URBANDALE, IA. – The Tri-City Storm dropped a road contest to the Des Moines Buccaneers by a final score of 5-2 Friday night at Buccaneers Arena. A.J. Lacroix and Ryan Smith each scored a goal for Tri-City during the battle. The Storm return to action Saturday in a road game against the Waterloo Black Hawks at Young Arena. Puck drop for the game is scheduled for 6:05pm CT.
 
Ben Kevan netted his twentieth goal of the regular season at 5:59 of Friday's opening period to give Des Moines a 1-0 advantage in the matchup. Luke Margenau recorded an assist on the scoring play. Liam Watkins increased the Buccaneers' advantage to two goals with less than five minutes to play in the 1^st period. Watkins' goal was his nineteenth of the year, and was assisted by Ben Kevan and Ilya Protas. Each team recorded ten shots on goal during the opening period, and the Storm trailed by a score of 2-0 following the 1^st period. Tri-City previously held a record of 2-7-1-1 when trailing after the 1^st period in games played this season.
 
Andrew Clarke netted his fifth goal of the year at 10:42 of the 2^nd period to give the Buccaneers a three-goal lead in Friday's matchup. A.J. Lacroix scored fourteen seconds later to put Tri-City on the scoreboard. Lacroix's scoring play was his fourteenth of the season, and was assisted by Vladislav Lukashevich and August Falloon. Des Moines outshot Tri-City by a 9-8 margin during the 2^nd period, and carried a two-goal lead into the 3^rd period. The Storm entered Friday's game with a 3-16-1-2 record when trailing after the 2^nd period this season.
 
Ryan Smith netted his twenty-second goal of the season at 3:32 of Friday's final period to bring Tri-City within one goal of Des Moines' lead. Vsevolod Logvin and Shaun McEwen each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Adam Zlnka scored his ninth goal of the season at 10:51 of the final period to give Des Moines another two-goal advantage in the matchup. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Liam Watkins and Ben Kevan. The final goal of Friday's contest was scored into an empty net by Braden Rourke with less than a minute to play. Tri-City was outshot by a 12-10 margin in the 3^rd period, and a 31-28 margin overall in Friday's night's loss. The Storm dropped the game by a final score of 5-2, and fell to 26-19-4-5 on the 2023-2024 regular season.
 
Cameron Korpi made 26 saves on 30 shots and recorded the loss in goal for Tri-City. Ethan Dahlmeir made 26 saves on 28 shots to collect the win in net for Des Moines.
 
The Storm hits the ice again on Saturday, March 23^rd, in a road game against the Waterloo Black Hawks. Puck drop for the matchup is scheduled for 6:05pm 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.