Steelheads rally for shootout win

San Francisco, CA (11/15/13) ? Mitch Wahl scored twice on the power play, including the game-tying goal with 36 seconds left in regulation, and Idaho buried four of six shots in the game-ending shootout as the Idaho Steelheads rallied past the San Francisco Bulls, 4-3, Friday night in San Francisco.It's the second time in as many matchups that Idaho (5-4-2, 12 points) rallied in the final minute to tie San Francisco, forcing extra time. Idaho beat San Francisco in overtime on October 23 after Anthony Nigro tied the game with 21 seconds left in regulation.The Bulls struck first barely a minute into the game when Rob Linsmayer knocked home a loose puck from the top of the crease, his first tally of the season. Late in the first, Idaho evened things up when Justin Mercier blocked a Kyle Bigos shot and then beat Bigos to the loose puck in the neutral zone. That sprung Mercier on a breakaway and he beat Tyler Beskorowany at 19:02 of the first, his fourth of the season and third straight game with a goal.Idaho took the lead in the second period at the 5:58 mark when Mitch Wahl shot a puck from below the goal line off San Francisco's Collin Bowman on the power play to give Idaho a 2-1 lead. San Francisco answered at 16:37 on a shot from the left wing, evening the game at two. The Bulls would once again surge ahead at the 5:38 mark of the third on a Kyle Bigos blast from the right point through traffic, making it 3-2 Bulls.But a Scott Langdon double-minor penalty for high-sticking at 18:15 gave Idaho life. With the net emptied for an extra attacker, Idaho moved the puck into the offensive zone and found Wahl in the left-wing circle. Wahl blasted a shot over Beskorowany's shoulder with just 36 seconds left in regulation to even the score at three, sending the game to overtime. Brett Robinson nearly won it in overtime for Idaho, but his shot whistled just over the crossbar, and Kyle Bigos nearly won it for San Francisco, but his shot clanged off the post, setting up the shootout.After misfiring in the first round, Idaho would get three consecutive tallies from Wahl, William Rapuzzi and Taylor Vause to take the lead, but a Mark Lee tally forced a sixth round of the shootout. In the sixth round, Anthony Nigro scored glove-side from the hashmarks while Josh Robinson smothered a Jordan Morrison attempt to give Idaho the victory.Robinson got the win, saving 23 of 26 shots during live play and three of six in the shootout. Beskorowany took the loss, stopping 31 of 34 during live play and just two of six in the shootout.Idaho's power play was solid, going 2-3, and its penalty-kill unit also came up big, going a perfect 3-for-3, including a full two minutes in the overtime session.The same two teams meet again in San Francisco on Saturday night. The game can be heard live in the Treasure Valley on KTIK (1350 AM) at 8:30 PM.The Steelheads return home on Wednesday, November 20, to host the Utah Grizzlies at CenturyLink Arena. Tickets are available by calling the CenturyLink Arena box office at 208-331-8497.COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME - Justin Mercier (1G/1A)CENTURYLINK THREE STARS:1) Kyle Bigos (SF)2) Mitch Wahl (ID)3) Rob Linsmayer (SF)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.