Sioux Falls Stampede beat Madison Capitals 3:2 in their Central States Under 18 Hockey League opener on Saturday afternoon. The hosts took all three points at home, moving off the mark while the visitors were left with nothing to show for their first outing of the campaign.
Both sides arrive at this fixture having played zero games, zero wins, zero points — zero of everything. The table is a blank slate, which means what happens today carries more weight than it might later in the season when there is something to measure against.
Sioux Falls come into this fresh off a run of results against Muskegon Lumberjacks, including a 4:3 victory and a 3:2 win in separate outings. Madison have been more mixed, with a 2:1 win against the same opposition but also losses in their last five outings.
and here's the thing — we had given Sioux Falls a 55 per cent chance of winning this one, and the result backed that up. Not because they were heavy favourites, but because their recent form suggested they could handle the pressure of an opener.
to be fair, the visitors had shown they could score when it mattered, but consistency has been a question mark for them all season. Saturday's result adds another layer to that conversation without settling it.
The gap in points remains at zero for both teams, but the momentum clearly belongs to the hosts. They get another chance to build on this soon, while Madison will be looking to close the distance.
