(Las Vegas, NV)

Idaho (3-7-1) gained one point in the standings with the shootout and took five of eight possible points in the four-game stretch against the Pacific Division-leading Wranglers.

Neither team scored in a sloppy first period, but Idaho got two quick tallies early in the second. First, it was David Fredriksson on the power play with a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle past Joe Fallon at 3:08 of the second to give Idaho a 1-0 lead. Kael Mouillierat and Matt Cowie assisted on Fredriksson’s second of the year as Fredriksson now has a six-game point streak for Idaho.

Just nineteen seconds later, Idaho struck again on a scramble off of a Wrangler turnover. This time, it was Derek LeBlanc notching his first goal as a Steelhead from the slot, giving Idaho a 2-0 lead.

Las Vegas cut into the lead late in the second on the power play as Adam Miller scored his sixth of the season and the Wranglers would tie the game with just under six minutes left in regulation time when Eric Lampe found a loose puck on his stick during a scramble around the Idaho cage. Lampe’s 13th tied the game and sent it to overtime.

Kuhn had to come up big in overtime, making a pair of tremendous saves in the final minute of the overtime session to keep the game tied. First, he stonewalled Peter MacArthur from point-blank range and then, moments later, he got a leg pad on a shot from the near circle to send the game to a shootout.

Francis scored first in the shootout and then Fallon turned aside all five Idaho shooters, allowing Las Vegas (6-4-2) to earn the second point for the victory.

Kuhn stopped 37 of 39 shots along with three out of four shooters in the shootout for Idaho. Fallon made 25 saves on 27 shots and stopped all five shooters in the shootout.

Idaho was 1-3 on the power play, while Las Vegas went 1-4 on the man advantage.

The Steelheads travel to Bakersfield on Thursday to face the Condors, the first of three games in three nights between the two teams. Games Thursday, Friday, and Saturday all begin at 8 PM (Mtn) and can be heard live on KTIK (1350 AM) in the Treasure Valley.

Idaho returns home Friday, November 18, to host the defending Kelly Cup champion Alaska Aces. Tickets are available by calling the CenturyLink Arena box office (208.331.TIXS) or by logging on to www.idahosteelheads.com.

(Boise, ID)

Idaho (3-7) still took four of the six points possible on the weekend set while Las Vegas (5-4-2) escapes town with three points in the standings.

The Steelheads got on the board first in the opening frame when David Fredriksson carried the puck up the right-hand side of the ice. From just outside the circle, he snapped a wrister that beat Las Vegas goaltender Joe Fallon. Fredriksson’s first North American professional goal was assisted by Ondrej Roman and gave Idaho a 1-0 lead at 12:25 of the first. Fredriksson now has points in each of Idaho’s past five contests.

Las Vegas would even the game less than 90 seconds later when Adam Huxley tipped a Ned Lukacevic shot past Jimmy Spratt to tie the score.

Idaho took the lead in the second period when Michael Neal carried the puck from the trapezoid behind the Las Vegas net toward the slot on the right-hand side of the ice. Neal then feathered a nice pass to Ian Lowe, who was uncovered on the back post for the easy, slam-dunk tally. Lowe’s fifth of the year gave the Steelheads a 2-1 lead that would hold deep into the second period.

That’s when Las Vegas did its damage. Judd Blackwater, Peter MacArthur, and Scott Campbell each found the back of the net in a span of 4:31, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead with a minute and a half left in the second frame.

Idaho was unable to cut into the Wrangler lead in the third, with Las Vegas adding an empty-net score with 14 seconds left to set the final margin of 5-2.

Fallon stopped 20 of 22 Idaho shots in the win for Las Vegas. Jimmy Spratt stopped 27 of 31 in net for Idaho. The Wranglers power play went 2-7 on the night, while Idaho was 0-2 on the man advantage.

Idaho and Las Vegas will play again on Tuesday night in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena.

The Steelheads return home November 18-19 to host the defending Kelly Cup champion Alaska Aces. Tickets are available by calling the CenturyLink Arena box office (208.331.TIXS) or by logging on to www.idahosteelheads.com.

COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME – David Fredriksson

AQUA FINA “3 STARS”
(1) Judd Blackwater (LV)
(2) David Fredriksson (ID)
(3) Scott Campbell (LV)

(Boise, ID)

Mouillierat’s fifth of the season, also assisted by Hubert Labrie, gave Idaho (3-6) the win on the first ACHD Commuteride “Rat Pack” Night at Boise’s CenturyLink Arena, a promotion named after Mouillierat.

The Steelheads found themselves down 2-0 midway through the second period after Eric Lampe and Adam Miller scored for Las Vegas. Then, at 12:27 of the second period, Idaho got a power-play goal when Ondrej Roman’s shot from the slot trickled through Fallon’s legs. Before he could cover it up, rookie Ian Lowe darted in to stuff home the loose puck, making it 2-1.

That score would hold into the third period. Just over seven minutes into the final frame, David Fredriksson fed the puck to rookie defenseman Hubert Labrie inside the blue line on the left-hand side of the ice. Labrie settled the puck down, paused to allow a shooting lane to open, and then blistered a shot past Fallon to tie the game at two. It was Labrie’s first professional goal.

Both Fallon and Idaho goaltender Jimmy Spratt made a couple of big saves as regulation wound down to send the game to overtime. But the biggest save of the night came in overtime from Spratt. With Las Vegas pressuring the Idaho zone, one of the Wrangler skaters found himself alone just inside the right-hand circle on the near side of the ice. The shot appeared to be headed for the back of the net, but Spratt lunged out to make a stunning glove save to keep the game tied.

Then, about a minute later, Labrie chased down a puck along the far wing and carried it into the Wrangler zone. He dished the puck to Klassen near the goal line and Klassen astutely found a streaking Mouillierat crashing the net. Klassen’s pass landed on Mouillierat’s tape and, on a night with a promotion named after him, Mouillierat beat Fallon for the OT winner at 2:39 of the extra session.

Spratt finished with 30 saves on 32 shots in the win. Fallon was the tough-luck loser despite stopping 41 of 44 Idaho shots. Idaho went 1-4 on the power play while Las Vegas was 0-4 with the extra attacker.

The same two teams meet again Saturday night at CenturyLink Arena in Boise. Tickets are available by calling the CenturyLink Arena box office (208.331.TIXS) or by logging on to www.idahosteelheads.com.

COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME – Hubert Labrie

AQUA FINA “3 STARS”
(1) Ian Lowe (ID)
(2) Hubert Labrie (ID)
(3) Kael Mouillierat (ID)

(Anchorage, AK)

Idaho falls to 1-3 on the season, while Alaska improves to 4-0.

For the second consecutive night, Alaska buzzed Idaho from the get-go with heavy offensive pressure. Goaltender Jimmy Spratt kept the Aces at bay for more than half the period before Dan Kissel finally snapped a bullet over his shoulder at 12:40 of the first period to make it 1-0 Aces. Alaska outshot Idaho, 15-3, in the first frame one night after outshooting Idaho 18-3 in the first period.

The Steelheads straightened things out in the second period and produced numerous scoring chances. A Kory Scoran blast from just inside the blue line pinged off the goalpost midway through the period just moments before Ian Lowe ripped a shot over Gerald Coleman’s shoulder – but also found iron instead of twine. The two posts kept Idaho down a goal going into the third period.

Idaho would hit a third post in the third period – again by Lowe – as the Steelheads tried to even the game up. However, with 8:35 left in regulation, Alaska caught another break when Idaho defenseman Steve Oleksy lost his stick in a battle for a loose puck in the right corner with Aces forward Nick Mazzolini. With Oleksy without a twig, Mazzolini gathered the puck, moved down the goal line, and slid the puck past the stickless Oleksy to Matt Ambroz. Ambroz was able to lift the puck over the shoulder of Spratt and into the net to make it 2-0.

The Steelheads finally got a fortunate bounce in the third period on the power play as Kael Mouillierat threaded the puck through traffic near the Alaska crease. The puck took a bounce and seemed headed out of harm’s way when Chad Klassen swooped in and slammed the puck past Coleman into the net, making it 2-1 Aces. Klassen’s first of the season extended his point streak to four games. Mouillierat, with the assist, also extended his point streak to four straight contests.

