Sports stats

ECHL Idaho Steelheads

Steelheads Game Preview - West Division Semi-Finals, Game Three

April 14, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release


GAME RECAPS:

GAME 1: 4/11/06 - STEELHEADS 1 @ WRANGLERS 0 (2 O.T.)
Steelheads' defenseman Tyler Kindle scored short-handed with 2:33 remaining in double overtime, as the Steelheads took Game One of the series, 1-0. With defenseman Blake Forsyth in the penalty box for tripping, rookie defenseman Kory Scoran sent an outlet pass to Kindle who found rookie forward Dan Hacker alone on the right wing side. Hacker skated into the Wranglers' zone, before throwing a pass through the slot that center David Bararuk tipped over to Kindle who had jumped into the rush. The Portage, MI native rifled a snap shot just underneath the crossbar and over the blocker of Wranglers' goaltender Marc Magliarditi (43 saves) for his first career playoff tally. Matt Yeats stopped all 49 shots fired his way to pick up his fifth career ECHL playoff victory, and his first with the Steelheads. The shutout was the second in Yeats' Kelly Cup Playoffs career, and the fifth for the club in their three-year existence. The contest lasted 97:27, the longest game in both the Steelheads' and the Wranglers' ECHL history. This marathon from Orleans Arena was 6:13 away from becoming the sixth longest game in ECHL history and it was also the league's longest scoreless battle before Kindle's heroics. Furthermore, since the 2002 Kelly Cup Playoffs, there hasn't been a double overtime contest longer than Game One of this series.

GAME 2: 4/12/06 - STEELHEADS 4 @ WRANGLERS 2
Four different skaters scored for the visitors, including Garett Bembridge's game-winner in the second period, as the Steelheads won 4-2 to take a commanding 2-0 series lead in the best-of-seven semi-finals. For the second straight night, Steelheads goaltender Matt Yeats was phenomenal, stopping 42 shots to give him 91 saves in the two games at Orleans Arena. Trailing 3-1 at the second intermission, Wranglers' forward Sean O'Connor netted an even-strength goal at the 1:55 mark of the third period to draw his squad within one goal. Then, Steelheads' forward Justin Cox scored an insurance goal 6:38 into the third period, blasting a slap shot over the head of Marc Magliarditi to give the Steelheads some breathing room and a 4-2 advantage. Bembridge finished with three points, as did David Bararuk, while Paul Caponigri chipped in two assists. The Wranglers first goal, scored by Chris Neiszner midway through the opening period, broke a playoff scoreless drought of 169:35 for the Wranglers, dating back to the 2004 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

TONIGHT'S TILT:
With the series shifting back to Boise for at least Games Three and Four, the Steelheads will look to make the Wranglers' uphill climb more difficult. Since the 2001 Kelly Cup Playoffs, teams trailing two games to none in a best-of-seven-series are 0-8. Matt Yeats will start again for the Steelheads, making his 12th career playoff appearance. Wranglers' goaltender Marc Magliarditi has a goals against average of 1.92 and a save percentage of .937 in his two starts, yet the visitors may go with rookie Mike McKenna between the pipes tonight. Either way, it's the Wranglers' offense that needs to find its mark, as the Wranglers' fourth-ranked firepower from the regular season has just two goals on 93 shots in the series. In 11 ECHL postseason matches on home ice, the Steelheads hold a 6-5 mark. Two of those losses came last season in Games Three and Four of the Steelheads first round loss to Long Beach. Looking ahead in this series, if the final three games are necessary, they would be played on consecutive nights with the series switching locations from Boise to Las Vegas.

STEELHEADS' NOTES: Including the regular season, the Steelheads are 26-3-0 when they allow less than three goals...Yeats has now stopped 91 of the 93 shots (97.9%) he's faced in the series... The Steelheads penalty killers are a perfect 10-for-10 thus far, shutting down the league's best regular season, home power play in Games One and Two...Not including rookie goaltender Steve Silverthorn, nine Steelheads have made their professional playoff debuts in the first two games of this series...The Steelheads are 3-3 in Game Two's in their ECHL playoff history...Leading scorer and captain D'Arcy McConvey is still on recall to the Iowa Stars (AHL) and the chances of him returning over the weekend appear slim.

