KEARNEY, Neb. – Nick Master scored twice and the Tri-City Storm (20-10-5) got their first win of the season against the Sioux Falls Stampede (18-14-4) by a score of 4-2 at the Viaero Event Center on Saturday night.

The victory was the sixth straight win for Tri-City, which is now the longest winning streak for the club since March of 2005.

Master now has a goal streak of three games, scoring five different times during the run. The UMass-Lowell commit has 12 tallies and 21 points on the season.

Forward Chris Wilkie also scored for the Storm in the win, and is currently third in the USHL with 22 goals.

Chase Berger gave Tri-City the early 1-0 lead, scoring his sixth goal of the season on the first shot of the game just 1:28 into the first period.

Sioux Falls responded with a goal by defenseman Matt Nuttle at 8:31 of the first, tying the game at 1-1 before Master scored his first of the night to give the Storm a 2-1 lead going into the first intermission.

The Broomall, Penn. native’s first was set up by both Garrett Gamez and Kevin Kerr. First, Gamez brought the puck in the zone and stopped in the corner. The Storm’s captain then found Kerr open at the point. Kerr, also a Pennsylvania native, shot the puck toward the net with Master open in front for a redirection over the left shoulder of Stampede goalie Stefanos Lekkas and into the net.

Wilkie made it 3-1 in the second, picking up the puck in the Sioux Falls end on a broken play and beating Lekkas. Storm defenseman Mattias Goransson and forward Dan Labosky each recorded assists on the goal.

But the Stampede got back in the game with a redirection goal of their own from team captain Ryan Schwalbe to make it 3-2 in the middle period.

The game stayed at 3-2 until Master gave the Storm the insurance they were looking for, scoring his second of the game at 11:36 of the final frame.

This time it was forward Cody Milan who hit Master in front and the center did the rest of the work, deking out Lekkas and scoring on the backhand. Forward Matthew Freytag was credited with the second assist on the final goal of the game.

Storm netminder Jared Rutledge earned the win with 17 saves, his sixth win of the year and his fourth consecutive victory.

Lekkas took the loss for Sioux Falls, making 31 saves in defeat.

Tri-City remains in second place in the USHL’s Western Conference with 45 total points.

The Storm are back in action Tuesday night when they host the Lincoln Stars at the Viaero Event Center. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nolan Aibel and Kyle Eastman along with defenseman Jason Krych…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

Tri-City – Chase Berger (Dan Labosky) 1:28
Sioux Falls – Matt Nuttle (Cooper Marody, Clint Lewis) 8:31
Tri-City – Nick Master (Kevin Kerr, Garrett Gamez) 12:45

2nd Period

Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (Mattias Goransson, Dan Labosky) 5:46
Sioux Falls – Ryan Schwalbe (Matt Nuttle, Lawton Courtnall) 8:27

3rd Period
Tri-City – Nick Master (Cody Milan, Matthew Freytag) 11:36

PENALTIES

1st Period
Sioux Falls – Chaz Switzer – (Slashing), 2 min, 16:41

2nd Period

Tri-City – Cameron Spicer – (Roughing), 2 min, 3:37
Sioux Falls – Troy Loggins – (Roughing), 2 min, 3:37
Tri-City – Tory Dello – (Roughing), 4 min, 5:04
Sioux Falls – Kieffer Bellows – (Roughing), 4 min, 5:04
Tri-City – Tory Dello – (Tripping), 2 min, 11:32
Sioux Falls – Matt Nuttle – (Tripping), 2 min, 11:55

3rd Period
Tri-City – Conner Valesano – (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct), 10 min, 5:16
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin – (Roughing), 4 min, 5:16
Sioux Falls – Troy Loggins – (Charging), 2 min, 5:16
Sioux Falls – Clint Lewis – (Roughing), 4 min, 5:16
Tri-City – Nick Master – (Slashing), 2 min, 6:12
Sioux Falls – Lukas Buchta – (Tripping), 2 min, 19:54

Power Play

Sioux Falls – 0/2

Tri-City – 0/4

Shots

Sioux Falls: 6, 7, 6 = Total: 19
Tri-City: 13, 12, 10 = Total: 35

Saves
Sioux Falls – Stefanos Lekkas – 31/35
Tri-City – Jared Rutledge – 17/19

KEARNEY, Neb. – For the second consecutive game, the Tri-City Storm (19-10-5) scored four goals in the first period to open up a big lead and never looked back. Friday night’s performance finished with a 5-1 win over the Omaha Lancers (19-10-5) at the Viaero Event Center, the Storm’s fifth consecutive victory.

The five goals were each scored by different forwards, led by Cody Milan and Mason Appleton, who each had two points on the night. Team captain Garrett Gamez also factored into the scoring, recording two assists in the win.

