SIOUX FALLS, S.D.— The Sioux Falls Stampede fell to the Fargo Force, 5-2, Saturday evening. Defenseman Gennadi Chaly and forward JJ Wiebusch each tallied goals with Caleb Heil backstopping the Herd.

The Stampede took their first lead 7:02 into the first period when Gennadi Chaly netted his fourth goal of the season. Assisted by Hayden Reid and Egor Barabanov, Chaly's goal gave the Stampede a lead for a little over 12 minutes. Fargo's Michael LaStarza, a former Stampede player released from the 2022-23 roster mid-season, was able to slide one into Caleb Heil's net with 54 seconds remaining in the period and take away the Stampede's lead. Fargo outshot Sioux Falls 15 to 8 during the first period.

The Force earned their first lead of the night 6:40 into the second period when Iiro Hakkarainen found a goal to put the Force up 2-1. After locking in the shootout win for the Herd last night, JJ Wiebusch made sure Hakkarainen's goal wouldn't give the Fargo a win when he scored at the 16:13 mark with some help from Will McDonough and Jack Phelan. The second period saw the first penalties of the night, both on the Stampede. The Force was unable to score on their four minutes of man-advantage play, the Herd going 100% on the penalty kill.

After Wiebusch was called for tripping and Fargo's LaStarza for embellishment, the teams played four-on-four until 17:29 remained on the clock. During this time, Fargo was able to score another goal and take back the lead, 3-2. At the 10:32 mark, Fargo's Tom Leppa and the Herd's Jack Phelan were served with five-minute major penalties for fighting and game misconducts. Zam Plante added another goal to Fargo's lead with under five minutes to play. The Stampede pulled goaltender Caleb Heil at the 18:21 mark and Zam Plante was able to slide his second goal of the night into the empty net and ensure the Force's 5-2 win.

Sioux Falls' Caleb Heil added the loss to his record sheet. Now sitting at 4-4-0, the goaltender allowed four goals and stopped 29-of-33 shots on his net. A .897 save percentage moves Heil's overall save percentage to .873 this season and a 3.31 goals-against average.

Next week, the team will have a home-and-home weekend against the Omaha Lancers. The team hosts the Lancers on Saturday for the annual Military Appreciation Night. More info to come on the events surrounding the celebration. Tickets for all Stampede home games are available now through the KELOLAND box office, Stampede office, or any Ticketmaster outlets.