Stampede come from behind to defeat Fargo
Reid Varkonyi earned his tenth goal of the season, while top scorer Ethan Wyttenbach netted the game-winning goal. Goaltender Waylon Esche secured his second win in as many starts, giving the Stampede another two points.
The first period remained fairly calm. Fargo opened the scoring at 2:01 with a shot that went over Sioux Falls goaltender Waylon Esche. The next notable action came at 11:05 when Stampede defenseman Gennadi Chaly was called for interference. The Herd successfully killed the penalty before going on a power play of their own. Michael Coleman was penalized for roughing after hitting Stampede newcomer Ritter Coombs up high. Unable to convert on the power play, the Stampede headed to the locker room trailing by one despite outshooting the Force 12-9.
The Stampede started the second period strong, scoring two goals in the first three minutes. Reid Varkonyi netted his tenth goal of the season with a snipe from the point, assisted by Ethan Wyttenbach and Filip Nordberg. Just 48 seconds later, Austin Baker gave the Stampede the lead with a similar shot from the left side, assisted by Javon Moore and Bryce Ingles. The rest of the period was marked by penalties, with both teams receiving three. The first penalty of the period went against the Fargo Force. At 17:26, coinciding cross-checking minors resulted in 4-on-4 play before Matthew Grimes gave the Force a 4-on-3 advantage. However, neither team was able to capitalize on their power plays.
After killing off the remainder of Matthew Grimes' penalty to start the third period, the Force were called for a head contact penalty against Anthony Bongo. The Stampede failed to convert on their fourth power play of the night, and instead, the Force's Finn McLaughlin tied the game shortly after leaving the penalty box. Less than two minutes later, newly acquired Ritter Coombs dropped the gloves with Luke Schelter to shift momentum back to the Herd. Two minutes and eight seconds later, top scorer Ethan Wyttenbach caught the Force on a line change and reclaimed the lead. Wyttenbach fired a wrist shot from the point after receiving an up-ice pass from defenseman Gennadi Chaly. With less than a minute remaining, the Force pulled their goaltender. The Stampede had a couple of good chances at an empty-net goal but couldn't convert. On the other end, the Force created several opportunities to tie the game, but Waylon Esche remained steady in net to secure the win.
Newly added goaltender Waylon Esche earned his second win with 28 saves. He now holds a record of 2-0-0-0 with a .917 save percentage.
The Stampede and Force will face off again tomorrow night at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center for the 18th Annual Sioux Nation Pet Clinic Wiener Dog Races. A few tickets remain for the biggest night of the year, so get yours now.
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