Sioux Falls, S.D. – The Sioux Falls Stampede shut out the Lincoln Stars after a physical game. Linards Feldbergs earned his second shutout of the season with a 32-save performance, while Cooper Soller and Ryder Betzold netted goals.

The Lincoln Stars set the tone early with plenty of physicality, which also led to penalties. The first was handed to Layne Loomer at 4:40 for tripping Noah Mannausau. After early puck-possession struggles, the Stampede broke through with a power-play goal from Cooper Soller. Soller scored by rebounding a Brent Solomon shot, cutting through the crease, and slipping the puck past Lincoln goaltender Charles Menard.

The rest of the period was marked by penalties. Noah Mannausau was called for slashing at 6:57, but the Stampede penalty kill did its job and shut down the Stars. At 10:29, Ryder Betzold drew a boarding penalty after a slow trip to the bench. The Stampede challenged for a major on the play, but the challenge did not go in their favor. Both teams had another power-play opportunity but were unable to convert. After recording just nine shots on goal, the Stampede headed to the locker room with a one-goal lead.

Lincoln's physicality continued to raise tensions between the two teams. The Stampede extended their lead at 5:59 when Ryder Betzold went five-hole on Charles Menard. He was assisted by Tobias Ohman and Logan Renkowski. The rest of the period was filled with penalties. Markus Jakobsen was called for the first at 7:46. The Stars challenged the boarding minor for a major, but the call stood.

The Stars were later called for hooking, and chaos broke out during the Stampede's power play. Cooper Soller ran into the goaltender, which the Stars took exception to. Thomas Zocco dropped the gloves with Layne Loomer and, after earning the takedown, was given a five-minute major and a 10-minute misconduct. Twenty-four seconds after the fight, Jack Brauti took a high stick, drawing a double minor. The double minor put the Stampede on a 4-on-3 power play briefly before shifting to 4-on-4 and finally to a standard 5-on-4 advantage.

At 19:15, Will Kortan charged goaltender Linards Feldbergs into the boards behind the net as he went to play the puck. Unsurprisingly, several Stampede players took exception to the unsportsmanlike act. Brock Schultz dropped the gloves with Josef Eichler, but it was Matthew Grimes who was handed an extra 10-minute misconduct, leaving an already short Stampede bench down three more players. Despite the chaotic end to the period, the Stampede carried a 2-0 lead into the intermission.

Tensions eased in the third period, though plenty of players remained in the penalty box for both teams. At 1:56, Cooper Soller was called for slashing, but the Stampede penalty kill kept the Stars at bay. The Stars were whistled for their 13th penalty of the night for too many men. The Stampede had a couple of chances on the power play but were unable to convert. Sioux Falls had to kill off one more penalty before the end of the game and successfully did so.

At 17:17, Menard went to the bench for the extra attacker, and at 19:44, Logan Renkowski sealed the game with an empty-net goal.

With 32 saves, Linards Feldbergs earned his second shutout of the season and his 26th win of the year. The goaltender made several impressive saves, improving to a 2.58 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

With a 33-15-2 record, the Stampede will now travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to take on the Des Moines Buccaneers at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night. Fans in Sioux Falls can stop by either Buffalo Wild Wings location to catch the game.