Herd surrender four unanswered goals in 4–2 loss to Saints

Dubuque, I.A. (Stampede) — The Sioux Falls Stampede fell to the Dubuque Fighting Saints, 4–2, after surrendering four unanswered goals. Joey McGraw got the Herd on the board first, and Thomas Zocco added another with an unassisted goal. Goaltender Waylon Esche made an impressive start between the pipes, but breakdowns in front of the net led to his fourth loss of the season.

The Stampede needed to set the tone early as they faced the high-scoring Dubuque Fighting Saints, who are 19-5-1-0 when scoring first. A key focus entering the game was staying out of the penalty box, as Sioux Falls struggled on the penalty kill last weekend and the Saints boast the top power play in the league. That plan unraveled early when Joey McGraw was called for slashing just minutes into the game. Thanks to several key saves by starting goaltender Waylon Esche, Sioux Falls successfully killed off the penalty.

McGraw made up for the infraction at 10:54, earning the Herd’s first goal of the night. He netted the goal with a backhanded shot after taking the puck coast-to-coast into the offensive zone. Less than three minutes later, the Stampede’s Thomas Holtby was called for head contact. Once again, the penalty kill held strong, keeping the Saints off the scoreboard and sending Sioux Falls into the first intermission with a 1–0 lead.

Sioux Falls built on its first-period momentum to open the second. At 2:10, the Stampede were headed to their first power play of the night, but Thomas Holtby was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after an exchange of words in front of the benches. With nine seconds remaining in the 4-on-4, Thomas Zocco continued his strong scoring pace, netting his 13th goal of the season. Zocco scored unassisted after a neutral-zone takeaway, firing a bar-down shot from the slot.

The Stampede maintained momentum and drew another penalty at 10:33, giving them their first power play of the night. However, the man advantage stalled Sioux Falls’ momentum, as they surrendered a shorthanded goal with just 11 seconds remaining. Dubuque’s Dante Josefsson-Westling capitalized after Jake Prunty turned the puck over in the defensive zone, allowing Josefsson-Westling a short breakaway. Just 1:37 later, the Saints tied the game on a play that deked Esche and left the top of the net open. Dubuque seized control in the second period, outshooting Sioux Falls 12–5.

Things fell apart for the Herd in the third period. Just 31 seconds in, Brent Solomon drew a hooking call, but Sioux Falls’ power-play struggles continued. They failed to record a shot on goal during the opportunity. One minute after the penalty expired, the Stampede went back to the power play but again came up empty.

Dubuque took its first lead of the night at 11:24 after a defensive breakdown left Esche without support. Exactly two minutes later, the Saints extended their lead when Teddy Merrill crashed the net and sent the puck over Esche’s shoulder. The two-goal deficit proved too much for Sioux Falls to overcome. With 3:33 remaining, the Stampede pulled Esche for the extra attacker but were unable to find the back of the net, falling 4–2.

The Stampede were outshot 29–22 in the contest.

Despite the loss, the final score did not reflect the strong performance from Waylon Esche. Several of his 25 saves kept Sioux Falls in the game. The 2005-born goaltender moves to 5-4-1-0 on the season with a .871 save percentage.

The Stampede and Saints return to action tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. Following that game, Sioux Falls will return to Iowa next weekend for two 6:35 p.m. matchups in Waterloo.

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