SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Stampede) — The Sioux Falls Stampede Hockey Club tallied a big win 2-1 against the Omaha Lancers on Star Wars night. Forwards Clint Levens and Sammy Harris both marked goals against the Lancers while netminder Caleb Heil dominated between the pipes for the Herd.
With no scoring in the first period, both teams fought to get on the board in the second frame. The Herd struck first with an unassisted goal by Clint Levens with 4:59 left in the period. Sammy Harris then added to the Stampede’s lead with a powerplay goal at the 16:53 mark. Harris’ goal made him the 12th Stampede player in program history to mark 30 goals in a single season and is the first to do it since the 2014-15 season. Omaha’s Tanner Rowe then narrowed the Herd’s lead to one goal but it wasn’t enough to take the game from the Stampede.
Caleb Heil moves to 5-1-1 this season with a total of 209 saves and a .917 save percentage. In tonight’s matchup, Heil marked 24 saves on 25 shots for a save percentage of 96 percent.
The Stampede now remain tied for sixth place with the Des Moines Buccaneers in Western Conference standings as Des Moines toppled the Tri-City Storm and also earned two points. The Buccaneers now play the Lancers in Omaha Sunday afternoon which has the potential to propel them past the Stampede.
The Stampede are now preparing for a home-and-home series against the Fargo Force to close out the regular season. They will travel to Fargo on Friday for a 7:05 pm game followed by coming back to the Denny for the final game on Saturday at 6:05 pm. Saturday will celebrate Take My Jersey Night AND Kid’s Night, presented by First Premier Bank and the Premier Bankcard.
