AMES, IA | The Omaha Junior Lancers Varsity squad went 2-1 this weekend and winning 3^rd place in the Midwest High School Hockey League.  The road was a tough one as the boys started their weekend out on Friday afternoon with a game against fourth seeded Des Moines Capitals. 

In this game the Junior Lancers got on the board only a minute into the game with a quick spin-o-rama by Cole Richter as he buried the shot that was passed to him by Cole Childers and Dan Freestone. The Capitals closed the gap and tied the score at 1-1 at the end of the first period. 

Omaha played a tight second period and went ahead at 12:24 of the second on a hard drive with the stick to the ice goal by Dan Freestone with assists being handed out to Cole Richter and Cole Childers.  Des Moines Capitals didn’t stop there however and popped the tying goal within seconds and netted their go ahead goal to go up 3-2 within 12 seconds sending the Junior Lancers to the locker room in between periods down 3-2 to their nemesis.

Regrouping during the intermission the Omaha boys dug deep and showed plenty of character and heart and two and a half minutes into the third period Dan Freestone sniped the Capitals goalie Nate Scott to tie the game at 3-3 with the assist going to Cole Childers.

Both teams were geared up for a tight finish until Zach Rice knocked down a clearing attempt by the Capitals and deked their right defenseman and buried a shot top corner by the surprised Nate Scott which turned out to the be the game winning goal.

With this win the Omaha Junior Lancers were now on the winning side of the bracket and would play Saturday afternoon in the semi-final winners bracket against the number one team in the league the Des Moines Oak Leafs.

The Saturday showdown with the Oak Leafs would prove to be a tough test and the winner would play for the title on Sunday afternoon.  The Junior Lancers would be up to the task having split games during the season against the Oak Leafs in their barn.  However this was just not their day as the Oak Leafs scored twice to win the game and send the Junior Lancers to the third place game against the Waterloo Warriors.

Sunday morning would prove to show what kind of character and resolve the boys had as they had to turn around within just a few hours to rebound from a tough loss to play for an important piece of hardware.

The Junior Lancers held Waterloo to a scoreless first period, but came out on fire in the second beating Warriors goalie three times early in the second period on goals by Branden Maas with a quick shot from the slot.  As the team was pressing the line of Devon Reneault, Dalton Theisen and Jesse Clark pressed one of the Warriors top lines and caused a turn over and Reneault placed a beautiful pass from Kyle Pane and Dalton Theisen into the back of the Waterloo net to send the boys up 2-0.  AJ O’Dell scored what proved to be the game winner with a wide right cut to the Waterloo net and sniping the Warriors goalie shoulder short side to send the crowd into a frenzy, assists going to Branden Maas and KC Siwa.  Waterloo would manage two goals to bring the game close, but the defense of the Junior Lancers shut the Warriors down and prevailed and Drew Perkins helped seal the deal and win the third place championship for the Omaha Junior Lancers Varsity squad.

Head coach Andy Blaszak said after the game, “This is what hard work will do for you, we would have loved to play for the title but this will certainly heal those wounds,” he went on to mention, “We are the Nebraska State Representatives for the 2014 USA Hockey High School Nationals that will be hosted in Omaha and this is a good stepping stone for our preperations to that tournament.”

Congratulations to the varsity squad on a well played regular season  and playoffs – next up Nationals in Omaha March 26-30, 2014 – Get your tickets now at the Ralston Arena box office or online at www.homepridetix.com.  Support the boys!!

Next up is the Junior Varsity boys as they head to Ames Friday morning at 7:30 am to try and bring home the championship to Omaha.  Good luck this weekend – first game is 12 noon vs the Des Moines Oak Leafs for the right to play in the semi-finals on Saturday afternoon.

USA Hockey High School Nationals tickets are on sale now at the Ralston Arena or Home Pride Tix Online Ticket Office (www.homepridetix.com) prices are affordable for the week long passes and are outlined below;

Get out and watch some of the finest high school players from across the country.

The 2013-2014 season is here; don’t miss any of the action!  Full schedule for the Junior Lancer High School team can be found at the high school website http://www.omahahockey.com/page/show/99424-jr-lancer-high-school-travel.

Stay up to date on all of the news this coming season by following the Omaha Junior Lancers High School Hockey on their Twitter and Facebook pages.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OJLHockeyClub/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juniorlancershsh

About the Omaha Junior Lancers High School Hockey

Our primary mission is to provide players with a quality and successful experience playing for the Omaha Junior Lancers program. The goal for our staff and players is to promote exciting community based enjoyment for all ages. By focusing on our primary goal, our Hockey Club and players will provide a positive example to the local youth as role models, through community involvement with local business and minor hockey, while practicing professional conduct at all times.