Alaska was able to fend off Idaho’s efforts to tie the game as Coleman came up with a couple nice saves. He finished the night with 25 saves on 26 shots. Idaho’s Jimmy Spratt was solid in defeat, turning aside 32 of 34 Alaska attempts.

Idaho’s power play went one for five on the night, while Alaska came up empty on two power-play chances.

Idaho wraps up it’s three-game set with the Aces on Saturday. Game time is 9:15 (Mtn) and can be heard on KTIK (1350 AM) in the Treasure Valley. The Steelheads don’t return home until November 2 against Las Vegas.

COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME – Chad Klassen

AQUA FINA “3 STARS”
(1) Matt Ambroz (AK)
(2) Dan Kissel(AK)
(3) Gerald Coleman (AK)

The game was played in front of 3,523 fans at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.

The game got off to a rough start for Idaho as Alaska tallied twice in the first 2:15 of action off of two defensive-zone turnovers. Idaho head coach Hardy Sauter pulled starting goaltender Steve Christie following the second goal, inserting Jimmy Spratt. Alaska connected again at 8:41 of the first, taking a 3-0 lead into the first intermission after a strong period of play.

Idaho started to even things out in the second period. Tristan King got Idaho (1-2) on the scoreboard at 5:17 of the second, picking up a loose puck near the blue line. The second-year pro made a nice move to evade an Aces defender and then beat Alaska goaltender Gerald Coleman with some nice stick work, dragging the backhand to his forehand for his first goal of the season. The unassisted tally got Idaho within two at 3-1.

The Steelheads inched closer in the third on a two-man advantage when Ian Lowe scored off a scramble in front of the net. His second of the season was assisted by Kael Mouillierat and Marty Flichel, giving each a point in each of Idaho’s three games so far this season.

Idaho appeared to tie the game with just under eight minutes left in regulation on a power-play blast by Matt Case, but referee TJ Luxmore disallowed the goal, saying Idaho forward David Fredriksson made contact with goaltender Gerald Coleman prior to the goal.

Alaska (3-0) got a big insurance goal just a couple of minutes later, when Dan Kissel snapped the puck over the glove of Spratt to make it 4-2 with less than five minutes to play.

Spratt made 33 saves on 35 shots in relief of Christie, but takes the tough-luck loss. Coleman turned aside 16 of 18 Idaho shots in the win. For the night, the Aces outshot Idaho, 39-18. Idaho’s power play was 1-3, while Alaska came up empty on six power-play chances.

Idaho has two more in Alaska on Friday and Saturday. Game time each night is 9:15 (Mtn) and can be heard on KTIK (1350 AM) in the Treasure Valley. The Steelheads don’t return home until November 2 against Las Vegas.

COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME – Tristan King

AQUA FINA “3 STARS”
(1) Tyler Ruegsegger (AK)
(2) Garry Nunn (AK)
(3) Jimmy Spratt (ID)

(West Valley City, UT)

Utah’s lone power-play tally came in the first period when John Armstrong pushed the puck past Spratt after Nick Tuzzolino’s shot was stopped. That score held through one period.

Utah started the second period on the power play due to an Adam Huxley roughing penalty at the 20-minute mark of the first period, but that didn’t deter Idaho. Chad Klassen fed the puck to Kael Mouillierat who skated the puck up the right side. He threw on the brakes near the top of the circle and unleashed a slap shot that beat Utah netminder Andrew Engelage to tie the game at one. The short-handed tally came at the 54-second mark of the second frame.

Idaho would add two more in the second frame. The first came off the stick of veteran Kory Scoran, blasting one home from the blue line off an offensive-zone draw. Michael Neal got the assist on Scoran’s first of the season. Then, midway through the second, Idaho got a break when Engelage turned the puck over behind his own net. The puck came out front to Ian Lowe who, with Engelage trapped behind his cage, had an easy tap-in goal to give Idaho a 3-1 lead through two periods.

Marty Flichel, the all-time leading scorer in the history of the team, gave Idaho an insurance goal on the power-play early in the third with his signature right-handed slap shot from just inside the blue line. The rip beat Engelage cleanly to make it 4-1 Idaho.

