TOLEDO, Ohio – The Idaho Steelheads (28-17-7) fell behind and couldn’t make up the difference in a 4-1 loss to the Toledo Walleye (29-14-5) on Sunday evening from Huntington Center.
For the second-straight night, the Walleye jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a net front scramble leading to a push-in by forward Abbott Girduckis at 7:47 of the first period. However, the Steelheads answered back late in the opening frame at 18:34 when forward Spencer Naas ripped a shot from the left corner off the back of the netminder for the angled goal and a 1-1 scoreline heading into the second frame.
The Walleye were awarded three power plays in the second period and cashed in on their first attempt. At 6:03, Walleye defenseman Nolan Gluchowski floated a shot from the left point that snuck under the cross bar to leap back ahead, 2-1. The home side added a second tally thanks to forward T.J. Hensick on a breakaway at 16:31 to spread the lead to 3-1.
While the Steelheads pressed on, the Walleye pushed through one more goal at 15:31 of the third period on another net front play, this time on the man-advantage, scored by forward Marcus Vela to rest the scoreline at 4-1.
Walleye goaltender Billy Christopoulos (17-3-3) denied 31 of 32 shots in the win, while Steelheads netminder Tomas Sholl (22-8-5) halted 25 of 29 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7:10 p.m. against the Kansas City Mavericks. 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.
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