USHL Sioux Falls Stampede

Stampede Roll Past Sioux City 5-2

March 26, 2016 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Sioux Falls Stampede News Release


Sioux Falls, SD - The Sioux Falls Stampede scored four times in the second period en route to a 5-2 drubbing of the Sioux City Musketeers Saturday night at the Tyson Events Center. The win improved the Herd's record to 27-24-4 and kept them just two points back of fourth place Fargo and three points behind third place Waterloo in the Western Conference with five games remaining. The top four teams qualify for the Clark Cup Playoffs.

Joe Rutkowski scored twice while Parker Tuomie and Matt Riggleman added goals in the victory for the Herd who finished with a 6-2-0 record against their I-29 rivals. Stefanos Lekkas continued his dominance in between the pipes and stopped 27 shots to earn his 21st win of the season for the Stampede who are now 9-16-2 on the road and 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.

After a scoreless first period, things picked up quickly in the second period with the Herd scoring 1:52 into the period when Joe Rutkowski took a pass in the high slot and fired it into the back of the net to give the Herd a 1-0 lead. The celebration would be short lived as the Musketeers stormed right back 19 seconds later when Trey Dodd responded with a goal of his own. The Musketeers would take their first lead of the night just minutes later when Josh Wilkins undressed the Stampede defense and cut in front of the Stampede net where he wristed the puck just underneath the crossbar to give Sioux City a 2-1 edge.

It stayed that way until 11:54 when the Herd started to heat up. Eric MacAdams took the puck out of the left wing corner, cut in front of the net and tucked the puck under the left pad of Musketeers goaltender Cameron Gornet to tie the game at two. Less than two minutes later the Herd found themselves ahead for the first time on the night when Rutkowski fired a shot from a tough angle, but banked it off the pads of Gornet and into the net to make it a 3-2 game. That would be it for Gornet who was replaced by David Fessenden. A new goaltender wouldn't stop the Stampede offensive charge as Parker Tuomie scored on the power play with two minutes left in the period. Garrett Cecere found Tuomie in the right wing corner who cut in front of the net and tucked the puck under the right pad of Fessenden for his 27th goal of the season and to give the Herd a 4-2 lead after two periods. The Herd and Musketeers both tallied 13 shots in the period.

The Stampede picked up right where they left off to start the third and extended their lead to 5-2 just 1:18 into the period when Matt Riggleman tallied his seventh goal of the season. Csanad Erdely sent a pass in front of the net Riggleman who was stopped by Fessenden, but he quickly knocked home the rebound to give the Herd a three-goal edge. From there things got chippy as the Musketeers took a couple shots at Stampede captain Parker Tuomie and that resulted in Chaz Switzer taking down Logan Gestro in a drop of the gloves and from there the Herd never looked back and earned the 5-2 victory over their rivals the Musketeers.

Sioux City outshot the Stampede 11-9 in the third period and 29-28 in the game. Sioux Falls finished the game 1-for-6 while the Musketeers were 0-for-3.

The Stampede return to action this Friday when they travel to Des Moines to take on the Buccaneers at 7:05 PM. Fans can catch all the action on KELO News Talk 1320-AM, 107.9-FM and KELO.com starting at 6:40 PM.

Check out the Sioux Falls Stampede Statistics



United States Hockey League Stories from March 26, 2016


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