The 11-12-3 Stampeders travelled down Highway 83 tonight to take on the 17-9-0 Virden Oil Capitals. The Swan Valley Stampeders were looking to get back into the win column after losing to Steinbach on Sunday.
Swan Valley had a great start to the game taking the play to the Oil Capitals. The Stamps sent 9 shots on net but couldn’t beat Dalton Dosch. Stampeders newly acquired goaltender Ethan Peterson made his 1st start to the season and stood tall stopping all 13 shots he faced in the 1st. The opening frame came to a close with the game still tied at 0.
The flood gates opened in the 2nd as Virden took a early lead when Kyle Salaway scored just 7 seconds into the period. The Stamps answered back at 8:52 when Shane Roulette picked up his 8th of the season beating Dolton Dosch. Virden regained the lead as Dylan Thiessen scored his 9th of the year at 13:56. The Stampeders hard work continued to pay off as Noah Basarab tied it up at 17:10 and Josh Tripp added the go ahead goal at 19:05 to take a 3-2 lead into the 2nd intermission. Shots after 40 minutes were 33-18 in favour of Virden.
The 3rd period had both clubs up the tempo which created chances for both clubs. Tanner Garnham and Josh Belcher dropped the gloves and had a spirited bout at 4:20. The Virden Oil Capitals gained momentum and capitalized on a power play late in the 3rd when Tyler Kirkuk beat Peterson at 16:12 to tie the game at 3. The 3rd period came to a close with the Virden Oil Capitals having a commanding 51-24 lead in the the shot count and the score tied at 3.
The OT period saw Tyler Kirkup take a interference penalty just 21 seconds in and the Stamps made them pay. Home town product Lane Kirk was the OT hero tonight as he scored on the power play at 1:41 and the Stamps defeated the Oil Capitals 4-3. Ethan Peterson stopped 48 of 51 shots to secure his 1st win with the Stampeder Organization. Final shots on net were 51-28.
Next action for the Stampeders is Saturday December 9th in Waywayseecappo. Puck drop is at 7:30pm.