ECHL Idaho Steelheads

Steelheads Double up Eagles, 6-3

April 6, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release


Boise, ID - Justin Mercier netted three goals and David deKastrozza collected two more in front of a sellout crowd on Saturday night as the Idaho Steelheads knocked off the Colorado Eagles, 6-3.

With the win, Idaho (38-25-7) secured home-ice advantage for the first round of the upcoming ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs. The lowest Idaho can finish is fourth in the eight- team Western Conference. The win was also Idaho's fifth in a row, its longest winning streak of the season, and eighth in the last ten games.

Idaho's penalty-killing unit provided the first tally of the night as deKastrozza stole the puck at the point in the defensive zone and carried it forward into the offensive zone. His wrist shot from just inside the blue line beat Dustin Butler over the blocker at 3:12 of the first period, deKastrozza's 14th goal of the season and ECHL-leading sixth short-handed goal. Colorado tied the game at 13:11 of the first on a Kevin Ulanski redirection and nearly took the lead with about three minutes to go on a short-handed breakaway by Kyle Ostrow, but Ostrow's shot missed the net and jump-started Idaho the other way on the power play. Mercier carried the puck 200 feet, weaving in and out of Eagle defenders, before beating Butler blocker-side from the left-wing circle at 17:22 of the period to give Idaho a 2-1 lead.

Ulanski tied it a minute later on a shot from the right-wing circle, his second goal of the night and 23rd of the season, to make it a 2-2 game after one period.

Idaho took control in the second. Two minutes in to the period, Tommy Grant swooped in from the right-wing corner to slam the puck on net. Butler made the initial save but Mercier poked home the rebound at 2:01, his second goal of the night, to put Idaho back on top. Then, at 6:20, Jason Bast's power-play pass down the right-wing boards was tapped by Mercier to Grant, who spun quickly in front of the net all by himself for a snap-goal over Butler's shoulder to make it 4-2.

The back-breaker came near the midway point of the third as deKastrozza read a cross-ice pass in the offensive zone, stole it, and buried it home from the hash marks at 7:52 to give Idaho a three-goal lead at 5-2. The Eagles answered on an Ostrow goal less than a minute later at 8:35, but Idaho would answer that goal less than 20 seconds later when Mercier buried his third of the night - 16th of the season - over Butler's glove from the right-wing circle to re-establish the three-goal lead at 6-3.

Nagle picked up his 22nd victory of the season with a 23-save effort for Idaho. Butler took the loss, allowing six goals on 32 shots. Idaho's power-play unit was 2-7 while its penalty-kill unit was a perfect 6-6.

Idaho will open the playoffs at home on April 18 and 19 at CenturyLink Arena. The opponent is undecided at this point and tickets will go on sale Wednesday at the CenturyLink Arena box office or by calling 331-8497.

Check out the Idaho Steelheads Statistics



ECHL Stories from April 6, 2014


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