BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (14-9-5) capped off the homestand on a high note, winning 5-4 over the Fort Wayne Komets (15-9-2) on Saturday night from CenturyLink Arena.
The Komets scored on the first shift of the game when forward Brett McKenzie popped a loose puck from the right post at 0:14 for the 1-0 lead. The Steelheads took just over one minute to answer back at 1:25 during a net front scramble that found forward Spencer Naas off the right post jam in the shot to tie the game, 1-1. Then, late in the frame at 17:46 after over one minute of time held in the offensive end, Steelheads forward Zack Andrusiak finds forward Will Merchant for a one-timer to take a 2-1 lead into the intermission.
The Steelheads spread their lead with a pair of goals to kick off the second period. Forward A.J. White opened up forward Marc-Olivier Roy off the left post for a one-time chip on the power play into an open net at 4:33, and then Roy dropped a pass back to defenseman Colton Saucerman for a snipe from the right circle at 7:05 to take their largest lead of the game at 4-1. The Komets got two goals back to close the period on the power play from forward Brady Shaw at 8:35 then from McKenzie at 16:51 to draw within one, 4-3, before the intermission.
The final Steelheads tally proved to be the eventual winner in the back half of the third period. At 11:49, defenseman Brady Norrish, who split time between forward and defense, crashed the net for an open flip inside the crossbar to elevate the lead back to two goals, 5-3. A controversial call against the Steelheads opened the door for another Komets power play goal for Shaw at 18:23, but the Steelheads held off the final push to take the 5-4 win.
Steelheads goaltender Colton Point (4-5-1) stopped 36 of 39 shots in the win, while Komets netminder Cole Kehler (8-4-0) turned away 21 of 26 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads head on the road to open a three-game weekend against the Norfolk Admirals on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. MT from Norfolk Scope. Coverage begins at 5:10 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM “The Ticket” and ECHL.tv.
The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Friday, Dec. 27 at 7:10 p.m. to open a two-game weekend against the Allen Americans. 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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