STEELHEADS FALL 5-4 IN SHOOTOUT WRAPPING UP CANADIAN ROAD TRIP

STEELHEADS FALL 5-4 IN SHOOTOUT WRAPPING UP CANADIAN ROAD TRIP 

TROIS-RIVIÈRES, QUEBEC – The Idaho Steelheads (40-17-2-2, 84pts) fell to the Trois-Rivières Lions (25-26-3-3, 56pts) Saturday by a final score of 5-4 in a shootout to finish the six-game Canadian road trip with a (3-2-0-1) record. Idaho will play eight of their final 11 games on home ice beginning Wednesday vs. the Tulsa Oilers at 7:10 p.m. 

Idaho took a 2-1 lead after the first period. Just 72 seconds into the game Keaton Mastrodonato (21^st) banged home a rebound after a shot from the left point from Matt Register. The Lions tied the score at 1-1 as Alex Olivier-Voyer sent a one-timer into the back of the net with 4:29 to go in the stanza. Lynden McCallum (4^th) gave Idaho back the lead 1:42 later firing a wrist shot from the right circle into the top right corner. 

After 40 minutes the score read 4-4. The Lions struck for a pair of goals early in the second period to take their first lead of the game. Jakov Novak from below the right circle sent a shot upstairs on Bryan Thomson at 4:43 tying the score at 2-2. Nine seconds later Mason Kohn followed up his rebound with an initial shot from the high slot jamming the puck home from the crease at 4:52 making it 3-2 Lions. Demetrios Koumontzis (8^th) provided the equalizer at 9:06 driving down the left wing through neutral ice cutting through the left circle to the crease corralling the puck on his forehand and lifting it over the should of Strauss Mann. 43 seconds later Matt Register (9^th) made it 4-3 finding a loose puck on the near side of the post on a play started from Jordan Kawaguchi and Jade Miller who tallied assists. Trois-Rivières tied the game with 52 seconds left in the frame on a power-play goal from Jakov Novak’s one-timer from the top of the right circle.  

Neither team scored in the third period as the Steelheads failed two convert on two power-play opportunities. 

In overtime, Idaho drew a penalty 80 seconds in, but the Lions were able to kill it off and eventually force overtime. Willie Knierim and Jordan Kawaguchi failed to score the in the shootout while Alex-Olivier Voyer and Jakov Novak each found the back of the net for the Lions handing them the 5-4 shootout loss. 

Bryan Thomson made 30 saves 34 shots in the shootout loss while Strauss Mann turned aside 34 of 38 shots he faced.   

BOX SCORE

ICCU Three Stars

1. Jakov Novak (TR)
2. Nolan Yaremko (TR)
3. Mason Kohn (TR)

GAME NOTES

• Idaho went 0-for-3 on the power-play while Trois-Rivières was 1-for-3. 
• Idaho outshot Trois-Rivières 38-35. 
• Sam Sternschein (IR), Wade Murphy (IR), Jack Jensen (IR), Colton Kehler (IR), and A.J. White (DNP) did not dress for Idaho. 
• Idaho is now 0-2 in the shootout this season with their other loss coming on Nov. 29, also 5-4 vs. Newfoundland. 
• Matt Register (1-2-3) tallied his 12^th multi-point game of the season and his 44^th assist of the season setting a single season record for most assists by an Idaho ECHL defender. 
• Jordan Kawaguchi tallied two assists for his third multi-point game of the season. 
• Patrick Kudla, Will Merchant, Willie Knierm, and Jade Miller each tallied an assist. 
• Kudla and Register finished with a game high +4 while Mastrodonato led all skaters with eight shots on net. 
• Bryan Thomson started his first game in net since Feb. 10 

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