Balanced Steelheads sprint past Thunder again

Stockton, CA (2/22/15) – Ludwig Karlsson and David deKastrozza each had a goal and assist during a four-goal first period as the Idaho Steelheads picked up their third consecutive victory, topping the Stockton Thunder, 5-2, Sunday afternoon in Stockton.

Idaho improved its record to 32-16-4.  With 68 points in the standings, the Steelheads are tied for second place in the ECHL's Pacific Division with the Ontario Reign, two points behind the Colorado Eagles.

Stockton scored first off a loose puck less than a minute into the game but, after that, the game belonged to Idaho.  The Steelheads evened the ledger at the 2:07 mark on Ludwig Karlsson's sixth goal of the season, a clean breakaway right up the middle off a David deKastrozza feed.  At 7:41 of the first, Brett Robinson's pass from below the goal line was slammed past a helpless Cody Reichard from in close by Wade MacLeod, playing in his 200th professional game, for a power-play goal to make it 2-1.  MacLeod now has 24 goals on the season.

Later in the first, a hustling Alex Belzile out-worked multiple Stockton defenders to keep a puck alive in the offensive zone and the end result was a Colton Beck goal from the inside edge of the left circle at 17:32, assisted by Belzile and Dahl, to extend the lead to 3-1.  Idaho netted a fourth goal in the opening frame when deKastrozza picked up number 15 for him on the season from the hashmarks over Reichard's glove off the rush as the Steelheads led, 4-1, after one period.

The Steelheads controlled the second period of play as well, collecting the only goal as James Livingston's shot bounced across the goal line at 6:14 of the period, his 11th, to extend Idaho's lead to 5-1.

Stockton picked up a power-play goal early in the third and tried to claw back in, but Idaho's defense relegated the Thunder to a lot of long-range shots from the perimeter and Idaho goaltender Jack Campbell turned aside 15 of the 16 attempts in the final frame to close out the win for the Steelheads with a final score of 5-2.

Campbell picked up his third straight win in net, turning aside 38 of 40 shots for Idaho.  Reichard surrendered five goals on 35 shots and each team scored once on the power play - Idaho going 1-2 and Stockton 1-3.

Along with the two-point games for deKastrozza and Karlsson, Brett Robinson and Jefferson Dahl each chipped in a pair of assists in the victory.

The Steelheads head down the road from Stockton for three games this coming week in Bakersfield against the Condors.  Games will be played on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and can all be heard on KTIK 1350 AM.

Idaho returns home on Wednesday, March 4, to host the Stockton Thunder before hosting its annual "Pink in the Rink" weekend on March 6 and 7 as the team will auction off game-worn jerseys to raise money for St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute.  Tickets are available online at www.idahosteelheads.com or by calling 208-331-8497.

COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME –  Brett Robinson (2A)

CENTURYLINK THREE STARS:1)   Ludwig Karlsson (ID)2)   David deKastrozza (ID)3)   Vinny Scarsella (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 chips with each ticket. Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 or log on to www.idahosteelheads.com for more information.