ECHL Idaho Steelheads

Steelheads Playoff Game Preview: Idaho @ Alaska; National Conference Quarter Finals, Game Four

Published on April 13, 2008 under ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release


NATIONAL CONFERENCE QUARTER FINALS (ROUND 1), PRESENTED BY RC WILLEY

#4 IDAHO STEELHEADS (0-3) VS. #5 ALASKA ACES (3-0)

BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES

SERIES PREVIEW:

This National Conference Quarter Finals series pits the defending Kelly Cup Champion Idaho Steelheads (40-22-10) against the 2006 Kelly Cup winners, the Alaska Aces (41-26-5). The Steelheads are looking to become the first team in league history since the 1994 Toledo Storm to repeat as ECHL champs (Riley Cup Champions - 1993 & 1994). Furthermore, the Steelheads are looking to equal the now defunct Hampton Roads Admirals mark of three ECHL crowns (1991, 1992 & 1998). Meanwhile, the Aces attempted to capture their fourth consecutive West Division title during the regular season¡¦s final weekend, but they fell four points shy, which dropped them to the fifth seed in the National Conference. Having reached at least the conference finals in three straight years, the Aces will have to get through the club that ended their 2007 run if they want to become the second team in the last 12 seasons to appear in four conference finals series (Louisiana IceGators). Since entering the league in 2004, the Aces have won 226 regular season games and the Steelheads have won 207 contests.

SERIES SCHEDULE (all games listed in Mountain Time):

Game 1: Idaho 1 vs. Alaska 4 ¡V Alaska leads series 1-0

Game 2: Idaho 4 vs. Alaska 6 ¡V Alaska leads series 2-0

Game 3: Idaho 2 @ Alaska 3 (2 O.T). ¡V Alaska leads series 3-0

Game 4: Idaho @ Alaska ¡V Sunday, April 13; 9:15 p.m.

Game 5: Idaho @ Alaska ¡V Tuesday, April 15; 9:15 p.m. **

Game 6: Idaho vs. Alaska ¡V Thursday, April 16; 7:10 p.m. **

Game 7: Idaho vs. Alaska ¡V Sunday, April 20; 7:10 p.m. **

** If Necessary

GAME RECAPS:

GAME ONE ¡V Idaho 1, Alaska 4: Aces¡¦ defenseman Corbin Schmidt broke a scoreless tie less than three minutes into the second period as the visitors got goals from three defenseman and four different skaters overall en route to a 4-1 win in Game One. The Steelheads mustered 48 shots in the opening game defeat, but they failed to convert in their eight power play chances and the club¡¦s only tally came with just 4:48 left in regulation when Taggart Desmet had Mark Bomersback¡¦s deflection carom off the glass and then his chest before finding the back of the net. The Aces finished the night an efficient two-for-five on the power play and in addition to Marek Schwarz¡¦s 47 saves, the 2006 Kelly Cup Champions got multiple point efforts from Peter Metcalf (1g, 1a) and Josh Soares (1g, 1a). Steelheads¡¦ third-year goaltender Steve Silverthorn, last season¡¦s Kelly Cup Playoffs MVP, turned aside 25 shots to see his ECHL playoff record drop to 17-8 lifetime, while his team fell to 1-4 in their last five Game One scenarios.

GAME TWO ¡V Idaho 4, Alaska 6: The Aces wasted no time taking control of Game Two, scoring three times in the opening 10:11 of the first period to quiet the Qwest Arena faithful and take a 3-0 lead into the first intermission. Then, with Lance Galbraith in the penalty box for a five-minute, charging infraction, the Aces tallied twice more on the power play to open up a 5-0 lead just 5:30 into the second period. The Steelheads would score twice in each of the final two periods, but a 6-4 loss in Game Two put them down two-games-to-none in the series, which headed to Anchorage for the next two games. John Snowden registered three points (1g, 2a) in the Steelheads¡¦ defeat and Taggart Desmet scored twice to give him three goals in the first two contests. Once again, Marek Schwarz (48 saves) and the Aces power play (2-for-6) was the difference for the visitors, who also got four points (1g, 3a) from F.P. Guenette and a goal and two assists from Josh Soares. The Steelheads did not lose back-to-back games in the entire 2007 postseason and their two-goal defeat in Game Two dropped them to 14-11 all-time on home ice at Qwest Arena and 8-3 in Game Two¡¦s in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

GAME THREE ¡V Idaho 2, Alaska 3 (2 O.T.): Aces¡¦ blue-liner Derick Martin scored the game-winning goal 2:34 into double overtime, lifting his team to 3-2 win in Game Three and thus a convincing three-games-to-none series lead. Martin¡¦s shot from the left wing boards beat a screened Matt Zaba (31 saves) for his second tally of the playoffs, ending the 82:34 affair. The Steelheads fell behind 1-0 for the third straight time in the series and they trailed 2-1 early in the middle stanza, but the visitors rallied twice to tie the game, using second period goals by Lance Galbraith and Taggart Desmet to send the game to the third period even at two apiece. After a scoreless third period and a stalemate during the first overtime session, Martin took Michael Lambert¡¦s pass and rifled a shot through traffic from just inside the blue line to push the defending champions to the brink of elimination. John Lammers registered two assists in the loss for the Steelheads, who lost a Kelly Cup Playoff game in Anchorage for the first time (previously 4-0), while dropping to 7-4 in overtime in their ECHL postseason history.

