Stampede Face Heartbreak in Lincoln
February 14, 2025 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Sioux Falls Stampede News Release
Lincoln, N.E. - The Sioux Falls Stampede faced heartbreak against the league-leading Lincoln Stars in an 8-3 loss on Valentine's Day. Ben Wilmott netted two goals, while Joe McGraw scored his first goal in blue and gold. Goaltender Waylon Esche suffered his first loss in his third start.
The Stampede appeared to have a solid start, but a goal from the Lincoln Stars opened the floodgates. Dashel Oliver netted the Stars' first goal at 6:55, and Alex Pelletier added another less than two minutes later. Lincoln added another goal before the end of the period, taking a 3-0 lead into the locker room. The Stars outshot the Herd 13-10 in the first period.
The second period brought even more chaos for the Herd. At 8:01, Bryce Ingles and Stars goaltender Yan Shostak collided as Shostak left the crease to play the puck. Though Ingles appeared to attempt to stop, the referees called a 5-minute charging major and a game misconduct. Lincoln was also called for an unsportsmanlike conduct minor on the play. The Stampede managed to kill off three minutes of their major penalty, but the impact may extend beyond just this game. At 13:21, the Herd went on their first power play of the night, where Ben Wilmott netted the team's 25th power play goal of the year. The Stars, however, remained unfazed and added three more goals. At 16:55, Gio Digiulian scored, followed by a goal from Caeden Herrington. In the final minute, Digiulian netted his second goal of the night, giving the Stars a 6-1 lead heading into the second intermission.
The final frame secured Lincoln's twelve-game win streak. At 3:10, Kade Kohanski extended the Stars' lead. Nearly seven minutes later, the Stampede's newly added forward, Joe McGraw, netted his first USHL goal on a breakaway opportunity. A couple of minutes later, the Stampede went on their second penalty kill of the night. Unlike before, Lincoln capitalized, scoring their final goal of the night. Just 30 seconds later, Ben Wilmott scored his second goal of the night with a shot from the left faceoff dot, but it had little impact on the final score. The Stars secured an 8-3 victory to extend their win streak to 12 games.
The Stampede were outshot 34-29.
Waylon Esche made his third start in net with Aiden Wright serving a two-game suspension. Esche made only 26 saves, suffering his first loss of the season. His record is now 2-1-0-0, and he holds a .863 save percentage.
The Stampede and Stars will face off again tomorrow night at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center for the organization's annual Pink in the Rink Night. The first 1,000 fans will receive a free Stampede hat, courtesy of Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital. The concourse will be filled with family-friendly activities, including Mr. Twister and face painting. Fans can purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win the Herd's special game-worn jerseys, with proceeds benefiting Voices Against Cancer. The organization will also hold a special Stomp Out Cancer pregame ceremony to honor those who have battled or are currently battling cancer. More information about the event can be found at sfstampede.com. Tickets for both weekend games are available by calling the Stampede office at (605) 275-4625.
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