TULSA, Okla. – Rob Linsmayer found a bouncing puck at the side of the Oilers net and slid it past goaltender Kevin Carr with 63 seconds left in regulation to break a 3-3 tie and send the Idaho Steelheads (29-20-6)Â on their way to a 5-3 win over the Tulsa Oilers (28-19-6). The win put Idaho back in sole possession of first place in the West Division and into second place in the Western Conference.
After the Oilers had fought back twice in the third period to tie the game, Tommy Fallen sent a wrist shot towards the Oiler net that ricocheted off of several pairs of legs in front before rolling to the right post. With Carr sliding against the grain, Linsmayer had an open net to bury his 13th of the season and snap an 11-game drought. Jean would slide his 11th of the year into an empty net to seal the 5-3 win.
The Steelheads took a 2-1 lead into the third period, but Tulsa’s Dan DeSalvo drew the Oilers even at 6:20 when his wrist shot on a 2-on-2 rush zipped past Jack Campbell’s glove to tie the game.
Idaho answered right back at 10:52 of the third with a power play goal, a Carson McMillan deflection for his fourth goal in twogames and 15th of the season. That lead was short-lived, with Connor Kucera knotting the score 5:22 later and setting the scene for Linsmayer’s late heroics.
The Steelheads jumped out to a 2-0 lead after twenty minutes of play. Joe Basaraba netted his fourth of the season at 4:14 of the first, while Andrew Carroll’s deflection with 15 seconds to go in the opening period was his eighth of the year. Jiri Fronk got Tulsa on the board with his first of the year at 2:13 of the second to make it a 2-1 game.
Zack Kamrass was a huge contributor for the Steelheads, earning two assists for Idaho. His head-man pass set up Basaraba’s tally, and his point drive deflected by McMillan gave Idaho a temporary 3-2 lead.
Jack Campbell made 30 saves for his 14th win of the season. The Steelheads took the season series against Tulsa, three games to two.
The Steelheads will host the Utah Grizzlies at CenturyLink Arena on Friday night in the first of a two-game weekend set. Idaho leads Utah in the division by two points, but the Grizzlies have two games in hand.
With Idaho Steelheads release