Derlago Nets Hat Trick, Steelheads Earn Comeback Win in Victoria

The Idaho Steelheads (40-13-5) came back from a two-goal deficit after the first period to win 5-2 over the Victoria Salmon Kings (31-24-6) at the Save-On Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria tonight. Mark Derlago scored a hat trick, and Captain Marty Flichel played in his 400th game as a Steelhead in the win. Victoria scored twice in the first period to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Chad Painchaud scored shortly after a faceoff in the Idaho zone at 10:10, and less than three minutes later, Randall Gelech walked in on a breakaway to beat Idaho?s Rejean Beauchemin top-shelf at 12:49. The Steelheads scored twice in the second period to even the score heading into the third frame. Near the end of a shift, Mark Derlago tossed a puck to the front of the Victoria net from the left wing corner, and the puck took a bounce off of goalie Matt Keetley and into the net for Derlago?s 32nd of the year. Derlago tied the game for Idaho when he scored on a five-on-three power play after receiving a backdoor pass from Evan Barlow off to the right side of the Victoria net at 15:58 of the second period. Marty Flichel also assisted on the goal, as Flichel was playing in his 400th career game as an Idaho Steelhead, which includes time in the team?s era in the WCHL. The Steelheads pulled away from Victoria in the third period, as Kevin DeVergilio scored the eventual game-winner at 2:02 of the period. He held a puck at the bottom of the left circle during a delayed penalty situation, faked Keetley, and slid a puck across the goal line along the ice to give Idaho a 3-2 advantage. Brendan Milnamow and Matt McKnight tallied the assists on DeVergilio?s 15th of the season. At 12:46 of the period, Adam Huxley wheeled up the right wing and let a shot fly from the circle. Keetley made the save, but Huxley stayed with the puck, wrapped it around the net, and scored to give Idaho a 4-2 lead. Huxley?s 6th of the season was assisted by Milnamow. At 14:27, Derlago completed his hat trick on the power play when he one-timed a pass from the top of the right circle into the net. Flichel and Barlow assisted on Derlago?s 34th. Rejean Beauchemin stopped 19 of 21 Victoria shots in just over 45 minutes of work to improve to 22-8-2. Beauchemin gave way to Richard Bachman, who made two saves on two shots in 14:52 of action in the third period. Matt Keetley, playing in his first game for Victoria since being reassigned to the Salmon Kings from AHL Abbotsford, stopped 31 of 36 Idaho shots. He is now 2-2-0. The Steelheads and Salmon Kings will play on Friday night in the middle game of the current three-game set. The puck drops at 8:00 PM MST. Idaho returns home to play Utah on March 16th.