ECHL Idaho Steelheads

Fyten Hat Trick Leads Idaho Past Stockton

Published on December 7, 2013 under ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release


Boise, ID - Austin Fyten's first hat trick as a professional and a three-point night from reigning ECHL Player of the Month Mitch Wahl lifted the Idaho Steelheads past the Stockton Thunder Friday night, 4-2, at CenturyLink Arena in Boise.

The Steelheads also got a pair of assists from Anthony Nigro as Idaho (11-5-4, 26 points) has now collected at least one point in the standings in 11 of its last 12 games.

A strong first period by Idaho was capped by a Fyten rebound goal at 15:04 of the period, sending Idaho to the dressing room with a 1-0 lead after out-shooting Stockton, 17-8, over the game's opening 20 minutes.

In the second, Idaho extended the lead with two quick goals. The first came off the stick of Wahl, his eighth, at 1:44 as he smacked home a rebound from the left edge of the crease to make it 2-0. Fyten's second of the night finished off a pretty, tic-tac-toe play as Idaho rushed the zone at 3:53. Nigro got the puck to Wahl who found Fyten at the top of the crease for his second of the night (and season) to make it a 3-0 lead for the Steelheads.

Stockton chipped away with a Garet Hunt goal at 8:45 of the second to cut Idaho's lead to 3-1. The Thunder appeared primed to cut Idaho's lead even more in the closing seconds of the period when Josh Robinson was caught out of his crease on a rebound situation, but defenseman Tyler Elbrecht laid out in the crease to stuff Andrew Clark at the right-wing post twice to maintain Idaho's two-goal lead going into the third period.

Another splendid defensive play early in the third came in handy as James Isaacs dove after a streaking Clark who was coming in on an attempted breakaway. Isaacs' stick blade was able to poke the puck away from Clark to thwart the rush and keep it a 3-1 game. Stockton finally got a goal back at 7:12 of the third when Ryan Constant scored from the top of the left circle, making it 3-2, forcing the Steelheads to dig in down the stretch. The Thunder would out-shoot Idaho, 15-6, in the third period, bringing wave after wave of pressure but the Steelheads stood tall in front of goaltender Josh Robinson.

With the Stockton net empty in the closing seconds in favor of an extra attacker, the Thunder looked to speed up the ice one final time in search of a game-tying goal. A cross-ice breakout pass from Landon Oslanski was intercepted by Fyten, who cruised back down the ice for an uncontested, empty-net goal with eight seconds left to secure the victory for Idaho.

Robinson picked up his sixth win of the season in net, collecting 31 saves on 33 shots. Brad Phillips was the loser for Stockton after allowing three goals on 33 shots prior to Idaho's game-clinching empty-netter. Both teams were strong on the penalty kill as the ECHL's top two power-play units came up empty, Idaho going 0-4 and Stockton going 0-3.

Saturday night is the 16th Annual Teddy Bear Toss night at CenturyLink Arena, presented by the Idaho Steelheads booster club and the United States Marine Corps, benefitting the Toys for Tots campaign. Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unbreakable toy to the game to throw on the ice when Idaho scores its first goal of the game. The toys will be collected off the ice and donated to the Toys for Tots campaign. Tickets are available by calling the CenturyLink Arena box office at 208-331-8497.

COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME - Mitch Wahl (1G/2A)

CENTURYLINK THREE STARS: 1) Austin Fyten (ID) 2) Mitch Wahl (ID) 3) Anthony Nigro (ID)

Group outings at a Steelheads game are a great way to gather friends, colleagues, or co-workers for a fun night out in downtown Boise. Ticket prices are discounted and you can get a Pepsi, Double-R Ranch Hot Dog, and bag of Tim's Cascade Chips with each ticket. Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 or log on to www.idahosteelheads.com for more information.

Check out the Idaho Steelheads Statistics

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ECHL Stories from December 7, 2013


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