Lincoln Stars goaltender William Prowse sits down to discuss his second season in Lincoln, the upcoming USHL playoffs and his future commitment to Boston University
The Lincoln Stars are officially returning to the playoffs for the 2025-26 season, giving Stars goaltender William Prowse a chance to shine on the United States Hockey League’s brightest stage.
Currently in his second season with the Stars, Prowse has appeared in 37 games, posting a record of 18-12-2-1, a 2.56 goals-against average and 0.912 save percentage. The Veil, Colorado native, spoke on Tuesday during an interview about what his time in Lincoln has meant to him.
“I have nothing but good things to say. Lincoln is an amazing spot, the city and people are awesome,” Prowse said. “Both years I’ve played, we’ve had really good teams, a great coaching staff and a great billet family. It’s pretty awesome here.”
Prowse didn’t take long to make his name known at the USHL level, being named to the 2025 USHL All-Rookie First Team after posting a record of 15-3-2-0, with a GAA of 2.77 and SV% of 0.896. Last season, the Stars claimed the Anderson Cup after leading the league with 91 points, and Prowse touched on what it was like to be a part of that special team.
“We had a really good team, we scored so many goals, and our defensive core was so awesome, making my life pretty easy on most nights,” Prowse said. “I had a very good goalie partner in front of me in Yan Shostak. He made it enjoyable every day and pushed me. I was able to learn a lot from him at the start, so I think it really helped me, especially being able to make the jump to playing more games this year.”
Prowse has taken over the starter’s role seamlessly this season, tied for the second most starts in the league among all USHL goaltenders, while also becoming a veteran presence for rookie netminder Charles Menard.
“I talked with our goalie coach Artt Brey to build a plan, and I was in the gym all summer preparing my body to play as many games as I can. I’ve had a lot of help from the coaching staff and trainers to help me manage my workload,” Prowse said. “Chuck’s [Charles Menard] been awesome. He's such an energetic guy and always has a smile on his face, so it makes it really easy. We do a lot of work with the goalie coach, and he’s just played great. We’ve been putting a decent stretch together, so it’s been fun.”
Prowse has been a big reason behind the Stars finding themselves in fourth place in the Western Conference with a record of 26-23-4-1. Prowse believes that the Stars, who are currently on a four-game win streak, could be peaking at the right time with playoffs looming right around the corner.
“Now that we’ve clinched, I think we just need to harp on all the little things in practice that’ll help us come playoffs. The final eight games are all Western Conference opponents, so we could see any of these teams in the playoffs,” Prowse said. “I think these games coming down the stretch are huge to get as many points as we can to put us in a good spot for playoffs.”
Coming up this week, the Stars will play three games in four days, hosting the Des Moines Buccaneers on Thursday, facing first-place Sioux Falls in Lincoln on Saturday, before travelling to Omaha to take on the Lancers Sunday afternoon. These matchups all pose different challenges for a Stars team looking to continue their win streak.
“We play three different teams. Des Moines, we might see in the playoffs and Sioux Falls, it’s very likely we see them in the playoffs,” Prowse said. “Those are very high-paced, high-energy games that will give us a playoff-type feel and playing Omaha is always fun, given the rivalry that we have.”
Separated by an hour, Lincoln and Omaha have one of the best rivalries in the USHL, according to Prowse. Sunday’s matchup will be the sixth of seven total meetings between the two clubs, with Lincoln currently posting a 4-0-1 record, but seeing three of the games be decided by only one goal.
“The rivalry is crazy, it’s hard to put into words,” Prowse said. “There’s so much on the line, given they’re so close and having the games always be packed. It’s super fun having a team so close because the rivalry is awesome.”
The Stars’ netminder will be heading to Boston University for the 2027-28 season after announcing his commitment to further his hockey career with the Terriers. Getting the opportunity to play for the Terriers is something that Prowse has had circled throughout his hockey career.
“I couldn’t be more excited. I went to prep school in New Hampshire, and I’ve been to Beanpots so I couldn’t be more thrilled to go there,” Prowse said. “It was a pretty easy yes when they came offering, so I couldn't be more excited to go.”
The best part for Prowse might just be the future battles he’s going to have with current Stars team Alex Pelletier, who is also going to be playing his collegiate hockey in Boston, only down the road at Boston College with the Eagles.
“It’s pretty fun with Pelletier now,” Prowse said. “We have that rivalry going already.”
The Stars and Buccaneers will square off on Thursday night at the Ice Box. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. CST.