Steelheads Slip in Heartbreaker to Rush, 5-4

BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (2-2-0) could not suppress a late charge by the Rapid City Rush (2-1-0) in a 5-4 loss on Friday night from Idaho Central Arena.THE GAME’S STORYThe Steelheads struck first for the first time this season early in the game on a one-time shot from forward Yauheni Aksiantsiuk (2:08 1st) for the 1-0 advantage. The Rush answered with back-to-back tallies to close out the opening period before the Steelheads found life in the second period. Steelheads forward Luc Brown (3:49 2nd) started the three-unanswered goal stretch early in the frame to level the score, 2-2, before forward Will Merchant (PP, 13:58 2nd; 0:31 3rd) notched his first two of the season to push the advantage by two. However, the Rush added three in the final frame while the Steelheads couldn’t come back in the 5-4 loss.ICCU 3 STARS OF THE GAME1. IDH – Will Merchant (2 goals)2. RC – Stephen Baylis (2 goals)3. IDH – Yauheni Aksiantsiuk (1 goal, 1 assist)

STEELHEADS STANDOUTS- Will Merchant: Merchant broke through with his first two goals of the season in back-to-back tallies during the losing effort. He now shares third on the team in goals.- Luc Brown: Brown added his third goal of the season in the second period, moving him to second on the team in that category.- Yauheni Aksiantsiuk: Aksiantsiuk earned his third multi-point game of the season with his goal and assist, moving him into the scoring lead with six points (2 goals, 4 assists).

CATCH OF THE DAYThe Steelheads scored on the power play for the third time in four games, still sitting at 30.0% (6-for-20) on the season. Their six tallies on the man-advantage keeps them atop the ECHL in that category. The Steelheads share the most games with power play goals so far this season.

BECAUSE IDAHO SCORED FOUR…All fans in attendance can pick up a free Jumbo Jack at any Jack in the Box location in the Boise area. Just show your ticket stub at the casher to redeem.ATTENDANCE: 4,672LOOKING AHEADThe Steelheads conclude their two-game weekend against the Rush on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7:10 p.m. from Idaho Central Arena. Tickets are available by calling 208-331-TIXS or visiting idahosteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 1350AM KTIK as well as 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 & FloHockey.