LAS VEGAS, NV- Sudden death overtime. That’s what the Idaho Steelheads ECHL season would come down to Sunday night in Boise. If the Steelheads were able to sneak the puck past Wranglers goaltender Joe Fallon, their season would continue and they would look to upset the Las Vegas Wranglers next Tuesday in Nevada. All the Wranglers had to do was find a way past Idaho keeper Jerry Kuhn and they would find themselves needing to book airfare to Anchorage to play in the Conference Finals versus the always awesome Alaska Aces. Wrangler star forward Eric Lampe made sure that there was no need for a Game six in Nevada.
The game Sunday at the CenturyLink Arena (formerly the Qwest Arena), started off slowly in a great goaltending and defensive battle. It wasn’t until 10:11 into the second period when Steelhead Ron Meyers, from Derek LeBlanc and Steven Tarasuk, was able to find the twine behind Fallon and start the Steelheads do or die game off right.
However, just 7:14 later in the same frame, Wrangler Adam Miller, from Lampe, was able to tie the match up.
The score remained tied until the final buzzer of regulation.
The tied score in playoff competition meant that the two teams would continue to play full overtime periods until one team scored. It had all come down to this for Idaho. Score and continue the run to the Kelly Cup or give up one more goal and hit the golf course earlier than wanted.
It took Lampe only 10:46 into the very first overtime to send the Steelheads packing. With help from Miller and Judd Blackwater, Lampe was able to bury the puck past Kuhn on the Wranglers 53rd shot of the game. This is in contrast to only 35 shots for Idaho throughout the entire match.
Both teams had two chances on the power play, with both coming up empty on their chances. Las Vegas was able to outshoot the Steelheads, including 18-8 in the second period alone.
With the win, Las Vegas advances to their third Conference Final matchup in team history. Previously, the Wranglers advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2007-08, only to lose to the Cincinnati Cyclones. The next season, Las Vegas made it to the Conference Finals, eventually losing to the Alaska Aces.
Idaho finishes a great season with the loss. Finishing the regular season with a 31-32-9 record, good enough for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and a number seven seed, Idaho faced the #2 seed Ontario Reign in the first round of the playoffs.
Ontario, finishing the regular season with a 41-21-8 record, was more than expected to beat Idaho soundly. Idaho split the series with Ontario, winning the series 3-2.
Las Vegas now travels to Anchorage, Alaska to face the red hot Aces. Having earned the #1 seed in the Western Conference, along with the Brabham Cup for regular season champions, the Alaska Aces earned a first round playoff bye. The Aces defeated the very talented Stockton Thunder 4 games to 1 to advance to their fifth Conference Final in nine seasons. The defending ECHL champions, with the highest seed, earned the home ice advantage in the upcoming series.
Do the Wranglers have enough to beat their longtime league rivals, Alaska? Will Alaska be able to defend their Kelly Cup Championship versus the winner of the Eastern Conference Kalamazoo-Florida series? Can the Wranglers advance to their second Kelly Cup Final in their nine season history? There is no way to answer these questions right now, but it will be exciting finding out the answers in the next couple of weeks of entertaining ECHL playoff hockey.
Contact Joel.Hoopaugh@prohockeynews.com
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