SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Sioux Falls Stampede completed the weekend sweep of the Waterloo Black Hawks, the top team in the Western Conference, with a 5-4 victory Saturday night at the PREMIER Center. The victory matches a season-long, five-game win streak dating back to January 18. Five different players scored for the Herd, while Jaxson Stauber made his second-consecutive start in net and moved into fifth all-time in team history with 35 career wins.
The Stampede came out of the gate swinging for the second night in a row by grabbing the opening goal of the contest. Defenseman Nick Anderson made a heads-up play on a mistimed change by Black Hawks to find forward Brian Carrabes all alone for the one-on-one with goaltender Logan Stein 1:11 into the game.
The Black Hawks came back seven minutes later with a goal of their own, as Kyle Haskins beat Jaxson Stauber for his tenth of the season. Waterloo finished the period outshooting the Herd 12-7.
The Stampede were able to extend the lead by two with goals from Cameron MacDonald and Jakub Lewandowski on the power play at 3:20 and 14:14 into the second period.The two-goal advantage disappeared as Joe Cassetti scored :21 seconds into the third, but it was defenseman Brandon Chabrier tallying his first United States Hockey League goal from the blue line to regain the advantage two minutes later.
Waterloo asserted their dominance by scoring two goals in a span of two minutes to tie the game at four a piece. Forward Garrett Pinoniemi was able to put all 7,839 fans on their feet on Special Olympics night as he was able to jam a loose puck on goaltender Gabriel Carriere who replaced Stein late in the period.
The Herd now have a winning record for the first time since winning the opening game of the season and in the thick of the playoff race, going 8-2 in their last 10 games.
The victory also marks the 35th career victory in net for goaltender Jaxson Stauber, moving him into a tie for fifth all-time in team history.
The Stampede have a quick turn around and will take on the second place Tri-City Storm on Tuesday, February 4 at the PREMIER Center with a 7:05 p.m. 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.
(Jasen Robbennolt contributed to this report)
