LINCOLN, NEB.— The Sioux Falls Stampede fell to the Lincoln Stars, 5-2, in Lincoln on Friday night. JJ Wiebusch and Jaksen Panzer each earned goals for the Herd while Michael Chambre was tasked with defending the Herd's net.
The Herd and Stars were both unable to get onto the board after the first period, tied at zero heading into the second frame. Lincoln then went on to score two goals in the first half of the second period. With just 16 seconds remaining on the clock, JJ Wiebusch netted the Herd's first goal, assisted by John McNelis and Michael Chambre, making it 2-1 in favor of the Stars after two.
The Stars added three more over the course of the third period while the Herd was only able to add a single goal to its total. Jaksen Panzer found the back of Lincoln goaltender Lucas Massie's net with just 56.7 seconds remaining in the game, closing the deficit down to three goals.
In typical Stampede fashion, the Herd out shot the Stars, 44-37, but was only able to find the back of the net twice. The team shot 12-20-12 in the three periods, respectively. On the opposite side of the ice, Lincoln's 37 shots on goal earned the Stars five goals. Stampede goaltender Michael Chambre tabbed a .865 save percentage and 5.00 goals-against average. He now holds a record of 12-5-1-1 this season and 19-17-1-1 in his three-year USHL career.
The Herd and Stars meet again tomorrow night at 6:05 p.m. to close out this series. Next week, the team makes a trek to Dallas, Texas for the Frosty Cup. The Herd will take on the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Jan. 25 and 26 at Comerica Center and American Airlines Center, respectively. Tickets for all Stampede home games are available now through the KELOLAND box office, Stampede office, or any Ticketmaster outlets.
