LINCOLN, NE (KELO.com) — Five different players registered goals while Noah Grannan stopped 24 of 26 shots to earn his sixth of the season in goal as the Sioux Falls Stampede rolled past the Lincoln Stars, 5-2 Saturday night at the Ice Box. Brandon Chabrier tallied the eventual game winner for the Herd at 7:52 of the third with his third goal of the season.
Sioux Falls scored twice in the first period and three times in the third to put an end to their three-game losing streak and improve to 11-16-1 on the season. Sioux Falls remains three points behind Fargo for sixth place in the West with a big matchup with the Force set for Sunday at 4:05 PM at the PREMIER Center.
After three straight games with poor first period performances, the Stampede were determined to change their fortune on Saturday and they would do just that. The Herd were ready to go from puck drop and grabbed the first goal of the game at 6:58. Sammy Harris brought the puck from the neutral zone and into the Lincoln end on a 2-on-1 with Jack Silich, sending a perfect pass across the slot to Silich who quickly one-timed it home for his third of the season to make it a 1-0 game. Lincoln had a chance to score at 11: 26 when Brandon Chabrier was flagged for tripping and the Stars were awarded a penalty shot. Noah Grannan shut the door with a right-pad save on Gleb Veremyev though to keep them off the board.
The Stars would finally break through at 15:18 when Antonino Fernandez took a pass in the right circle and fired it past the stick side of Grannan to tie the game. The Herd would get a power play late in the period and they would cash in at 18:22. While maintaining possession in the offensive zone for the majority of the power play, Ryan Healey blasted a shot from the high slot and into the net before the penalty expired to regain the lead at 2-1. Sioux Falls outshot Lincoln 13-9 in the period.
The second period saw both teams exchanging scoring chances, but Lincoln grabbed the only goal of the period at 17:47 when Henry Nelson wristed a shot from the left circle past the glove side of Grannan. Sioux Falls put a ton of pressure on in the final minute, but Kaidan Mbereko was outstanding, making several big saves to keep it a 2-2 game after two periods. Sioux Falls outshot the Stars 9-7 in the period.
Sioux Falls would regain the lead at 7:52 when Brandon Chabrier intercepted a pass inside the right circle and then took the puck behind the net and wrapped it around the net, tucking it past Mbereko’s stick side and into the net for a 3-2 advantage. The Stars would try to make a push late, but Grannan was solid between the pipes making 10 saves in the period. Lincoln pulled their goaltender with two minutes remaining, but Sioux Falls won the face-off and Dan Russell outmuscled the Stars defenders and coasted into the zone for an empty net goal to make it 4-2. The Herd put an exclamation point on the game with another empty net goal from Ray Fust that was sent from the Stampede blueline with 11 seconds remaining to seal the game at 5-2.
Lincoln outshot the Herd 10-6 in the period, but the Stampede outshot the Stars 28-26 in the game. The Herd finished 1-for-2 on the power play while the Stars went 0-for-2.
The Stampede close out the weekend with a Sunday matchup against I-29 rival Fargo at 4:05 PM at the PREMIER Center. It is Wizards Night and will have a Harry Potter themed night to it, including a scavenger hunt for kids. Fans are encouraged to bring their skates and skate with the team on the PREMIER Center ice after the game. Doors open at 3 PM and tickets are available through the KELOLAND Box Office or Ticketmaster.
