A.J. WHITE BECOMES FRANCHISE’S GAMES PLAYED LEADER IN 6-4 WIN OVER TULSA

BOISE, ID – The Idaho Steelheads (12-9-1-0, 25pts) defeated the Tulsa Oilers (12-8-1-0, 24pts) Wednesday night by a final score of 6-4 in front of 5,235 fans at the Idaho Central Arena, the 44^th consecutive regular season sell-out. Idaho and Tulsa will meet Friday and Saturday at 7:10 p.m. 

Idaho and Tulsa were all square at 2-2 through 20 minutes of play. Michael Farren scored on a breakaway 28 seconds into the game, but the Steelheads would grab a pair of goals in a span of 3:36 to capture a 2-1 lead. Matt Register (2^nd) tied the game at 13:35 as Jade Miller from inside the left point sent a wrist shot to the net deflected by Register. Then at 17:11 C.J. Walker (5^th) gave Idaho the lead with a shot a few feet above the crease after Hank Crone spun the puck to the high slot from the right corner. Alec Butcher would tie the score at 2-2 with 73 seconds left in the period with a tip in front of the cage after a slap shot from the left point. Shots favored Idaho 19-11. 

In the second period each team scored twice with the score even at 4-4 through 40 minutes of play. Idaho converted on their lone power-play of the stanza as Patrick Kudla (2^nd) snapped a shot towards the cage from the right circle and would locate his rebound making it 3-2. Just 2:24 later Mike McKee tied the game for the Oilers and then at 9:36 Austin Albrecht gave Tulsa a 4-3 advantage. With 6:54 remaining in the period A.J. White (4^th) re-directed the puck into the net in the right circle after Brendan Hoffmann sent the puck there the right boards.  

Idaho was able to kill off a five-minute major early into the third period and 39 seconds later Ty Pelton-Byce (12^th) gave Idaho their third lead of the night at 7:44 of the frame. Crone started the play with a feed out to the blue line and then Trevor Zins sent a shot to the net tipped by Pelton-Byce in the high slot making it 5-4. Just 62 seconds later Reece Harsch (1^st) would extend the lead to two goals on a shot from the point to secure the 6-4 win. 

Bryan Thomson made 34 saves on 38 shots in the win while Vyacheslav Buteyets made 36 saves on 42 shots. 

BOX SCORE

 ICCU Three Stars
1) A.J. White (IDH, 1-0-1, 3 shots)               
2) Reece Harsch (IDH, 1-1-2, +2, 3 shots)              
3) Matt Register (IDH, 1-1-2, +3)      

GAME NOTES

• Idaho went 1-for-3 on the power-play while Tulsa went 0-for-3.       
• Idaho outshot Tulsa 42-38… They have now recorded 40 or more shots in five of their last six games. 
• Lynden McCallum (INJ), Demetrios Koumontzis (IR), and Slava Demin (IR) did not dress for Idaho.
• A.J. White played in his 437^th game as a Steelhead becoming the club’s all-time games played leader passing Marty Flichel… He has three goals in his last six games.
• Reece Harsch (1-1-2), Matt Register (1-1-2), and Hank Crone (0-3-3) all finished with multi-point games as 12 skaters recorded a point and six different skaters scored.
• Bryan Thomson has made 30 or more saves in 7 of 10 games this season.
• Idaho has won three straight games on home ice for the second time this season.

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