

 

3rd Period
Tri-City – Chase Berger (Kevin Kerr, Kyle Eastman) 3:49
Tri-City – Tory Dello (Garrett Gamez, Chris Wilkie) 4:45
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (Garrett Gamez, Nick Master) 11:18

PENALTIES

 

1st Period
Tri-City – Bench Minor – (Too Many Men), 2 min, 1:11
Omaha – Anthony Angello – (Cross Checking), 2 min, 3:11

2nd Period
Omaha – Jake Henderson – (Slashing), 2 min, 10:47
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin – (Tripping), 2 min, 14:52
Omaha – Steven Spinner – (Tripping), 2 min, 18:00
Tri-City – Conner Valesano – (Roughing), 4 min, 20:00
Omaha – Jake Henderson – (Roughing), 4 min, 20:00

3rd Period
Tri-City – Tory Dello – (Cross Checking), 2 min, 12:30

Power Play

Omaha – 1/3

Tri-City – 0/3

Shots

Omaha: 8, 12, 8 = Total: 28
Tri-City: 8, 16, 4 = Total: 28

Saves
Omaha – Zach Driscoll – 23/28
Tri-City – Alec Dillon – 25/28

KEARNEY, Neb. – Sean MacTavish scored his first two career USHL goals and added an assist as the Lincoln Stars (16-29-5) held off the Tri-City Storm (31-14-6) by a score of 4-3 in the teams’ final meeting of the season on Friday night at the Viaero Event Center.

Storm forward Nick Master scored twice in the defeat, while defenseman Bobby Nardella added a goal and an assist and Chris Wilkie picked up helpers on all three Tri-City goals.

Just as they did at the Ice Box on Tuesday night, Lincoln took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, getting a goal from Dominick Sacco at 11:10 of the opening frame. Assists on the tally went to MacTavish and Biagio Lerario.

The Stars widened their advantage early on in the middle frame when Ethan Price made it 2-0 with a goal at 1:40 of the period from Lerario.

But less than two minutes later, Nardella put one top shelf and cut Lincoln’s lead in half with his seventh goal of the season. Wilkie had the first assist on the strike, while Jake Wahlin recorded his fifth point in the past two games with the second assist.

MacTavish responded with his first USHL goal to make it 3-1 at 4:45 of the second.

Then Master got on the board with his first of the evening by putting home a rebound on the power play to cut the score to 3-2. Nardella had the initial shot and the first assist for Tri-City, while Wilkie picked up the second helper on the play.

The eventual game-winner was scored at 9:27 of the second by MacTavish from both Lerario and Sacco.

After Lincoln’s fourth goal, Storm Head Coach Jim Hulton replaced starting goaltender Jared Rutledge with Alec Dillon. Rutledge allowed four goals on 18 shots, while Dillon remained in the game for the rest of the way and made 11 stops.

Tri-City made it a one-goal game for the third time when Master scored his 21st of the season off a perfect feed from Wilkie on a rush into the Lincoln end. Tory Dello was credited with the second assist, his 14th of the season.

The Storm had chances to tie it in the final minutes, and pulled Dillon for the final 1:33 of the contest, but couldn’t get an equalizer past Lincoln netminder Cam Hackett.

Hackett finished the game with 41 saves and picked up his 12th victory of the season.

The Storm finished the season with a record of 6-1-1 against Lincoln.

After the loss, Tri-City remains one point behind the Sioux City Musketeers for the top spot in both the conference and the USHL.

The Storm will finish the home weekend with a battle against the Omaha Lancers Saturday night at the Viaero Event Center. Puck drop scheduled for7:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Kyle Eastman and Mason Appleton, along with defenseman Jason Krych…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
Lincoln – Dominick Sacco (Sean MacTavish, Biagio Lerario) 11:10

2nd Period

Lincoln – Ethan Price (Biagio Lerario) 1:40
Tri-City – Bobby Nardella (Chris Wilkie, Jake Wahlin) 3:28
Lincoln – Sean MacTavish (Grant Jozefek) 4:45
Tri-City – Nick Master (power play) (Bobby Nardella, Chris Wilkie) 6:04
Lincoln – Sean MacTavish (Biagio Lerario, Dominick Sacco) 9:27
Tri-City – Nick Master (Chris Wilkie, Tory Dello) 16:41

3rd Period
(no scoring)

PENALTIES

1st Period
Lincoln – Luke Jaycox – (Tripping), 2 min, 3:26
Tri-City – Vince Pedrie – (Holding), 2 min, 17:18

2nd Period
Lincoln – Bench Minor – (Too Many Men), 2 min, 5:40

3rd Period
Lincoln – Ludvig Hoff – (Hooking), 2 min, 0:23
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie – (Diving), 2 min, 0:23
Lincoln – Cam Lee – (Slashing), 2 min, 1:44
Tri-City – Dan Labosky – (Boarding), 2 min, 1:44
Lincoln – Ryan Jones – (Hooking), 2 min, 5:58
Lincoln – Ludvig Hoff – (Tripping), 2 min, 10:41

Power Play

Lincoln – 0/1

Tri-City – 1/4

Shots

Lincoln: 12, 10, 7 = Total: 29
Tri-City: 16, 12, 16 = Total: 44

Saves
Lincoln – Cam Hackett – 41/44
Tri-City – Jared Rutledge – 14/18, Alec Dillon – 11/11

LINCOLN, Neb. – Jake Wahlin led the way with a four-point night as the Tri-City Storm (31-13-6) used goals from six different scorers to defeat the Lincoln Stars (15-29-5) 6-1 on Tuesday night at the Ice Box.

