Steelheads Offense Comes Alive In 7-3 Win Over Grizzlies

Grizzlies (16-7-4) on Saturday night at CenturyLink Arena in front of a sellout crowd of 5,182, the fourth sellout of the season. The Steelheads finished the home stand with a 7-2-0-0 record. The Steelheads finished the home stand with a 7-2-0-0 record.

The Steelheads came out of the gates firing in the first period, scoring three-unanswered goals to open the game. At 3:03, Steelheads forward Kale Kessy fed Kyle Schempp in the right circle for a one-time shot that gave the home side a 1-0 lead. Steelheads forward Tony Calderone scored two-straight goals in different scenarios to continue the run starting at 5:06 with a backhanded shot off the left post and followed by a power play goal on a rebound in the right circle at 7:56, tripling the lead to 3-0. The Grizzlies answered later at 14:50 thanks to forward J.T. Henke, cutting the lead to 3-1.

The scoring continued to come in the second period for the Grizzlies as part of an extended power play. At 8:48, Grizzlies forward Ryan Walters brought the team within one followed by another power play goal, this time from J.T. Henke at 9:03, tying the game at 3-3. The Steelheads utilized special teams to answer two more times. Steelheads forward Robbie Payne slotted a shorthanded goal at 13:22 from the slot, taking a 4-3 lead. On a 5-on-3 power play, Steelheads forward Brad McClure slotted a one-time shot from low in the left circle, doubling the lead to 5-3.

The Steelheads ballooned their lead in the third period to ensure the game starting at 4:09 when Kessy tapped in a one-time shot from the slot to triple the lead again, 6-3. Steelheads forward Alex Dahl added the final insurance goal 4-on-4 at 8:36 to seal the 7-3 win.

Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl (9-4-0) halted 33 of 36 shots in the win, while Grizzlies netminder Kevin Carr (8-2-1) turned aside 14 of 21 shots in the loss. The Steelheads head to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center following the holiday on Friday, Dec. 28 at 7:05 p.m. to open a three-game stretch against the Rapid City Rush. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on 1350AM KTIK and ECHL TV.

The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 7:10 p.m. to open a three-game series against the Toledo Walleye. The Holiday Hat Trick is here! Get tickets and a Steelheads cap as your perfect stocking stuffer for the holiday season! 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.