Steelheads close books on '13-'14 season

Boise, ID (5/29/14) – The ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads have begun their transition into the offseason after a successful 2014-15 season that saw the team achieve success on the ice, in the stands and in the community.

On The Ice:The Steelheads completed the regular season with 39 wins, reaching the ECHL KeyBank Western Conference semifinals.  Forward William Rapuzzi led the charge for Idaho with a team-high 58 points, earning him the ECHL Rookie of the Year award as well as a spot on the ECHL’s All-Rookie team.  David deKastrozza set a new team record with six short-handed goals and team MVP Brett Robinson posted a team-best plus-19 rating.  In the playoffs, Idaho hosted the longest game in ECHL history – a four-overtime victory over the Colorado Eagles on April 28.

In the Stands:The Steelheads welcomed 160,000 fans to CenturyLink Arena during the season, averaging 4,000 fans per game.  The average of 80 percent of capacity remains one of the tops in the league as the team played in front of six sellout crowds, including a season-high of 5,347 on February 22 against the Utah Grizzlies.

In the Community:The team once again made giving back to the community a priority, visiting nearly 40 schools as part of the Blue Cross of Idaho “Be Hip, Get Fit” program in the Treasure Valley.  The Steelheads also donated over $135,000 in goods and services to area non-profits and charities.  The team held three, game-worn jersey auctions which generated $37,000 benefitting the Jayden DeLuca Foundation and St. Luke’s Medical Center – bringing the total donated via jersey auctions to more than $460,000 dating back to 1997.  The team, with the help of the Idaho Steelheads Booster Club, also helped one athlete attend the Ohio Hockey Project, owned and operated by Idaho defenseman Russ Sinkewich, free of charge to support youth hockey in Cleveland, Ohio.

Moving Forward:With the ’13-’14 season in the books, the organization has begun work on the ’14-’15 season – the 18th season of professional hockey in Boise.  The team has already extended the contract of Head Coach Brad Ralph and CenturyLink Arena recently unveiled plans for a new, four-sided, center-hang score and video board that will be in place in time for the team’s season-opener in October.

Season tickets for the 2014-15 season are already on sale, starting at just $275 to secure the same seat for all 36 home games.  There are also partial-season plans available for fans seeking more flexibility.   Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 or log on to www.idahosteelheads.com for more information.