3 Top Performances From Friday's USHL Action

A look at three players/teams who impressed in a full night of Friday action in the USHL.

There were a number of multi-goal player performances and one team who came away with a win over a top team. Here are three standouts from Friday’s action in the USHL.

The Stars may play their home games at the Ice Box, but their play has been anything but cold this season.

Lincoln picked up its 12^th consecutive victory Friday thanks to Gio Digiulian’s two goals in a convincing 8-3 triumph over the Sioux Falls Stampede.

The Stars are just four wins away from matching their longest win streak in club history, set March 1-Apr. 5, 2002. They have also won nine straight games on home ice.

Both of Digiulian‘s goals came late in the second period. His first came at the 16:55 mark of the middle frame to restore a three-goal lead, firing in a wrist shot from the right circle on a two-on-one.

Digiulian scored again in the final minute of the frame. Dashel Oliver fed him the puck from behind the net to the far post, and Digiulian notched his 19^th goal of the season. He recorded his fourth multi-goal game and second during the month of February and has 20 points (9-11-20) over his last 15 games.

Barabanov scored two goals in the Capitols’ 8-5 win over the Green Bay Gamblers. Ian Scherzer also lit the lamp twice for Madison.

After Green Bay took a 2-0 lead, Barabanov brought the Capitols back with back-to-back goals to tie the score 2-2.

The Gamblers once again took a two-goal lead, only to have Madison roar back to tie the game once again. Scherzer narrowed the margin to 4-3, then put his team ahead 5-4 in the third period with his second of the night.

The RoughRiders (19-20-1-2) had a challenging task Friday night, going up against a Dubuque Fighting Saints team that was 29-13-0-1.

Cedar Rapids proved to be up to the challenge, coming away with a 3-2 victory.

The RoughRiders erupted for three unanswered goals to snatch the win from Dubuque, who has now dropped two straight.

Gavin Cornforth’s two-goal night looked like it might be enough for the Saints, who took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission on his shot off a Cole Spicer feed.

The middle frame, though, was controlled by the RoughRiders, who tied the score on a Jason Musa goal, then took their first lead in the third on an Amine Hajibi tally. The two goals came just 92 seconds apart, split between two periods.

Cedar Rapids went up 3-1 on a power-play goal from Martin Masa’s shot at the point.

That insurance goal was big, as Cornforth scored his second of the night to pull Dubuque within one at 3-2 after the Saints pulled goaltender Jan Spunar. Lucas Van Vliet found Cornforth, who ripped in a one-timer for his 17^th of the season.

Dubuque still had over two minutes left to tie the game, even holding the zone the majority of that time. Cedar Rapids, however, refused to yield, and skated away with the narrow victory.