KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm (9-17-2) made it three wins in a row at home, defeating the Sioux Falls Stampede (18-7-2) 3-1 behind another outstanding performance by goaltender Jacob Johansson on Saturday night at the Viaero Event Center.

Christian Horn scored the game-winning goal in the second period, while forward Patrick Curry and defenseman Nolan Gluchowski each got their first goals of the season in the victory.

Johansson finished with 34 saves, allowing just one goal to pick up his eighth win of the season.

Sioux Falls took the lead with their only goal of the night at 7:34 of the first. While down a man with Horn in the penalty box for high sticking, Garrett Gamez hit the post on a shorthanded chance. Stampede forward C.J. Franklin picked up the rebound and took the puck all the way into the Tri-City end. The veteran was able to get the puck past Johansson after the goaltender made the initial safe as the puck deflected off a Storm player’s skate in front of the net.

Tri-City tied the game later in the opening period on Curry’s first USHL goal. Curry, in his fourth game with the Storm after being traded from the Springfield Jr. Blues of the NAHL, made sure it counted with a highlight reel play. From behind the net, Curry reached around to the front and backhanded a puck past Stampede goaltender David Jacobson from his knees. Both Dan Labosky and Sean Lang received assists on the play.

The Storm gained the lead in the second period and never looked back. Horn picked up his third goal of the weekend at 4:49 of the frame, finding a rebound in front, and Gluchowski scored a power play tally at18:04 to make it 3-1.

Neither team found the back of the net in the third, leading to the Storm’s first win over Sioux Falls since Nov. 16, 2012.

The Stampede outshot the Storm 35-28, and each team converted once on the power play.

The two teams will face-off twice more next weekend as the Storm travel to Sioux Falls for a two-game series Jan. 3-4.

Tri-City will return home for a pair of weekend games against Omaha and Sioux Falls on Jan. 10 and 11. The Lancers will be in Kearney for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop on Friday night, while Sioux Falls returns for a7:05 start on Saturday.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Chase Berger, Joey DiBenedetto and Drew Mayer, along with defenseman Cutler Martin. Jalen Schulz was also scratched, serving a suspension.…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
Sioux Falls – C.J. Franklin (power play) (unassisted) 7:34
Tri-City – Patrick Curry (Daniel Labosky, Sean Lang) 17:16

2nd Period

Tri-City – Christian Horn (Joel L’Esperance, Garrett Gamez) 4:49
Tri-City – Nolan Gluchowski (power play) (Garrett Cecere, ) 18:04

3rd Period

(no scoring)

PENALTIES

1st Period
Sioux Falls – Ed McGovern – (High Sticking), 2 min, 3:51
Tri-City – Christian Horn – (High Sticking), 2 min, 6:54
Tri-City – Nolan Aibel – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 10:24
Sioux Falls – Daniel Fritz – (Slashing), 2 min, 10:24
Tri-City – Nolan Aibel – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct) 10:24
Tri-City – Tory Dello – (Holding), 2 min, 13:35
Sioux Falls – Louis Nanne – (Interference), 2 min, 15:12
Tri-City – Kevin Kerr – (Roughing), 2 min, 19:16
Tri-City – Nolan Gluchowski – (Delay of Game), 2 min, 19:37
Sioux Falls – C.J. Franklin – (Delay of Game), 2 min, 19:37

2nd Period
Tri-City – Patrick Curry – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 11:38
Tri-City – Patrick Curry – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 10 min, 11:38
Sioux Falls – Bench Minor – (Too Many Men), 2 min, 17:56
Tri-City – Nolan Aibel – (Tripping), 2 min, 18:56
Sioux Falls – Dennis Kravchenko – (Checking From Behind), 5 min, 19:37
Tri-City – Dan Labosky – (Slashing), 2 min, 19:37
Sioux Falls – Dennis Kravehcnko – (Checking From Behind) (Game Misconduct), 10 min, 19:37

3rd Period

Sioux Falls – Bo Pellah – (Slashing), 2 min, 6:47
Tri-City – Nolan Gluchowski – (Delay of Game), 2 min, 19:53
Tri-City – Austin Poganski – (Delay of Game), 2 min, 19:53
Sioux Falls – C.J. Franklin – (Delay of Game), 2 min, 19:53
Sioux Falls – Dakota Joshua – (Delay of Game), 2 min, 19:53

Power Play

Sioux Falls – 1/5

Tri-City – 1/4

Shots

Sioux Falls: 11, 11, 13 = Total: 35

Tri-City: 7, 13, 8 = Total: 28

Saves

Sioux Falls – David Jacobson – 25/28

Tri-City – Jacob Johansson – 34/35

OMAHA, Neb. – The USHL’s best Omaha Lancers (21-4-3) scored five power play goals en route to an 8-3 win over the Tri-City Storm (8-17-2) at the Ralston Arena on Friday night.

Tri-City was led by forward Christian Horn, who scored two power play goals and picked up an assist in the loss. Forward Joel L’Esperance and defenseman Nolan Gluchowski each had two assists apiece for the Storm.

