Sioux Falls, SD – The Sioux Falls Stampede completed a three-game weekend sweep with a dominant win over the Fargo Force. Special teams led the way, netting two power-play goals and two shorthanded tallies to fuel the victory. Brent Solomon stayed hot, scoring his fourth goal in as many games since joining the lineup. Between the pipes, Kaenan Smith impressed in his first start for the Herd, turning aside 18 shots to secure the win.
The opening period saw back-and-forth action, but the Stampede struck first with a goal from Adyn Merrick at 3:51, assisted by Bryce Ingles and Aiden Welch. Fargo's Luke Schelter took a slashing penalty at 12:25, giving Sioux Falls the first power play of the game, but the Force successfully killed it off and quickly responded with a goal to tie things up before the intermission. The Stampede held a slight edge in shots on goal, outshooting the Force 9-8 heading into the second period.
The Stampede came out firing in the second period, reclaiming the lead just minutes in. Brent Solomon netted his fourth goal of the weekend on the power play at 3:02, finishing a setup from JJ Monteiro and Joe McGraw. Sioux Falls kept the momentum rolling when Austin Baker tipped in a goal from Gennadi Chaly at 6:37, with Ben Wilmott adding an assist. Fargo responded at 8:19 with a goal from Eero Butella, but the Herd didn't back down. Despite a controversial embellishment call made against Filip Nordberg, the Stampede struck on the penalty kill, as Bryce Ingles set up Alex Rybakov for a shorthanded goal less than 10 seconds in. The Herd carried a two-goal lead into the locker room, setting the stage for the third period.
The third period would see immediate action once again, this time another penalty against the Herd. Ritter Coombs would take the slashing call 3:19 into the period, but the Herd saw no sign of stepping down. At 4:37 Joe McGraw would receive a forward pass from Austin Baker to get the breakaway short handed goal. The rest of the period the two teams spent in the neutral zone until 18:00 when the Force would get the goal to bring the Stampede lead within two. Ritter Coombs would shut the game down at 19:53 with an empty net goal and the Stampede would complete the weekend sweep.
Goaltender Kaenan Smith would get his first start with the Stampede, making 18 saves and holding a 0.857 save percentage. This would bring his total save percentage this season to 0.894 and his record to 2-2-0-0.
The Stampede will travel to Omaha to take on the Lancers at 7:05 pm before traveling to Waterloo on friday. The Stampede will not return home until the last regular season game on April 12th where they will host the Fargo Force. Kid's Takeover night is sure to be fun for the whole family. Tickets for the game are available here.
