KEARNEY, NE– The Tri-City Storm fell to the Omaha Lancers by a final score of 5-3 on Fan Appreciation Night Friday night at the Viaero Center. Artemi Nizameyev, Ryan Smith, and August Falloon each netted a goal for Tri-City in the loss. The Storm now travels to Liberty First Credit Union Arena for tomorrow night's season-finale on the road against the Omaha Lancers. Tri-City will return to the Viaero Center for an opening-round playoff series on Monday night. Puck drop for tomorrow's final game of the regular season is scheduled for 6:05pm CT.
 
Artemi Nizameyev netted his sixteenth goal of the season at 4:04 of Friday's 1^st period to give the Storm a one-goal lead in the matchup. Charlie Kinsman and August Falloon each collected an assist on the scoring play. Sam Scheetz responded quickly for the Lancers with his seventh scoring play of the season at 5:10 of the opening period. Will Elger and Jamison Sluys each notched an assist on the goal. The final goal of Friday's 1^st period was scored by Omaha's Bobby Cowan at 9:31 of the period. Cowan's goal was his first of the season, and was assisted by David Posma and Ryan Kusler. The Storm trailed by one goal after Friday's 1^st period, despite outshooting the Lancers 12-9.
 
Jamison Sluys scored his fourteenth goal of the year at 13:06 of the middle period to increase Omaha's lead to 3-1 in the rivalry matchup. Drew DellaSalla and Trey Scott each recorded an assist on the scoring play. The goal was the only scoring play of Friday's 2^nd period, and the Storm entered the 3^rd period in a two-goal deficit. Tri-City outshot Omaha by a 14-5 margin during the middle period.
 
Ryan Smith netted a powerplay goal at 5:21 of the final period to bring the game to a 3-2 score. August Falloon and Artemi Nizameyev each collected an assist on the goal. The goal was Smith's twenty-fourth of the year. Nick Pierre scored for the twenty-third time this season at 10:54 of the 3^rd period to give the Lancers a 4-2 advantage in the game. Jamison Sluys and Noah Jones recorded an assist on the goal. August Falloon scored a powerplay goal for the Storm with under eight minutes to play to bring the Storm back within one goal of the Lancers' lead. Falloon's goal was his sixteenth of the season, and was assisted by Nolan Roed and Artemi Nizameyev. The final goal of Friday's game was scored into an empty net by Nick Pierre. The goal was his second of night, and twenty-fourth of the season. David Posma recorded an assist on the goal. The Storm outshot the Lancers 9-4 in the 3^rd period, and 35-18 overall in the matchup, but fell by a final score of 5-3 Friday night at the Viaero Center in the team's final home game of the regular season. Tri-City dropped to 16-9-1-4 at the Viaero Center this season in the two-goal loss.
 
Thatcher Bernstein made 13 saves on 17 shots, and recorded the loss in goal for Tri-City. Kam Hendrickson collected the win in goal for Omaha in a 32-save-on-35-shot performance.
 
Fans who attended Friday night's Fan Appreciation Night game at the Viaero Center can bring their ticket to the Viaero Center Box Office and receive free admission to one of the Storm's upcoming opening-round games in the 2024 Clark Cup Playoffs.
 
Tickets to the Storm's opening-round playoff series of the 2024 Clark Cup Playoffs at the Viaero Center on Monday, April 15^th, Tuesday, April 16^th, and Wednesday, April 17^th (*If Necessary) are on sale now! Glass tickets are $15 for Adults, and $12 for Kids. All non-first-row seats are available for only $7 per game. Tickets are complimentary for all Tri-City Storm Season Ticket Holders. All three games in the Storm's upcoming opening-round playoff series at the Viaero Center are scheduled to begin at 7:05pm CT.
 
Season Tickets to the Storm's 25^th Anniversary Season are on sale now and can be purchased by contacting a member of the Storm Sales Staff at 308-338-8144. Pricing, and the Season Ticket Order Form for the 2024-2025 season, can be found online at https://stormhockey.com/sports/2022/8/19/season-tickets.aspx.
 
The Storm hits the ice again on Saturday, April 13^th, in a road game against the Omaha Lancers. Puck drop for the matchup is scheduled for 6:05pm CT. Skate to www.StormHockey.com for playoff tickets and more information regarding the Tri-City Storm organization. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.