CEDAR RAPIDS, I.A. — In a second-period rally for the Sioux Falls Stampede, first-year forward Matthew Portz picked up the first two goals of his USHL career, but the Herd couldn't overcome the deficit, falling to the the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, 5-3.

Starting with a delayed game due to a shattered panel glass at the end of warm ups, the Sioux Falls would come out of the gate playing Stampede-style hockey, but the tempo would be brought down at the 13:09 mark, as David Bosco would get the RoughRiders on the board first with a power-play goal. The goal was first the Stampede penalty kill has allowed all season, having gone 28-for-28 until Bosco's first goal of the night.

The second period would start with an abbreviated power play for the Herd, but just 4:29 into the frame, Braiden Scuderi would double the RoughRiders lead with his first of the season. Not to be outdone, Matthew Portz would get the Herd on the board at 12:39 with the first goal of his young USHL career, and follow it up 2:40 later, with his second goal of the night, this time on the man advantage. It looked like the Herd would carry the tie into the third period, but with 46 seconds to go, Bosco scored his second of the evening.

Completing the hat trick Bosco scored his third of the game 4:50 into the third period to give the green and white a 4-2 lead. In a late push, recently acquired forward Henry Major netted his first goal with the Stampede, also his first of the season. The goal would spark some life into the game for the Herd, but it would come too late, and with four seconds remaining in regulation, Henry Lechner connected with Nathan Chorlton and the latter hit the empty net to make this one a 5-3 final in favor of the RoughRiders.

Cedar Rapids netminder Joseph Skidmore stopped 30-of-33 Stampede shots in the win, while in the Sioux Falls net, Ilya Nikitins suffered his first loss of the season, making 29 saves on 33 shots.

The Sioux Falls Stampede and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders faceoff again on Saturday night to close out the season series at ImOn Arena.

About The Sioux Falls Stampede

Established in 1999, the Sioux Falls Stampede is a proud member of the United States Hockey League (USHL), the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league and leading producer of both NCAA players and National Hockey League draft picks in the United States. The organization has set out to achieve excellence in on- and off-ice performance since its inception. The Sioux Falls Stampede plays home games out of the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, providing players with a taste of high-stakes, high-adrenaline hockey in front of sold-out crowds of over 11,000 fans.