SIOUX FALLS, S. D. (KELO.com) — Tanner Ludtke scored for the fourth consecutive game but the Lincoln Stars surrendered a pair of third-period goals to lose, 5-3, to the Sioux Falls Stampede on Saturday night at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
Lincoln (12-6) entered the third period tied after scoring a pair of goals in the third period to briefly tie and take the lead but gave up the game’s final three goals. Sioux Falls (6-10-2-1) snapped a seven-game losing streak with the victory and has now won both games against Lincoln this season.
Fourteen penalties created multiple different power-plays and four-on-our stretches and it was the Stars who cashed in first thanks to a four-on-four goal by Ludtke at 13:08 of the opening period. Brennan Ali cut into the slot and fed Ludtke backdoor with a backhand pass that Ludtke whacked past netminder Xavier Medina. That goal gave Ludtke his sixth goal in the last six games and moved him into first on the Stars with 11 goals.
The Stampede answered with a pair of goals in the final 1:32 of the first period, first on a rebound goal by Jackson Panzer after a slapper from Adam Zlnka struck Ryan Gordon up high but ricocheted over to Panzer. Zach Sharp one-timed a puck in 1:04 later to send the Stampede into the locker room up one.
Ali picked up his second point of the night and tied the game up with his fourth goal of the season at the 4:41 mark. Jared Mangan helped poke a loose puck free beneath the goal line to him and Ali walked in front of the net and slipped the pick past Medina.
Michael Mesic gave the Stars the lead when he followed up his own shot. Jack Larrigan found him back door and Medina initially got a piece of the puck but a spinning Mesic was able to backhand the rebound into the empty cage to give the Stars a 3-2 lead at 6:13 of the second.
Merrill Steenari tied it up with his first of the season at 11:25 of the third for the final goal of the second period. Michael La Starza scored on a breakaway goal at 9:55 to break the tie and Adam Zlnka added an insurance goal at the 18:35 mark to cap the scoring.
