KEARNEY, Neb. – Second period goals from forwards Chris Wilkie and Wade Allison pushed the Tri-City Storm (14-7-4) to a 3-1 victory over the Sioux City Musketeers (16-9-1) on Saturday afternoon at the Viaero Event Center.

The matchup featured the top two teams in the USHL’s Western Conference. With the victory, Tri-City has now won five straight games at home, and has secured points in nine straight contests in Kearney.

Storm netminder Jared Rutledge made 25 saves in his second appearance with Tri-City to get the win.

In the first frame, Tri-City outshot the Musketeers 11-4, but neither team was able to break through and get on the board.

But the second period saw two tallies from the Storm forwards and the team never looked back.

First, Wilkie scored on a deflection in front just 48 seconds into the frame for his 15th tally of the season, which is third-best in the league. Labosky was credited with the assist on the first goal of the game to make it 1-0.

Then later in the period, a perfect passing play from defenseman Mattias Goransson to Jake Wahlin sprung Allison on a breakaway. The forward deked and slipped the puck between the legs of Sioux City netminder Cam Gornet to make it 2-0.

Adam Johnson scored the only Musketeer goal of the game 3:18 into the third to make it 2-1, but Tri-City limited opportunities for the remainder of the game to keep themselves in front.

Storm defenseman Jalen Schulz sealed the win, scoring an empty net goal with 9 seconds left on the clock.

Both teams came up empty on their power play chances, with Sioux City earning five opportunities to Tri-City’s three.

The Storm are now one point behind the Musketeers for the top spot in the west.

Tri-City will have a chance to move up in the standings when they head to Omaha Sunday to take on the Lancers at the Ralston Arena. Game time is at5:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Garrett Gamez and Kyle Eastman along with defensemen Gordi Myer and Tory Dello. Forward Joel Herbert was also scratched, serving a league suspension…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

(no scoring)

2nd Period

Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (Dan Labosky) 0:48
Tri-City – Wade Allison (Jake Wahlin, Mattias Goransson) 15:05

3rd Period
Sioux City – Adam Johnson (Ryan Zuhlsdorf, Neal Pionk) 3:18
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz (empty net) (Mason Appleton, Daniel Labosky) 19:51

PENALTIES

1st Period

Sioux City – Sam Kurker – (Slashing), 2 min, 13:03
Tri-City – Mattias Goransson – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 18:01

2nd Period

Tri-City – Conner Valesano – (Roughing), 2 min, 1:45
Sioux City – Robert Carpenter – (Roughing), 2 min, 1:45
Tri-City – Bobby Nardella – (Slashing), 2 min, 6:43
Tri-City – Conner Valesano – (Tripping), 2 min, 9:35
Sioux City – Matt Berkovitz – (Holding), 2 min, 12:56
Tri-City – Bobby Nardella – (High Sticking), 2 min, 17:36
Tri-Ciy – Chase Berger – (Charging), 2 min, 19:58

3rd Period

Tri-City – Dan Labosky – (Roughing), 2 min, 4:34
Sioux City – Joel Janatuinen – (Roughing), 4 min, 4:34

Power Play

Sioux City – 0/5

Tri-City – 0/3

Shots

Sioux City: 4, 10, 12 = Total: 26
Tri-City: 11, 14, 6 = Total: 31

Saves
Sioux City – Cam Gornet – 28/30
Tri-City – Jared Rutledge – 25/26

KEARNEY, Neb. – Currently at the USHL’s holiday break, the Tri-City Storm have an overall record of 13-7-4 with 30 points and sit in second place in the league’s Western Conference through 24 games.

When the team returns to Kearney to resume its schedule this weekend, Tri-City will welcome in the No. 1 team in the West, the Sioux City Musketeerson Saturday afternoon at 3:05 p.m., before traveling to Omaha to face the Lancers on Sunday afternoon.

The Musketeers (16-8-1, 33 points) are third best in the USHL, despite losing their final two games to both Fargo and Lincoln before the holiday break.Saturday’s game at the Viaero Event Center will be the second of six matchups between Tri-City and Sioux City this season.

In the clubs’ first meeting back on Nov. 22 at the Tyson Events Center, the Musketeers skated away with a 7-5 win behind a hat trick from forward Joel Janatuinen. Sioux City scored four times on the power play in the contest, while Tri-City had three man-advantage goals.

With 13 wins in their first 24 games, the Storm are off to their best start since the 2006-07 season, when they had 15 wins in the team’s first 24 contests. During the team’s Anderson Cup winning 2003-04 season, Tri-City also had 15 wins in their first 24 games.

The Storm have been led offensively by Chris Wilkie, who has 14 goals and seven assists this season. Forward Jake Wahlin is second on the team in scoring, with four goals and 13 assists, while earning a plus-9 rating.

Goaltender Alec Dillon has shouldered most of the load between the pipes, posting a record of 11-4-3 with a goals against average of 2.23 and a save percentage at .919.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011 or visit www.stormhockey.com.

KEARNEY, Neb. – A late goal from Chris Wilkie forced overtime, but the Tri-City Storm (13-7-4) fell to the Omaha Lancers (11-8-4) 4-3 when Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson netted his second goal of the game in the extra session at the Ralson Arena on Friday night.

