Sioux Falls, S.D. – The Sioux Falls Stampede closed out their pre-holiday schedule with a 5–2 home victory over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The Herd received goals from Noah Mannausau, Cooper Soller , Brock Schultz, and Matthew Grimes, while goaltender Linards Feldbergs delivered another strong performance between the pipes.
Sioux Falls came out strong in the opening period, striking first at 4:05 when defenseman Noah Mannausau capitalized after RoughRiders goaltender Joseph Skidmore slid out of the crease, allowing Mannausau to slip the puck around him and into the net. Joey Macrina and Logan Renkowski picked up the assists.
At 13:30, the Herd earned their first power play of the night following a tripping minor against Cedar Rapids. Sioux Falls made the most of the opportunity, as Cooper Soller buried a one-timer from the low slot with just 10 seconds remaining on the power play. JJ Monteiro and Ryder Betzold recorded the assists. Cedar Rapids drew a tripping penalty at 19:41, sending the Stampede into the second period shorthanded.
The Herd successfully killed the penalty to open the second period and later earned an early power play but were unable to convert. At 13:21, Brock Schultz extended the lead with a backhander off the crossbar, assisted by Juho Keinänen.
Anthony Bongo was called for tripping at 15:01, followed shortly by a RoughRiders roughing penalty to create four-on-four play. At 16:44, Matthew Grimes went behind the net and wrapped the puck around to make it 4–0. Joey Macrina and Brock Schultz assisted on the play. A tripping minor to JJ Monteiro at 19:19 put Sioux Falls back on the penalty kill to start the third.
Momentum slowed early in the third period as matching minors to Logan Renkowski and Cedar Rapids' Ruben Westerling resulted in four-on-four hockey. The Herd was later assessed a bench minor for too many men, served by Ryder Betzold, but Sioux Falls successfully killed the penalty.
At 12:02, Cedar Rapids was able to get on the board, cutting the Stampede lead to 4–1. The Herd responded late, as Cooper Soller netted his second goal of the night at 19:37, finishing a rebound after Joseph Skidmore lost his positioning in the crease. Cedar Rapids added one more late tally, but Sioux Falls closed out the contest to secure the 5–2 victory.
Feldbergs once again impressed in net, shutting out Cedar Rapids through the first two periods and allowing the Stampede to build a substantial lead. He improves to 14-7-1-0 on the season with a 2.50 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
The Herd return to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center on December 27 following the holiday break to take on the Fargo Force. The night will feature Star Wars Night, with the Stampede wearing special Dark Side jerseys available for bidding through Dash Auctions. The first 500 fans will also receive duffel bags courtesy of Kwik Star.
