Lincoln Stars
The Lincoln Stars are a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team playing in the West Division of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
The Stars' home ice is the Ice Box, on the Nebraska State Fair grounds and adjacent to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The Stars came to Lincoln in the fall of 1996 and became an overnight sensation in Nebraska's capital city. Led by fiery Derek Reynolds and future Ottawa Senator and San Jose Shark Josh Langfeld, the Stars posted a 40-13-1 regular season record, the best expansion season in USHL history. The Stars continued their domination through the playoffs, losing just two playoff games en route to winning the Clark Cup. More impressive, however, was the teams' performance off the ice. Every game was sold out at the 4,231-seat Ice Box, and it was common for people to camp out overnight for tickets.
The success continued through the following seasons; the Stars sold out every home game until early 2002. In 1998, the Ice Box was expanded to 5,010 seats in preparation for the USA Hockey National Championships (Junior A). The capacity was later reduced to 4,610, as some bleacher seats were converted to club seating.
The Stars have made the playoffs nine of their first ten seasons, and won their second Clark Cup in 2003. Led by players such as Danny Irmen, the Stars capped off a magical season by defeating the rival Omaha Lancers in the Clark Cup finals.
Notable Stars alumni includes Brandon Bochenski (Tampa Bay Lightning), Andy Schneider (Pittsburgh Penguins organization), David Backes (St. Louis Blues), Josh Langfeld (San Jose Sharks), Jared Boll (Columbus Blue Jackets), Evan Rankin (Toledo Walleye) and Erik Condra (Notre Dame).
Lincoln players have also made names for themselves in the NCAA Championship Game. Three former Stars have scored championship-winning overtime goals: Josh Langfeld (University of Michigan--1998 vs. Boston College), Grant Potulny (University of Minnesota--2002 vs. University of Maine) and Colby Cohen (Boston University--2009 vs. Miami University).
Lincoln enjoys some of the best junior hockey support in the United States, as the team plays to greater than 90% capacity at the Ice Box.
Roster
As of January 4, 2012.
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| # | St/Pr/Co | Player | Shoots | Height | Weight | Birthday | Hometown | College commitment |
| 11 |  |
Zach Aston-Reese | L | 6' 1" | 185 lbs. | Aug 10, 1994 | Staten Island, New York | Northeastern |
| 20 |  |
Matt Friese | L | 5' 10" | 179 lbs. | Apr 17, 1992 | Wasilla, Alaska | Alaska |
| 18 |  |
Jonathan Grebosky | R | 5' 11" | 175 lbs. | Oct 20, 1993 | Oakdale, Pennsylvania | None |
| 24 | |
Jared Hanson | R | 6' 0" | 190 lbs. | Jan 24, 1993 | Palmer, Alaska | Colorado College |
| 19 |  |
Brad Hawkinson | R | 5' 11" | 195 lbs. | Sep 4, 1994 | Aurora, Colorado | Denver |
| 27 |  |
Luke Johnson | R | 5' 11" | 165 lbs. | Sep 19, 1994 | Grand Forks, North Dakota | North Dakota |
| 9 |  |
Bob Kinne | R | 6' 0" | 175 lbs. | May 15, 1992 | St. Paul, Minnesota | Bemidji State |
| 25 |  |
Markus McCrea | L | 6' 3" | 220 lbs. | Feb 15, 1992 | Canyon Lake, California | None |
| 15 |  |
Kevin Roy | L | 5' 10" | 170 lbs. | May 20, 1993 | Lac Beauport, Quebec | Brown |
| 8 | |
Tommy Schutt | R | 6' 0" | 185 lbs. | Apr 28, 1993 | Chanhassen, Minnesota | None |
| 16 |  |
Dominik Shine | R | 5' 11" | 165 lbs. | Apr 18, 1993 | Pinckney, Michigan | Northern Michigan |
| 10 |  |
Will Suter | R | 5' 10" | 180 lbs. | Jan 22, 1992 | Omaha, Nebraska | None |
| 13 | |
Brent Tate | R | 6' 2" | 180 lbs. | Nov 5, 1991 | Canton, Michigan | Bowling Green |
| 17 |  |
Teemu Tiitinen | R | 5' 11" | 175 lbs. | Mar 21, 1992 | Suwanee, Georgia | Cornell |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | St/Pr/Co | Player | Shoots | Height | Weight | Birthday | Hometown | College commitment |
| 4 | |
Brandon Carlson | L | 6' 2" | 210 lbs. | Jun 15, 1992 | Huntington Beach, California | None |
| 29 |  |
Ralfs Freibergs | R | 5' 11" | 180 lbs. | May 17, 1991 | Riga, Latvia | Bowling Green |
| 21 |  |
Zach Frye | L | 6' 1" | 195 lbs. | Mar 25, 1994 | Spokane, Washington | None |
| 6 | |
Paul Ladue | R | 6' 2" | 185 lbs. | Sep 6, 1992 | Grand Forks, North Dakota | North Dakota |
| 5 | |
Dax Lauwers | L | 6' 3" | 220 lbs. | Sep 27, 1991 | Anchorage, Alaska | Northeastern |
| 23 |  |
Mike McKee | L | 6' 4" | 230 lbs. | Aug 17, 1993 | Newmarket, Ontario | Western Michigan |
| 12 | |
Colton Saucerman | R | 5' 9" | 185 lbs. | May 5, 1992 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Northeastern |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | St/Pr/Co | Player | Catches | Height | Weight | Birthday | Hometown | College commitment |
| 35 | |
Jackson Teichroeb | L | 6' 1" | 193 lbs. | Oct 5, 1992 | London, Ontario | None |
| 1 | |
Charles Williams | L | 6' 0" | 175 lbs. | Mar 12, 1992 | Canton, Michigan | Ferris State |
External links
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