BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (12-8-5) gained the early advantage and sent the teddy bears flying but couldn’t close out the night in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Allen Americans (16-4-3) on Saturday night from CenturyLink Arena.
For the first time in the season series, the Steelheads scored the first goal and sent the fur flying. At 9:58, forward Brett Supinski was led on a lead pass by defenseman Jeff King on a breakaway, and his snap shot gave the Steelheads the 1-0 lead. In the process, the Steelheads community sent stuffed animals onto the ice going to children in need throughout the Treasure Valley this holiday season.
The Americans tied the game, 1-1, early in the second period at 6:23 thanks to forward Tyler Sheehy on a one-timer. However, the offensive pressure forced two turnovers and resulted in two goals starting at 12:24 when forward A.J. White batted in a secondary attempt that he created to re-take the lead, 2-1. The next followed at 14:21 on another turnover forced by White that led forward Spencer Naas to nudge the puck across the line after squeezing through the goaltender to double the advantage at 3-1.
In the third period, the Americans began their comeback at 3:07 with a goal from defenseman Jack Sadek in the slot on the power play to cut the lead back to one at 3-2. Then, at 18:40, Americans forward Jared VanWormer found a lane in the left circle to sneak a shot inside the crossbar and send the game to overtime, 3-3.
After a power play forced 4-on-4 play, Americans forward Alex Guptill rifled a shot from the right circle at 5:25 to seal the extra point in a 4-3 overtime result.
Americans netminder Zach Sawchenko (6-1-1) stopped 36 of 39 shots in the win, while Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl (9-4-4) halted 37 of 41 shots in the overtime loss.
The Steelheads meet the Fort Wayne Komets for the first time in franchise history on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena. Tickets are available by calling 208-331-TIXS(8497) or going online to idahosteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM and at 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 as well as 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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