USHL Sioux Falls Stampede

Stampede Come up Short Against Lincoln

Published on November 25, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Sioux Falls Stampede News Release


Monday is thought by many to be the worst day of the week. The Sioux Falls Stampede may beg to differ as they fell to 1-5-1 on Fridays in a 2-1 loss to the Western Conference leading Lincoln Stars at the Sioux Falls Arena. Zachary Aston-Reese and Ralfs Freibergs each scored for the Stars (11-5-1), while goalie Jackson Teichroeb stopped 17 of 18 shots. Nick Nielsen had the lone goal for the Stampede (7-6-1), but Stephon Williams was the bright spot for the Herd, as he only allowed 2 goals on a whopping 38 Star shots. The loss ended the Stampede's three-game winning streak and they dropped to 1-3-1 against the Stars this season.

"We couldn't have played more poorly than we did," said Stampede head coach Kevin Hartzell. "We just didn't have the boys ready to play."

Both teams were held scoreless in a frantic first period that saw plenty of penalties, but no goals to show for them. The Stars could not score despite two consecutive Stampede penalties, the first one being a too many men on the ice call at 9:52 of the period. However, the Herd were given the given the best chance to strike first thanks to three Lincoln penalties within two minutes of each other, starting with 5:01 to go in the opening period on a Lincoln interference call. Sloppy passing and wide shots by Sioux Falls allowed to Stars to kill off the Herd's 5-on-3 man advantage. With 1:16 remaining on the advantage, Lincoln was given the final power play of the period in which they dominated and outshot the Herd 10 to 3.

Lincoln's Ralfs Freibergs gave the Stars the first lead of the game at 3:57 of the second period with a wrist shot only a few feet away from the blue line that would slide past Williams. The Herd goalie would keep the Stampede only a goal away from the Stars, stopping 13 of 14 shots he faced in the period.

"He (Williams) was amazing," said Hartzell, adding, "We're riding the coattails of our two goaltenders."

A Teemu Tiitinen penalty with 6:37 remaining would give Sioux Falls a shot to tie the game, but they would squander yet another man advantage. Nonetheless, the Herd would go into the locker room in the middle of their fifth power play of the night.

The Stars would add to their one-goal lead 6:38 into the final period when a frenzied crowd in front of Williams would allow Zach Aston-Reese to poke the puck by the Stampede goalie and into the net. Sioux Falls would remain scoreless despite a four minute power play due to a double minor on Aston-Reese. However, the Star lead would finally be cut in half at 4:09 when Stampede forward Nick Nielsen threw a shot into the goal from the left circle. The uphill battle the Herd faced would become even steeper with 2:53 left in the game when Captain Joseph Lordo would be sent to the penalty box for elbowing. Sioux Falls would come within inches of sending the contest to overtime in the final seconds, but a shot at the buzzer just sailed wide, giving the Stars the win and sole possession of first place in the West.

"I've been hearing fans tell me 'this team is really coming along' and I tell them 'this team has a long ways to go," said Hartzell. "We have to get a lot better than we are, and the coaches have to figure out how to get them there."

The Stampede will travel to Kearney Sunday to face the Tri-City Storm at 5:05 PM. Fans can listen to the game live on KELO-AM 1320 starting at 4:40 PM.

Check out the Sioux Falls Stampede Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from November 25, 2011


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