RECAP: Steelheads Take Preseason Opener, 5-1

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – The Idaho Steelheads (1-0-0) opened their preseason weekend against the Utah Grizzlies (0-1-0) with a 5-1 win on Friday night at Maverik Center.

The Steelheads opened the preseason with the first tally at 6:35 on their first power play opportunity thanks to a slap shot from defenseman Sean Campbell from the blue line, pushing the Steelheads ahead 1-0. Steelheads forward Brad McClure added a second goal at 17:42 to double the lead, 2-0, with a shot from along the goal line that snuck through the left post and into the net.

In the second period, the Steelheads added another on a tap-in from forward Alex Dahl at 13:02 off the right post, tripling the lead to 3-0. The first fight of the preseason came less than one minute later at 14:01 involving Steelheads forward Jack Nevins and Grizzlies defenseman Josh Anderson.

Steelheads forward Kyle Schempp found two different tallies in the third period, eventually putting the game out of reach. At 1:59, Schempp found the back of the net on a rebound to score early, then he deflected another shot at 10:30 coming from the blue line to take a 5-0 lead. Grizzlies forward Tim McGauley found the lone home answer at 18:15 on the power play, but the Steelheads finished with the 5-1 win.

Steelheads netminder Tomas Sholl (1-0-0) halted 34 of 35 shots in the win, while Grizzlies goaltender Kevin Carr (0-1-0) stopped 20 of 25 shots in the loss.

The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena to close the weekend of preseason games against the Grizzlies on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 7:10 p.m. Seats are reserved for season ticket members only, and coverage can be found across Steelheads Social Media.

The Steelheads open the 2018-19 home schedule at CenturyLink Arena on Friday, Oct. 19 at 7:10 p.m. against the Utah Grizzlies. Single-game tickets and season ticket packages are on sale, with full-season packages starting as low as $300 per seat.  Contact the Idaho Steelheads at 208-383-0080 for more information or log on to idahosteelheads.com.

STEELHEADS STATS:Tomas Sholl: 34 saves on 35 shotsPower Play: 1-for-4 (25.0%)Penalty Kill: 5-for-6 (83.3%)

CENTURYLINK THREE STARS OF THE GAME:1. Tomas Sholl (IDH) - 34-35 saves2. Kyle Schempp (IDH) - 2G, 1A3. Brad McClure (IDH) - 1G, 1A

COORS LIGHT PLAYER OF THE GAME:Tomas Sholl (IDH): 34-35 saves, 58:15 minutes of shutout time