Steelheads Takes 4-2 Win over Walleye to Open Battle of the Fish

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Idaho Steelheads (28-16-7) extended their win streak to three-straight games and opened their “Battle of the Fish” with a 4-2 win over the Toledo Walleye (28-14-5) on Saturday night from Huntington Center.

The Walleye earned the lone goal of the first period, capitalizing on the home crowd. At 6:36, defenseman Nolan Gluchowski wristed a shot that was deflected in the slot by forward Abbott Girduckis to direct the puck toward the opposite direction, jumping ahead with a 1-0 lead.

In the second period, the Steelheads turned the score around in the span of just three minutes and 29 seconds beginning at 5:27 on a shot by forward Will Merchant from the left circle that knuckled under the cross bar for a 1-1 game. Just over one minute later at 6:46, Steelheads forward Zack Andrusiak took a baseball swing and connected for a line drive by the netminder’s glove from the middle of the slot to take the 2-1 advantage. Steelheads defenseman Jeff King added to the mayhem with a shot to the top left corner of the net on a counter attack at 8:56, completing the three-unanswered stretch with a 3-1 lead. The Walleye earned one back at 17:42 on a 2-on-1 finished by forward Jimmy Lodge to cut the lead to one, 3-2.

The Steelheads held off the Walleye throughout the third period in the comeback bid, and at 19:29, Steelheads captain A.J. White sealed the deal with an empty net goal to bring the final score to 4-2.

Steelheads netminder Tomas Sholl (22-7-5) turned aside 28 of 30 shots in the win, while Walleye goaltender Filip Larsson (3-3-0) halted 33 of 36 shots in the loss.

The Steelheads and Walleye close their two-game weekend on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 3:15 p.m. from Huntington Center. Coverage begins at 2:55 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM “The Ticket” and ECHL.tv.

The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7:10 p.m. against the Kansas City Mavericks. 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.