Barlow Nets Game Winner in Game Three; Idaho Trails Series 2-1

The Steelheads bounced back from back-to-back home losses to start the Kelly Cup Finals with a double-overtime win in Cincinnati Tuesday night by a 4-3 score. With the win that was secured by Evan Barlow?s second goal of the game and eighth of the playoffs, Idaho now trails the best-of-seven series 2-1. The Idaho Steelheads scored twice in the first period, and finished the frame with a 2-0 lead. The first of the pair came when John Swanson and Mark McCutcheon cruised in on a two-on-one, and Swanson snapped a puck upstairs on Cyclones? goalie Robert Mayer, who shutout Idaho in game two of the series. McCutcheon and Weston Tardy gathered assists on Swanson?s seventh of the playoffs at 13:51. At 18:04, Evan Barlow took a pass in front of the net and fired it home to give Idaho a 2-0 lead; Dustin Friesen and Kevin DeVergilio assisted on Barlow?s seventh of the playoffs. The Idaho attack continued at 5:19 of the second period, when Dustin Friesen fired a wrist shot from the point through traffic that beat Mayer, and gave Idaho a 3-0 lead. Mathieu Tousignant assisted on the goal, which came shortly after a faceoff. Brett Robinson gave Cincinnati life, as the Cyclones solved Beauchemin after a failed Idaho clearing attempt resulted in a one-timer that beat Beauchemin from the right circle; after two periods, Idaho had a 3-1 lead. At 7:07, Jimmy Kilpatrick poked a puck home for Cincinnati during a scrum in front of the Idaho net to cut the Steelheads? lead to 3-2. With DeVergilio in the penalty box serving a high-sticking penalty with under four minutes remaining in the third, Mark Van Guilder tied the game for the Cyclones to force overtime with the game knotted at 3-3. In the first overtime, Rejean Beauchemin turned away all 16 shots sent his way with what amounted to a highlight reel of saves, while Robert Mayer was perfect for Cincinnati, stopping all five Idaho shots. The Steelheads needed just 48 seconds to finish the game in the second overtime, as Evan Barlow received a pass at the bottom of the right circle and fired the puck into a largely vacated goal, as Mayer had committed to the left side. The goal was Barlow?s second of the game and eighth of the playoffs, and was assisted by DeVergilio and Mark Derlago. Beauchemin stopped 35 of 38 shots in the game for Idaho, and is now 3-2-0. Mayer stopped 30 of 34, and falls to 4-1-0 with the loss. Game four in Cincinnati is scheduled for Thursday night with the Idaho Steelheads trailing the best-of-seven series 2-1.