SIOUX FALLS, S.D.— The Sioux Falls Stampede fell deep into penalty trouble against the Lincoln Stars and were unable to help themselves out on Friday afternoon, falling 7-3. JJ Wiebusch, John McNelis and Jake Toll all tallied goals while Caleb Heil was tabbed with the loss.

A goal for each team set the first period up to end in a 1-1 tie going into the second frame. The Stars struck first with a shorthanded goal from Keaton Peters at the 9:22 remaining mark. JJ Wiebusch found his ninth goal of the season, with some help from Beckett Hendrickson and Chris Pelosi, with under five minutes to play.

After a Lincoln goal at the 6:45 mark in the second period, the Herd plagued itself with seven minutes and 58 seconds of overlapping penalty kill time, allowing a powerplay goal and an even strength, four-on-four goal. After the penalty expired, the Stampede continued to play four-on-five hockey as the team did not add anyone to the penalty box to serve the five-minute major penalty called on Artur Cholach. Because of this, the Herd was unable to send someone from the bench to the ice after the penalty expired and the Stars were able to score another goal, going up 5-1 to end the second period.

A total of four goals were scored in the third period, two for the Herd and two for Lincoln. John McNelis and Jake Toll each shortened the Stars' lead but it wasn't enough to tie everything up. McNelis' goal came at 1:14 on the powerplay from Jordan Geike and Joe Belisle while Toll's game from Micah Berger at the 18:22 mark. The team was able to get out of penalty trouble for the most part during the third period with just one called on Kaz Sobieski for tripping.

Caleb Heil added the loss to his record, which now sits at 5-6-0 this season and 10-8-1 in his career. Heil allowed a 6.30 goals-against average in his 57:06 minutes in the net for the Herd. Saving 25-of-31 shots, he marked a .806 save percentage.

The Herd heads on the road to Waterloo, Iowa and Cedar Rapids, Iowa next weekend to play the Waterloo Black Hawks and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. They'll then be back on Dec. 5 to host the Sioux City Musketeers for a Tuesday evening game, followed by Teddy Bear Toss Night and Star Wars Night, both against Muskegon, on Dec. 8 and 9. More info on December's promotional nights will be released soon. Tickets for all Stampede home games are available now through the KELOLAND box office, Stampede office, or any Ticketmaster outlets.