There’s an old hockey coaches’ expression. Something about you won’t score on 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.

Brett Chartier shot, no matter how odd an angle it was. Chartier scored. The 4,000 fans at the Ice Box roared.

Chartier scored with four minutes remaining in the game to halt Sioux Falls’ rally and give Lincoln a 5-4 victory Friday.

Plopped down on a couch in the locker room after the game, Chartier wore an expression of relief more than excitement following his team’s first home victory of the season.

“The last few games I didn’t feel like I contributed, so I feel like I got a little monkey off my shoulder,” said Chartier, a rookie from Winnipeg, Manitoba, whose first United States Hockey League goal was a memorable one.

Before the winning score, previously unbeaten Sioux Falls had rallied from a two-goal deficit with two power-play goals in the opening five minutes of the third period.

What’s more, Lincoln had just had a 5-on-3 advantage for nearly two minutes that generated only one good scoring chance. Only moments after the advantage expired, the game seemed headed for overtime.

But then Chartier got the puck near the corner, walked it out near the glass and shot to the far side of the Sioux Falls’ net past goaltender Eric Hartzell.

The goal came as a shock to some who weren’t prepared for a celebration. For Chartier, it was only following orders.

“Coach always says to throw pucks on net and good things will happen,” said Chartier, who led Lincoln with five points in the preseason. “That’s what happened.”

His coach was proud.

“That’s a goal-scorer’s goal,” Lincoln coach Jimmy McGroarty said. “He’s a top-end player, and those are the guys that find a way to score at the end.”

USHL rookies scored all of Lincoln’s goals. Dan Weiss led Lincoln with two goals, with David Gerths and Sebastian Geoffrion scoring the others.

After being a healthy scratch in the Stars’ last game against Omaha, Weiss made his case for more playing time among a veteran group of defensemen.

Robbie Vrolyk had two goals for Sioux Falls.

McGroarty was also pleased with Lincoln’s penalty-killing unit, especially considering it was playing without several of its top players.

Lincoln goaltender Kevin Murdock got the win, and has back-to-back victories for the first time in his USHL career. Murdock played in 15 games last season as the backup to Nick Hopper and David Reekie.

Murdock held Sioux Falls scoreless in a critical second period, including three straight saves from point-blank range late in the final three minutes of the period.

Briefly

* Lincoln’s Richard Manley, Garrett Vermeersch, Jonathan Puskar and Jake Newton each served a one-game suspension Friday for a violation of team rules. They’re eligible to return to the lineup tonight, McGroarty said.

* Forward Jay Camper has joined Lincoln for the weekend. He’s on the Stars’ affiliated roster and is the brother of 2006-07 Stars captain Carter Camper. Jay Camper had three shots Friday.

Reach Brent C. Wagner at 473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com.