Steelheads Fall Late After Close Battle With Walleye, 3-2

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Idaho Steelheads (4-5-1) pressed back in the third period but fell late 3-2 to the Toledo Walleye (7-1-1) on Satuday night from Huntington Center.

The Steelheads had multiple chances in the first period to find the game’s first goal, but after a few denials on those attempts the Walleye came back and found the opening tally. At 15:21, Walleye forward Tyler Spezia slipped a shot under a leg down low to give Toledo a 1-0 lead.

In the second period, the Steelheads found a heavy load of chances against the Walleye, outpacing the home side 15-6 in shots. However, it was the Walleye to get the lone tally at 19:10 on a shot from forward A.J. Jenks, doubling the lead to 2-0.

The Steelheads made their charge in the third period starting at 5:13 when forward A.J. White slipped a shot through the legs of the waiting netminder to cut the lead in half, 2-1. A second crossed on the power play thanks to a breakaway from Steelheads forward Steve McParland at 12:08 to tie the game at 2-2. The Walleye had the final say with the winning goal at 14:01 from forward Shane Berschbach on a rebound, taking the 3-2 win over the Steelheads.

Walleye goaltender Pat Nagle (5-0-1) stopped 33 of 35 shots in the win, while Steelheads netminder Tomas Sholl (1-1-0) turned aside 25 of 28 shots in the loss. The Steelheads conclude their six-game, 12-day stretch with a meeting against the Kalamazoo Wings on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1:00 p.m. from Wings Event Center. Coverage begins at 4:55 p.m. MT on 1350-AM KTIK and ECHL TV.

The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7:10 p.m. against the Tulsa Oilers. 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.

CENTURYLINK THREE STARS OF THE GAME:1. Shane Berschbach (TOL): 1G-2A2. Steve McParland (IDH): 1G-1A3. Pat Nagle (TOL): 33-35 SV