TULSA, OK. – The Idaho Steelheads (28-11-3-0) defeated the Tulsa Oilers (12-26-2-0) 3-2 in overtime Sunday afternoon at BOK Center in downtown Tulsa. The Steelheads head back to Boise for their next series, with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits visiting the Steelheads for three games this week at Idaho Central Arena.

The Steelheads opened the scoring with a bang, tallying a shorthanded goal just over eight minutes into the game on an odd man rush with Jade Miller and Mason Nevers, who scored from just outside the crease to give the Steelheads a 1-0 lead.

In the remaining power play time that followed, however, Tulsa tied things up, as Tyler Poulsen walked in from the left circle and beat Ben Kraws up high to tie the game and give him goals in back-to-back contests.

The Steelheads were set up well heading into the middle frame, with 3:13 of power play time leading into the period on two minor penalties called against Dylan Fitze. At the tail end of their opportunity, the power play cashed in, as Mitch Wahl capitalized on a broken play and scored in his second game back from injury to pot his seventh goal of the season and give the Steelheads a 2-1 lead.

The remainder of the period saw plenty of chances for Tulsa to find an equalizer, as the Oilers posted 11 shots on goal while being rewarded a power play and a penalty shot. That shot went to Poulsen after being held on a breakaway by Jake Boltmann, but on his attempt Kraws stuck with him the whole way to deny his shot and preserve Idaho’s 2-1 edge.

After battling through two 4-on-4 sequences early in the third period, the Steelheads’ lead evaporated once more as Poulsen struck again 11:37 into the third period, bringing the teams even once more at 2-2.

After a near buzzer-beating goal from Tulsa in the dying seconds of regulation, the game reached overtime.

It didn’t take long for the Steelheads to end it, as just 61 seconds into free hockey Brendan Hoffmann delivered with his second OT goal of the series, extending his goal scoring streak to seven games and his point streak to nine games with the tally, and giving the Steelheads a 3-2 victory.

Ben Kraws saved 35 of 37 shots in the win for Idaho, while Tulsa’s Vyacheslav Buteyets turned aside 31 of 34 shots in the loss.

BOX SCORE

ICCU THREE STARS

1) Brendan Hoffmann (IDH, 1-0-1, +1, 2 shots, OT goal)
2) Tyler Poulsen (TUL, 2-0-2, +1, 4 shots)
3) Ben Kraws (IDH, 35 saves, penalty shot save, win)

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