ECHL Idaho Steelheads

Idaho Ends Streak with 3-1 Victory

Published on March 7, 2012 under ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release


(Boise, ID) - Jerry Kuhn made 51 saves and three different Idaho Steelheads netted goals Wednesday night as the Steelheads defeated the Bakersfield Condors, 3-1, in Boise.

With the win, Idaho (24-29-7, 55 points) snapped a ten-game winless streak, the longest in the team's ECHL era. The team also extended its lead over Bakersfield to 13 points for the final spot in the conference's Western Conference playoff race. Each team has 12 games left in the regular season.

Neither team scored in the first period, due in large part to a big save by Kuhn on a breakaway for Bakersfield's Ian McKenzie. It was one of 15 first-period stops for Kuhn while Bakersfield's Bryon Pitton answered by stopping all 12 Idaho shots in the game's first 20 minutes.

The offense picked up in the second period. Idaho struck first after David Fredriksson was denied at the right-hand post. A Bakersfield defender tried to sweep the puck out of the slot area but Derek LeBlanc intercepted and snapped a quick shot past Pitton at 4:46 to give Idaho a 1-0 lead. It was LeBlanc's 18th of the season and gave LeBlanc goals in six of Idaho's past eight games.

Bakersfield answered two minutes later when Chris Kushneriuk banged home his own rebound at 8:45 to even the score at one. Idaho would snap the tie at 12:16 of the second when Aaron Lewicki, just out of the penalty box, carried the puck from the left-hand wall to the hashmarks between the circles before firing a wrister over Pitton's leg pad to make it 2-1. Lewicki now has 17 goals, eight of them in 13 games since joining Idaho via trade from Reading in February.

Idaho got a big insurance goal early in the third period when Marty Flichel collected a Condor turnover in the neutral zone. He skated into the offensive zone and let loose with a trademark slap shot from the high slot area between the circles, beating Pitton cleanly over his glove hand to make it 3-1 at the 3:02 mark of the third period. The goal for Flichel, his sixth on the season, was his first since December 2 in Las Vegas after missing nearly three months with an injury. It also came one night after his 36th birthday.

Kuhn registered his fifth 50-save night of the season, stopping 51 of 52 Condor shots, including 18 in a high-pressure third period. Pitton stopped 33 of 36 in the loss for the Condors. Bakersfield was 0-3 on the power play while Idaho did not get a man-advantage opportunity in the game.

Utah (57 points) and Stockton (65 points) also won Wednesday night, maintaining their holds on 6th and 5th place, respectively, in the ECHL's Western Conference playoff race.

NOTE: Forward Ron Meyers made his professional debut Wednesday night for the Steelheads.

The Steelheads and Condors meet again Friday and Saturday night in Boise. Tickets are available by calling the CenturyLink Arena box office (208.331.TIXS) or by logging on to www.idahosteelheads.com.

COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME - Marty Flichel

AQUA FINA "3 STARS" -

(1) Aaron Lewicki (ID)

(2) Marty Flichel (ID)

(3) Jerry Kuhn (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 March 7, 2012


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