Balanced Steelheads upend Colorado

Loveland, CO (10/18/12) ? Rookie Josh Robinson stopped 20 shots and three different players posted two-point nights as the Idaho Steelheads defeated the Colorado Eagles, 3-2, on Friday night in Loveland, Colorado. Justin Dowling (goal, assist), Jeremie Blain (two assists), and Kael Mouillierat (two assists) each helped back the strong play in net of Robinson, the Michigan Tech product, in his first professional start. Idaho scored first when Justin Dowling broke free for a breakaway late in the first period. Colorado goaltender Kyle Jones made the initial save, but Dowling knocked home his own rebound at 15:45 for a 1-0 Steelhead lead. Dowling's first of the season was assisted by Mouillierat and Jake Morley - Morley's first point as a professional. The Eagles bounced back with a pair of Michael Forney goals in the second period to take a 2-1 lead. In the third, it was Idaho's turn to bounce back. With Jake Marto serving a four-minute penalty for high-sticking, Jeremie Blain's blast bounced back-door right to defenseman Gord Baldwin, crashing the net from the far point, and Baldwin shot the puck behind a helpless Jones for his first of the season to even the score at two with nearly 18 minutes left to play. Four minutes later, with Idaho again on the power play, Blain kept the puck in the Colorado zone and fed Dowling. Dowling then delivered a perfect centering pass to Andrew Carroll in the slot and Carroll ripped home his third of the season to give Idaho a 3-2 lead at the 6:34 mark of the third period. From there, it was all about Robinson and the Steelhead defense., limiting the explosive Colorado offense to just six shots on goal in the final period - just one over the final 90 seconds, when Colorado pulled Jones out of the net for an extra attacker and a 6-on-5 advantage. Baldwin, Matt Case, Ben Ondrus, and David de Kastrozza did a lot of the heavy lifting during the final flurry defensively for Idaho. Both goalies were strong, with Robinson picking up the victory for Idaho (2-2). Jones absorbed a tough loss despite several big saves for Colorado (1-2-1). Idaho was 2-4 on the power play, while Colorado was 1-2. The same two teams will meet again on Saturday at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland. Gametime is 7:05 and can be heard live on KTIK (1350 AM). COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME - Jeremie Blain CENTURYLINK THREE STARS: 1) Justin Dowling (ID) 2) Michael Forney (COL) 3) Josh Robinson (ID) Group outings at a Steelheads game are a great way to gather friends, colleagues, or co-workers for a fun night out in downtown Boise. Ticket prices are discounted and you can get a Pepsi, Double-R Ranch Hot Dog, and bag of Tim?s Cascade Chips with each ticket. Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 or log on to www.idahosteelheads.com for more information.