Herd Kicking off Month-Long Road Stint with Black Hawks and Buccaneers
February 21, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Sioux Falls Stampede News Release
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Sioux Falls Stampede kicks off a month-long road trip this weekend as the team travels to Waterloo, Iowa and Urbandale, Iowa to take on the Waterloo Black Hawks and Des Moines Buccaneers. Friday's game against the Black Hawks is scheduled for a 7:05 p.m. start and Saturday's game against the Buccaneers for 6 p.m.
The Herd is coming off of a six-game losing streak that began at the start of the month with three losses to the USHL leading Fargo Force. The team then dropped a match against the Sioux City Musketeers on Feb. 10 and two to the Green Bay Gamblers last weekend. The Herd holds fifth place in the USHL's Western Conference with 46 points, five ahead of the Lincoln Stars and four behind the Tri-City Storm. Though they are going through a tough patch, the Herd still holds a record of 21-21-3-1 with a .533 winning average.
At third in the Western Conference are the Waterloo Black Hawks with 55 points and a record of 27-15-0-1. The team is also just 18 points away from clinching a Clark Cup Playoff berth. This past weekend, the Black Hawks went 2-1 against three different opponents in the Buccaneers, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Youngstown Phantoms. The Black Hawks were able to take wins from the Buccaneers, 4-1, and Phantoms, 3-2, but fell to the RoughRiders, 3-2. Following Friday's game, the Black Hawks will have a rematch against the RoughRiders on Saturday night.
This season, the Herd and Black Hawks have met three times with the Herd holding a 2-1 record advantage. Most recently, the Stampede travelled to Waterloo and brought home a 4-2 win on Dec. 1, 2023. The lone lost for the Stampede came from a Sunday afternoon matinee where the Black Hawks defeated the Stampede, 6-4. This is the final time the two teams will meet during the regular season.
On Saturday, the Herd travels to Urbandale, Iowa to take on the Des Moines Buccaneers, also for the final time this regular season. The Buccaneers currently sit in seventh place in the Western Conference, five points behind the Lincoln Stars with the possibility of not making it into the Clark Cup Playoffs. The Buccaneers have a record of 16-24-4-0 this season.
The Herd also holds the series advantage against the Buccaneers with a 2-1 record. The loss for the Herd came from a 6-2 defeat on New Years Eve at the PREMIER Center. This loss is the most recent matchup between the two programs. The duo kicked off the regular season following the USHL Fall Classic with the Buccaneers' home opener on Sep. 30, 2023 when the Stampede defeated the Buccaneers in overtime, 4-3, starting a three-game win streak for the Herd.
The Stampede is working to get back on into the win column as the team recently acquired players in each of the three positions. Most recently, the team traded future considerations to the Chicago Steel for 2004 veteran goaltender Christian Manz. Offensively, the Herd's top-five point scorers have combined for 195 total points with the top nine skaters marking 21 or more points. Forward JJ Wiebusch leads the Herd with 48 points off 22 goals and 26 assists in 46 games. On defense, Gennadi Chaly has tallied 21 points, eighth on the team, with 11 goals and 10 assists. Backstopping the Herd, Michael Chambre leads the goaltending room with a record of 15-10-2-1 and a 3.69 goals-against average. He has marked a save percentage of .871 in his 30 appearances and has given the Herd a 2-1 record in shootouts this season.
Following this weekend's trip to Iowa, the Herd will head north on Mar. 1 and 2 to take on the Fargo Force for the fourth and fifth times in the past month. They'll then head to Middleton, Wisc. to be hosted by the Madison Capitols on Mar. 8 and 9, Sioux City, Iowa on Mar. 13 to play the Sioux City Musketeers, Omaha, Neb. on Mar. 15 against the Omaha Lancers, then finally back to the PREMIER Center on Mar. 17 against the Lancers for Stomp's Birthday Bash. The Herd has just three home games remaining and tickets for these games are available through the Stampede office, KELOLAND box office, or through Ticketmaster.
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United States Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2024
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