Steelheads pull away from Stingrays for eighth straight win

BOISE, ID – The Idaho Steelheads (36-17-7) came out of a wild and physical game with a 4-1 win over the South Carolina Stingrays (43-13-4) on Friday night from CenturyLink Arena in front of 5,042 fans, the 19th sellout of the season.

For the first time in four games, the Stingrays solved Steelheads netminder Thomas Sholl and struck first. At 10:53, an odd-man rush led defenseman Jesse Lees for an open backhanded shot underneath the cross bar for their first goal against the Steelheads since 2013 and a 1-0 lead. However, the Steelheads power play remained hot with a tally of their own to tie the game, 1-1, on a rebound shot from the right circle by Steelheads forward and former Stingray Jonathan Charbonneau at 17:32.

The Steelheads continued their offensive run in the second period with two goals in the back half of the frame. At 11:51, Steelheads forward A.J. White deflected a centering pass from forward Will Merchant in the right corner for a top shelf tally and the difference-maker, 2-1. Merchant and White then set up forward Brett Supinski at 19:57 for an open dangle to force Stingrays netminder Parker Milner low and open the net near the right post, doubling the lead to 3-1.

On the ensuing faceoff, a line brawl broke out involving 11 different players between both teams and culminated in one ejection. The third period did not see a carry-over of aggression, but the Steelheads did tack on one more sealing goal at 19:17 on an empty net tally thanks to forward Anthony Nellis to take the 4-1 win.