Sioux Falls, S.D. – Tonight the Sioux Falls Stampede opened the Clark Cup Final with a 3-1 victory over the Muskegon Lumberjacks, fueled by a two-goal third period in front of the home crowd. The Herd saw goals from Joey Macrina (2) and JJ Monteiro (EN), while Linards Feldbergs stood tall in net, allowing just one goal in another stellar postseason performance.

The opening frame featured high intensity and fast-paced play from both teams. The Herd earned the first power play opportunity of the night when Muskegon's Melvin Novotny was called for slashing at 4:08, but Sioux Falls was unable to convert. Shortly after, Drew Stewart capitalized on a turnover shorthanded to give the Lumberjacks an early 1-0 lead.

Muskegon continued to battle penalty trouble as Novotny was called for tripping at 9:09, followed by a bench minor for too many men at 15:47 served by Teddy Lechner. Despite multiple opportunities, the Herd could not find the equalizer. At 17:20, Brock Schultz was assessed a holding penalty, but the Stampede penalty kill held strong. Sioux Falls outshot Muskegon 10-6 in the period despite trailing 1-0 after twenty minutes.

The second period brought a noticeable shift in momentum as both teams generated quality scoring chances, but strong defensive play and goaltending kept the game tight. At 11:28, matching penalties sent Wade Weil to the box for cross-checking and Ty Bergeron for embellishment, creating 4-on-4 play. The Herd took advantage as Joey Macrina buried a one-timer from the left faceoff circle off a setup from Thomas Zocco after Noah Mannausau won a battle along the boards. Zocco and Mannausau earned the assists on the game-tying goal. The teams entered the second intermission tied 1-1, with Muskegon narrowly outshooting Sioux Falls 12-11 in the period.

The intensity only increased in the third period as both teams pushed for the go-ahead goal. Just 25 seconds into the frame, Brock Schultz picked up his second penalty of the night for high-sticking, but the Herd penalty kill once again came through in a key moment.

With the clock winding down and the game still tied, Joey Macrina delivered again at 12:07. Brock Schultz drove hard to the net before finding Macrina, who finished the play for his second goal of the night. Schultz and Joe McGraw were credited with the assists.

At 18:04, JJ Monteiro sealed the victory with an empty-net goal to make it 3-1. Macrina nearly completed the hat trick moments later, but the puck bounced away after a pass from Logan Renkowski, preventing the forward from getting a clean shot off. Muskegon outshot Sioux Falls 10-9 in the final frame.

Linards Feldbergs turned aside 27 shots in the win and continues his impressive playoff run. The goaltender now holds a 1.94 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in the postseason.

The Herd and Lumberjacks will face off again tomorrow night in Game 2 of the Clark Cup Final. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.com.