In a game that had a total of eight power play goals, the Lancers took an early lead when their leading scorer Jake Randolph scored his thirteenth goal of the season at 3:30 of the opening period and never trailed.

Randolph finished the game with two goals and three assists, adding his second tally of the night at 11:25of the second frame. His center Tyler Vesel also finished with five points on the night, scoring a goal and assisting on four others. Vesel’s league-leading 23rd tally was the final mark of the game, coming at 5:02of the third period.

All three Storm goals came with the man-advantage, and Tri-City finished the night 3-for-7 on the power play.

Horn got his first of the night halfway through the opening frame when he used a screen from forward Austin Poganski and beat Omaha goaltender Hayden Hawkey. Both L’Esperance and Gluchowski had assists on the Storm’s first goal of the night.

The Plymouth, Minn. native got his second goal of the game five minutes into the second period, this time scoring on a pass from Poganski. Gluchowski picked up the second assist on Tri-City’s second mark of the game. Horn now has eight goals and 10 assists in 20 games this season.

Poganski had the final Storm goal of the night, his seventh of the season. The St. Cloud, Minn. product took advantage of a shot by L’Esperance that had been deflected by Horn, and was able to knock the puck past Hawkey just 33 seconds into the third period.

Other goal scorers for the Lancers included forwards Brian Williams, Ryan Tait and Gage Hough, who had two tallies, as well as defenseman Tucker Poolman.

Hawkey made 17 saves for the Lancers for the win, while Tri-City’s Hayden Lavigne saw 34 shots, making 26 saves.

Omaha outshot the Storm 34-20 on the night.

Tri-City now returns home for a matchup with the Sioux Falls Stampede on Saturday night at the Viaero Event Center. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nick Hutchison, Joey DiBenedetto and Kyle Eastman, along with defenseman Cutler Martin.…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
Omaha – Jake Randolph (Tyler Vesel, Gage Hough) 3:30
Omaha – Brian Williams (Louie Rowe) 5:59

Tri-City – Christian Horn (power play) (Joel L’Esperance, Nolan Gluchowski) 10:30

Omaha – Ryan Tait (power play) (Luca Frigo, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson) 12:32
Omaha – Gage Hough (Tyler Vesel) 17:41

2nd Period

Omaha – Gage Hough (power play) (Tucker Poolman, Jake Randolph) 0:23
Omaha – Tucker Poolman (power play) (Jake Randolph, Tyler Vesel) 2:48
Tri-City – Christian Horn (power play) (Austin Poganski, Nolan Gluchowski) 5:03
Omaha – Jake Randolph (power play) (Anthony Angello, Tyler Vesel) 11:25

3rd Period

Tri-City – Austin Poganski (power play) (Christian Horn, Joel L’Esperance) 0:33
Omaha – Tyler Vesel (power play) (Steven Johnson, Jake Randolph) 5:02

PENALTIES

1st Period
Omaha – Louie Rowe – (Unsportsmanlike Conduct), 2 min, 5:59
Tri-City – Garrett Cecere – (Unsportsmanlike Conduct), 2 min, 5:59

Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Tripping), 2 min, 6:46
Omaha – Connor Light – (Tripping), 2 min, 9:54
Tri-City – Patrick Curry – (Head Contact), 2 min, 11:04
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Head Contact), 5 min, 14:35
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Head Contact) (Game Ejection), 10 min, 14:35
Omaha – Jimmy Schuldt – (Fighting (Instigator)), 2 min, 14:35
Omaha – Jimmy Schuldt – (Fighting), 5 min, 14:35
Omaha – Jimmy Schuldt – (Fighting) (Game Ejection), 10 min, 14:35
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Fighting), 5 min, 14:35
Omaha – Jake Randolph – (Slashing), 2 min, 17:06
Tri-City – Joel L’Esperance – (Cross Checking), 2 min, 19:22

2nd Period
Tri-City – Chase Berger – (Interference), 2 min, 2:13
Omaha – Matt Nelson – (High Sticking), 2 min, 3:59
Omaha – Anthony Angello – (Roughing), 2 min, 9:18
Tri-City – Nolan Aibel – (High Sticking), 2 min, 9:27
Tri-City – Christian Horn – (Holding), 2 min, 16:23
Omaha – Luca Frigo – (Hooking), 2 min, 18:56

3rd Period

Tri-City – Kevin Kerr – (Tripping), 2 min, 4:20
Omaha – Connor Light – (Hooking), 2 min, 5:45
Omaha – Tucker Poolman – (Hooking), 2 min, 7:55
Tri-City – Dan Labosky – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 12:58
Tri-City – Dan Labosky – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 10 min, 12:58
Omaha – Connor Light – (Boarding), 2 min, 15:58

Power Play

Tri-City – 3/7

Omaha – 5/8

Shots

Tri-City: 5, 9, 6 = Total: 20

Omaha: 9, 14, 11 = Total: 34

Saves

Tri-City – Hayden Lavigne – 26/34

Omaha – Hayden Hawkey – 17/20