Prior to Wilkie’s late equalizer, Storm goals were scored by defenseman Jalen Schulz and Jake Wahlin.

Storm netminder Alec Dillon made 25 saves in the loss, while his counterpart Kris Oldham earned the win with 20 saves of his own.

Omaha took a 1-0 lead early on when Forsbacka-Karlsson scored his first of the evening off a pass from Steven Spinner at 12:05 of the first period.

Tri-City evened the game at 1-1 just over three minutes later on Schulz’s first goal of the year from defenseman Tory Dello and forward Matthew Freytag.

The Storm then took the lead in the middle period when Wahlin found a loose rebound in front and scored his second goal in as many games to make it 2-1. Forward Conner Valesano picked up an assist on the tally, his third consecutive game with a helper.

In the final period, the Lancers tied the game at 7:54 on a goal by Nick Rivera and then took the lead when Louie Rowe found a loose puck in front and slipped it under Dillon.

Forced to pull Dillon for an extra attacker, Wilkie scored his 14th of the season with one minute to go in regulation to even the score at 4-4. Defensemen Mattias Goransson and Kevin Kerr recorded assists on the goal.

But early on in overtime, Forsbacka-Karlsson found an opportunity and beat Dillon with the winning goal.

Tri-City now enters the league’s winter break with 30 points, and is in second place in the USHL’s Western Conference.

The Storm return to the Viaero Event Center on Dec. 27 to face Sioux City at 3:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Garrett Gamez and Kyle Eastman along with defenseman Bobby Nardella. Forward Joel Herbert was also scratched, serving a league suspension…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

Omaha – Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson (Steven Spinner) 12:05
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz (Tory Dello, Matthew Freytag) 15:35

2nd Period

Tri-City – Jake Wahlin (Conner Valesano) 8:59

3rd Period
Omaha – Nick Rivera (Jimmy Schuldt, Matt Joyaux) 7:54
Omaha – Louie Rowe (Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Matt Joyaux) 14:10
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (extra attacker) (Mattias Goransson, Kevin Kerr) 19:00

Overtime
Omaha – Jakob Korsbacka-Karlsson (Niklas Folin) 1:23

PENALTIES

1st Period

Omaha – Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson – (Interference), 2 min, 4:39
Omaha – Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson – (Holding), 2 min, 18:30

2nd Period

Tri-City – Conner Valesano – (Hooking), 2 min, 6:38
Tri-City – Cody Milan – (Slashing), 2 min, 10:53
Tri-City – Conner Valesano – (Boarding), 2 min, 14:08
Omaha – Michael Wilson – (Fighting) (Instigator), 2 min, 14:08
Omaha – Michael Wilson – (Fighting), 5 min, 14:08
Omaha – Michael Wilson – (Fighting) (Game Misconduct) 10 min, 14:08
Omaha – Bench Minor – (Illegal Substitution), 2 min, 19:18

3rd Period

Tri-City – Bench Minor – (Too Many Men), 2 min, 0:52
Omaha – Jake Henderson – (Fighting), 5 min, 3:31
Omaha – Jake Henderson – (Fighting) (Misconduct), 10 min, 3:31
Tri-City – Mason Appleton – (Fighting), 5 min, 3:31
Tri-City – Mason Appleton – (Fighting) (Misconduct), 10 min, 3:31
Tri-City – Austen Long – (Checking From Behind), 4 min, 3:56
Tri-City – Austen Long – (Checking From Behind) (Game Ejection), 10 min, 3:56
Omaha – Brian Williams – (Boarding), 2 min, 7:36
Tri-City – Chase Berger – (High Sticking), 2 min, 8:33
Tri-City – Jake Wahlin – (Roughing), 2 min, 17:52
Omaha – Michael Bigelbach – (Tripping), 2 min, 17:52

Overtime
(no penalties)

Power Play

Tri-City – 0/5

Omaha – 0/6

Shots

Tri-City: 8, 10, 5, 0 = Total: 23
Omaha: 11, 6, 11, 1 = Total: 29

Saves
Tri-City – Alec Dillon – 25/29
Omaha – Kris Oldham – 20/23

KEARNEY, Neb. – Tri-City Storm players and staff will donate their time this week to participate in Slumberland Furniture’s annual Making Homes For Holidays donation event this week in Columbus, Grand Island and Kearney.

Slumberland will be giving new beds to families in need in Central Nebraska this holiday season. Since 1993, the furniture company has donated more than 20,000 beds to families who would otherwise be sleeping on the floor.

The donation efforts are part of the company’s 40 Winks Foundation, which seeks to provide mattresses and beds to children and families lacking resources to help them attain one of the foundational blocks of life – a full and healthy night’s sleep.

Tri-City players and staff will start on Tuesday morning at the Slumberland location in Columbus at 9 a.m. and continue in Grand Island in the afternoon at 2 p.m.

The effort will continue Wednesday afternoon in Kearney, with the event getting underway at 3 p.m.

With just one more game before the league’s holiday break, Tri-City is preparing to take on Omaha at the Ralston Arena this Friday at 7:35 p.m.