WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – The Idaho Steelheads (4-1-0) won their fourth-straight overtime game in a 2-1 win over the Utah Grizzlies (1-0-4) on Saturday night from Maverik Center in Game 5 of the Mountain Division Semifinal. For the second-straight season, the Steelheads advance to the Mountain Division Final with a 4-1 series victory.
After a quiet and scoreless first period, the Grizzlies earned the first goal of the night midway through the game. At 10:17 of the second period, Grizzlies forward Joey Ratelle batted in a one-time shot in the slot to take the advantage, 1-0. Late in the period at 16:53, Steelheads forward Brad McClure fed forward James Phelan for a one-time shot on a 2-on-1 rush to knot the game at 1-1 heading into the final frame.
The Steelheads outperformed the Grizzlies in the third period with a 15-5 shot lead, however overtime came for the fourth-straight game, tying an ECHL record for most overtimes in a single series.
Despite a Grizzlies press in overtime, Steelheads forward Kyle Schempp was fed for an open shot in front of the net at 12:37 and slid the attempt through the legs of the netminder, netting his second game-winning goal in overtime, the 2-1 overtime win and the series victory for the Steelheads.
Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl (4-1-0) turned away 23 of 24 shots in the win, while Grizzlies netminder Kevin Carr (1-0-4) stopped 44 of 46 shots in the overtime loss.
The Mountain Division Final will begin on Friday, Apr. 26 with the opponent and location still to be determined. Follow idahosteelheads.com and the Steelheads social media for ticket and series information once the next round is determined.
Follow along as the Steelheads hunt for their third Kelly Cup Championship at IdahoSteelheads.com and follow the Steelheads on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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