Idaho edges Las Vegas, 3-1
Published on April 8, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release
(Boise, ID) - Rookie Jerry Kuhn stole the show in net for the third straight game Friday night, stopping 27 of 28 Las Vegas shots as the Idaho Steelheads defeated Las Vegas, 3-1, in front of 3,152 fans at Qwest Arena in Boise. The Steelheads lead the best-of-five ECHL Western Conference playoff series two games to one.
Tyson Hobbins' first professional goal, a backhand off of a rebound at 7:27 of the third period, proved to be the game-winner for the Steelheads.
Las Vegas started the scoring at 2:25 of the first period when Blair Riley finished a nice feed from Blake Gallagher to make it 1-0. Idaho evened the score three minutes later when Mark Derlago carried the puck up the near side, fed Dustin Friesen, and then Friesen touched the puck along to Tyler Ludwig. Ludwig knocked the puck into the net to even the game at one.
Both goaltenders made a series of dazzling saves in the second period to keep the game even. Wrangler goaltender Michael Ouzas robbed Tristan King and Cody Purves, while Kuhn made a pair of spectacular saves in his own crease to keep the game tied.
The goaltender duel continued well into the third period. Then, Derlago picked up a puck along the wall on the far side of the offensive zone. He fed Matt Case at the point, whose long-range blast was saved by Ouzas. The rebound bounced out into the slot, though, where Hobbins eagerly awaited. The Lake Superior State product gathered the puck, shifted it to his back-hand, and flipped it over the outstretched Ouzas for the go-ahead goal.
Kuhn and the Steelheads kept the Wranglers at bay for the next eleven minutes, coming up with some crucial saves and puck clears along the way. With just over a minute left in regulation, Las Vegas pulled its netminder in favor of an extra attacker. Idaho dumped the puck in to the Wrangler zone, Geoff Irwin crashed hard on the forecheck to keep the puck alive, Evan Barlow picked up the loose puck at the side of the net, and tucked in an empty-net tally to finish the scoring and seal the victory.
Kuhn has turned aside 119 of 123 Las Vegas shots in the first three games of the series, a .968 save percentage. Ouzas was also strong in net once more for the Wranglers, stopping 24 of 26 Idaho shots in the loss. Neither team scored on the power play, with Idaho going 0-2 and Las Vegas going 0-3.
Game Four of the series is set for Saturday night at Qwest Arena. Tickets remain available by contacting the Qwest Arena box office at 208.331.TIXS or by logging on to www.idahosteelheads.com. An Idaho victory would advance the Steelheads into the next round of the playoffs to face the top-seeded Alaska Aces. A Wrangler victory would force a fifth and deciding game in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.
ECHL Stories from April 8, 2011
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- Road Warriors Shut Out Jackals; Take Series Lead - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
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- Jackals Fall to Road Warriors in Game Three, 2-0 - Elmira Jackals
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- Goalie Goepfert Heads Back to Charlotte - Florida Everblades
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- ECHL Attendance Ends Season on High Note - ECHL
- Stingrays Battle Nailers in Critical Game Three Tonight - South Carolina Stingrays
- ECHL Today - April 8 - ECHL
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