Sioux City, I.A. – The Herd snapped their losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Musketeers.
Dane Sorensen netted his first USHL goal,
Brock Schultz earned his first as a member of the Herd, and
Cooper Soller added a tally of his own. Linards Feldberg's stayed strong in net, making 29 saves.
The opening period began with an early power play opportunity for Sioux Falls, but the Herd were unable to convert. At 5:33,
Dane Sorensen netted his first goal of the season with a slap shot through the five-hole. Assists were credited to
JJ Monteiro and
Anthony Bongo. Soon after,
Logan Renkowski and Ryan Poirier dropped the gloves and received matching roughing minors, sending the game to 4-on-4.
The Herd then gave the Musketeers back-to-back power play opportunities after penalties to
Matthew Grimes (cross-checking) and
Loic Nasreddine (hooking). Sioux City failed to convert on the first advantage but capitalized on the second with a goal from William Tomko. Sioux Falls earned a late-period power play but couldn't take advantage. The Musketeers outshot the Herd 13–11 in the first.
Sioux Falls opened the second period with a 5-on-3 advantage after a late Musketeers penalty but again couldn't find the back of the net. Sioux City then received an early power play when
Noah Mannausau was called for hooking, but the Herd killed it off. The Herd responded with a power play of their own, and
Brock Schultz buried a rebound for his first goal as a member of the Herd, assisted by
JJ Monteiro and
Joe McGraw.
A tripping call on
Jake Prunty put the Herd back on the penalty kill, but they maintained their lead. Tempers flared at the buzzer, resulting in roughing minors for Thomas Holbty and Tomko, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for Dallas Vieau. Sioux Falls outshot Sioux City 9–5 in the second.
The Herd entered the third period on a 5-on-4 advantage but couldn't extend the lead. At 2:35,
Cooper Soller tipped in a shot to the lower-left corner, with assists from
Wade Weil and McGraw, putting Sioux Falls ahead 3–1. The Herd earned another power play later in the period but came up empty.
With time winding down, a high-sticking penalty to
Ryder Betzold gave the Musketeers a late advantage. Sioux City pulled goaltender Jack Fichthorn for a 6-on-4 opportunity. Feldberg's stood tall as the Herd killed off the penalty, but the Musketeers scored shortly after to cut the lead to 3–2. Sioux Falls held strong in the final minutes to secure the win. The Musketeers outshot the Herd 13–7 in the third.
Feldbergs 29-save performance improves his record to 8-4-1-0, with a .911 save percentage and a 2.37 goals-against average.
The Herd now heads to Lincoln for a match up with the Stars tomorrow night before traveling to Chicago for a back-to-back series. Sioux Falls returns to the PREMIER Center on the 26th for the inaugural Corgi Race, presented in partnership with Tito's Vodka for Dog People.
