USHL Sioux Falls Stampede

Stampede Advance to Clark Cup Finals

Published on April 18, 2006 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Sioux Falls Stampede News Release


The Sioux Falls Stampede advanced to the Clark Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history with a dramatic 4-3 win over Lincoln in Game 4 of the West Division Finals Monday night in Lincoln. The Stampede won the best-of-five series 3 games to 1. The game wasn't without its scary moments though. The Herd let a 3-0 lead slip away when James Perkin scored for Lincoln to tie the game with just over a minute later. The Stampede rallied however when Mark Magnowski tallied the game winning goal with just 50 seconds left. The Herd will now face Des Moines in the Clark Cup Finals starting Saturday in Des Moines.

The Stampede continued their trend of recording the first goal of the game in the playoffs, striking just 2:23 in when Corey Tropp broke in front of the Lincoln net and beat Bryan Hogan to give the Herd a 1-0 edge. The goal was Tropp's first of the post season. The Stampede padded their lead at 14:27 when Travis Vermeulen's shot from the left circle jumped up on Hogan's stick and into the back of the net. The Herd took a 2-0 lead into the locker room, but wouldn't have done so without the outstanding play of Alex Kangas who stopped all 14 shots faced in the first period, including several point blank shots.

The Stampede extended their lead to three in the second period when Ben Holmstrom scored short handed. Jared Hummel started the play by breaking into Lincoln zone with Holmstrom. With a Lincoln defender on him, Hummel slid the puck to Holmstrom who fought off a defenseman himself and fired a shot past Hogan. Lincoln would get on the board a 1:05 later when Jared Brown scored shorthanded by splitting the defense and scoring on a forehand shot past Kangas. Seven minutes later the Stars got themselves back into the game with a powerplay goal by Chad Langlais. Langlais fired a shot from the high slot through traffic and beat Kangas to make it a one goal game heading into the final period of play.

In the third, both teams created scoring chances, but Hogan and Kangas were up to the test. With just under two minutes to go in regulation, the Stars pulled Hogan for an extra attacker and it paid off. With 1:16 to go, Josh Brodeen found James Perkin open to the right side of Kangas and one timed it into the back of the net to force overtime....or so the fans of Lincoln thought! On the next shift, Casey Parenteau took the puck in front of the Stars net and found Mark Magnowski who back handed a shot past Hogan with 50 seconds left to send the Stampede bench into a frenzy. The Herd then fought off a late rally attempt by the Stars to hold on for a 4-3 win and a spot in the Clark Cup Finals. The Stars finished the game 1 for 5 on the powerplay while the Stampede were 0 for 4 and out shot the Herd 39 to 21. Kangas stopped 36 shots to earn his third win of the playoffs.

Next up for the Stampede are the Des Moines Buccaneer in the finals. The Bucs have cruised through the playoffs with a perfect 6-0 record. The Bucs swept Green Bay in the first round and Cedar Rapids in the East Division Finals. The Stampede held a 4-1-0 record against the Bucs during the regular season.

The Stampede will open the series on the road for Game 1 this Saturday, game time is 7:35 PM. Games 2 and 3 will be in Sioux Falls next Wednesday, April 26 and Friday, April 28 at 7:05 PM. The Herd will start the series on the road due to the Circus at the Sioux Falls Arena this weekend. Tickets for Games 3 and 4 will be available at all Ticketmaster locations and at the Arena Box Office starting at 10 AM Tuesday This marks the first time in franchise history the Herd have advanced to the final round.

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United States Hockey League Stories from April 18, 2006


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