WRANGLERS' NOTES: The Wranglers' top line of Matt Dzieduszycki, Dan Tudin and Steve Crampton have not registered a point in this series, this from a line that combined to rack up 204 points in the regular season...Thirty-two of the Wranglers' 93 shots (34.4%) have come on the man advantage...Power play chances in the series favor the Wranglers heavily at 10-4...Center Derek Edwardson leads the Wranglers in postseason shots with 16...With Omaha, the Wranglers' AHL affiliate, nearly eliminated from playoff contention, defensemen Tim Hambly and Adam Pardy could be close to returning to the Wranglers' lineup.

STEELHEADS' RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
4/11/06: ADD Greg Hornby (LW) - Activated off the 7-day IR
4/10/06: DELETE Alex Dunn (D) - Transferred from the 7-day IR to the 30-day IR
4/10/06: DELETE Matt Reid (LW) - Placed on the 7-day IR
4/10/06: DELETE Mike Adamek (F) - Released from contract
4/09/06: ADD Justin Cox (RW) - Returned from San Antonio (AHL)
4/08/06: ADD Garett Bembridge (RW) - Returned from Portland (AHL)
4/04/06: DELETE D'Arcy McConvey (C) - Recalled to Iowa (AHL)

WRANGLERS' RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
4/11/06: ADD Dan Tudin (LW) - Returned from Omaha (AHL)
4/09/06: DELETE Marco Peluso (F) - Placed on the 7-day IR
4/09/06: DELETE Mike Kautz (D) - Placed on the 30-day IR
4/08/06: DELETE Steve Marr (D) - Recalled to Omaha (AHL)

THE MATCHUP:

This best-of-seven series pits the 2nd seeded Las Vegas Wranglers against the 3rd seeded Idaho Steelheads. The first team to win four games in this semi-final round will advance to the West Division Finals and take on the winner of the other best-of-seven semi-final, which has the number one seeded Alaska Aces battling the 4th seeded Utah Grizzlies.

REGULAR SEASON - HEAD TO HEAD:

The Steelheads went 2-3-2 against the Wranglers in 2005-2006, while winning one of three contests on the road. Out of the seven games in the season series, the Steelheads and Wranglers played four, one-goal games. On January 27, the Steelheads thumped the Wranglers 9-5, which was arguably the most lopsided defeat the 2nd placed Wranglers suffered in 2005-2006. In ECHL play, the Steelheads hold a 14-8-4 regular season mark against the Wranglers. In their only playoff meeting back in 2004, the Steelheads ousted the Wranglers three games to two, in the best-of-five Pacific Division Semi-Finals. The Steelheads actually trailed in the series 2-0, before winning the final three games of the series, en route to the 2004 Kelly Cup in their inaugural ECHL season.

REGULAR SEASON TEAM LEADERS:

IDAHO

- D'Arcy McConvey: 39g, 47a = 86 pts.
- Garett Bembridge: 36, 39a = 75 pts.
- David Bararuk: 25g, 46a = 71 pts.
- Steve Silverthorn: 22-14-3, 2.90 GAA, 90.1%, 3 SHO

LAS VEGAS

- Matt Dzieduszycki: 34g, 44a = 78 pts.
- Dan Tudin: 33g, 44a = 77 pts.
- Steve Crampton: 20g, 29a = 49 pts.
- Marc Magliarditi: 34-11-5, 2.47 GAA, 90.9%, 3 SHO

SCHEDULE (all times MST):

Game 1: Idaho 1 @ LV 0 (2 O.T.) - IDH Leads Series, 1-0
Game 2: Idaho 4 @ LV 2 - IDH Leads Series, 2-0
Game 3 @ Idaho - Friday, April 14 - (7:10pm) - Qwest Arena
Game 4 @ Idaho - Saturday, April 15 - (7:10pm) - Qwest Arena
Game 5 @ Idaho - Monday, April 17 (if necessary) - (7:10pm) - Qwest Arena
Game 6 @ Las Vegas - Tuesday, April 18 (if necessary) - (8:05pm) - Orleans Arena
Game 7 @ Las Vegas - Wednesday, April 19 (if necessary) - (8:05pm) - Orleans Arena

Check out the Idaho Steelheads Statistics



ECHL Stories from April 14, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Idaho Steelheads Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central