Stampede Are One Win from the Clark Cup After 6-1 Victory

Kiefer Bellows had two goals and Stefanos Lekkas made 29 saves as the Sioux Falls Stampede took control of the Clark Cup Finals with an impressive 6-1 Game 2 victory Sunday night over the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The Herd lead the best of five series 2-0 with Game 3 scheduled for Friday night at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

After a scoreless first period, the Stampede struck quickly in the second. Joey Raats one-timed the puck past Lumberjacks' goalie Eric Schierhorn for a 1-0 lead just 1:09 after intermission. Ten seconds later, Bellows scored on a turnover for a 2-0 lead. Troy Loggins and Collin Peters would add power play goals to send Schierhorn to the bench. Lawton Courtnall scored his first goal of the playoffs to give Sioux Falls a commanding 5-0 lead heading into the third period.

Muskegon pulled their goaltender for an extra skater midway through the third, and Matheson Iacopelli spoiled Lekkas's shutout bid to make it a 5-1 game. But the Stampede answered just 27 seconds later when Bellows scored his second goal of the night into the empty net for a 6-1 final.

It was the eight win of the playoffs for Lekkas and the fifth straight in the playoffs for the Stampede.

Sioux Falls has a chance to win their second Clark Cup on home ice Friday night. Faceoff is set for 7:05 PM at the PREMIER Center.