Sioux City, I.A. – The Sioux Falls Stampede fell to the Sioux City Musketeers 5-4 after six power play opportunities came up empty. Brent Solomon scored his second goal of the season, while Cooper Soller and Adyn Merrick each netted their first. Goaltender Linards Feldbergs earned his third consecutive start in net.

After a strong opening, the Stampede broke through at 8:34 when JJ Monteiro fed a smooth pass to Brent Solomon, who buried it in the back of the net. Anthony Bongo picked up the secondary assist. Sioux City quickly answered with a two-on-one break that left Feldbergs little chance. From there, tensions began to rise. At 14:40, forward Joey Macrina took a cross-check that sent him to the bench, sparking a response from his teammates. Another cross-check against Monteiro at 16:31 gave the Herd their first power play of the game. A shorthanded chance rang off the post, and Sioux Falls was unable to convert with the man advantage, sending the game into the first intermission tied 1-1.

The Musketeers pulled ahead in the second with two power play goals, but Sioux Falls refused to back down. At 3:51, Thomas Holtby was called for head contact, putting the Stampede on their first penalty kill. Just 48 seconds later, Dallas Vieau gave Sioux City its first lead on the power play. At 9:53, Sioux Falls went back to the power play, but a turnover at the blue line led to a Musketeers shorthanded chance and, moments later, another power play when Bongo was whistled for tripping. Sioux City capitalized again at 12:47 to go up 3-1.

The Herd responded quickly. Less than three minutes later, Cooper Soller scored his first career goal with a wrister from the left faceoff dot. Before the end of the period, veteran forward Adyn Merrick tied the game on an odd-man rush after a smart setup from Nick Snyder. Sioux Falls went to the locker room even at 3-3, with a power play carrying over into the third.

The I-29 rivalry heated up in the final frame. Sioux Falls earned two more power play chances before the midway point but couldn't cash in. At 15:05, Sioux City regained the lead when Trey Jefferis collected a rebound off his skate, then converted on his stick to make it 4-3. With less than two minutes to play, Sioux Falls pulled Feldbergs for the extra attacker, but the Musketeers hit the empty net at 18:37 to go up 5-3.

Sioux City's celebration was short-lived, as back-to-back penalties gave the Stampede a 6-on-3 advantage. With 10 seconds left, Joey Macrina, a Quinnipiac commit, buried his first USHL goal on a backdoor rebound to make it 5-4. The Herd pressed in the closing seconds but couldn't find the equalizer.

After the final whistle, tempers boiled over. Cooper Soller was thrown to the ice, prompting captain JJ Monteiro and his teammates to step in. Sioux Falls received a roughing minor and a 10-minute misconduct, while Sioux City's William Tomko was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

Feldbergs suffered his first loss of the season, making 13 saves. The Latvian netminder now sits at 2-1-0-0 with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage.

The Stampede return home tomorrow night for their Home Opener against the Tri-City Storm at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. Tickets are still available!

Festivities begin at 3:30 p.m. at the Birdcage with a pregame tailgate featuring inflatables and lawn games provided by Bounce Around Inflatable. South Dakota Aerial Arts and Millennium Recycling will also be on site. Doors open at 4:45 p.m., and the first 1,000 kids (12 and under) will receive a Stampede replica jersey. Team introductions begin before puck drop at 6:05 p.m. For more information on tomorrow's festivities, click here.