BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (9-5-4) scored on the first shift and never trailed, beating the Kansas City Mavericks (6-9-1) by a 4-2 score on Friday night from CenturyLink Arena.
The Steelheads wasted no time in getting the scoring started on the first shift. At just 0:14, Steelheads defenseman Ondrej Vala found forward Anthony Nellis in front of the net to shovel the puck around the netminder to take a 1-0 lead. The Mavericks answered back at 4:25 with a shorthanded goal by forward C.J. Eick on a one-time shot to tie the game, 1-1. The see-saw continued at 17:19 when Steelheads forward Kyle Schempp flipped a puck net front coming from forward Spencer Naas to edge back ahead, 2-1. The Mavericks came back and scored again at 18:26 from the effort of forward Loren Ulett, sending the game into the intermission at 2-2.
In the second period, the Steelheads pulled ahead and never looked back. At 4:04, Steelheads forward Conner Bleackley sniped a shot from low in the right circle, going short side on the goaltender for a goal in his first game of the year and a 3-2 lead. Later on at 11:36, a fortunate bounce off a defenseman sent a blue line shot by forward Brett Supinski into the net on the power play, making it 4-2 heading into the final period.
The Steelheads continued to pressure the Mavericks in the third period, marking all three periods outpacing the opposition in shots attempted. That added pressure helped keep the Steelheads ahead and finish off with the 4-2 win.
Steelheads netminder Tomas Sholl (7-2-3) denied 26 of 27 shots in the win, while Mavericks goaltender Tyler Parsons (0-1-0) stopped 37 of 41 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads finish their weekend against the Mavericks on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena. Tickets are available by calling 208-331-TIXS(8497) or going to idahosteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM and at 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 & ECHL.tv.
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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