BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (18-10-5) outpaced the Allen Americans (23-5-5) but fell 5-2 on Saturday night from CenturyLink Arena in front of 5,264 fans, the sixth sellout of the season and second in as many games.
The Americans halted the notion of back-to-back shutouts with an early power play goal at 4:14 off the body of forward Tyler Sheehy by the left post to take a 1-0 lead. Special teams continued to be the conversation piece of the first period, and Steelheads defenseman Eric Sweetman helped that case with a wrist shot outside the left circle at 12:29 to tie the game, 1-1.
The second period began strong for the Steelheads, and captain A.J. White helped that cause on a one-time shot coming from a pass by forward Zack Andrusiak from below the goal line at 1:19 to take the lead, 2-1. The Americans then scored three-unanswered goals to finish off the frame beginning at 9:58 on a fortunate bounce last touched by forward Jordan Topping to tie the game, 2-2. Americans forward Jared VanWormer scored two-straight tallies with the first at 14:49 on the power play and the second at 17:01, spreading the lead to 4-2 heading into the final frame.
The Americans finished their run at four-straight goals at 9:19 of the third period on a shot by defenseman Stephan Falkovsky in the slot to stretch the lead to 5-2. Despite a strong offensive output, the Steelheads could not overcome the deficit in the loss.
Americans goaltender Dereck Baribeau (2-0-0) halted 47 of 49 shots in the win, while Steelheads netminder Colton Point (5-6-1) stopped 17 of 22 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads and Americans close the 2019 calendar year on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 5:05 p.m. MT from the Allen Event Center. Coverage begins at 4:45 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM “The Ticket” & ECHL.tv.
The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7:10 p.m. against the Tulsa Oilers. The Hockey Starter Pack provides the benefits of the ultimate fan on the time you want! Call the Steelheads Front Office at 208-383-0080 to inquire about getting your pack as well as planning your next outing with single-game tickets, 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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