Lincoln Stars captain Jason Gregoire will miss another weekend because of personal reasons. Gregoire returned to his home in Winnipeg prior to Lincoln’s series at Chicago on Dec. 14-15 and has not reported back.

His father, Norm Gregoire, said by phone late Thursday that there is no timetable for his return. Norm Gregoire said his son remains happy playing for Lincoln, and looks forward to rejoining the team.

“Jason is tickled with the city, with the team and coaching staff, and everything regarding Lincoln,” Norm Gregoire said.

Gregoire has nine goals and 17 assists in 25 games and had been among the top five scorers in the league. His absence is a concern, Lincoln coach Jimmy McGroarty said.

“Any time you’re missing Jason Gregoire you can never replace him,” McGroarty said. “He’s our leader, our top player, our hardest worker — he does it all.”

ASSESSING THE SITUATION: Lincoln players had 10 days off before reporting back for a pair of practices on Dec. 26. McGroarty spent part of the break assessing the first 25 games of the 60-game regular season.

“I kind of let our guys do their own thing in the first half — and I’ll never take away the creativity — but some of the things we need to work on is our defensive zone coverage, touch up our penalty kill, and our power play on the road,” said McGroarty, in his first season as head coach.

In road games, the Stars have scored only four power-play goals in 78 attempts. Lincoln is 4-9-1 in road games, and will play three straight on the road before returning to the Ice Box on Jan. 4.

“The bottom line is energy and hard work, and we’ll see if we learn from that,” McGroarty said. “The good teams in our league win at home and win on the road, and that’s what we need to do a better job of in the second half.”

BY THE NUMBERS: 2. The length of the Stars’ longest winning streak this season. Lincoln has not won back-to-back games since Oct. 26. The Stars will try to match their longest win streak tonight, after winning their last game, at Chicago on Dec. 15.

SCOUTING REPORT: G David Reekie

A goaltender is only as good as his last outing.

So let’s take a look at Lincoln goaltender David Reekie’s effort Dec. 15 at Chicago. He stopped all 28 shots he faced, and earned a shutout against a Chicago team that averaged four goals per game.

Despite his efforts, things were still tight at the end, so the Lincoln goaltender scored an unassisted empty-net goal with 16 seconds remaining for the Stars’ insurance score in a 2-0 victory. Reekie became the first USHL goaltender since the 2003-04 season to be credited with a goal.

When he’s not scoring goals, Reekie does a pretty good job of stopping them. He has a 1.09 goals-against average and .967 save percentage.

“David Reekie has come in and been lights-out, scores a goal and gets in a fight,” McGroarty said.

Reekie joined the team in December after bouncing around the junior hockey ranks in Canada. He was in goal for each of Lincoln’s three victories in December.

“His composure is the best thing about him,” McGroarty said. “The biggest thing about a goaltender is how you react when you get scored on. Do you get mad, or ready to stop the next one?”

QUICK HITS

* Defensemen Tyler Kieffer has been traded to the Everett (Wash.) Silvertips of the Western Hockey League at his request. Once he plays major junior hockey, Kieffer will lose his college eligibility. Kieffer had committed to St. Cloud State.

* Forward Rick Carden will return to the lineup after missing three games because of an injury.

Tonight’s game: Lincoln (10-13-2) vs. Waterloo (13-6-4), Waterloo, Iowa, 7 p.m.: Waterloo is gaining steam after sweeping East Division-leading Indiana just before the break. Lincoln beat the Blackhawks 3-1 in their only meeting this season. Both teams feature good goaltenders, and Lincoln averages 2.84 goals per game and Waterloo 2.78.

Blue Line Weblog: Arena Digest visited Lincoln this fall and reviewed the Ice Box, with the home of the Stars earning 4½ of a possible 5 stars. Read the review and talk about what you like best about the Ice box at www.journalstar.com/blog/stars.php.

— Brent C. Wagner