BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (4-0-0) scored four-unanswered goals starting in the second period to help take a 5-2 win over the Wichita Thunder (1-2-2) on Saturday night at CenturyLink Arena.
For the first time this season, the Steelheads conceded the first goal of the game, and at 5:43 of the first period it was Thunder forward Fabrizio Ricci to find the back of the net on a 2-on-1 break and the early 1-0 lead. Steelheads forward Will Merchant added his second-straight night with a tally thanks to a deflection coming from a shot by defenseman Tanner Jago at 12:03 to level the score, 1-1. However, the Thunder grabbed back the lead, 2-1, before the end of the frame at 15:57 on a shot by forward Steve Iacobellis.
Defense was the key in the second period, and the Steelheads led that effort on both ends of the ice. Starting at 1:44, the Steelheads found back-to-back defenseman scoring when Brady Norrish stepped up for a shot in the left circle to tie the game at 2-2. Then, at 5:06, Steelheads defenseman Jeff King followed up his own shot with a secondary chance set up by forward Marc-Olivier Roy to take their first lead of the night, 3-2.
In the third period, the Steelheads spread out their lead starting at 8:19 thanks to help of a fortunate bounce, leading Merchant to his second goal of the night to double the lead, 4-2. As the Thunder pressed with the extra attacker on, Steelheads defenseman Colton Saucerman fired a shot from goal line to goal line at 18:19 to seal off the 5-2 win.
Steelheads goaltender Colton Point (1-0-0) halted 31 of 33 shots in the win, while Thunder netminder Mitch Gillam (1-2-1) stopped 29 of 33 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads begin a three-game road weekend with a meeting against the Thunder on Friday, Oct. 25 at 6:50 p.m. from INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan. Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. on 1350-AM KTIK and ECHL.TV.
The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:10 p.m. against the Utah Grizzlies. Call the Steelheads Front Office at 208-383-0080 to plan your seats for this season, including single-game, flex plans and season tickets. Stay connected to the Steelheads on idahosteelheads.com or by following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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