BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (15-9-3) edged out the Kansas City Mavericks (14-8-2) 3-2 in a wild game from CenturyLink Arena. With the win, the Steelheads move into second place in the Mountain Division standings.
From the outset, tensions were building from the previous two games, but the Steelheads jumped out early. At 2:26 of the first period, Steelheads defenseman Jeff King slipped a shot down low by the waiting netminder off the right post to take an initial 1-0 lead. The Steelheads added a second goal at 11:44 when forward Mitch Moroz batted in a loose puck off a rebound, doubling the lead to 2-0. The Mavericks came back with two goals in the frame from forward Greg Betzold at 14:24 and Joey Sides at 16:10 to tie the game, 2-2.
The Steelheads found the eventual game-winning goal at 5:08 of the second period when forward Alex Dahl popped in a rebound off a Reid Petryk shot to edge ahead, 3-2. The Steelheads killed off nine penalty minutes in the middle frame, including a double-minor penalty and a five-minute major penalty, keeping the Mavericks at bay with a lead into the third period.
A clean third period set the tone for a fast-paced game, and the Steelheads used that to take time away and keep the Mavericks from scoring, securing the 3-2 win. Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl (8-4-0) halted 30 of 32 shots in the win, while Mavericks netminder Ben Halford (4-4-0) turned away 21 of 24 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads host the Utah Grizzlies on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena to open a two-game weekend. Tickets are available by calling 208-383-0080 or going to IdahoSteelheads.com.
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.
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