Muskegon, M.I. – The Sioux Falls Stampede fell to the Muskegon Lumberjacks 4-3 in a double overtime battle in Game 3 of the Clark Cup Final. The Herd saw scoring from
Anthony Bongo,
Thomas Zocco, and
Cooper Soller, while
Linards Feldbergs stood strong between the pipes against a desperate Lumberjacks team.
Period one was intense as the Herd battled for the Cup and the Lumberjacks fought to keep the series alive. The tension and pressure between the teams was evident from the opening puck drop. The Herd earned the first power play of the game when Muskegon's Nathan Larioza was called for head contact at 3:49. Shortly after, the Herd received a second power play when Niles Benson was called for interference, but Sioux Falls was unable to capitalize on either opportunity.
Anthony Bongo opened the scoring when the puck deflected off a Muskegon player's stick, allowing him to fire a one-timer into the back of the net. Assists were credited to
Thomas Zocco and
Matthew Grimes. At 10:57, both teams received penalties as
Joe McGraw was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for the Herd, while Carter Amico received a roughing penalty for Muskegon, leading to 4-on-4 play. Both teams successfully killed off the penalties. Just before the end of the period, Niles Benson capitalized for the Lumberjacks at 19:40 to tie the game 1-1.
The second period continued to be a hard-fought battle as both teams looked to pull ahead. At 1:48,
Thomas Zocco carried the puck from center ice, cut in front of the Muskegon defense, and lifted a shot over the goaltender's shoulder to give the Herd the lead once again.
Joe McGraw earned the assist. Sioux Falls later received two more power-play opportunities after Branko Vukas was called for hooking and Adam Belusko was called for tripping, but the Herd was unable to convert.
At 7:17,
Wade Weil took a tripping penalty, though the Herd successfully killed it off. At 10:02, Anthony Thomas-Maroon was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for spearing. This time, the Herd capitalized as
Cooper Soller tipped a shot from
Matthew Grimes through traffic and into the net. Assists were credited to Grimes and Zocco. At 14:28,
Thomas Zocco took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but the Herd closed out the period with a 3-1 lead after another successful penalty kill.
The game shifted dramatically in the third period. While the Herd had controlled much of the game, the Lumberjacks found a second wind and pushed back hard.
JJ Monteiro took a tripping penalty early in the frame, but Sioux Falls killed it off. At 16:05, Muskegon's Melvin Novotny scored to bring the game within one. Less than two minutes later, Carter Amico found the back of the net to tie the game 3-3. Regulation ended tied, sending the game into overtime.
The extra periods proved to be just as energetic as the first three periods, with both teams desperate for the win. Neither side could find the back of the net in the first overtime, forcing a second overtime period. At 2:09 of double overtime, the Lumberjacks capitalized to take Game 3 of the Clark Cup Final series.
Despite the loss,
Linards Feldbergs turned in another impressive performance and continues to live up to the nickname "Latvian Legend." He now holds a 1.90 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage.
The Herd will rematch the Muskegon Lumberjacks tomorrow at 6:10 p.m. Eastern Time. If necessary, the Herd will return to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center for Game 5 on Tuesday, May 26.