With the victory, Tri-City moved into a tie with Omaha for second place in the USHL’s Western Conference, just two points behind the idle Sioux City Musketeers.

It was another successful first period for the Storm, as they scored three goals in the first 10:17 of the contest. Milan started the scoring, as he took a pass from Appleton and wristed a shot under Omaha netminder Kris Oldham at 5:17 of the opening period.

Tri-City struck again under a minute later as leading scorer Chris Wilkie scored his 21st of the season after a Lancers turnover at the top of the zone. The Omaha native took the loose puck and made his way to the opposing net with plenty of room to maneuver before ripping a shot past Oldham to make it 2-0 Storm.

Next, it was Appleton who scored his eighth goal of the season while Tri-City was killing a penalty to defenseman Jalen Schulz. The Green Bay, Wis. product took a leading pass from Milan and sped past the Lancer power play unit, beating Oldham as he was taken down to the ice.

Oldham was then pulled in favor of backup netminder Zach Driscoll just 10:17 into the game.

Nick Master put a cap on the Storm’s first period, scoring his third goal in his last two games and his 10th of the season at 18:54. Gamez found the Broomall, Penn. native at the top of the left circle in the Lancer end before Master put a shot off the right post and in for the team’s fourth goal of the frame.

Matthew Freytag added his eighth goal of the season from Gamez halfway through the second period to extend his team’s lead to 5-0.

The Lancers got on the board at 6:20 of the final period when Nick Rivera scored a power play goal.

The tally was the lone strike against Storm netminder Jared Rutledge, who made 21 saves in the game to earn his fifth victory with Tri-City this season.

The Storm will wrap up the weekend when they take on the Sioux Falls Stampede Saturday night at the Viaero Event Center at 7:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nolan Aibel and Kyle Eastman along with defenseman Jason Krych…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

Tri-City – Cody Milan (Mason Appleton) 5:17
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (unassisted) 6:10
Tri-City – Mason Appleton (short-handed) (Cody Milan) 10:17
Tri-City – Nick Master (Garrett Gamez) 18:54

2nd Period

Tri-City – Matthew Freytag (Garrett Gamez) 11:05

3rd Period
Omaha – Nick Rivera (power play) (Michael Wilson, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson) 6:20

PENALTIES

1st Period
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Roughing), 2 min, 8:24
Omaha – Jimmy Schuldt – (Tripping), 2 min, 16:12

2nd Period

Tri-City – Dan Labosky – (Slashing), 2 min, 8:39
Omaha – Anthony Angello – (Elbowing), 2 min, 11:19
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin – (Slashing), 2 min, 13:18

3rd Period
Tri-City – Garrett Gamez – (Holding), 2 min, 4:35
Omaha – Matthew Meier – (High Sticking), 2 min, 15:43

Power Play

Omaha – 1/4

Tri-City – 0/3

Shots

Omaha: 4, 6, 12 = Total: 22
Tri-City: 10, 8, 8 = Total: 26

Saves
Omaha – Kris Oldham – 2/5, Zach Driscoll – 19/21
Tri-City – Jared Rutledge – 21/22

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Tri-City Storm (18-10-5) got their highest offensive output of the season on Sunday afternoon to defeat the Bloomington Thunder (12-16-5) 6-2 at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

Nick Master led the way with two goals, while Tri-City also got tallies from Kevin Kerr, Mason Appleton, Jake Wahlin and Bobby Nardella.

Four goals in the opening period gave the Storm control of the game early on.

Kerr opened the scoring at 5:09 of the first, shooting the puck off a face-off win by Master. With traffic in front, the puck got behind Bloomington goaltender Logan Halladay to give Tri-City a 1-0 lead.

Less than a minute later, it was Appleton who got his own rebound and beat Halladay to make it 2-0. The Green Bay, Wis. native took a pass from forward Joel Herbert and went right to the net.

Herbert ended the game with two assists, and now has nine points on the season.

Only 11 seconds after Appleton’s tally, Wahlin forced Halladay from the game with the team’s third goal in the first 6:15 of the contest. Assists were credited to Conner Valesano and Wade Allison.

Later in the frame it was Nardella who found the back of the net to make it 4-0. The defenseman’s tally was his sixth on the season.

Master made it 5-0 in the second and struck again in the third for the team’s sixth goal of the night. The forward now has nine goals on the season which is second-best on the team.

Storm netminder Jared Rutledge made 23 saves in the win to pick up his fourth victory of the season.

Tri-City is now in third place in the Western Conference, moving ahead of Des Moines with the win.

