Sioux Falls, S.D. – The Sioux Falls Stampede defeated the Omaha Lancers 7–3 on Saturday night, one day after clinching their playoff berth.
Cooper Soller and
Logan Renkowski each scored twice to lead the Herd, while
Christian Chouha opened the scoring.
Linards Feldbergs earned his 25th win of the season with a 16-save performance.
Sioux Falls came out dominant in the opening period, outshooting Omaha 17–4. The Stampede struck first just 3:39 into the game when
Christian Chouha buried a rebound past the Lancers' goaltender.
Aiden Janz and
Jake Prunty picked up assists on the play.
At 7:22, Chouha created another scoring chance with an impressive individual effort, battling through the Omaha defense before feeding Tobias Öhman for a clean finish to double the lead.
The Stampede were assessed the first penalty of the night when
Brock Schultz was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after spraying the Omaha goaltender following the whistle. Sioux Falls successfully killed the penalty, but later in the period
Wade Weil was sent to the box for hooking. This time, the Lancers capitalized on the power play to cut the lead to 2–1 heading into intermission.
Omaha evened the score early in the second period on a goal by Drake Gram. After surrendering their two-goal advantage, the Stampede responded emphatically with four goals in the middle frame.
At 10:18, the Lancers took their first penalty of the night, and Sioux Falls made them pay.
Logan Renkowski scored on the power play when a pass deflected off a Lancer skate and found its way into the net.
Nearly three minutes later, the Stampede drew another penalty. Although they were unable to convert during the advantage,
Cooper Soller netted his 22nd goal of the season as the penalty expired, tipping in a shot from
JJ Monteiro. Just two minutes later, Soller struck again on the power play, assisted by
Brent Solomon and
Jack Brauti.
Only 33 seconds after that tally, Renkowski added his second goal of the night on a breakaway, finishing a feed from
Wade Weil. The outburst gave Sioux Falls a commanding 6–2 lead heading into the third period after outshooting Omaha 16–7 in the second.
The Stampede extended their lead to 7–2 just 5:22 into the final frame with another power-play goal.
Jake Prunty walked into the puck and fired a one-timer past the defense for his second goal of the season.
Omaha added a late goal at 16:24 after Feldbergs momentarily lost track of the puck, allowing the Lancers to tap in a rebound. However, the result was well in hand as Sioux Falls secured the 7–3 victory.
The Stampede finished with a decisive 45–19 edge in shots. With Fargo's shootout loss Saturday night, Sioux Falls extended its lead in the Western Conference to five points.
Feldbergs stopped 16 of 19 shots to earn his 25th win, improving to a .907 save percentage and a 2.64 goals-against average.
The Stampede return to the ice Sunday at 4:05 p.m. for a rematch against the Fargo Force. It will be Foster Network Night, presented in partnership with Scooter's Coffee. Fans are encouraged to donate new boys' athletic pants and new hair brushes to support The Foster Network. Those who donate will receive a BOGO ticket voucher. Following the game, the entire Stampede roster will sign autographs in the Hall of Fame area off the main PREMIER Center lobby.
