STEELHEADS STORM THEIR WAY THROUGH RAPID CITY WINNING 6-1 SATURDAY NIGHT

STEELHEADS STORM THEIR WAY THROUGH RAPID CITY WINNING 6-1 SATURDAY NIGHT

RAPID CITY, SD – The Idaho Steelheads (24-11-1-1, 50pts) defeated the Rapid City Rush (17-18-2-0, 36pts) by a final score of 5-2 Friday night in front of 3,794 fans at The Monument Arena. Idaho and Rapid City will wrap up the two-game series tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. 

After scoring four goals on Friday night Willie Knierim (9^th) found the back of the net at 6:53 of the first period on a feed from the left circle courtesy of Ty Pelton-Byce finding Knierim back door on the side of the crease. Steelheads led 1-0 after the opening 20 minutes of play as shots were 16-11, both teams were 0-for-2 on the power-play. 

Idaho scored three goals just 8:21 into the second period to capture a 4-0 lead. In his 700^th professional game Matt Register (4^th) received a drop pass from Bailey Conger at the top of the right circle. Register cut to the high slot and fired a wrist shot into the bottom left corner with assists going to Conger and Kehler. Then 3:40 later with Idaho short-handed Wade Murphy (20^th) increased the lead to 3-0 on an incredible individual effort. It started with an incredible save by Bryan Thomson and then Ty Pelton-Byce carried out through center ice and fed Murphy at the blue line. From there Murphy went outside and in off the defender back and from the high slot he back handed the puck into the top right corner. Then at 8:21 A.J. White (14^th) would get his 100^th career goal as a Steelhead which happened to come on the power-play. Bailey Conger fed Colton Kehler who stepped into the right circle with the puck. Kehler fed White streaking through the right circle where he banged it home making it 4-0. The Rush would finally get on the board as Brett Gravelle scored at 12:40. Idaho led 4-1 after 40 minutes of work with shots favoring Rapid City 18-13 in the stanza. 

Bailey Conger (2^nd) increased the lead to 5-1 at 7:33 of the final period as he received a pass from A.J. White at the top of the crease. A nice individual effort from Conger where he went forehand back hand slipping the puck home. Matt Register (5^th) got his second of the game which came on a shot from the blue line on the power-play to make it 6-1 at 9:49 with assists going to Colton Kehler and Bailey Conger.   

Bryan Thomson made 38 saves on 39 shots in the win while Matt Radomsky turned aside 31 of the 37 shots he faced in the loss. 

BOX SCORE

ICCU Three Stars

1. Matt Register (2-1-3, +3, 3 shots)
2. Bailey Conger (1-3-4, +2, 4 shots)
3. Ty Pelton-Byce (0-2-2, +1)

GAME NOTES

• Idaho went 2-for-6 on the power-play while Rapid City was 0-for-5. 
• Rapid City outshot Idaho 39-37. 
• Idaho is 63-26-6 all-time vs. Rapid City and 31-15-2 in Rapid City. The Steelheads are 7-1 this season against the Rush.  
• Jade Miller (IR), Jordan Kawaguchi (IR), Ben Zloty (SICK), Francesco Arcuri (INJ), and Demetrios Koumontzis (INJ) did not dress for Idaho. 
• A.J. White scored his 100^th career goal as a Steelhead and tallied an assist. 
• Matt Register scored two goals and added an assist in his 700^th professional game. 
• Bailey Conger finished with a goal and three assists. 
• Colton Kehler tallied three assists. 
• Ty Pelton-Byce finished with two assists.  

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