Sioux Falls Stampede vs. Fargo Force

I traveled to Sioux Falls, SD. tonight for the premier USHL match-up between the Fargo Force and the Sioux Falls Stampede. The road conditions were probably somewhat similar to the ice conditions inside the Sioux Falls arena after all the freezing rain that hit the area.  Regardless, I made the trip and I'm certainly glad I did.  It turned out to be a really good game and an excellent opportunity to watch future Mavericks' Corey Leivermann, Chase Grant and Matt Leitner.

The Game
Corey Leivermann opened up the scoring for the Force at the 7:37 mark of the first period with a very nice top-shelf shot over the glove of Sioux Falls goalie Clay Witt.  Chase Grant assisted on the goal... one of his many nice passes tonight.  The Stampede added a goal at the 15:59 mark of the first period to tie the game at one.  Fargo quickly reclaimed the lead on a nice play once again featuring the duo of Chase Grant and Corey Leivermann.  On a two-on-one breakaway Leivermann made a late saucer pass across the crease to Grant who buried the puck in the back of the net.  The first period came to an end shortly thereafter with the score 2-1 in favor of the visitors.

In the second period, Leivermann came out strong and put another puck in the net (unassisted) only 1:57 into the period.   Once again, Sioux Falls followed suit and scored just past the midway point of the second period.

At the start of the third period the Sioux Falls Stampede trailed the visiting Fargo Force by one goal but the shots were heavily favoring the home team.  Sioux Falls put 33 shots on goal to Fargo's 16.  Fargo once again continued their streak of scoring first to start the period but the home team gained some big momentum in the third by scoring two back-to-back goals to tie things up at 4-4.

From there the game went to overtime.  Despite some really solid chances on both ends of the ice, neither team was able to score.  A relatively uneventful shoot-out ensued.  Future Maverick Corey Leivermann was the first shooter to hit the ice in the extra frame and he was the only player to find the back of the net.  Leivermann got the game-winner in the shootout and led the Fargo Force to a 5-4 OT win in front of 2,564 fans.

Box Score

Future Mavs
Here are a couple thoughts on Leitner, Leivermann, and Grant.

• Corey Leivermann- I watched Corey play a few times when he played for Mankato West in high school.  Tonight was the first time I've seen him since.  He made some big plays back then and I remember thinking... it will be interesting to see if he can pull off those kind of moves in the USHL. Needless to say, he made some equally impressive moves tonight. I was very impressed with his offensive skills and puck handling.  He was able to put the puck wherever he wanted and he capitalized on all his scoring chances.  He also made some really nice passes.  The only area where he might be lacking is his skating... but even that has improved dramatically.  

• Matt Leitner- Matt was pretty quiet tonight.  I haven't seen him play previously but judging from his numbers this season (33GP, 16G, 22A) ... tonight was just not his night.  His skating looked solid and he made some real nice passes that others weren't able to capitalize on but other than that... he didn't seem to really stand out.

• Chase Grant- Chase was probably the most impressive all-around player (of the three) tonight.  He logged quite a bit of ice time and was really impressive on both ends of the ice.  He made some excellent defensive plays as well as scoring a goal and assisting on another.  He seems like a real staple for Fargo's penalty killing unit.  Similar to Leitner, I hadn't watched Grant play previously so I'm not sure if tonight's performance is the norm but if it's anywhere close.... I'm looking forward to watching this kid in Purple.