Stampede Come up Short, But Lock in Playoff Bye
April 4, 2025 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Sioux Falls Stampede News Release
Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls Stampede came up short Saturday night, falling 4-2 to the Green Bay Gamblers. Filip Nordberg, Reid Varkonyi, and Noah Urness led the team's scoring efforts, while goaltender Waylon Esche made several key saves to keep the Herd in the game.
The contest got off to a slow start, with both teams trading early chances. At 3:44, Ben Wilmott was called for delay of game, sending the Stampede to their first penalty kill of the night, which they successfully killed off. Sioux Falls then drew a penalty at 7:08, but the power play unit was unable to convert. Green Bay struck first at 15:54, when Egor Shilov was left alone in front of the net and buried the opening goal. The Stampede answered back at 18:36, when Noah Urness tipped in a shot from Reid Varkonyi. The goal marked Urness' 18th of the season and was assisted by Varkonyi and Nordberg. However, the Gamblers responded quickly, scoring just nine seconds before the end of the period to regain the lead. Despite being outshot 12-10 in the opening frame, Green Bay held a 2-1 advantage heading into the first intermission.
The Stampede came out strong to start the second period, tying the game just 1:13 in on a blast from the point by Filip Nordberg. Varkonyi and Urness each picked up their 30th assists of the season on the goal. Sioux Falls held the Gamblers at bay until 13:43, when a three-on-one opportunity left Mykhailo Danylov alone on Esche's glove side, giving Green Bay the lead once again. After two periods, the Gamblers led 3-2 despite even shot totals.
In the third, Sioux Falls pressed hard for the equalizer, dominating puck possession and generating several quality scoring chances. After a missed hooking call on Sam Spehar, Green Bay was penalized for hooking at 16:00, but the Herd couldn't capitalize on the power play. Following the expiration of the penalty, the Stampede continued to apply pressure in the offensive zone. Noah Urness appeared to be tripped with no call, leading to a Gamblers rush that was quickly shut down by the Sioux Falls defense. Moments later, Ethan Wyttenbach took a heavy hit into the boards, again with no penalty called. With 1:17 left, Esche was pulled for the extra attacker, but it wasn't enough. The Gamblers sealed the game with an empty-net goal at 19:47.
The Stampede outshot the Gamblers 16-5 in the third period and 40-27 overall.
Waylon Esche made 23 saves on the night to maintain his .887 save percentage. His record moves to 8-4-0-1.
Despite the loss, Sioux Falls secured a first-round bye in the Clark Cup Playoffs thanks to a Waterloo Black Hawks loss to the Youngstown Phantoms. The Stampede will host a playoff game on Saturday, April 19 at 6:05 PM. Tickets go on sale Monday at 12:00 PM.
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