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ECHL Idaho Steelheads

Steelheads Game Preview

April 16, 2007 - 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; Idaho 2, Stockton 1 (2 O.T.)

Game 4: Idaho @ Stockton - Sunday, April 15; Stockton 3, Idaho 2

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.

GAME 3: IDAHO 2, STOCKTON 1 (2 O.T.)

Steelheads' winger John Lammers ended an 88-minute marathon, scoring a power play goal at 8:02 of double overtime to lift the Steelheads by a score of 2-1 over the Thunder to take a two-to-one series lead and reclaim home ice advantage. On the play, B.J. Crombeen tripped up Thunder winger Mike Lalonde, who was trying to clear the puck out of his defensive zone, allowing Crombeen to skate into the slot and feed Derek Nesbitt. Nesbitt then hit Lammers at the right circles and his wrist shot beat Devan Dubnyk (46 saves) for his first professional playoff marker. The only goal through the first two periods came off the stick of Thunder veteran center Colin Pepperall, as he gave the home team a 1-0 lead early in the second period, smacking a rebound past Steve Silverthorn (39 saves). Midway through the third period, the Steelheads answered with their first power play goal of the night by rookie defenseman Lars Helminen. Helminen's first professional goal came off a point shot during a two-man advantage and essentially forced overtime, with Marty Flichel and Lammers drawing the assists. The Steelheads, who were playing without Lance Galbraith (suspended by the ECHL), finished 11-for-11 on the power play, while improving to 4-1 in Kelly Cup overtime games since joining the ECHL in 2003.

GAME 4: STOCKTON 3, IDAHO 2

Tim Sestito's second goal of the series early in the third period turned out to be his second game-winner of the series, as the Thunder evened the best-of-seven quarter finals at two games apiece with a 3-2 win at Stockton Arena. Sestito's individual effort came after he danced past Steelheads' defenseman Travis Wight just inside the offensive blue line and then goaltender Steve Silverthorn (20 saves) to break a 2-2 deadlock. In the first period, the two teams traded goals in a 41-second span. The Thunder got on the board first after Silverthorn misplayed the puck in his own zone, allowing Mike Lalonde to hit Nathan Martz for essentially an empty-net goal. Wight was able to tie the contest after retrieving Lance Galbraith's high flip pass in the Thunder zone and snapping a shot past Thunder goaltender Devan Dubnyk (34 saves). Marty Flichel gave the Steelheads their first lead of the tilt midway through the second period with his second goal of the series to make the score 2-1, but Liam Reddox took a Sestito feed in the crease and poked the puck past Silverthorn to tie the game minutes later. Lance Galbraith finished with two assists and Derek Nesbitt added an assist as well in the one-goal loss.

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:

- 4/15/07: ADD Brock Radunske (F) activated off the 7-day IR

- 4/13/07: ADD Mike Lalonde (LW) activated off the 3-day IR

- 4/13/07: DELETE Jim Dahl (C) placed on the 3-day IR

- 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

STEELHEADS' NOTES:

The Steelheads have killed off 23 straight penalty kill opportunities...Derek Nesbitt is on a four-game scoring streak (2g, 3a)...Marty Flichel (2g, 2a) has one point in each of the first four games of this series...Lance Galbraith has four assists in his three games of this series...Travis Wight's goal in Game Four was the first playoff goal of his pro career...All but two (Steve Chabbert & Kyle Bruce) of the Steelheads' 16 skaters recorded at least one shot in Game Four.

THUNDER NOTES:

Mike Lalonde has an assist in each of the two games he's played in this series...Devan Dubnyk's 16 saves in the first period of Game Four is the most by a goaltender in a period this series...Rookie defenseman Ryan Geris has three points in four playoff games after not recording any points in his first six pro games (regular season)...Each of Tim Sestito's two goals in this series have come in the third period and turned out to be the game-winning tallies...Sestito now has seven goals against the Steelheads in 14 games this season.

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)

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