BOISE, ID – The Idaho Steelheads (40-19-6-1) defeated the Kansas City Mavericks (51-10-2-2) 4-3 in a shootout Saturday night at Idaho Central Arena. The Steelheads and Mavericks continue their three-game set Friday with puck drop set for 7:10 p.m. MDT from downtown Boise.

The first period was all Steelheads, as Idaho poured on shots and chances in an effort to grab the game’s first goal. 

They would eventually find it 15:45 into the opening frame as Jeff Baum fired home his first goal of the season into an open net. Kansas City goaltender Jack LaFontaine was late getting back to his crease after playing the puck in the trapezoid and allowed the Steelheads to take a 1-0 edge.

More trouble was on the way for LaFontaine, who misplayed an Idaho clear in the slot in the Kansas City zone and inadvertently shot the puck into his own net. 

Morgan Winters provided a stick check to LaFontaine to complicate the issue, as Connor Punnett received credit for the goal as the last Steelhead to touch the puck before the mishap, giving Idaho a 2-0 lead nearly two minutes after their first tally.

The Steelheads led the shot department 17-3 after the first period, but Kansas City worked to change that in the middle frame. The Mavericks found a solid response in the second period, outshooting Idaho 18-3 and finding their first goal of the game.

That goal came courtesy of Jack Randl, who secured his 22^nd goal of the season with a power play one-timer from the right circle to bring Kansas City within one goal with six minutes remaining in the second period.

The Mavericks fought back further to tie the game in the third period, with Jackson Jutting scoring moments after a Kansas City power play ended for his 26^th goal of the season and a 2-2 tie eight minutes into the frame.

Later in the period, the Mavericks took their first lead, with Bobo Carpenter scoring a second-chance goal to put Kansas City ahead 3-2 in the final six minutes of regulation.

In the dying moments of the game, needing an equalizer, Jack Adams delivered. The forward snuck a rebound chance past LaFontaine with 0.1 second remaining for a buzzer-beating goal to send the game into overtime. 

Despite chances in the extra frame for both sides, the game required a shootout.

A marathon of a shootout finally ended after nine rounds, when Robbie Holmes scored for Idaho, and Ben Kraws shut the door on Luke Loheit for an emphatic 4-3 shootout win for the Steelheads.

Ben Kraws stopped 30 shots in the win and turned aside eight of nine shootout attempts. Meanwhile, LaFontaine saved 32 shots in the loss and seven of nine shootout attempts.

BOX SCORE

ICCU THREE STARS
1) Robbie Holmes (IDH, 0-0-0, -1, 3 shots, shootout winner)
2) Jake McLaughlin (KC, 0-2-2, +2, 2 shots)
3) Jack Adams (IDH, 1-0-1, +2, 3 shots)

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