Stockton holds off Idaho, 4-3

Stockton, CA (11/18/12) ? Toni Rajala scored twice and a late flurry came up just short as the Stockton Thunder held off the Idaho Steelheads, 4-3, in Stockton on Sunday. The Steelheads wasted no time getting on the board. Off the opening faceoff of the game, Gord Baldwin fed the puck up the right wing to Tristan King. King then centered the puck to Adrian Foster, who unleashed a left-handed bullet past the glove of Tyler Bunz from the high slot just eleven seconds into the game to give Idaho a 1-0 lead. The goal at the 11-second mark was the fastest goal to start a game this season in the ECHL. Stockton would even the game on a Toni Rajala shot from the top of the right-hand circle at 13:20 of the first period to even the game at one goal apiece. Early in the second period, Rajala would zip home a shot from a nearly-identical location at the other end of the ice at 1:05 to give Stockton a 2-1 lead. Idaho evened things up off a Stockton defensive-zone turnover midway through the frame when Hubert Labrie pounced on a loose puck in the high slot and blasted his first of the season past Bunz to even the game up at two after two periods. The Thunder scored twice in the opening minutes of the third, Harrison Reed at even-strength at 1:25 of the period and Phil Mangan on the power play at 3:41 to give Stockton a 4-2 advantage. Idaho was able to cut into that lead late in the third when a Jacob Cepis shot from the left-hand wall found its way through Bunz's legs at 17:50 to make it a 4-3 game, but Idaho could draw no closer over the final two minutes in falling to 9-4-2 on the season. Tyler Beskorowany performed admirably under pressure, turning aside 30 of 34 Stockton shots in the loss. Tyler Bunz stopped 13 of 16 in the win. Each team checked in with one power play goal, Idaho going 1-4 with the man-advantage and Stockton going 1-5. Idaho returns home Wednesday, November 21, to face the rival Alaska Aces. The Steelheads will then host Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday after the Thanksgiving holiday Tickets are available by calling the CenturyLink Arena box office at 208.331.8497 or by going online at www.idahosteelheads.com COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME - Adrian Foster CENTURYLINK THREE STARS: 1) Toni Rajala (STK) 2) Harrison Reed (STK) 3) Justin Maylan (STK) 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.