FARGO, N.D. (KELO.com) — The Sioux Falls Stampede tried to rally from a two-goal deficit late in the third period for a win but came up just short in a 4-3 overtime loss Thursday night to the Fargo Force at SCHEELS Arena. Tommy Lyons, Ryan Sullivan, and Nick Anderson scored in the effort while goaltender Grant Adams made 46 of 50 saves in the midst of a four-game road swing.
Less than seven minutes into the game, Fargo forward Carter Randklev sent a perfect pass to leading scorer Lynden Breen who found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season. Three minutes later the Force extended their lead to 2-0 at 17:20 of the first when defenseman Nick Strom blasted the puck from the top of the left circle on the power play for the score. Fargo outshot Sioux Falls 23-7.
The Herd held strong in the second period by holding the Force to no scoring opportunities and managed to bring a fresh pace to the second period without scoring a goal. Under two minutes into the third period, Stampede captain Ryan Sullivan, who returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games, intercepted the puck in the on a penalty kill and created a scoring opportunity for Tommy Lyons who tucked the rebound under the pad of Cole Brady for a short-handed tally.
Thirty seconds later Fargo responded with a goal from Aaron Grounds, but Sullivan answered back at 3:43 in the third period with a goal of his own to make the score 3-2. Stampede leading scorer Brian Carrabes handed the puck off to Sullivan who was able to skate around the left circle and put a perfectly placed wrist shot over Brady for his first of the season.
The Stampede scored the game-tying with 1:36 remaining in regulation off the stick of defenseman Nick Anderson. Carrabes broke the puck out down the right-wing side with a saucer pass to Jakub Lewandowski who was able to cleanly get pass the Fargo defenseman, passing the puck to an open Anderson waiting in front of the net.
The Force was able to get a quick overtime goal from defenseman Strom, his second of the evening, to capture their third win of the season. The Stampede comes away with a point in the Western Conference standings and are now 1-4-1 on the season.
The Stampede finishes their four-game road swing with a trip down to Kearney, Neb. for a rematch with the Tri-City Storm at the Viaero Center on Saturday, Oct. 19 with a 7:05 p.m. scheduled puck drop. Fans can catch the game streaming live at HockeyTV.com or listen live on KELO Radio 107.9 FM, 1320 AM or Kelo.com.
(SOURCE: Sioux Falls Stampede)
