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Two goals in the first period and strong goaltending by Charlie Lindgren were enough for the Stampede on Saturday night in Sioux City as they took down the Musketeers 2-1 for their ninth straight win. Sam Rothstein and R.J. Majkozak scored for the Herd while Lindgren stopped 22 of 23 shots for his seventh straight win. The Herd are now 6-0-0 against the Musketeers this season.
The win gave the Stampede a four point lead over Fargo for first place in the West as the Herd improved to 25-8-1 while winning three games in a four game stretch. Sioux City fell to 3-9-8 in one-goal games this season and are now 6-21-8 overall.
Sioux City came to play and showed it early, scoring just 20 seconds into the game to take a 1-0 lead. Jared Kolquist brought the puck down the right wing boards and centered through the slot to Trevor Olson who one-timed a shot past the glove side of Stampede goaltender Charlie Lindgren to give the Musketeers a 1-0 edge. The Musketeers controlled much of the play in the first 10 minutes before the Stampede finally got a shot on goal and took control of the period.
The Herd would get on the board at 13:08 when Sam Rothstein tallied his 12th goal of the season. Thomas Forgione took the puck behind the net and sent it in front of the goal where Rothstein tucked the puck under the pads of Musketeer goaltender Kyle Hayton to tie the game at one. Sioux Falls took their first lead of the night at 17:40 when R.J. Majkozak recorded his third goal of the season. Ryan Siiro wristed a shot from the left circle that was gloved by Hayton, but Majkozak knocked the puck in mid-air past Hayton to give Sioux Falls a 2-1 lead after one period. The Herd outshot Sioux City 12-10 in the period.
In the second, Sioux Falls had three powerplay opportunities to increase the lead, but the Sioux City defense shutdown the Stampede and the game remained 2-1 at the end of two periods with the Stampede outshooting Sioux City 9-5.
In the third, the Stampede penalty kill held off a Sioux City rally. The Musketeers got three powerplay opportunities, but Charlie Lindgren shined between the pipes and the Stampede defense limited scoring chances as the Stampede held off the Musketeers for the 2-1 victory. Sioux Falls outshot Sioux City 24-23 on the night.
The Stampede continue their road trip next weekend with games in Green Bay and Cedar Rapids, Friday and Saturday night. Fans can catch all the action on KELO-AM 1320 and online at www.keloam.com starting at 6:40 PM each night with the pre-game show.
Courtesy: Jim Olander, Vice President Broadcast & Communications, Sioux Falls Stampede Hockey
