The largest crowd of the season packed the Premier Center Saturday night, hoping to see their Sioux Falls Stampede move within a point of getting out of last place in the Western Conference of the USHL. It looked like Lincoln was going to extend their lead over the Stampede in the conference when they took a 4-2 lead in the final frame, but two goals in the final minutes of the third period sent the game to overtime, where Eric MacAdams delivered the game winner to give Sioux Falls the 5-4 victory.

The Stampede found themselves under the gun right from the start when MacAdams took a penalty just 12-seconds into the game. Sioux Falls was able to kill off the penalty, but four seconds after it expired, Henry Bowlby back-handed a shot that Stampede goalie Mikhail Berdin could not glove. The puck went into the net and the Lincoln Stars had the early 1-0 lead.

The Stampede would try to get the equalizer and they gave Lincoln goalie Cayden Primeau everything they could give, blasting 17-shots on net in the first period, but the Stars goalie proved to be too much early on, saving all of them and maintaining the one-goal lead heading into the first intermission.

Into the second the game went, and the Stars would grab another early period goal to extend their lead. At the 3:13 mark, the Stars Brandon Schultz scored his first goal of the season to make it 2-0.

The Stampede would get the goal back a little over seven minutes later. Gavin Hain’s shot hit off the crossbar and hit Cayden Primeau in the back. The puck then bounced into the net with the goalie being completely unable to do anything to stop it and the score was now 2-1.

Just as the Stampede had dominated the first period, the Stars controlled the second, outshooting Sioux Falls 16-4. However, now it was Berdin’s time to keep his team in the game, as he stopped all but one of those shots.

The first two periods had been a tight affair, but the third turned out to be much more wide open. Lincoln grabbed another early period tally when the Lincoln Stars were short-handed. Jake Nielsen made a great play to get control of the puck and then raced for the Sioux Falls end where he would beat Berdin on a backhand shot to give his team the 3-1 lead.

While still on the power-play, the Sioux Falls Stampede were able to get the goal back. Jack St. Ivany passed to Jaxon Nelson who fired a shot from the side of the Stars goalie. Primeau could not block it and the Stampede were behind by one on Nelson’s third goal of the season.

The game would stay 3-2 for the next nine minutes, but Lincoln would extend their lead back to two at the 14:37 mark. Bowlby beat Berdin for his second goal of the game and seventh of the year to make it 4-2 and, with just 5:23 left in the contest, this game looked like it was over. However, Sioux Falls was having none of that.

The Stampede would make this a one-goal game at 16:33 when Jack Becker won the offensive zone face-off back to Alex Stevens. Stevens blasted a shot that went over the shoulder of the Stars goalie to make it 4-3.

Lincoln had a chance to restore their two-goal lead, but Mike Gillespie would miss on a penalty shot to keep Sioux Falls within one. At the 18:47 mark they would tie the score. With Berdin pulled for the extra attacker Will Garin, playing in his first game for the Stampede since being acquired, blasted a shot that Primeau saved, but the puck came right back to him. He then buried it over the shoulder of the Lincoln goaltender to tie the score and send the crowd of 9,744 into a frenzy.

Into overtime the game went. Berdin made two quick saves early on. The second save wound up bouncing out to MacAdam’s, who broke out down the left wing with St. Ivany heading up the middle. As MacAdam’s reached the right face-off circle, he fired a shot that beat Primeau and the Sioux Falls Stampede were the 5-4 winners.

Sioux Falls got a goal and an assist from Nelson to lead the team. Berdin stopped 28 or 32 shots. Lincoln got a goal and 2-assists from Brandon Schultz and 2-goals from Bowlby.

The Stampede next welcome the Fargo Force Thursday night. Game time is 7:05.

Boxscore

By Robert Pannier