Henderson, NV – The 12th seeded Sioux Falls Power 16U hockey team fell to the fourth-seeded Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers 2-1 in overtime in the second round of the USA Hockey national tournament on Wednesday evening. Despite the loss, Sioux Falls can advance to the quarterfinals with a win over the Chicago Mission and a Mid-Fairfield loss on Thursday.
Pierre native Carter Sanderson describes the close, intense game, which saw Sioux Falls goalie Luke Carrithers holding Mid-Fairfield at bay . . .
The first period ended in a scoreless tie, with the Power killing two penalties and trailing in shots 11-13. The second period saw Sioux Falls on the penalty kill four additional times. Head Coach Noelle Needham describes playing shorthanded for much of the period . . .
Sioux Falls managed to keep the game tied through two periods and Sanderson recalls the team’s mentality heading into the third . . .
Mid-Fairfield scored an even-strength goal with 8:30 left in the third, but Sioux Falls answered less than four minutes later on a goal by Jack Finnigan, assisted by Leon Buzek. Regulation ended in a 1-1 tie, earning Sioux Falls an important point in pool play.
Mid-Fairfield scored the game-winner just 16 seconds into overtime on a goal that rang off the post before hitting the net. Carrithers stopped 35 of 37 shots in the loss.
Coach Needham previews the Thursday game against the Chicago Mission, a team the Power beat in an Omaha tournament earlier this year . . .
If Sioux Falls wins its final game of pool play and the Dallas Stars Elite, which has already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, tops Mid-Fairfield in regulation, the Power will earn enough points to advance from their pool. Sanderson outlines the stakes . . .
The Power will play the Chicago Mission at 4:00 P.M. pacific on April 4. The top two teams in the pool will advance to the quarterfinals on Friday, April 5. All games are streamed on Hockey TV (www.hockeytv.com).
Additional information available at: https://nationals.usahockey.com/2024youthtieri16u .
Story from Nathan Sanderson. Picture from Tiffany Sanderson
