STATELINE, NV – The Idaho Steelheads (0-1-0-0, 0 pts) fell to the Tahoe Knight Monsters (1-0-0-0, 2 pts) by a score of 6-3 in their 2025-26 season opener Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,203 at Tahoe Blue Event Center. The Steelheads will meet the Knight Monsters again Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. MT before finishing the series Sunday at 4:00 p.m. MT.
Despite controlling play early, the Steelheads fell into a 3-0 hole by the end of the first period. Tahoe’s Cody Laskosky opened the scoring with a one-timer in tight at 5:13 of the first period. Shortly after, at 10:18, Tahoe captain Luke Adam added to the lead with a wrist-shot goal from the right circle. The Knight Monsters would cash in once more for a 3-0 lead before the end of the frame as Devon Paliani banged a puck into the net from inside the crease.
The Steelheads found a quick response in the second period, as Tommy Bergsland’s point shot found its way through Tahoe goaltender Cameron Whitehead to get the Steelheads on the board just 39 seconds into the period. The goal marked Bergsland’s first in the ECHL. Shortly after the Steelheads got within one goal as Mitch Wahl struck on an odd man rush to pot his first Steelheads goal since March 19, 2014.
The Knight Monsters swung the pendulum back in their favor toward the end of the period, however, as Adam netted his second goal of the contest with a power play tally at 11:30 and Brennan Kapcheck scored at 16:13 of the stanza to restore Tahoe’s three-goal lead.
Mitch Wahl found the back of the net for a second time in the contest at 9:08 of the third period on a shot from between the dots to get Idaho back within two goals.
The comeback wasn’t meant to be, however, as Tahoe’s Trent Swick potted an empty-net goal with just four seconds remaining in regulation to cap-off Tahoe’s 6-3 win.
Idaho's Arno Tiefensee stopped 20 of 25 shots in the loss while Tahoe's Cameron Whitehead grabbed 43 stops on 46 shots in the win.
ICCU Three Stars
1) Luke Adam (TAH, 2-1-3, 0, 3 shots)
2) Cameron Whitehead (TAH, 43 saves, win)
3) Mike O’Leary (TAH, 0-2-2, +1, 2 shots)
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