Bachman recalled to Texas, Neal sent back to Idaho

(Boise, ID) ? Idaho Steelheads head coach Derek Laxdal announced a pair of roster moves on Sunday, as forward Michael Neal has been returned to Idaho by the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League. Meanwhile, goaltender Richard Bachman has been called up by Texas, Idaho's AHL affiliate. Bachman, an ECHL All-Star, will join the Stars in time for the team's game in Hamilton on Tuesday night. The 22-year-old rookie out of Colorado College has appeared in 23 games in net for Idaho this year, posting an ECHL-best 2.31 goals-against average. He has two shutouts on the season, including a 1-0 blanking of Utah at Qwest Arena on Thursday. It'll be Bachman's second stint with Texas this season. He's 1-1 with a 2.01 goals-against average at the AHL level. That means, for the moment, Rejean Beauchemin is the only goaltender on the team's active roster.Neal did not appear in either of Texas' games over the weekend. He has skated in four games at the AHL level and 42 with the Steelheads in the ECHL. He has four goals and nine assists with Idaho. Idaho (34-11-4) is on the road this week, playing at Ontario (18-24-7) on Friday and Saturday. Note: Rookie forward Todd McIlrath, signed by the team on Saturday, has been placed on the 21-day injured list and will miss the rest of the season. He was injured early in Saturday night's game against Utah - his first with the Steelheads.The Steelheads return to Qwest Arena in Boise on February 24, when they host the Alaska Aces. It's a "Half-Time Wednesday" with the Downtown Boise Association -- where fans can receive two tickets to the game for the price of one and be eligible for a number of discounts from downtown merchants. Tickets are available by calling the Qwest Arena box office at 208.331.TIXS or by visiting www.idahosteelheads.com.