Steelheads' Season Ends with Game-Five Loss in Cincy

The Idaho Steelheads? season was halted tonight after a Kelly Cup-clinching game five win by the Cincinnati Cyclones; the final score was 2-1. Each game in the series between Idaho and Cincinnati was decided by just a single goal. In the first period, Cincinnati defenseman Brett Motherwell led a rush up the ice after connecting on a give-and-go play with forward Ian McKenzie; Motherwell streaked up the right wing into the Idaho zone and found forward Dustin Sproat open in front of the net. Sproat received a pass from Motherwell, and promptly stuffed the puck by Idaho goalie Rejean Beauchemin for the game?s first goal at 8:44 of the first period. Matt McKnight tied the game for the Steelheds at 5:51 of the second period with a wrist shot from just inside the Cincinnati blue line; Brandan Kushniruk and Cody Lampl assisted on McKnight?s fifth of the playoffs. At 10:23 of the second period, Brett Robinson tipped home a point shot from Jason Josza for the Cyclones? eventual game-winning goal. Rejean Beauchemin finishes the playoffs with a 3-4-0 record; he stopped 14 of 16 shots in the season-ending loss. Robert Mayer stopped 22 of 23 shots in the Cincinnati net to preserve the win; he improves to 6-0-1 in the playoffs.