Steelheads Handle Falcons 5-1

Mark Bomersback (1g, 2a) and Taggart Desmet (1g, 2a) each racked up three points as the Steelheads jumped out to a five-goal lead before cruising to a 5-1 victory over the Falcons in front of 4,868 fans at Qwest Arena on Friday night.Unbeaten in six games (5-0-1) for the first time all season the Steelheads (39-22-10) earned their first win of the season series, as they had previously dropped the first six tilts against the Falcons (42-20-8). The victory also moved the club back into first place in the West Division standings pending the outcome of the Aces and Salmon Kings contest.The Steelheads four-goal, first period assault began 3:14 into the frame when Andrew Martin grabbed a loose puck outside the Falcons? crease and beat Jake Moreland (38 saves) with a backhander for his 11th goal, a power play tally. Aaron Gagnon and Desmet picked up the helpers.At the 13-minute mark, Desmet took advantage of a favorable bounce and smacked the puck into the back of the net, collecting his team-leading 28th of the campaign and a 2-0 lead for his club. Again Gagnon factored into the goal, as did Bomersback.Just over two minutes later, Steelheads? forward Lance Galbraith rifled a right circle slap shot just inside the far post, with Bomersback and John Lammers registering the assists. Eighty-seven seconds after Galbraith made it 3-0, John Snowden stuffed a bouncing puck behind Moreland for his eighth of the season, an unassisted marker.Through 20 minutes of play the Steelheads led 4-0, while holding the Falcons without a shot on goal. The frame marked the fifth time this season the Steelheads have scored four goals in a period and the first time this season an opponent has failed to record a shot on goal in a 20-minute segment.Bomersback netted his 19th of the season, an even-strength goal, just 46 seconds into the second period to increase the advantage to 5-0. Desmet grabbed the only assist.The Falcons got on the board late in the second period off a long shot through traffic by defenseman Joe Van Culin. The rookie?s third of the year came off a drop pass by Brady Leisenring.At the second intermission the Steelheads led 5-1 and they were out-shooting the Falcons 35-12.There was no scoring in the third period with the final shots favoring the Steelheads 43-22. Steelheads? goaltender Steve Silverthorn stopped 21 shots to earn his 10th win and increase his unbeaten streak to four games (3-0-1), while Moreland (22-10-4) lost for the first time against the defending Kelly Cup Champions. The home team finished two-for-four on the power play and a perfect five-for-five on the penalty kill to earn their 22nd home win this season.The Steelheads play their final game of the regular season against the Falcons on Saturday, April 5. The puck drops at 7:10 p.m. MST. All the action can be heard live on 1350 AM, KTIK ?The Ticket? or via the B2 Networks. Don?t forget, Steelheads? single-game tickets can be purchased via www.idahosteelheads.com (using the print-at-home feature), by calling 331-TIXS or from the Qwest Arena box office.