Steelheads Tame Mavericks in 4-3 Shootout Win

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – The Idaho Steelheads (24-14-6) opened the weekend with their second shootout win of the season, 4-3, taking down the Kansas City Mavericks (17-21-3) on Friday night from Silverstein Eye Centers Arena.

Both sides began with a flurry of scoring in the first period started by the Steelheads. At 2:46, forward A.J. White cut off an attempted clear and slipped a shot from the right circle through the legs of the netminder to take the initial lead before Mavericks forward David Dziurzynski tapped in a one-time shot from the left post to tie the game, 1-1. The Steelheads continued the see-saw with another strike for the 2-1 lead when forward Colby McAuley sniped a shot from low in the left circle into the top-right corner at 10:25 for his first goal with Idaho. However, the lead was short-lived due to two strikes from Mavericks forwards Tad Kozun and Bryan Lemos at 12:54 and 13:25, respectively, to sneak ahead, 3-2.

After a scoreless second period, the Steelheads broke through the deadlock with the final goal of regulation. At 9:40, White and forward Will Merchant fed a pass to defenseman Nolan Gluchowski off the right post for a backdoor tap-in, sending the game to overtime at 3-3 on Gluchowski’s 26th birthday.

Despite no scoring in overtime, Steelheads carried momentum into the shootout, and White netted the lone goal for either side in the opening round to help seal off the 4-3 shootout win.

Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl (18-6-5) stopped 26 of 29 shots in the win and all three shootout attempts. Mavericks netminder Tyler Parsons (8-5-1) denied 39 of 42 shots in the shootout loss as well as one of two in the shootout.

The Steelheads and Mavericks finish their two-game stint on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 6:05 p.m. from Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM “The Ticket” and ECHL.tv.

The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Friday, Jan. 31 at 7:10 p.m. against the Rapid City Rush. The Hockey Starter Pack provides the benefits of the ultimate fan on the time you want! Call the Steelheads Front Office at 208-383-0080 to inquire about getting your pack as well as planning your next outing with single-game tickets, flex plans and season tickets. Stay connected to the Steelheads on idahosteelheads.com or by following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.