Nagle steals show in 4-1 win

Las Vegas, NV (12/28/13) - Goaltender Pat Nagle put on a show Saturday night, turning aside 49 of 50 shots he faced, including several highlight-reel saves as the Idaho Steelheads defeated the Las Vegas Wranglers, 4-1.

Idaho's record improved to 16-9-4 (36 points) with the win thanks to Nagle's goaltending and a pair of Brett Robinson goals.

The homestanding Wranglers came out hot in the first period, bringing all kinds of pressure on the Idaho net, but Nagle stayed steady, swiping aside all 15 chances he faced. Midway through the period, Idaho connected in the offensive zone as Anthony Nigro's centering pass from behind the net found Mitch Wahl all alone in the slot and Wahl buried the puck past Mitch O'Keefe at 8:30 of the first to give Idaho a 1-0 lead after one. The goal was Wahl's 10th of the season.

Early in the second, the Wranglers appeared primed to tie it but Nagle robbed the Wranglers at the left-wing post on a short-handed 2-on-1 rush. Later in the period, the Wrangler defense lost track of Robinson along the left-wing wall as he walked right through the circle before snapping a wrist shot past O'Keefe at 14:23 of the second, making it 2-0. Dalton Reum and Dan DeLisle assisted on Robinson's second of the season as the Steelheads took a two-goal lead into the third despite being out-shot 33-15 through two periods.

The game swung firmly into Idaho's favor early in the third on a five-on-three power play. Just before the two-man advantage expired, David deKastrozza redirected a Tommy Grant centering past into the net at 2:54 of the third, making it 3-0, before Robinson struck again from the slot on the five-on-four advantage at 3:44 to make it 4-0.

From that point on, the only question would be whether or not Nagle would get his second shutout of the season. He stuffed another two-on-one rush before stoning Chris Francis on a breakaway and then picked up a tough glove save on Adam Hughesman. Hughesman ended the shutout bid with just 55 seconds left with a shot from the right-wing circle, just beating Nagle, to set the final score at 4-1 in favor of the visitors.

Nagle's 49 saves were a season-high from the Steelheads. O'Keefe took the loss, surrendering four goals on 31 shots. Idaho's power play scored twice on seven tries while the Steelheads' penalty kill was a perfect five-for-five.

Idaho wraps up the weekend with a Sunday tilt in Bakersfield against the Condors. Game time is 5 PM (Mtn) at Rabobank Arena and can be heard live on KTIK (1350 AM or www.ktik.com). The team's next home game is Wednesday, January 15, when the Steelheads host the Utah Grizzlies. Tickets are available by calling the CenturyLink Arena box office at 208-331-8497.

COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME - Brett Robinson (2G)

CENTURYLINK THREE STARS:1) Pat Nagle (ID)2) Brett Robinson (ID)3) Mitch Wahl (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 for more information.