Stampede strikes down Storm

Sioux Falls, S.D. (Stampede) – After a tough battle last night, the Stampede took down the Tri-City Storm 5-1. Following a slow start, Ritter Coombs broke through, while Ben Wilmott netted two goals. Aiden Wright also delivered another stellar performance between the pipes, earning his eighteenth win of the season.

The Stampede started sluggishly in the first period but managed to finish strong. Just 4:09 into the game, Sioux Falls native Landen Fandel netted a goal for the Storm. The goal came from a shot at the point while Herd goaltender Aiden Wright was screened. For the next several minutes, Tri-City dominated puck possession, and Sioux Falls seemed to be in survival mode. At 7:22, Alex Rybakov was called for holding, sending the Stampede to their first penalty kill of the night. That lasted only 22 seconds before Tri-City’s Shaun McEwen was sent to the box for roughing after taking down Filip Nordberg on a short-handed opportunity. The Stampede’s 15 seconds of power play seemed to shift the momentum. At 10:15, Ritter Coombs netted his first goal as a member of the Herd. After receiving the puck from defenseman Gennadi Chaly, Coombs evaded several Storm defenders and took a clear shot from the right faceoff dot. The Stampede earned another penalty kill before taking the lead. Ben Wilmott scored by shoveling in a Javon Moore shot from the point. Noah Urness was also credited with an assist on the goal. With less than 20 seconds remaining in the period, the Storm’s McEwen covered the puck with his hand during a Stampede opportunity. He was assessed a delay of game penalty, and the Herd was awarded a penalty shot. Gennadi Chaly went five-hole on Dybal to earn his eighth goal of the season. After a slow start, the Stampede matched the Storm’s shots-on-goal total with 12.

The second period brought even more chaos. The Herd started on the penalty kill after Noah Urness was called for hooking at 1:03. They successfully killed the penalty. Shortly after, Ritter Coombs dropped the gloves with the Storm’s Paul Bloomer after Jake Merens was decked in front of the penalty boxes. Coombs and Bloomer received a five-minute major and a ten-minute misconduct for fighting, but the game remained at even strength. The Stampede’s penalty kill shut down the Storm twice before the end of the period when Filip Nordberg was called for high-sticking and Alex Rybakov for checking from behind. The game appeared to settle down for a bit before the Stampede scored their fourth goal of the night. JJ Monteiro found the net with a shot from the goal line. Initially, the goal was waved off for goaltender interference by Sam Spehar. However, after a coach’s challenge, the call on the ice was overturned, and the Stampede headed to the locker room with a three-goal lead.

The game slowed down in the final frame. At 7:07, Colby Woogk was sent to the box for hooking, and the Stampede took advantage. Ben Wilmott netted his second goal of the night with a shot from the point. Noah Urness and Reid Varkonyi assisted on the power play goal, giving the Stampede a 5-1 lead. The rest of the game was marked by penalties from both teams, but neither capitalized. Offense slowed, with the Stampede registering seven shots on goal and the Storm earning only five.

After a solid performance that ended in a loss last night, goaltender Aiden Wright bounced back with another strong effort between the pipes. Wright made 25 saves, improving his record to 18-7-3-0 on the season. He now holds a .907 save percentage.

The Stampede return to the PREMIER Center on Tuesday night for Marines Night. The Herd will host the Des Moines Buccaneers for a 7:05 p.m. game.