USHL Tri-City Storm

Four Straight Goals Help Storm Beat Sioux Falls, 4-2, and Take a 2-0 Series Lead

Published on April 15, 2016 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Tri-City Storm News Release


Kearney, Neb. - The Tri-City Storm scored four straight goals against the Sioux Falls Stampede to overcome a two-goal deficit, 4-2, and take a 2-0 series lead Friday at the Viaero Center.

Linemates Wade Allison (1g, 1a), Alex Limoges (1g) and Dan Labosky (3a) engineered the comeback, factoring in on the Storm's first three goals. Captain Tory Dello recorded his first postseason goal, a power-play marker, to tie the game at two early in the second. Nico Sturm scored an insurance goal four minutes into the third to cool Sioux Falls.

Also key, Andrew Peski assisted on the last two Storm goals, giving the defenseman two goals and 20 total points.

The win puts the Storm one win away from reaching the Western Conference Finals.

After recording Tri-City's first postseason shutout since 2005 last night, Jake Kielly remained calm after giving up two goals in the first, finishing with 23 saves. For the second straight night, Kielly beat Stefanos Lekkas, who took the loss with 41 saves.

After allowing two goals in the first 10:40 of the first, Tri-City methodically sliced the lead in half. The process started with Mattias Goransson, who passed to a wide open Wade Allison. The native of Myrtle, Manitoba native deked to the right circle and wristed the puck into a wide-open net after faking out Lekkas at 12:29 of the first. The goal came as the Storm's first power play expired. Labosky earned his first of three assists, a postseason best.

Allison has scored at least a point in 33 of 39 games, mashing 26 goals and 48 points in that span.

Captain Tory Dello was next to get in on the goal party, tallying at 2:06 of the second with a strong wrist shot from the right circle that bested Lekkas to the top shelf on the power play. Dan Labosky and Alex Limoges factored in with the assists. The goal evened the game at two.

The defenseman Dello has played in 161 games, nine in the postseason, scoring one playoff goal and ten career markers. Labosky, who earned the primary assist, has 34 goals and 103 points in 162 career games. Both are in their third seasons with the Storm.

With the crowd rumbling, the shots continued accumulating; Tri-City took 22 shots in the second, the most it has had in a period this season.

Alex Limoges found a rebound to give the Storm a 3-2 lead at 5:41 of the second. Wade Allison took the puck up the ice and shot the puck on Lekkas. The Stampede did not protect the barn, allowing Limoges to slide in to the slot and shoot it over Lekkas' shoulder.

With Sioux Falls pressing for a tie, a full-ice rush gave the Storm the final goal. Nico Sturm took a drop pass from Brian Hawkinson at the left slot and slung it to the far post between the glove and pad.

The Storm finished 1-for-5 on the man up and kept Sioux Falls 0-for-4. With 4:28 left in the game, Tri-City's Carson Meyer got tied up behind Sioux Falls' net with Jack Doremus. In the ensuing collision, Doremus was assessed a five-minute match penalty for kicking. Meyer received a two-minute roughing.

The Storm looks for the sweep in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Friday, April 22, at 7:05 p.m. at the PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.

Storm postseason games can be heard on The Breeze 94.5 FM - kliqfm.com. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. for games one and two with the Viaero Wireless Pregame Show.

Check out the Tri-City Storm Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from April 15, 2016


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