Sauter pulls pair from SUNYAC

(Boise, ID) ? Director of Hockey Operations and Head Coach Hardy Sauter announced Monday that the ECHL?s Idaho Steelheads have agreed to terms with forward Nick Petriello and defenseman Derek Matheson. Both players skated collegiately in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), Petriello for Buffalo State and Matheson for Morrisville State. Petriello (pronounced PET-ree-ello) is the all-time leading scorer in Buffalo State history with 133 points in 100 games. His 52 goals over four seasons are third-most in program history and his 81 assists are second-most. The 25-year-old was the conference?s rookie of the year in 2008 and received second-team All-SUNYAC accolades in both 2009 and 2011. Matheson, 24, was the top-scoring defenseman for Morrisville State last season with 13 points (six goals, seven assists). The 6-foot-4 blue-liner made his professional debut last spring once Morrisville State?s season had ended, appearing in nine games with the Texas Brahmas of the Central Hockey League. He had two assists and 12 penalty minutes during his brief stint with the Brahmas. The two bring Sauter?s training-camp roster to thirteen players: defensemen Matheson, Matt Case, Chris Hepp, Kory Scoran, Matt Cowie, Cam Ritchie, and Ryan Rorabeck, forwards Petriello, Cody Purves, Tyson Hobbins, Chad Nehring, and Eric Rex, and goaltender Jimmy Spratt. The team also acquired the rights to All-Star forward Aaron Lewadniuk from the ECHL?s Ontario Reign last week. Steelhead Season-Ticket Holders get six games FREE when they sign up for full-season packages. Plans for all 36 home games start at just $275 per seat. Partial-season plans are also available, with the home-opener coming on October 15 against the Utah Grizzlies. Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 for more information.