KEARNEY, NE – Merril Steenari put up his second consecutive two-goal night and Pavel Prusek contributed the eventual game-winner in the final three minutes of regulation to help the Fargo Force top the Tri-City Storm 5-3 in the finale of a three-game in three-night series Saturday night at Viaero Center. 

Fargo (12-5-3, 27 pts) collected five of six possible standings points during the weekend. Tri-City (9-9-3, 21 pts) has dropped nine of its first 12 home games this season. 

Fargo opened the scoring at the 11:44 mark of the first period. Eero Butella walked the puck down the right wing boards into the Storm zone on a Force rush. The Northeastern commit released a centering pass to Merrill Steenari directly in front of the Tri-City net. Steenari made a quick backhand-forehand deek on Storm goaltender Erick Roest, then chipped the puck top shelf into the Tri-City cage. It was Steenari's team leading 13th goal of the year. 

The Storm eliminated their deficit just 36 seconds later. Tri-City quickly moved the puck into the offensive zone after Fargo's goal. Bode Laylin, who possessed the puck at the center point, slid a feed to the left faceoff circle and Shaun McEwen. The defenseman, who missed last night's contest due to illness, rocketed a snapshot into the right side of the Force net for his third tally of the season.

Fargo retook the lead near the halfway mark of the second. After the Force won a faceoff in the right wing circle of their offensive zone, the puck ended up with defenseman Finn McClaughlin at the right point. McLaughlin sent a high shot toward the Tri-City net that deflected off Riley Bassen and into the cage.

With exactly three minutes left in the middle period, the Force doubled their lead on another tally by Steenari. The play, almost an exact copy of the Colorado College commit's first goal, involved a Butella feed from the left wing boards that Steenari lifted past Roest for his second tally of the night and fourth in the series.  

The Storm produced another swift answer 23 seconds afterward. McEwen, who rushed the puck toward the right wing half wall of the Fargo zone, sent a quick centering pass in front of the Force net to Nizameyev, who tipped the puck top shelf on his backhand. Nizameyev collected his 13th goal of the year during the play. 

Fargo continued its 3-2 lead for the majority of the third period, despite a four-minute power play in the middle portion of the frame after Tri-City's Bode Laylin was assessed a double-minor for high sticking. 

The Force earned their fourth goal with just under three minutes to go. Fargo's Jordan Ronn set up Aaron Reierson with a net front pass from below the goal line in the Storm zone. Reierson one-timed a shot that Roest stopped with his right pad. The puck made its way to the left wing half wall, where Prusek threw a soft wrist shot through traffic into the cage. 

The Storm pulled Roest with over two minutes left in regulation. Tri-City garnered a 6-on-4 advantage with 1:42 to go after Fargo's Luke Schelter picked up a tripping minor.

The Storm could not score until nine seconds remained. Ilia Morozov collected a rebound in front of the Fargo net after a pad stop by Lendak on a Colby Woogk shot from the right point. 

As Tri-City looked to move up ice after the center ice faceoff following the goal, a Storm pass deflected to Schelter on the left wing of the neutral zone. Schelter shot the puck into the empty Tri-City net with one second left to cap off the night.

With a goal and an assist in the contest, Nizameyev put together his eighth multi-point performance of the season. The Chelyabinsk, Russia native scored four goals and recorded two assists across the three-game series. Other Storm players with multiple point efforts on Saturday included Shaun McEwen (1-1-2) and Bode Laylin (0-2-2). 

Lendak collected his league-leading tenth victory of the campaign after halting 25 of 28 Storm shots on the night. Roest stopped 26 of 30 in the Tri-City cage.