DES MOINES, IA (KELO.com) – Austen May tallied his first goal as a member of the Stampede while netminder Noah Grannan stopped 23 of 25 shots between the pipes as the Herd returned to the win column at Buccaneer Arena in Des Moines on Friday night. Jack Reimann, Karsen Dorwart, and Cole Miller also notched a goal each as the Stampede held off a late-game surge by the Buccaneers to take a 4-2 victory.
Though first-period struggles have been an ongoing theme for the Stampede, they had a strong start in Des Moines. Jack Reimann kicked off the scoring with an unassisted breakaway goal at 2:21 in the period, backhanding it past the Buccaneer netminder for his fourth of the season. The Herd had a few more strong chances as the period continued while goaltender Noah Grannan made a handful of impressive saves to keep the Buccaneers off the scoreboard. Sam Harris sauced a perfectly placed pass to Karsen Dorwart, who beat the Des Moines goaltender five-hole at 17:17 in the period for his fourth goal of the year, to give the Herd a 2-goal lead. The Stampede outshot the Buccaneers 7-4 in the period.
The Herd continued putting on the pressure in the second, with Austen May netting his first goal as a member of the Stampede, and second of the season, at 5:04 in the period. Taking a pass from Daniel Russell, he sniped it from the top of the right circle and past the Buccaneer goaltender. Des Moines would answer back quickly at 8:58 when Dovar Tinling drove up the slot and shot one past Noah Grannan for his sixth of the year. Cole Miller would bring the Stampede’s lead back to three when he wristed a shot from the point at 11:47 in the period, his second of the year off a pass from Max Rud. Sioux Falls outshot Des Moines 11-9 in the period.
The Herd would start the third on the penalty kill, which Des Moines would capitalize on at 1:52 when Scout Truman slapped a shot past Grannan glove-side. The momentum would shift in the Buccaneers favor for a majority of the third, but some solid saves by the Stampede netminder and a pivotal penalty kill in the second half of the period would prove crucial to securing the win.
The Buccaneers outshot the Stampede 12-6 in the third and outshot the Herd 25-24 in the game. Sioux Falls went 0-for-3 on the power play while Des Moines went 1-for-5.
Tomorrow night’s second of a back-to-back against Des Moines at the PREMIER Center has been postponed due to ice issues. Please hold onto your tickets for a rescheduled date. The Herd return to the ice on Friday, February 18th when they visit Waterloo on the road. Puck drop is at 7:05 PM and fans can listen live on KELO News Talk 1320-AM, 105.1-FM, 107.9-FM and KELO.com, or stream the game on HockeyTV.
