Omaha Jr Lancer 2001-02 Regular Season Champions 2002 State Tournament Champions

IHSHL President, Shawn Spencer (left) and Commissioner, Greg Cigrand present Omaha goaltender, Ben Morris with the State Tournament MVP Award

DUBUQUE, Iowa - In a rematch of last year's championship game, the Omaha Jr. Lancers earned a 2nd straight IHSHL State Tournament Championship at Dubuque's Five Flags Center, defeating the Des Moines Capitals 3-0. The win over the Capitals avenged their only regular season defeat, a 1-0 loss to the Capitals in February. The Jr. Lancers defense was in top form, as it had been all year, shutting out 2 of 3 tournament opponents. Omaha goaltender Ben Morris, who was in net for both shutouts, was selected as the Tournament's "Most Valuable Player."
As in many previous tournaments, the most dramatic games were played in the semi-finals. After defeating Lincoln 6-2 in the opening round, the Capitals advanced to the semi-finals to face Mason City, who had bested Waterloo 5-2. Mason City stormed out to a 4-1 lead over the Caps in the 1st period. However, the Caps tightened their defense and scored 4 unanswered goals to beat Mason City 5-4 and advance to the finals. 
The other semi-final match-up pitted the Jr. Lancers, who had defeated Dubuque 7-3 in the 1st round, against Sioux City, who had sidelined the Des Moines Oak Leafs 3-1. In a classic defensive battle, regulation time ended in a 0-0 tie. Not until 8:23 of the 3rd overtime period was a winner decided when Omaha scored the lone goal that moved them into the championship game. 
In other final-round action, Waterloo defeated Dubuque 3-2 to claim 7th place, the Oak Leafs won the consolation bracket taking 5th with a 7-2 win over Lincoln, and Mason City earned 3rd place honors with a 3-2 win over Sioux City. 
On Saturday night, all 8 teams, plus parents and fans, made their way through blowing and drifting snow to the Dubuque County Fairgrounds for the annual awards banquet. Troy Ward, VP of Operations for the East Coast Hockey League and an 18-year veteran of coaching hockey, including assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was the guest speaker. 
Players and cheerleaders who qualified for Academic Achievement honors were introduced and presented with certificates. The 2002 East/West All-Star teams were introduced and the All-State selections were announced. The League's top 10 scorers were recognized – Dubuque's Tim Roth was 1st with 66 points. The Silver Glove Awards were given to the top 3 goalies – Omaha's Ben Morris earned top honors with a 0.962 save percentage. For the 2nd year in a row, the Jr. Lancers were presented with the Al Murdoch traveling trophy as the League's regular season champions. In the final presentation of the evening, Jr. Lancers Head Coach Chuck Nano was honored as "Coach of the Year."
Congratulations and many thanks to the Dubuque planning committee and their team of volunteers for a well-run tournament and successful banquet.