Matchup: Victoria Salmon Kings at Idaho Steelheads. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Game time each night 7 PM at Qwest Arena.
At Stake: Though the team has already sewn up a playoff spot, the West Division title, and the no. 1 seed in the upcoming National Conference playoffs, the Idaho Steelheads are still seeking the best overall record in the ECHL. That would earn the squad the coveted Brabham Cup and home-ice advantage throughout the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs. Meanwhile, Victoria is engaged in a heated battle for playoff positioning.
Under the radar: While teammate Mark Derlago assaults the team’s record book, fellow forward Tyler Spurgeon is quietly having an All-ECHL-caliber season. Despite missing nearly 20 games during a callup to the American Hockey League earlier this season, the 23-year-old Spurgeon is among the ECHL leaders in plus/minus rating (2nd, plus-32), points (14th, 61), and goals (17th, 25). The Edmonton, Alberta, native has been called the best center in the ECHL by others in the National Conference.
The Brabham Cup Champion Idaho Steelheads (47-16-5) won by a 5-1 score over the Victoria Salmon Kings (33-30-6) in front of a sellout crowd of 5,300 at Qwest Arena Saturday night. Mark Derlago registered an assist in the win, giving him 88 points on the season; a total that makes him the record holder for most points in a single season by a Steelhead in the ECHL era, which began with the 2003-04 season. His 88 points passes the 87 points posted by Marty Flichel in the 2006-07 campaign.
Mark McCutcheon banged home a Brendan Milnamow point shot for his 14th goal at 8:43 of the first period to give Idaho a 1-0 lead. Also assisting on the goal was Marty Flichel.
Dirk Southern tied the game for Victoria at 15:05 of the opening frame as he cut to the left post and tapped home a Wes Goldie cross-ice pass to beat Idaho’s Richard Bachman.
Just 1:40 later, with Idaho shorthanded, John Swanson and Evan Barlow streaked up the ice on a two-on-one. Swanson placed a pass to Barlow on the left side, and Barlow fired the puck into the net behind Victoria’s Glenn Fisher for the shorthanded goal; his 31st tally of the season.
Kael Mouillierat scored the only goal of the second period when he took a pass off the boards from Brett Blatchford, moved up the left wing, deked a defenseman, and wrapped the puck around the goal before sliding it between the near post and the skate of Fisher in the Victoria net. The goal was the second for Mouillierat, and was also assisted by Kevin DeVergilio.
The third period saw the Steelheads tack on two more goals. John Swanson snapped one short side on Fisher from the left circle at 2:12 to give Idaho a 1-0 lead. The goal was Swanson’s 22nd, and was assisted by Mark Derlago. Derlago’s assist gives him 88 points on the season, which is the new Idaho Steelheads single-season record for points in a season in the ECHL era, surpassing Flichel’s 87 points in the 2006-07 season.
With the Steelheads on the power play at 15:22, Brandan Kushniruk tipped home a Brendan Milnamow point shot for his 11th of the season. Geoff Irwin also assisted, tallying his first professional point. The goal made the score 5-1, which is how it would end.
Richard Bachman stopped 23 of 24 Victoria shots and improved to 21-7-3 after allowing just a single goal for the second straight start. Glenn Fisher suffered the loss for Victoria, as he stopped 30 of 35 shots and fell to 11-11-0.
The Steelheads finish the regular season with four road games; two in Alaska on Tuesday and Wednesday, and two in Bakersfield on Friday and Saturday. Idaho begins the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs at home on April 16th and 17th.