Story by Tri-City Communications
KEARNEY, NE– The Tri-City Storm won an overtime thriller at the Viaero Center by a final score of 3-2 Tuesday night to tie the team’s opening round series against the Sioux Falls Stampede. Owen Beckner scored his first goal of the postseason during the overtime to seal the victory for the Storm. Tri-City netted three powerplay goals during the battle, and The Best-Of-Three playoff series will now be decided Wednesday night with a winner-take-all game. Puck drop for tomorrow night’s final game of the series between the Storm and the Stampede is scheduled for 7:05pm CT.
Noah Eyre netted the only goal of Tuesday's opening period to give the Stampede a 1-0 advantage in the matchup. Eyre’s goal was his first of the postseason, and was netted at 8:34 of the 1st period. Hunter Anderson collected an assist on the scoring play. The Storm outshot the Stampede by a 16-5 margin in the opening period, but trailed 1-0 entering Tuesday’s middle period.
Cam Briere tied the game for the Storm with a powerplay goal fifty-three seconds into the 2nd period. Jake Rozzi and Owen Beckner each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Jaksen Panzer netted his first goal of the postseason with under six minutes to play in Tuesday’s 2nd period to give Sioux Falls a one-goal advantage in the matchup. Tyler Borgula notched an assist on the play. The Storm outshot the Stampede by an 11-7 margin during the middle period, and trailed by one goal entering the 3rd period.
August Falloon scored his second goal of the postseason with less than nine minutes to play in Tuesday’s 3rd period to bring the game to a 2-2 tie. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Artemi Nizameyev and Ryan Smith. The Storm was outshot 5-4 during the 3rd period, but outshot the Stampede by a 31-17 margin during regulation time.
Tri-City successfully killed off a penalty assessed to Philippe Blais-Savoie for cross checking at 4:38 of the overtime period, and went on the powerplay at 10:09 of the period when the Stampede’s Egor Barabanov was given a two-minute penalty for tripping. Owen Beckner deflected a shot from Seth Constance past Sioux Falls netminder Christian Manz at 11:14 of the extra period to win the game for the Storm. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Seth Constance and Jake Rozzi. Beckner’s scoring play was the game-winning goal of Tuesday night’s game, and forced a decisive Game 3 at the Viaero Center on Wednesday night. Tri-City was outshot 5-4 in the overtime, but outshot Sioux Falls by an overall margin of 36-23 during Tuesday’s contest.
Cameron Korpi collected the win in goal for the Storm after making 21 saves on 23 shots in just over 71 minutes of gametime. Christian Manz dropped the game in net for the Stampede in a 33-save-on-36-shot performance.
Tickets to tomorrow’s game may be purchased online by skating to www.StormHockey.com, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144. All non-first-row seats are available for only $7 per game. Glass tickets are $15 for Adults, and $12 for Kids. Tickets are complimentary for all Tri-City Storm Season Ticket Holders. Fans who attended the Storm’s Fan Appreciation Night game on Friday, April 12th at the Viaero Center, can bring their ticket to the Viaero Center Box Office and receive free admission. The winner of tomorrow’s series at the Viaero Center between the Stampede and the Storm will advance to play the Anderson Cup Champion Fargo Force in a Best-Of-Five series in the Conference Semifinal Round of the postseason.
Season Tickets to the Storm’s 25th Anniversary Season are on sale now and can be purchased by contacting a member of the Storm Sales Staff at 308-338-8144. Pricing, and the Season Ticket Order Form for the 2024-2025 season, can be found online at https://stormhockey.com/sports/2022/8/19/season-tickets.aspx.
The Storm hits the ice again on Wednesday, April 17th, in a playoff game at the Viaero Center against the Sioux Falls Stampede. Puck drop for the matchup is set for 7:05pm CT. Skate to www.StormHockey.com for playoff tickets and more information regarding the Tri-City Storm organization. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.