Chris Wilkie became the first USHL player to reach the 30-goal plateau this season with a third period tally, while Wahlin and Matthew Freytag each scored and reached the 30-point mark in the victory.

The Storm are now 6-0-1 against Lincoln this season, with the teams’ final battle coming on Friday night in Kearney.

The Stars scored their only goal at 7:07 of the first period to take a 1-0 lead when Ludvig Hoff beat Storm goalie Alec Dillon on a partial breakaway.

Dillon stopped everything that came his way after the early tally, and finished with 17 saves to earn the win.

Tri-City tied the game in the second period on Freytag’s 15th goal of the year at the 11:10 mark. The forward finished off a perfect passing play started by Nick Master at the top of the Lincoln zone. After keeping the puck in, Master found Gamez open down low. The captain then swung a pass over to Freytag, who was in perfect position for a tap-in goal.

Less than two minutes later, Wahlin got on the board, wristing a shot past the glove of Lincoln netminder Peyton Jones. Chase Berger and Wilkie were credited with assists on the tally.

Gamez was next to strike, deflecting a puck home on the Storm’s only power play of the evening. Wahlin served the pass to the forward in front, while defenseman Bobby Nardella was credited with the second assist.

Although, not on the scoresheet, Storm forward Nolan Aibel made his presence felt in the contest by dropping his gloves with Lincoln’s James LaDouce for his first career fight late in the second period.

In the third period, Wilkie made it 4-1 with his 30th of the year from Wahlin and Berger at 6:16.

Then it was defenseman Tory Dello who got in on the act, scoring his first goal of the season on a shot from the point. Assists on his tally went to Nardella and forward Christopher Brown.

Finally Tri-City made it 6-1 on Chase Berger’s eighth of the season with assists from Wahlin and defenseman Jason Krych.

With the win, Tri-City earned two more points in the Western Conference standings and are now just a single point behind the Sioux City Musketeers for the top spot in both the conference and the USHL.

The Storm and Lincoln will finish off their eight-game season series on Friday night in Kearney at the Viaero Event Center at 7:30 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Kyle Eastman, Mason Appleton and Joel Herbert…

 

SCORING SUMMARY

 

1st Period
Lincoln – Ludvig Hoff (Ethan Price, Waltteri Hopponen) 7:07

2nd Period

Tri-City – Matthew Freytag (Garrett Gamez, Nick Master) 11:10
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin (Chase Berger, Chris Wilkie) 12:35
Tri-City – Garrett Gamez (power play) (Jake Wahlin, Bobby Nardella) 17:12

 

3rd Period
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (Jake Wahlin, Chase Berger) 6:16
Tri-City – Tory Dello (Bobby Nardella, Christopher Brown) 9:48
Tri-City – Chase Berger (Jason Krych, Jake Wahlin) 17:48

PENALTIES

 

1st Period
(no penalties)

2nd Period
Lincoln – James LaDouce – (Fighting), 5 min, 16:40
Lincoln – James LaDouce – (Fighting) (Misconduct), 10 min, 16:40
Tri-City – Nolan Aibel – (Fighting), 5 min, 16:40
Tri-City – Nolan Aibel – (Fighting) (Misconduct), 10 min, 16:40
Lincoln – Patrick Polino – (Roughing), 2 min, 17:04
Tri-City – Mattias Goransson – (Tripping), 2 min, 18:55

3rd Period
Tri-City – Tory Dello – (Holding), 2 min, 3:25
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie – (Slashing), 2 min, 15:05
Tri-City – Mattias Goransson – (High Sticking), 2 min, 20:00

Power Play

Tri-City – 1/1

Lincoln – 0/3

Shots

Tri-City: 13, 16, 5 = Total: 34
Lincoln: 5, 7, 6 = Total: 18

Saves
Tri-City – Alec Dillon – 17/18
Lincoln – Peyton Jones – 28/34

KEARNEY, Neb. – During the final month of the regular season, the Tri-City Storm will be bringing in some of their high school affiliate players to spend time with the team in Kearney.

Among those will be defenseman Cameron Dineen, the team’s first round pick in the 2014 USHL Phase I Draft, who will be with the team for the remainder of the year.

Affiliate players are selected during the USHL Draft, but play elsewhere during the season. USHL teams maintain the rights to their affiliate players and use them to play on a part-time basis until they are ready to be placed on the roster full-time.

Dineen has spent his year with the New Jersey Rockets in the EHL, leading his team in scoring with 41 points in 39 games on 11 goals and 30 assists. A native of Toms River, N.J., Dineen is committed to play his college hockey at Yale University.

Other affiliates expected to spend time with the team during the final month of the season include Brian Hawkinson, Austen Long, Johnny McDermott, Jack McNeely, Carson Meyer, Sam Sternschein, and Bryan Yoon.

In the coming weeks, the Storm will have more information about some of their affiliate players, who are having big years on the ice in preparation for their time with the team in the USHL.

Tri-City has 11 games remaining in the 2014-15 season, and will play seven more contests in Kearney at the Viaero Event Center.

The Storm are back in action Tuesday night in Lincoln at 7:05 p.m., before returning to the VEC for a pair of games this weekend to finish their season series with both Lincoln and Omaha.

Friday night’s game with the Stars starts at 7:30, while Saturday’s tilt vs. the Lancers begins at 7:05.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011 or visit www.stormhockey.com.