page_title: Sioux Falls Stampede
section_title: Finding success and first Clark Cup championship: 2005–2012
hierarchical_section_title: Sioux Falls Stampede / History / Finding success and first Clark Cup championship: 2005–2012
caption_attribution_description: English: Sioux Falls Stampede players hoisting the Clark Cup trophy presented to the team that wins the Clark Cup playoffs for the 2006–07 USHL season.
context_page_description: The Sioux Falls Stampede are a Tier I junior ice hockey team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Stampede are members of the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League. The team plays home games at the Denny Sanford Premier Center, the largest facility in capacity and size in the USHL. The team was established in 1999 and is owned by SD Sports and Entertainment, LLC. since 2012.
  The Stampede have qualified for the Clark Cup playoffs in fifteen of twenty seasons. The team holds three Clark Cup championships, winning most recently in the 2018–19 season, two conference and one division championships, and was awarded the Anderson Cup in the 2005–06 season for the league's highest win percentage. The organization holds the USHL single-season attendance record at 200,597 fans over the 2015–16 season and are a five-time USHL organization of the year recipient. Thirty former players have skated in the National Hockey League.
context_section_description: In an attempt to reinvigorate the franchise, Sioux Falls hired former University of Minnesota player and St. Paul Vulcans head coach Kevin Hartzell for the 2005–06 season. Hartzell previously led the Vulcans to three Clark Cup final appearances, including a championship during the 1983–84 season, and posted a 195–83–8 record overall between 1983 and 1989.
  In his first year with the team, Hartzell led the club to a 41–13–4 record, its only Anderson Cup title, awarded to the team with the league's highest regular-season win percentage, and first division championship. The team was led by future NHL players Andreas Nödl, Nate Prosser and Ryan Thang; and the goaltender tandem of John Murray and Alex Kangas. The Stampede defense finished first overall in the USHL and set a franchise record for fewest goals allowed in a season with 135. Seven players were selected for the 2006 USHL All-Star/Prospects game in Sioux City, Iowa, and the team swept the Tri-City Storm and defeated the Lincoln Stars before advancing to their first Clark Cup championship appearance. The club was defeated by the Des Moines Buccaneers in a best-of-five series, 3–2. The team ended the 2005–06 season with a franchise best 21–7–2 home record and 20–6–2 away record, including a franchise-high win streak of 16 games.
   Expectations were high for Hartzell's sophomore year, but the team found itself near the bottom of the standings much of the first half of the season after starting the previous season 27–3–0. The team built momentum by going 16–5–1 in the months of January and February and managed to enter the 2006–07 playoffs as the fourth and final seed in the West Division. The Stampede swept the Lincoln Stars in four games in the first round, but lost to the Des Moines Buccaneers in the first game of a two-game, second-round round robin. The Stampede defeated the Tri-City Storm in overtime in their second game and advanced to the final four, single-elimination tournament. The team defeated the top seeded Indiana Ice, who were undefeated up to that point in the playoffs, 3–2 in overtime in the semi-final round. In their second Clark Cup Final appearance in as many years, the Stampede shutout the Black Hawks 3–0 to win their first Clark Cup championship. Goaltender Matt Lundin was named the Clark Cup Final most valuable player. Future NHL player Corey Tropp led the team in scoring with 26 goals, 32 assists for 58 points, including a team-leading 13 points, four goals and nine assists in the playoffs.
  Returning for Hartzell's third season were veteran forwards Nick Dineen, David Grun, Jake Hansen, Robbie Vrolyk and newcomer Jack Connolly, the seventh overall pick of the 2007 USHL Entry Draft. Finding similar success in previous seasons, Hartzell employed another goaltender tandem composed of his son, Eric Hartzell, and veteran Max Strang. The team finished the season 35–19–6, earning a third consecutive playoff berth, while Hartzell set a franchise-high five shutouts in the regular season. After sweeping the Lincoln Stars in the first round the previous season, the Stars returned the favor and shutout Sioux Falls 3–0. First-year forward Connolly led the league in scoring, finishing with 26 goals and 46 assists for 72 points. Connolly was named the 2007–08 season USHL Rookie of the Year and USA Hockey Player of the Year.
  During the 2008–09 season, the Stampede finished 28–28–4, qualified for the playoffs and was again defeated by the Lincoln Stars. The club was led by forwards Terry Broadhurst and David Eddy. The following season was matched with similar success as the team finished 33–25–12, but, for the third consecutive season, was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. The club had one of the most potent offenses in team history, ranking fourth in goals for with 223. The offensive output was led by forwards Michael Voran and Matt Lindblad and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. Goaltender Clay Witt recorded six regular season shutouts, breaking the record previously held by Hartzell two seasons prior.
  The team's previous failure to move beyond the first ro
caption: Stampede players hoisting the franchise's first Clark Cup trophy for winning the 2006–07 Clark Cup playoffs.
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