Lincoln, NE – The Fargo Force willed their way to win 3-2 Sunday against the Lincoln Stars. Anton Castro stole the show in his playoff premiere, stopping 42 of 44 shots he faced, including a number of high danger chances close to the crease. Meanwhile, Cameron Whitehead stopped 21 of 24 shots in Lincoln's loss.
The Stars struck early in the first period, deflecting in a one-time shot at 3:30 to take a 1-0 lead. The Force responded right away at 5:01, courtesy of Mac Swanson on the doorstep, evening the game 1-1. Cole Knuble was crucial on the tally, as his body check opened up the front of the net for Swanson. Lincoln dialed up the heat afterwards, but Castro kept his cool while defending the crease. The Stars kept the Force out of their offensive zone for a a bit, but as the period progressed, the play shifted to favor Fargo to keep the game tied. Knuble had a breakaway that was turned aside by Whitehead. On the ensuing rush for Lincoln, Castro made a snow angel save, using his skate to block a shot put on by the Stars. The Force had another amazing opportunity when Owen Mehlenbacher and Verner Miettinen had a 2 on 1, but Miettinen had his snapshot denied. Girts Silkalns heaved a wrist shot on net, but that chance was paddled away by Whitehead. All of these chances took place despite being outshot 14-5 by the Stars at the end of first period.
Castro stood tall on a pair of early second period chances by Lincoln, and Kyle Smolen nearly broke the tie off a Stars turnover, showing a distinct switch in momentum. The momentum further swayed to Fargo on their first power play starting at 3:18 from a Stars tripping penalty. The Force kept the zone for the entire two minutes, and the onslaught culminated in a mind boggling block on Knuble by Whitehead, going post to post to blank the Fargo man advantage. Castro had a Superman save of his own, diving out of the blue paint to cover the puck in a scramble. Lincoln received their first power play opportunity at 10:46 from Kevin Scott who was called for roughing. During the penalty kill, Charlie Russell was hauled down on a shorthanded breakaway resulting in a penalty shot. Russell attempted to go five-hole on Whitehead, but the attempt went straight into the goaltender's glove. The Force killed off the rest of the penalty, and Scott was even sprung out of the penalty box on yet another breakaway, but he couldn't find the back of the net. Castro continued to guard his crease, including a huge rejection on a wraparound attempt by Lincoln. As time wound down in the second period at 19:53, Leo Gruba redirected a drive from Smolen that trickled through, giving Fargo their first lead of the night, 2-1.
Fargo came out flying off the opening draw of the third period. The Force controlled the offensive zone for over a minute straight early on and Knuble was stonewalled again in front of the blue paint. Lincoln went back to the man advantage at 4:12 when Mehlenbacher was whistled for tripping. The Stars had a handful of quality moments, including a sprawling save to preserve the advantage. The Force increased their momentum with more zone time and possession. The gap between the two teams widened to 3-1 when Link fed Knuble on a one-time shot at 9:52. After the insurance goal, Fargo held their blue line tighter, and kept the Lincoln's offense to the perimeter. Jacob Napier and and Link crashed the cage on a 2 on 1, keeping their foot on the gas. Whitehead was pulled for the extra attacker at 18:30, and Lincoln scored at 19:00 off a juicy second chance to put Lincoln within one at 3-2. That was the closest the Force got to an overtime, as Fargo clogged up shooting lanes to clear the puck, sealing their win.
Fargo stays in Lincoln, hoping to eliminate the Stars Monday night in Game 4. Puck drop is at 7:05pm CST. Streaming is on Flo Hockey and airing on 740 AM The FAN. Tickets can purchased online under the 'Tickets' tab on the Fargo Force website or by clicking HERE
