FARGO, N.D. – The Sioux Falls Stampede took the top spot in the Western Conference after shutting out the Fargo Force. Defensemen Matthew Grimes and Filip Nordberg shined, each tallying a goal. Ryan Manzella earned his second shutout of the season with a 25-save performance.

For the second game in a row, the Stampede capitalized on a strong first period. The Herd took the lead early after Fargo's Jordan Ronn served a two-minute penalty for a Too-Many-Men infraction. After strong power-play performances last weekend, the Stampede struggled on the man advantage this time, failing to convert and allowing a short-handed opportunity. As the penalty expired, the Stampede's Javon Moore was called for tripping, sending the team to its first penalty kill of the night. After killing off the penalty, the Stampede saw a short-handed opportunity of their own. Once the penalty expired, the Force had a few good chances, but goaltender Ryan Manzella came up with several key saves to keep Fargo off the board. At 14:27, the Stampede struck first, with defenseman Matthew Grimes tipping in an Ethan Wyttenbach shot. Sam Spehar also assisted on the goal. The Herd extended their lead just 25 seconds later when Ben Wilmott scored after Alex Rybakov sent a pass to Noah Urness, who fed it to Wilmott in front. The goal sent the Stampede into the intermission with a two-goal lead. The Herd outshot the Force 10-7 in the first period.

The Stampede's momentum carried into the second period, where they scored two more goals. At 3:50, defenseman Filip Nordberg netted his second goal of the season with a slapshot from the point. Three minutes later, Gennadi Chaly was called for the team's first penalty of the period. Sioux Falls killed off the penalty before adding another goal. Alexei Vlasov scored after a Bryce Ingles shot bounced off the backboards, moving Force goaltender Damian Slavik out of position and leaving the net wide open. Both Ingles and Rybakov were credited with assists on the goal. The Stampede were called for two more penalties before the end of the period, but the Force failed to capitalize on the power plays. The Herd headed to the locker room with a 4-0 lead.

The third period saw a different kind of action, with 44 penalty minutes being handed out. Sioux Falls drew their second penalty of the night just two minutes into the period, but Fargo killed it off. The bad blood between the two teams reached its peak at 9:30 when a couple of scrums broke out before Stampede affiliate player Luke Wilfley and Fargo's Pavel Prusek dropped the gloves. Both players landed a few solid hooks before the referees intervened to break up the fight. The two players were assessed 5-minute majors and game misconducts for fighting. Just 11 seconds later, the Force went on their fifth power play of the night when Adyn Merrick was called for his second penalty. As the period progressed, both teams became sloppy, with each earning two more penalties. However, the time spent in the penalty box had little impact on the game, as neither team found the back of the net. The final buzzer sounded with the Fargo Force unable to get one past goaltender Ryan Manzella, and the Stampede extended their win streak to six games with a 4-0 victory.

Goaltender Ryan Manzella earned his second shutout of the season, making 25 saves. He improves to 7-1-0-1 on the season with a .915 save percentage.

The Stampede will take on the Force again tomorrow night at Scheels Arena in Fargo, N.D. The team will then head into a 12-day holiday break before returning on December 27 to face the Sioux City Musketeers. The two teams will play a home-and-home series on December 27 and 28. On the 28th, the Herd will host a DC Comics Night at the PREMIER Center. Tickets for that game are available here.