ECHL Idaho Steelheads

Steelheads Game Preview

Published on April 13, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release


The long, grinding journey to hoist the 2007 Kelly Cup Championship has officially begun for the fourth-seeded Idaho Steelheads (42-24-2-4 regular season) and the fifth-seeded Stockton Thunder (38-24-5-5 regular season). A year removed from their defeat in the seventh game of an opening round series against the Las Vegas Wranglers, the Steelheads hope to get past the first round for the first time since they won the Kelly Cup Championship in 2004. Meanwhile, the Thunder, in their second ECHL season (since relocating from Atlantic City) are in their first-ever playoff series. Sixteen victories are required for a National Conference team to be crowned champions of the 25-team ECHL, and the first team to four wins in this series will advance to the National Conference Semi-Finals.

SERIES SCHEDULE (all games listed in Mountain Time):

Game 1: Idaho vs. Stockton - Tuesday, April 10; Stockton 4, Idaho 2

Game 2: Idaho vs. Stockton - Wednesday, April 11; Idaho 3, Stockton 0

Game 3: Idaho @ Stockton - Friday, April 13; 8:30 p.m.

Game 4: Idaho @ Stockton - Sunday, April 15; 5:00 p.m.

Game 5: Idaho @ Stockton - Monday, April 16; 8:00 p.m. **

Game 6: Idaho vs. Stockton - Wednesday, April 18; 7:10 p.m. **

Game 7: Idaho vs. Stockton - Thursday, April 19; 7:10 p.m. **

** If Necessary

GAME RECAPS:

GAME 1: STOCKTON 4, IDAHO 2

Thunder winger Tim Sestito (1g) scored a shorthanded, unassisted marker with less than five minutes left in regulation to snap a 2-2 tie and give the visitors an eventual 4-2 win in Game One of the National Conference Quarter Finals in front of 1,879 fans at Qwest Arena. After the two teams traded power play goals in the first period, a scoreless second period ensued, setting up a nail-biting third stanza. At 3:36 of the third period, Lance Galbraith (1g, 1a) put the Steelheads ahead for the first time in the contest, as he turned and fired a shot through traffic that beat Thunder goaltender Devan Dubnyk (26 saves). Midway through the frame, the Thunder grabbed their second man advantage tally of the night on rookie defenseman Ryan Geris' first professional goal, which evened the score at two. That would set the stage for Sestito, whose snap shot from just outside the left circles beat Steelheads' goaltender Steve Silverthorn (23 saves) over his glove hand, igniting the Thunder bench. Liam Reddox tacked on an empty net goal in the final two minutes to complete the three-goal rally and the Thunder had their first-ever playoff win helping them take over home ice advantage in the best-of-seven series.

GAME 2: IDAHO 3, STOCKTON 0

In his fifth career playoff game, Steelheads' goaltender Steve Silverthorn stole the show, stopping all 28 shots he faced for his first playoff shutout and his second career win. Derek Nesbitt scored a first period, power play goal for the second straight game and the Steelheads added third period markers from Marty Flichel and Blake Forsyth in a 28-second span to gather some breathing room. The Steelheads penalty kill units went a perfect six-for-six and were called on to fend off parts of a major power play (partially negated by a Thunder penalty) after Lance Galbraith took a match penalty for high sticking Tim Sestito late in the first period. The win ended the Steelheads four-game, postseason losing streak dating back to 2005-2006 and it also broke their three-game skid on Qwest Arena ice. Thunder rookie goaltender Devan Dubnyk (23 saves) was saddled with the loss as the series now shifts to Stockton Arena for games three, four and five.

REGULAR SEASON TALE OF THE TAPE:

Record: Idaho 42-24-2-4 (90 pts.), Stockton 38-24-5-5 (86 pts.)

Offense: Idaho 10th (3.33 GF/GP), Stockton 14th (3.13 GF/GP)

Defense: Idaho 7th (2.89 GA/GP), Stockton T-4th (2.74 GA/GP)

Shots For: Idaho 8th (33.96 SF/GP), Stockton 3rd (35.07 SF/GP)

Shots Against: Idaho 2nd (27.96 SA/GP), Stockton 7th (31.07 SA/GP)

Average PIM: Idaho 6th (22.5 PIM/GP), Stockton 11th (21.3 PIM/GP)

PP: Idaho 7th (18.1%), Stockton 11th (16.4%)

PK: Idaho 18th (82.4%), Stockton 9th (84.2%)

STEELHEADS' RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

- 4/12/07: DELETE Lance Galbraith (LW) suspended by the ECHL for one game

- 4/09/07: ADD Kyle Bruce (RW) activated off the 30-day IR

- 4/09/07: DELETE Matt Nickerson (D) recalled to Iowa (AHL)

- 4/07/07: ADD Steve Chabbert (D) activated off the 3-day IR

- 4/05/07: DELETE Darrell Hay (D) placed on the 7-day IR

THUNDER RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

- 4/10/07: DELETE Brock Radunske (F) placed on 7-day IR

- 4/10/07: ADD Beau Geisler (D) activated off 7-day IR

- 4/09/07: ADD Troy Bodie (F) reassigned by Edmonton (NHL) via Hamilton (AHL)

- 4/07/07: ADD Mathieu Melanson (F) activated off 3-day IR

- 4/07/07: DELETE Mike Lalonde (LW) placed on 3-day IR

- 4/04/07: DELETE Beau Geisler (D) transferred to 7-day IR

- 4/04/07: DELETE Mathieu Melanson (F) placed on 3-day IR

- 4/04/07: ADD Mike Lalonde (LW) activated off 30-day IR

- 4/04/07: ADD Mark Adamek (D) activated off 7-day IR

STEELHEADS' NOTES:

Goaltender Steve Silverthorn earned his first playoff shutout in Game Two...Derek Nesbitt has a power play goal in both games of the series and his game-winning goal in Game Two was the first of his playoff career...Nesbitt and Lance Galbraith (suspended tonight for Game Three) lead the Steelheads with three points in the series...Blake Forsyth's third period goal in Game Two was his first in nine ECHL playoff games and the second of his professional career (Wichita Thunder, 2005)...Including the regular season, the Steelheads are 30-15-1-3 when scoring first.

THUNDER NOTES:

A 4-0 loss in Game Two gave the Thunder their first-ever playoff defeat...Colin Pepperall saw his five-game scoring streak (4g, 4a) come to an end in Game Two...Goaltender Devan Dubnyk suffered just his second loss in his last 12 appearances in Game Two...Mathieu Melanson has nine shots in this series, which leads the team.

REGULAR SEASON - HEAD TO HEAD:

These two teams hooked up 10 times in the 2006-2007 regular season, with Idaho going 3-5-1-1 against Stockton, as the Thunder was the only club of the Steelheads' nine opponents this year that held the Steelheads to a sub .500 record in the season series. Of the 10 matches, seven were decided by just one-goal and three went past regulation.

REGULAR SEASON TEAM LEADERS:

STEELHEADS:

- Goals: Marty Flichel (39)

- Assists: Derek Nesbitt (51)

- Points: Marty Flichel (87)

- +/-: Travis Wight (+27)

- PIM: Lance Galbraith (238)

THUNDER:

- Goals: Mike Lalonde (23)

- Assists: Nathan Martz (56)

- Points: Nathan Martz (65)

- +/-: Tim O'Connell (+22)

- PIM: Adam Huxley (241)

Check out the Idaho Steelheads Statistics

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