The Storm return home for two contests in Kearney next weekend. On Friday night the Storm take on the Omaha Lancers at 7:30 p.m. before battling the Sioux Falls Stampede on Saturday at 7:05.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nolan Aibel and Kyle Eastman along with defenseman Cameron Spicer…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

Tri-City – Kevin Kerr (Nick Master) 5:09
Tri-City – Mason Appleton (Joel Herbert) 6:04
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin (Conner Valesano, Wade Allison) 6:15
Tri-City – Bobby Nardella (Mason Appleton, Joel Herbert) 11:17

2nd Period

Tri-City – Nick Master (Matthew Freytag) 10:45

3rd Period
Bloomington – Matt Mendelson (Butrus Ghafari, Alec Mehr) 2:06
Tri-City – Nick Master (Garrett Gamez, Dan Labosky) 6:49
Bloomington – Jack Jenkins (Jeremy Davies, Tarek Baker) 18:12

PENALTIES

1st Period
Bloomington – Alec Mehr – (Slashing), 2 min, 0:21
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin – (Tripping), 2 min, 14:57
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin – (Roughing), 2 min, 14:57
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin – (Fighting), 5 min, 14:57
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin – (Fighting) (Misconduct), 10 min, 14:57
Bloomington – Shane Bednard – (Fighting) (Instigator), 2 min, 14:57
Bloomington – Shane Bednard – (Fighting), 5 min, 14:57
Bloomington – Shane Bednard – (Fighting) (Game Misconduct), 10 min, 14:57
Tri-City – Daniel Labosky – (Hooking), 2 min, 18:35

2nd Period

Tri-City – Tory Dello – (Interference), 2 min, 11:54
Tri-City – Gordi Myer – (Boarding), 2 min, 16:24
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie – (Unsportsmanlike Conduct), 2 min, 19:13

3rd Period
Bloomington – Joshua Shellman – (Interference), 2 min, 11:45
Bloomington – Jeremy Davies – (Cross Checking), 2 min, 15:20

Power Play

Tri-City – 0/3

Bloomington – 0/5

Shots

Tri-City: 19, 6, 8 = Total: 33
Bloomington: 7, 7, 11 = Total: 25

Saves
Tri-City – Jared Rutledge – 23/25
Bloomington – Logan Halladay – 7/10, Hayden Lavigne – 20/23

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A third period goal from Matthew Freytag was all the Tri-City Storm (17-10-5) needed on Saturday night, defeating the Bloomington Thunder (12-15-5) 1-0 in the teams’ first ever meeting at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

Storm netminder Alec Dillon stopped all 25 shots that came his way, recording his third shutout of the season.

Neither team was able to score in the first 20 minutes, but Tri-City killed all three penalties they took in the opening frame.

It was more of the same in the second, and the teams headed to the final period without a goal. Through two, Bloomington led in shots on goal, 19-16.

Freytag finally broke the scoreless tie with his seventh goal of the season on the power play with just 11 minutes to go in the game.

Mason Appleton rushed the puck into the Bloomington zone on the right wall and hit Freytag in the slot for a redirection. The puck went up in the air over Lavigne and hit the crossbar before going down into the net. Defenseman Tory Dello picked up the second assist on the play.

Tri-City will finish their weekend series with the Thunder on Sunday afternoon. Start time is 3 p.m.

The Storm are now in fourth place in the Western Conference, and have a chance to gain ground in the standings as the only team in action on Sunday.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nolan Aibel and Kyle Eastman along with defenseman Cameron Spicer…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

(no scoring)

2nd Period

(no scoring)

3rd Period
Tri-City – Matthew Freytag (power play) (Mason Appleton, Tory Dello) 8:59

PENALTIES

1st Period
Tri-City – Alec Dillon – (Delay of Game), 2 min, 4:39
Tri-City – Mason Appleton – (High Sticking), 2 min, 10:21
Bloomington – Shane Bednard – (Slashing), 2 min, 11:37
Tri-City – Jason Krych – (Tripping), 2 min, 14:34

2nd Period

Bloomington – Jason Kalinowski – (Roughing), 2 min, 14:28
Tri-City – Matthew Freytag – (Roughing), 2 min, 14:28

3rd Period
Bloomington – Jacob Slaker – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 7:20
Tri-City – Conner Valesano – (Roughing), 2 min, 7:20
Bloomington – Jacob Slaker – (Roughing), 2 min, 7:20
Tri-City – Dan Labosky – (Roughing), 2 min, 16:08

Power Play

Tri-City – 1/2

Bloomington – 0/4

Shots

Tri-City: 9, 7, 7 = Total: 23
Bloomington: 11, 8, 6 = Total: 25

Saves
Tri-City – Alec Dillon – 25/25
Bloomington – Hayden Lavigne – 23/24