ALLEN, Texas – It was a mid-week thriller in DFW as the defending Kelly Cup Champion Allen Americans faced down the Idaho Steelheads in game seven of their quarterfinal series.
Allen rebounded after a 7-1 drubbing Saturday night and refocused as a team, battling back from a 3-2 series deficit to win the series in overtime 3-2 on Wednesday night.
After a quiet first period, Idaho opened the scoring again for the fourth game in a row when Kruise Reddick fired one past Riley Gill at 5:45 of the middle frame. Allen wasted no time in answering back as Chad Costello lit the lamp a mere 29 seconds later to bring the game level at 1-1. The Steelheads regained the lead quickly on a goal by Andrew Carroll at the 8:27 mark and the score remained 2-1 through the balance of the period.
Early in the third period, the Americans once again brought the game even on a rocket from the point by David Makowski at 7:06. Try as they might, neither team could get the go ahead goal before time expired and the clubs went to their first overtime of the playoffs.
Tristan King scores the game winning goal at 3:28 in OT to send the Allen Americans into the ECHL Western Conference Semifinals / Photo by Kimberly Sauer (PHN)
In the overtime frame, Allen came out strong, attacking the Steelheads net with a frenzy that had an ominous feel to it for Idaho. Those fears were realized when Tristan King snuck a shot past Philippe Desrosiers to give Allen the 3-2 win and eliminate Idaho from the playoffs.
Allen heads to Missouri where they will begin their semifinal series against the Mavericks on Friday night at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena; the puck drop is scheduled for 7:05PM CDT.
Contact the author at maurice.fitzgerald@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer: Kimberly.Sauer@prohockeynews.com
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