STEELHEADS¡¦ NOTES:

The Steelheads have lost three playoff games in a row for the first time since the 2006 West Division Semi-Finals when they led the Las Vegas Wranglers three-games-to-one, before losing the series in seven games¡KPrior to their Game Three defeat, the Steelheads were 3-0 in double overtime in double overtime games in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, with two of those wins coming in their 2007 run to the championship¡KThe Steelheads are just one-for-20 in this series on the power play¡KMichael Beynon¡¦s assist on Lance Galbraith¡¦s second period goal in Game Three was his first professional point¡KThe Steelheads are 7-3 in Game Four situations in their ECHL postseason history, going 2-2 last season¡KMarty Flichel is scoreless in his last five games dating back to the end of the regular season, his longest streak without a point this season.

ACES¡¦ NOTES:

The Aces have scored the first goal in all three games of this series and have led at intermission four out of a possible six times (regulation only) through the first three games¡KThe Aces 34 shots in Game Three marked the first time they cracked 30 shots on goal in a playoff game against the Steelheads in their last eight meetings¡KWith their tallies in Game Three, Michael Lambert and Olivier Filion became the 10th and 11th Aces¡¦ skaters to find the back of the net in this series¡KLambert posted six shots in Game Three, a playoff-high for the Aces in 2008¡KThe Aces¡¦ penalty kill ranks 4th in the ECHL entering play today, having killed off 19 of the 20 (95%) opportunities they¡¦ve faced¡KThe Aces have received five goals from their defense in this series which is tied with the Gwinnett Gladiators for the most in the 2008 postseason.

STEELHEADS¡¦ RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

„« 4/11/08: DELETE Kellen Briggs (G) placed on the 3-day IR

„« 4/11/08: ADD Matt Craig (F) activated off the 7-day IR

„« 4/08/08: ADD Kellen Briggs (G) activated off the 3-day IR

ACES¡¦ RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

„« 4/09/08: DELETE Felipe Larranaga (F) placed on the 3-day IR

„« 4/09/08: ADD Ed Hill (D) activated off the 7-day IR

„« 4/08/08: ADD Marek Schwarz (G) reassigned from Peoria (AHL)

STEELHEADS¡¦ 2008 PLAYOFF LEADERS:

„« Goals: Taggart Desmet (4)

„« Assists: John Lammers (3)

„« Points: Taggart Desmet (4)

„« +/-: John Snowden, Taggart Desmet & Kory Scoran (+2)

„« PIM: Lance Galbraith (13)

„« Wins: N/A

ACES¡¦ 2008 PLAYOFF LEADERS:

„« Goals: Josh Soares & Derick Martin (2)

„« Assists: F.P. Guenette (4)

„« Points: F.P. Guenette (5)

„« +/-: F.P. Guenette (+4)

„« PIM: Peter Metcalf (8)

„« Wins: Schwarz (3)

REGULAR SEASON TALE OF THE TAPE:

Record: Idaho: 40-22-10 = 90 pts. (8th) / Alaska: 41-26-5 = 87 pts. (10th)

Offense: Idaho: 3.11 (15th) / Alaska: 3.40 (T-7th)

Defense: Idaho: 2.54 (4th) / Alaska: 3.18 (14th)

Shots For: Idaho: 31.7 (15th) / Alaska: 30.7 (20th)

Shots Against: Idaho: 29.6 (4th) / Alaska: 30.8 (10th)

Average PIM: Idaho: 20.7 (9th) / Alaska: 18.3 (16th)

PP: Idaho: 20.4% (6th) / Alaska: 19.3% (7th)

PK: Idaho: 84.8% (6th) / Alaska: 80.4% (19th)

1-Goal Games: Idaho: 15-11-10 (T-12th) / Alaska: 18-9-5 (T-6th)

HEAD TO HEAD:

The Steelheads finished the 2007-2008 regular season with a 5-3-2 mark against the Aces to give them a 20-17-5 record overall in five ECHL seasons. In their 10 regular season meetings this year, five were decided by one goal and there were 22 combined power play goals (IDH 14, AK 8). The former WCHL foes have hooked up twice in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, with the Steelheads winning both series (2004 & 2007) and eventually hoisting the Kelly Cup in both those campaigns. Last year in the National Conference Finals, the Steelheads took the best-of-seven, four games to one, while out-scoring the Aces 16-11. In 2004, the Steelheads downed the Aces in four games to take the best-of-five West Division Finals.

STEELHEADS¡¦ REGULAR SEASON LEADERS:

„« Goals: Taggart Desmet (29)

„« Assists: Marty Flichel (48)

„« Points: Lance Galbraith & Marty Flichel (67)

„« +/-: Blake Forsyth (+25)

„« PIM: Lance Galbraith (282)

„« Wins: Kellen Briggs (17)

ACES¡¦ REGULAR SEASON LEADERS:

„« Goals: Josh Soares (36)

„« Assists: Peter Metcalf (53)

„« Points: Josh Soares (81)

„« +/-: Derrick Martin (+18)

„« PIM: Peter Metcalf (165)

„« Wins: Derek Gustafson / Chris Beckford-Tseu (12)

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