Early Scoring Leads Steelheads to 5-3 Win Over Mavericks in Sellout

BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (29-17-7) pounced early, paving the way for a 5-3 win over the Kansas City Mavericks (22-28-4) on Wednesday night from Century Link Arena in front of 5,203 fans, the seventh-straight sellout and 13th total sellout of the season.

The Steelheads struck first early in the opening period at 4:22 thanks to forward Marc-Olivier Roy, who tucked in a rebound coming from a shot in the slot by forward Spencer Naas to take the 1-0 lead. Despite a goal being disallowed due to a high stick, the Steelheads still netted a second goal in the frame. On their first power play, forward Colby McAuley deflected a shot in front of the net coming from the blue line at 16:02, doubling the lead at 2-0.  

In the second period, the Steelheads continued their momentum and netted two more goals. After his deflection in the first period was the goal disallowed, at 8:23, forward Brett Supinski finally had a deflection find twine with a tip in the mid-slot to triple the lead, 3-0. Steelheads forward Spencer Naas collected a loose puck off a turnover and sniped a shot into the top right corner from the slot less than three minutes later at 10:53, sending the game into the third period with a 4-0 advantage.

The Mavericks began their comeback bid at 4:30 with a goal off the body of forward Rocco Carzo to answer, 4-1. Late in the game at 16:27, Mavericks forward Mitch Vanderlaan scored from the left circle to cut the lead in half at 4-2. With the Mavericks goaltender pulled, Steelheads defensemen Ondrej Vala threw a shot from behind his net and found the empty net at 17:52 for a 5-2 lead. The Mavericks scored again at 18:22 thanks to forward Marcus Crawford, however the Steelheads hung on to take the 5-3 win.   

Steelheads netminder Tomas Sholl (23-8-5) halted 25 of 28 shots in the win, while Mavericks goaltender Tyler Parsons (10-8-1) denied 27 of 31 shots in the loss.

The Steelheads continue their homestand on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7:10 p.m. to open a two-game weekend against the Rapid City Rush. 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 “The Ticket” as well as 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 & ECHL.tv.

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.