Justin Ducharme Scores Power-Play Goal With 17 Seconds Left Giving Idaho a 5-4 Win

Justin Ducharme Scores Power-Play Goal With 17 Seconds Left Giving Idaho a 5-4 Win 

BOISE, ID  – The Idaho Steelheads (41-8-1-2, 85pts) defeated the Maine Mariners (29-18-2-1, 61pts) by a final score of 5-4Saturday night at the Idaho Central Arena in front of 5,203 fans. It was the 24th sellout of the season in the 26th home game and the 23rd straight. Idaho will travel to Kansas City to take on the Mavericks Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 

The Steelheads would tie a franchise record scoring a pair of goals 11 seconds from one another in the opening minutes of the game thanks to Owen Headrick (13th) and Ty Pelton-Byce (10th). Shots were 10-7 through 20 minutes of play with Idaho leading 2-0. 

Midway through the second period Justin Misiak (9th) scored for his second straight game making it 3-0. Moments later on four-on-four play Reid Stefanson (16th) pulled the Mariners back within two. Shots were 17-11 Idaho in the middle frame as the Steelheads took a 3-1 lead into the locker room.  

Mitchell Fossier (12th) scored short-handed just 46 seconds into the third period and then 1:55 later Chase Zieky (9th) would tie the game at 3-3. Midway through the third period Justin Misiak (10th) grabbed his second of the night which came short-handed giving Idaho back the lead. With just 3:47 to play in regulation Patrick Shea (22nd) tied things back up. Idaho’s Owen Headrick (13th) drew a penalty with just 1:41 to play in regulation and with just 17 seconds left in regulation Justin Ducharme (11th) found the back of the net to give Idaho a 5-4 victory. 

Rémi Poirier made 29 saves on 33 shots in the win while François Brassard made 30 saves on 35 shots in the loss. 

SCORING 

• 1st, 4:56 |1-0 IDH GOAL: Justin Misiak started up ice through the neutral zone down the left-wing side. Once he gained the blueline he fed Zane Franklin a couple feet inside the blueline. Franklin dropped the puck back to Owen Headrick who walked in alone in the high slot. From inside the inner hash marks Headrick fired a wrist shot over the right shoulder of François Brassard. 
• 1st, 5:07 | 2-0 IDH GOAL: From the outer portion of the right circle Ty Pelton-Byce dropped the puck back for Wade Murphy. Murphy cut through the high slot and from insdie the left circle found Pelton-Byce backdoor far side on the crease.   
• 2nd, 11:16 | 3-0 IDH GOAL: Patrick Kudla on the right-wing side of the half wall fed Zane Franklin in the high slot. Franklin fired a shot that François Brassard initially stopped. Justin Misiak from the left circle collected the rebound and zipped it home.  
• 2nd, 11:59 | 3-1 MNE GOAL: From the defensive zone Andrew Peski fed Alex Kile up the right wing boards who started a two on one rush. Kile slid the puck to Reid Stefanson who wristed a shot beating Rémi Poirier near side. 
• 3rd, 0:46 | 3-2 MNE SH GOAL: Mitchell Fossier forced a turnover at the blueline and went in all alone on a breakaway going bar down on Rémi Poirier. 
• 3rd, 2:41 | 3-3 MNE GOAL: Chase Zieky fired a wirst show from below left the circle past Rémi Poirier. 
• 3rd, 9:30 | 4-3 IDH SH GOAL: Rémi Poirier made a couple of big time stops and kicked the puck over to the right-wing wall. Justin Misiak started up ice sprung out of a canon breaking free on a breakaway. A couple of stick handles in the high slot he worsted ashot near side upstairs on François Brassard. 
• 3rd, 16:13 | 4-4 MNE GOAL: Mitchell Fossier behind the net fed Patrick Shea at the top of the crease. Shea had his initial two shots blocked by the right leg of Rémi Poirier 
• 3rd, 19:43 | 5-4 IDH PP GOAL: Justin Ducharme on the left-wing half boards sent the puck out to the blueline. Matt Register at the left point fed Dawson Barteaux at the top of the right circle. Barteaux snapped it through the high slot where Jordan Kawaguchi deflected it. A.J. White collected just off the far post and slid the puck to Justin Ducharme in the left circle. With François Brassard stretched on the far post Ducharme blasted it home. 

BOX SCORE 

ICCU THREE STARS 

1. Justin Ducharme (1-0-1, 3 shots) 
2. Justin Misiak (2-1-3, +2, 3 shots) 
3. Ty Pelton-Byce (1-0-1, 2 shots) 

GAME NOTES 

• Idaho finished 1-for-2 on the power-play while Maine was 0-for-2.  
• Idaho outshot Maine 35-33. 
• Willie Knierim (INJ), Zach Walker (DNP), and Nick Canade (DN)P did not dress for Idaho. 
• Idaho increased their win streak to five games, point streak to nine games, and home winning streak to 10 games. 
• Idaho finished the month of February (9-1-1-1). 
• Justin Misiak scored his first multi-goal game of his career and first three-point game. He has multi-point games in back-to-back outings (3-1-4) scoring for his second straight game. 
• Ty Pelton-Byce returned to the lineup for the first time since Dec. 16 missing the previous 28 games with an upper body injury and tallied a goal. 
• Zane Franklin tallied two assists for his seventh multi-point game of the season. 
• Wade Murphy, A.J. White, Patrick Kudla, and Jordan Kawaguchi all tallied an assist. 

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