AMES, IA - The Kansas City Stars finished the regular season with the most points in the Midwest High School Hockey League Junior Varsity standings. Included in those totals, however, aside from only one loss, was 7 ties.

In the championship playoffs, however, games can't end in a tie, and while those 7 ties were each worth a point - half a win, in a way - in the playoffs all a tie gets you is a chance to keep the game going even longer.

For over 39 of the 42 minutes the top-seeded Stars played the number 8 seeded Lincoln Junior Stars, it looked like Kansas City might have to find out whether the JV squad was closer to winning than losing in those ties, as the two namesakes were scoreless with under 3 minutes to play.

Finally, however, the MHSHL JV scoring leader got his chance as Alex Bailey flipped one ahead out of his own zone and Logan Lopicka was off to the races. A clear breakaway from his own blue line in, Lopicka moved in from the left, made a backhand-forehand deke to get the goalie down, and slipped the puck into the empty net for the only goal of the game with 2:33 to play in regulation time.

While Kansas City had the better of the play throughout most of the game, it was still a nail-biter and wake-up call to the top seeds, nearly bounced from the tournament by the bottom seed.

The Stars move on to the semi-finals tomorrow as they face the fifth-seeded Des Moines Capitals in a 1:15p scheduled start.