Matchup: Bakersfield Condors at Idaho Steelheads. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 7 PM at Qwest Arena.
One versus two: The matchup represents the top two teams in the ECHL’s National Conference with Idaho leading the race for a first-round bye. Bakersfield is close behind, though, thanks to strong goaltending from Timo Pielmeier and the scoring of Stephane Goulet and Andrew Ianiero. The Condors are trying to hold off Stockton in the Pacific Division race, while Idaho has to keep its eye on Victoria down the stretch in the West Division.
Facing his old team: High-scoring forward Mark Derlago has only gotten two chances to face his former squad so far this season (he played in Bakersfield the past two seasons before coming to Idaho this season) but he made the Condors pay. In two key Idaho wins in Bakersfield, Derlago scored two goals and handed out four assists. For the season, Derlago is among the leading scorers in the entire ECHL.
Five different Idaho Steelheads (38-13-5) scored and Richard Bachman posted his third shutout this ECHL season as the Steelheads bounced back from Wednesday night’s loss to the Bakersfield Condors (31-20-5) and earned a 5-0 victory in front of 4,739 fans at Qwest Arena. The Steelheads have now won four-of-five games; all during the current homestand, which will conclude tomorrow night when Idaho and Bakersfield finish this three-game set.
Kevin Devergilio started the scoring with 20 seconds remaining in the first period when he made a diving effort to slide a rebound underneath a sprawling J.P. LaVasseur in the Bakersfield net. Ashton Rome assisted on DeVergilio’s 14th of the season.
The Steelheads exploded for three second period goals; the first of which came courtesy of Mark Derlago, as he netted his 29th of the season, banging home a rebound. Mark McCutcheon and Tyler Spurgeon picked up the assists. Derlago gave Idaho the 2-0 lead at 7:47, less than three minutes before Idaho’s third tally of the night.
At 10:27, DeVergilio fed John Swanson on the left wing, and Swanson skated into the circle and beat LaVasseur to the short side for his 16th of the season. Cody Lampl also earned an assist on the power play goal.
The game became a 4-0 Idaho lead at 18:41 when Ashton Rome netted his 16th of the season on a similar play, only Rome scooted in alone on the left side and beat LaVasseur upstairs, just as Swanson had earlier. Rome’s goal was assisted by Brendan Milnamow.
Tyler Spurgeon capitalized from point-blank after some tic-tac-toe passing for his 19th of the season at 2:53 of the third period. Derlago and Evan Barlow had the assists.
Richard Bachman stopped all 16 shots that were sent his way for his third shutout this ECHL season, and fourth of his rookie campaign. Bachman had one shutout in the American Hockey League with the Texas Stars earlier this season. Bachman is 16-5-3 after the win. LaVasseur stopped 40 of 45 shots in the loss for Bakersfield; he is now 2-2-0.
The three-game set will wrap-up tomorrow night at Qwest Arena. The puck drops at 7:10 PM between the Steelheads and Condors. After tomorrow night, Idaho heads on the road for a three-game set with the Victoria Salmon Kings.