WICHITA, Kan. – The Idaho Steelheads (26-13-3) went back-and-forth with the Wichita Thunder (18-17-8) but fell 3-2 on Saturday night from Intrust Bank Arena.
The Thunder jumped out early, 1-0, just 14 seconds into the first period with a goal by defenseman Travis Brown at the left circle. However, the Steelheads controlled most of the opening frame and found their answer at the 16:00 mark of the frame when forward Kyle Schempp led forward Mitch Moroz up the right wing for a cross-ice pass to forward Elgin Pearce, who backhanded a shot home to tie the game, 1-1.
The back-and-forth game continued in the second period at 1:17 with a tally by Thunder forward Ryan Van Stralen to push back ahead, 2-1. Steelheads forward Brad McClure slipped a shot from the slot through the netminder at 3:45 to tally back to a level score at 2-2. However, at 7:52, Thunder forward Lane Bauer put the home side ahead, 3-2, with a shot in front of the net.
The Steelheads pressed hard in the third period for the game-tying goal, outshooting the Thunder 14-5 in the final frame. However, the Thunder held the Steelheads at bay to take the 3-2 win. Thunder goaltender Dylan Wells (8-3-2) turned away 34 f 36 shots in the win, while Steelheads netminder Tomas Sholl (15-6-0) stopped 22 of 25 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads and Thunder finish their two-game weekend on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 3:05 p.m. fro, Intrust Bank Arena. Coverage begins at 2:45 p.m. on 1350AM KTIK and ECHL TV.
The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 7:10 p.m. to open a three-game weekend against the Rapid City Rush. 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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