Story by Tri-City Storm Communication
The Tri-City Storm shocked the Fargo Force Thursday night at Scheels Arena with a come-from-behind overtime victory by a final score of 4-3. Owen Beckner scored the game-winning goal for the Storm thirty-nine seconds into the overtime period as the team erased a two-goal deficit. Charlie Kinsman and Nick Roukounakis each netted their first goals of the season during the game for Tri-City. The Storm now travels to the Tyson Events Center for back-to-back matchups against the Sioux City Musketeers to complete the team’s three-game week. Puck drop for tomorrow night’s game between the Storm and the Musketeers is scheduled for 7:05pm CT.
Michael Quinn scored his first goal of the season with under four minutes to play in Thursday’s 1st period to give the Force a 1-0 lead in the matchup. Tate Taylor and Mac Swanson each collected an assist on the even-strength goal. Fargo outshot Tri-City 17-6 during the 1st period, and carried a 1-0 lead into Thursday’s middle period. Fargo previously held a record of 17-0-0-0 when leading after the 1st period this season.
The lone goal of the 2nd period was netted by Charlie Kinsman at 7:28 of the period. The goal was Kinsman’s first of the season, and was assisted by Luke Posthumus. The Storm was outshot by a 15-6 margin during the 2nd period, and Thursday’s 3rd period began in a 1-1 tie.
Mac Swanson netted his eleventh goal of the year at 8:23 of the 3rd period to give the Force a 2-1 advantage in the battle. The goal was assisted by Zam Plante and Michael Quinn. The Force took a two-goal lead in the matchup at 13:22 of the 2nd period when Lee Parks netted his eighteenth goal of the season. The goal was scored on the powerplay, and was assisted by Zam Plante and Michael Quinn. Nick Roukounakis provided an answer to the Force’s second goal of the period thirty-four seconds later with his first scoring play of the season for the Storm. The goal cut Fargo’s lead down to a single goal with just over six minutes remaining in regulation time. Ryan Smith netted his team-leading fourteenth goal of the season with under three minutes to play in the 3rd period to bring the game to a 3-3 tie. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Alexander Bales and Trevor Connelly. Thursday’s game required an overtime finish after Tri-City overcame a two-goal deficit during the final seven minutes of the 3rd period.
The Storm began the overtime period on a powerplay due to a penalty called on Fargo’s Lee Parks for tripping with just over a minute to play in regulation time. Owen Beckner scored his tenth goal of the season thirty-nine seconds into the extra period to seal Tri-City’s thrilling come-from-behind victory Thursday night at Scheels Arena. Alexander Bales and Trevor Connelly each recorded an assist on Beckner’s game-winning goal during the overtime. The Storm gave the Force its second loss on home ice this season despite being outshot by an overall margin of 41-19 during the matchup.
Cameron Korpi backstopped the team to victory in net by making 38 saves on 41 shots during the contest. Anton Castro collected the overtime loss in goal for the Force in a 15-save-on-19-shot effort. Korpi improved to 15-6-0-3 in net for the Storm this season in the win.
Tri-City now stands at 16-11-1-3 through the first half of the 2023-2024 regular season. Tomorrow night’s thirty-second game of the season will officially begin the Storm’s second half of the season. Tri-City currently sits in 5th place in the USHL’s Western Conference standings, but is only three points back of 3rd place Sioux Falls.
The Storm hits the ice again on Friday, January 19th, in a road game against the Sioux City Musketeers. Puck drop for the matchup is scheduled for 7:05pm CT. Skate to www.StormHockey.com for individual game tickets and more information regarding the Tri-City Storm organization. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.