Lincoln, NE — With their season on the line, the Sioux Falls Stampede scored three times on the power play and downed the Lincoln Stars 4-1 in Game 4 of their Western Conference Semi-Final series. The win forced a winner-take-all Game 5 this Tuesday night at the PREMIER Center at 7:05 PM.
The Herd got goals from
Matthew Grimes,
JJ Monteiro,
Logan Renkowski (2), and
Brent Solomon, while goaltender
Linards Feldbergs turned aside 25 shots to secure the win.
The pace was set early in the first period, beginning with a penalty to
Wade Weil at 1:39 for holding. The Stampede penalty kill handled the situation with ease. At 8:51, Lincoln took a tripping penalty of their own, and shortly after it expired,
Matthew Grimes buried a one-timer low blocker side past goaltender Charles Menard.
Jake Merens picked up the assist.
Lincoln responded at 14:38 with their lone goal of the night, briefly tying the game. However, just 28 seconds later, KJ Sauer was called for boarding, giving Sioux Falls another power play opportunity.
JJ Monteiro capitalized, tucking the puck under the goaltender's pad off a pass from
Joey Macrina. Macrina and
Brent Solomon recorded the assists, restoring the Herd's lead heading into intermission at 2-1.
The second period continued at a high tempo. At 2:32, Lincoln's Josef Eichler was called for interference, and immediately after that penalty expired, Evan Malkhassin was sent off for tripping. Sioux Falls took advantage of the extended power play, as
Logan Renkowski fired a one-timer from his knee to make it 3–1.
The Stampede then faced a string of penalties, with
Wade Weil,
Cooper Soller,
Brock Schultz (5-minute major), and Tobias Ohman all heading to the box. Despite the pressure, the penalty kill stood tall, and Feldbergs was sharp in net to maintain the two-goal lead.
Momentum swung again late in the period when Lincoln's Layne Loomer took an interference penalty at 15:33. Just as the penalty expired,
Brent Solomon capitalized on a rebound to extend the lead to 4–1.
Play slowed slightly in the third period, but Sioux Falls remained in control. After killing off a hooking penalty to
Matthew Grimes at 4:23, the Stampede sealed the game when Lincoln pulled their goalie at 15:05.
Logan Renkowski sent the puck the length of the ice for his second goal of the night, making it 5–1.
Sioux Falls finished the season with a 5-1-0 mark (including playoffs) at the Ice Box in Lincoln.
The Stampede return home to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center for Game 5 on Tuesday night. Tickets go on sale at 10:00 AM Sunday through Ticketmaster and the Stampede office will be open from 10-12 PM to purchase tickets as well. The first 3,000 fans on Tuesday will receive a special Red Bison Stampede playoff towel, compliments of Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital and the Orthopedic Institute.
