Americans claim 3-1 win over Steelheads to tie series

ALLEN, Texas – After a flat start in game one on Wednesday night, the defending Kelly Cup Champion Allen Americans bounced back with a 3-1 win over Idaho on Saturday night. The 4,825 fans in attendance were treated to a solid outing from the club, who looked to be back on track at both ends of the ice.

The opening frame was physical, as both teams battled to establish momentum early and the Americans appeared to learn from Wednesday night’s defeat by not overthinking the play. Allen moved the puck well into good scoring areas, pressuring Philippe Desrosiers in the Steelhead’s net far better than they did in game one.

Casey Pierro-Zabotel scores in the second period at 3:31on a PP / Photo by Kimberly Sauer (PHN)

That pressure paid off when Vincent Arseneau powered down the left wing boards, around the Idaho defense and zipped the puck to Gary Steffes who redirected it into the net at 17:54.

Allen extended their lead early in the middle frame, breaking their power play drought after having gone 0-4 in game one, when Casey Pierro-Zabotel chipped the puck over the shoulder of Desrosiers at 3:31.

Rob Linsmayer scores in the second period at 15:33 / Photo by Kimberly Sauer (PHN)

Idaho struggled to keep up with the play, but bounced back midway through the frame, taking the momentum from Allen for the latter half and making good use of it when Rob Linsmayer got one past Riley Gill to cut the Allen lead in half at 15:33.

The Americans settled back down in the third period, showing patience and solid puck control in the attack zone, keeping the Steelheads too busy in their own end to mount a sustained attack. That patience was rewarded when Pierro-Zabotel netted his second of the night at the 7:32 mark to extend the Allen lead to 3-1, where it stayed through the balance of regulation.

The series now shifts to Idaho for the next three games with the two clubs knotted at one game apiece.

Game three takes place on Wednesday night at the CenturyLink Arena; puck drop is set for 7:10PM MDT.

Contact the author at maurice.fitzgerald@prohockeynews.com

Contact the photographer at Kimberly.Sauer@prohockeynews.com