Robinson, Steelheads blank Aces, 2-0

Anchorage, AK (3/16/13) - Josh Robinson stopped all 36 shots he faced Saturday night, turning in his fourth professional shutout, as the Idaho Steelheads blanked the Alaska Aces, 2-0, in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 6,599 at Anchorage's Sullivan Arena. Idaho (42-17-7, 91 points) took all three games in the week-long set with the Aces, who hold the top record in the entire ECHL. After an energetic but scoreless first period, the intensity picked up in the second. Alaska had a pair of near misses as a rebound rolled just wide of the Idaho net and Robinson was forced to scramble to cover up another potential rebound shot near the mid-stage of the second period. The Steelheads broke through late in the second period when Justin Taylor knocked home a David deKastrozza centering pass, just getting it past Gerald Coleman, at 17:35 of the second period to give Idaho a 1-0 lead. In the third period, the Steelheads would pick up an early insurance goal as Matt Case moved down the right-hand wing before delivering a pass across the slot to Austin Smith in the left circle. Smith one-timed the puck past Coleman for his team-leading 26th goal of the season at 4:25 of the third, giving the Steelheads some much-needed breathing room. They would need it, too, as the Aces peppered Robinson with 14 shots in the third period, mostly in the final ten minutes of the period. But Robinson and his teammates were able to keep the Aces at bay, finishing the team's fifth white-washing of the season at 2-0. Robinson started - and won - all three games in the set against Alaska. In the process, he turned aside 102 of 108 shots, a .944 save percentage. The rookie netminder out of Michigan Tech improved his personal record to 26-6-4 with four shutouts. Gerald Coleman was the loser, making 19 saves on 21 Idaho shots. Neither team scored on the power play as Idaho was 0-1 and Alaska was 0-2. Idaho returns home for its final homestand of the regular season, hosting the Ontario Reign on March 20, 22 and 23. 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 - Matt Case CENTURYLINK THREE STARS: 1) Josh Robinson (ID) 2) Matt Case (ID) 3) Justin Taylor (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.