BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (32-17-4) scored early in back-to-back periods, helping them to a 5-2 win over the Tulsa Oilers (30-19-6) on Wednesday night from CenturyLink Arena.
The Steelheads jumped out early on the first shot of the night at 0:28 of the first period when forward A.J. White took a slap shot from an odd corner bounce to take a 1-0 lead. The Steelheads doubled their lead, 2-0, at 6:16 after a pass by forward Mitch Moroz found forward Kyle Schempp for a drag and shot in the left circle that snuck underneath the crossbar.
Another pair of early goals to start a period benefits the Steelheads in the second frame. At 1:59, defenseman Geoff Crisfield floated a shot from the blue line to earn his first ECHL goal and triple the lead to 3-0. The lead spread further to 4-0 on a shot by Steelheads forward Reid Petryk from the left circle at 6:08 that fluttered under the crossbar. The Oilers got a goal back at 11:32 on a power play tally by forward Adam Pleskach, cutting the lead to 4-1.
The Oilers started to crawl back into the game with a goal at 2:26 of the third period from forward Steven Ammirato, cutting the lead in half at 4-2. However, a late empty net goal by Steelheads forward Kale Kessy at 18:10 put the game away in the 5-2 win. Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl (18-9-0) halted 38 of 40 shots in the win, while Oilers netminder Keegan Asmundson (2-5-1) stopped 26 of 30 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads and Oilers meet again on Friday, Feb. 22 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena. Tickets are available by calling the Steelheads at 208-383-0080 or going online to idahosteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 1350AM KTIK and at 7:00 p.m. on CableOne Channel 72 and ECHL.TV.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.
Adirondack Thunder
Allen Americans
Atlanta Gladiators
Bloomington Bison
Cincinnati Cyclones
Florida Everblades
Fort Wayne Komets
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Idaho Steelheads
Indy Fuel
Iowa Heartlanders
Jacksonville Icemen
Kalamazoo Wings
Kansas City Mavericks
Maine Mariners
Norfolk Admirals
Orlando Solar Bears
Rapid City Rush
Reading Royals
Savannah Ghost Pirates
South Carolina Stingrays
Tahoe Knight Monsters
Toledo Walleye
Trois-Rivières Lions
Tulsa Oilers
Utah Grizzlies
Wheeling Nailers
Wichita Thunder
Worcester Railers