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Idaho Steelheads

Steelheads Ground Eagles

January 12, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release


Boise, ID- Kellan Lain scored twice in the first period and Mike McMurtry notched a short-handed goal in his Steelheads debut, as the Idaho Steelheads (21-11-4) closed out the first half of the ECHL season with a 5-3 win over the Colorado Eagles (21-11-4) on Wednesday night at CenturyLink Arena.

The Steelheads jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first period, but had to fight off a furious Eagles comeback effort until Will Merchant gave the Steelheads some insurance late in the final frame.

After the Eagles had scored twice in the third period on the power play to close the deficit from 4-1 to 4-3, the Steelheads took advantage of a Colorado mistake. With 4:15 remaining, the Eagles retrieved a puck in their own zone, a dump-in they believed should have been an icing. With the Steelheads all in the neutral zone, Eagles defenseman Mason Geertsen tried to make a pass from his goal line to the red line. Rob Linsmayer easily intercepted the pass, leading a 3-on-2 rush back into the Eagles zone that was capped by Merchant's 11th of the season. Merchant now has 4 goals during his current 5-game points streak.

Joe Basaraba opened the scoring for Idaho at 4:00 of the first period with a power play goal. Basaraba was off to the side of the net when an Anthony Luciani shot went wide of the goal, popping back out above the goal line for Basaraba to pot his tenth of the year and fifth goal in ten games.

At 9:01, Colorado's Matt Register tried to move the puck through the middle of his own zone but was picked off by Branden Troock. Troock sent a pass to the front of the net for a Lain redirect and a 2-0 Idaho lead. Lain would score again 7:52 later, one-timing a Luciani backhand pass from the left-wing corner past Colorado goaltender Kent Simpson for his ninth goal of the year and a 3-0 lead.

McMurtry earned his first point as a Steelhead with an assist on the second Lain goal, but he'd find the back of the net himself shortly after. On the penalty kill, McMurtry poked a loose puck past Register and Casey Pierro-Zabotel, racing in on a breakaway for Idaho's third short-handed goal of the year with just 46 seconds left in the first period. Simpson made the initial save, but McMurtry was able to stay with the play and lift a rebound over Simpson's pad before being buried by Jesse Mychan.

The line of Lain, McMurtry, and Luciani combined for three goals and seven points.

The Eagles made it a game, with Josh Nicholls netting his sixth of the year on a right circle wrist shot at 11:36 of the second period to make it 4-1. Shawn St. Amant netted his fifth of the year at 4:03 of the third period on the power play, also on a right circle wrist shot. Matt Garbowsky scored his 15th of the year and eighth in the last six games at 9:41, a power play goal from the high slot to bring the Eagles within a goal.

Philippe Desrosiers made 34 saves to earn his fourth win of the season, some of his best work coming in the second period when he snared a Luke Salazar wrist shot from between the circles and stopped Mychan in close on a 3-on-2 chance.

Idaho now has points in six consecutive games (5-0-1), their win tying them with the Eagles and Allen Americans in the Mountain Division with 46 points. Idaho remains in third place.

The Steelheads and Eagles meet again on Friday night at CenturyLink Arena, with puck-drop scheduled for 7:10pm MT. The game is available on 1350KTIK, Cable One, and on ECHLTV.

STEELHEADS STATS:

Goals: Basaraba (10), Lain (8,9), McMurtry (1), Merchant (11)

Philippe Desrosiers: 34 saves on 37 shots

Power Play: 1-for-3

Penalty Kill: 2-for-4

CENTURYLINK THREE STARS OF THE GAME

1. Kellan Lain IDH

2. Mike McMurtry IDH

3. Anthony Luciani IDH

COORS LIGHT OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME

Kellan Lain: 2 goals, 1 assist, plus-3 rating, 3 shots

PLAY OF THE GAME:

The Eagles had strong momentum in the third period, but made the final mistake. The Eagles were 5-7-2 heading into Wednesday in games they trailed entering the third period, and they pulled within a goal with a pair of power play goals and were still on the attack. That's when Mason Geertsen, unpressured, threw a puck out to the neutral zone that was easy pickings for Rob Linsmayer. With both Eagles defensemen caught deep in their zone from the poor outlet pass, Linsmayer and his line-mates had no opposition entering the zone and used the space to open Will Merchant up in the high slot for his 11th of the year. The Eagles wanted an icing call, but with or without the whistle the Eagles made an unforced error and the Steelheads pounced to clinch the win.

Check out the Idaho Steelheads Statistics

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