KEARNEY, Neb. – Two goals from Austin Poganski weren’t enough as the Sioux City Musketeers (34-16-3) came to Kearney and knocked off the Tri-City Storm (18-32-3) by a score of 5-2 at the Viaero Event Centeron Saturday night.
Poganski scored once on the power play and one shorthanded for Tri-City and now has 18 total goals on the year which leads the team.
The Musketeers scored just 3:33 into the game to take a 1-0 lead and stayed out in front the rest of the way. Kyle Schmidt opened the scoring for Sioux City, deflecting a puck past Tri-City goaltender Jacob Johansson.
Sioux City doubled their lead later in the first frame when affiliate player Brock Boeser got his skate on a shot from Neal Pionk and redirected it home for his second USHL goal.
Tri-City got on the board and cut the lead to 2-1 late in the first. While on a power play, Chris Wilkie threw the puck toward the net and Poganski deflected it in. The St. Cloud, Minn. native now has 10 goals while on the man advantage this season.
Pionk scored at 7:27 of the second and the Musketeers led 3-1.
Later in the period, Tri-City was whistled for too many men on the ice and head coach Jim Hulton was called for abuse of officials, putting the Storm down two men for two minutes.
While attempting to kill off the 5-on-3, it appeared that Tri-City got the bounce they needed to get back in the game as Poganski stole a puck and went all the way to the Musketeer net, scoring a shorthanded goal.
The tally cut the lead to 3-2 and was the North Dakota commit’s third goal while shorthanded this season. It also gives Tri-City 11 total shorthanded goals as a team, which leads the USHL.
However, as play resumed, Sioux City converted with just two seconds left on their power play, with former Storm forward Joel L’Esperance registering the backbreaking goal on a one-timer in front.
Tri-City couldn’t recover, surrendering one more third period tally to Sioux City’s Jake Montgomery and falling 5-2.
There were two fights in the final half of the game, with both Conner Valesano and Donovan Gardiner each dropping the gloves against Tyler Mueller and Jake Montgomery respectively.
Johansson finished with 30 saves for the Storm in the loss, while Kyle Hayton picked up the win in between the pipes for Sioux City, making 29 stops. The Musketeers outshot Tri-City 35-31 in the game, and both teams tallied one goal on the power play.
The Storm will return to action next weekend when they host the Green Bay Gamblers for a two-game series in Kearney. The action starts on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and continues Saturday at 7:05.
Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nolan Aibel, Drew Mayer, Joey DiBenedetto, and Patrick Curry, along with defensemen Cutler Martin, Sean Lang, Fredric Larsson and Tory Dello…
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Period
Sioux City – Kyle Schmidt (Sam Saliba, Avery Peterson) 3:33
Sioux City – Brock Boeser (Neal Pionk, Avery Peterson) 15:58
Tri-City – Austin Poganski (power play) (Chris Wilkie) 17:49
2nd Period
Sioux City – Neal Pionk (Avery Peterson, Joel L’Esperance) 7:27
Tri-City – Austin Poganski (shorthanded) (unassisted) 12:02
Sioux City – Joel L’Esperance (power play) (Walteri Hopponen, Sam Saliba) 12:21
3rd Period
Sioux City – Jake Montgomery (Jared Thomas, Jake Cass) 11:03
PENALTIES
1st Period
Sioux City – Brock Boeser – (Hooking), 2 min, 17:11
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie – (Roughing), 2 min, 19:26
Tri-City – Cody Milan – (Roughing), 2 min, 19:26
Sioux City – Joe Snively – (Roughing), 2 min, 19:26
2nd Period
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin – (Roughing), 2 min, 8:16
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin – (Charging), 2 min, 8:16
Sioux City – Neal Pionk – (Roughing), 2 min, 8:16
Tri-City – Bench Minor – (Too Many Men), 2 min, 10:23
Tri-City – Jim Hulton – (Abuse of Officials), 2 min, 10:23
Sioux City – Jake Cass – (Interference), 2 min, 13:18
Sioux City – Jerad Rosburg – (Slashing), 2 min, 18:17
Tri-City – Conner Valesano – (Fighting), 5 min, 19:22
Sioux City – Tyler Mueller – (Fighting), 5 min, 19:22
3rd Period
Tri-City – Donovan Gardiner – (Fighting), 5 min, 1:49
Sioux City – Jake Montgomery – (Fighting), 5 min, 1:49
Tri-City – Patrick Curry – (High Sticking), 2 min, 7:50
Sioux City – Neal Pionk – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 17:54
Sioux City – Neal Pionk – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 10 min, 17:54
Tri-City – Chase Berger – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 18:29
Tri-City – Chase Berger – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 10 min, 18:29
Power Play
Sioux City –1/6
Tri-City – 1/4
Shots
Sioux City: 14, 9, 12, = Total: 35
Tri-City: 16, 5, 10, = Total: 31
Saves
Sioux City – Kyle Hayton – 29/31
Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – 30/35