Idaho Picks up Team-Record Eighth Consecutive Win
March 6, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release
Boise, ID - Four different players scored, Henri Kiviaho turned in a steady performance in net and the Idaho Steelheads picked up their eighth straight win, 4-1, over the Stockton Thunder in front of a sellout crowd Friday night at CenturyLink Arena in Boise.
The eight straight wins is an ECHL-era record for Idaho (37-17-4, 78 points) who needed the win to maintain its slim, one-point lead in the ECHL's Pacific Division over the Colorado Eagles, who defeated Bakersfield on Friday.
The game had a physical tone from start to finish, set off the opening draw when Idaho's Devin DiDiomete handled Stockton's Garet Hunt in a fight near center ice. It was one of four tilts - two between DiDiomete and Hunt - on the evening.
The Steelheads scored first at 8:17 when Ludwig Karlsson intercepted a clearing attempt along the right-wing wall. Karlsson walked into the circle and ripped a shot past Cody Reichard for his ninth goal of the season to give the Steelheads a 1-0 lead. Kiviaho came up with a big save on Stockton's Tyler Shattock on a mini-break up the right-wing side to keep it a one-goal game until Wade MacLeod scored at 17:46 of the first, his 26th of the season, to extend Idaho's lead to 2-0. MacLeod hustled to pick up a loose puck after a Brett Robinson shot from the left circle rang off the post, caroming out to the right-wing side where MacLeod was able to beat a scrambling Reichard. Robinson's assist extended his point/assist streak to seven straight games.
Idaho got back-to-back power play opportunities to open the second, converting at 2:58 when Jason Bast feathered a pass from the left-wing circle to Colton Beck in the right-wing circle for his 15th goal of the season, a power-play tally that was also assisted by Troy Vance, to make it 3-0.
The remainder of the second period was a chippy, physical affair. DiDiomete and Hunt dropped the gloves again two minutes later before Idaho's Matt Case and Stockton's Mario Larocque dropped the mitts for the second straight game after a Larocque cross-check appeared to catch Case in the face near the Stockton net. Then, at 9:22, Mike Dalhuisen fought Stockton's JP Chabot after Chabot had taken a penalty on Kiviaho earlier in the frame. Each team was whistled for ten infractions in the game, combining for 64 penalty minutes.
Stockton picked up its lone goal midway through the second period to make it 3-1 but Idaho put the game away with less than two minutes to go in the second when Gaelan Patterson skated end-to-end but, instead of circling behind the Stockton net once he reached the goal line, he dropped a perfect centering pass to Bast for a one-timer from the low slot past Reichard's glove at 18:13 to make it a 4-1 game. The goal was Bast's 26th of the season, tying him with MacLeod for the team lead and also into a tie with each other (along with Rapid City's Jesse Schultz) for fourth in the ECHL in goals.
Neither team scored in the third period as the Steelheads kept Stockton from mounting any kind of threat over the game's final 20 minutes to win its 37th game of the season.
Kiviaho improved his personal record to 10-5-1 on the season with 25 saves on 26 shots. Reichard again had to make a number of big saves to give his team any chance, but allowed four goals on 38 shots in the loss. Idaho's power play converted one of five chances while its penalty kill was a perfect five-for-five against the ECHL's second-ranked power-play unit.
The two teams wrap up Idaho's annual "Pink in the Rink" weekend on Saturday night, with the team wearing special jerseys that will be auctioned off to raise money for St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute. Two jerseys were purchased outright for $1,500 on Friday night, as Matt Case and Mike Dalhuisen's jersey each drew the maximum bid right away.
Tickets are available online at www.idahosteelheads.com or by calling 208-331-8497.
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