The Steelheads had to kill off three Utah power plays in the final frame to protect the lead, but were able to do so. Idaho finished the game 2-7 on the man advantage, Utah was 1-11.

The two teams will travel to Boise Friday night before playing again Saturday at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, the home-opener for the Steelheads.

COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME – Marty Flichel

AQUA FINA “3 STARS” -
(1) Marty Flichel (ID)
(2) Ian Lowe (ID)
(3) John Armstrong (UT)

The Stars will be one of eight clubs participating.  Four other Western Conference teams will also send prospects: the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues.

I’ll be excited to track the progress of Scott Glennie and Jack Campbell, both of whom participated in last year’s tournament.  Defensemen Brenden Dillon and Jamie Oleksiak will also bear watching, as the competition in this tournament should be up there with some of the best they’ve faced thus far in their careers.

You can download the full roster here: Traverse City Roster

Read below for the full Stars’ press release:

***

Frisco, Tex. – The Dallas Stars will be one of eight NHL clubs to participate in the annual NHL Prospects Tournament and rookie camp at the Center Ice Arena in Traverse City, Michigan, from Sept. 10-14.

The tournament runs from Saturday, Sept. 10 through Wednesday, Sept. 14. In addition to the Stars, the tournament features rookie squads from the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, and St. Louis Blues. Practice sessions and tournament games will be held on the Center Ice Arena’s two sheets of ice – David’s Rink and Huntington Rink.

Dallas’ squad for this tournament features 22 players, including 10 who were selected by the club via NHL Entry Draft. The Stars roster is highlighted by Jamie Oleksiak, Dallas’ first-round selection (14th overall) at this year’s Draft; goaltender Jack Campbell, who won the best goalkeeper award at this year’s World Junior Championships, posting a 4-1-1 record with a 1.70 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .941 save percentage (SV%); forward Scott Glennie, Dallas’ 2009 first-round pick (eighth overall); and former Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Brenden Dillon. The Stars won the tournament in 2008, which featured a strong performance by Jamie Benn (five goals).

The Stars rookies will be coached in Traverse City by Jeff Pyle, recently named head coach of the AHL Texas Stars, Dallas’ development affiliate. Jeff Truitt, Texas Stars assistant coach, will also be on Dallas’ rookie camp coaching staff. Dallas General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk is scheduled to be in attendance for the tournament along with Director of Player Personnel Les Jackson and the club’s scouting staff.

Dallas’ schedule for the Traverse City tournament is as follows (all times Central):
Date                                 Event                                   Time (Rink)

Sept. 10                            Practice                                   9:30 a.m. (Huntington Rink)

                            vs. Carolina Hurricanes              7:30 p.m. (Huntington Rink)

Sept. 11                            Practice                                   10:00 a.m. (David’s Rink)

                             vs. NY Rangers                              6:00 p.m. (David’s Rink)

Sept. 12                            Practice                                     1:45 p.m. (Huntington Rink)

Sept. 13                            Practice                                     8:30 a.m. (David’s Rink)

                             vs. St. Louis Blues                         3:00 p.m. (David’s Rink)

Sept. 14                       Seventh-Place Game              3:00 p.m. (David’s Rink)

                            Fifth-Place Game                         3:30 p.m. (Huntington Rink)

                            Third-Place Game                        7:00 p.m. (Huntington Rink)

                             Championship Game                  6:30 p.m. (Huntington Rink)

***

(Boise, ID) – Head coach and director of hockey operations Hardy Sauter announced Thursday that the Idaho Steelheads have agreed to terms with three players, bringing the team’s training-camp roster to ten.

Defenseman Cam Ritchie, forward/defenseman Ryan Rorabeck, and goaltender Jimmy Spratt have each agreed to terms and will attend training camp in Boise in October.

Spratt has played for three ECHL teams since turning professional in 2009. The Bowling Green State (OH) product has had two stints with the Toledo Walleye and also appeared in six games for the Victoria Salmon Kings last season. His best stretch came during the 2009-2010 season with the Las Vegas Wranglers. Spratt appeared in 14 games with Las Vegas, going 8-3-2 with a .913 save percentage and 2.92 goals-against average. The Chesterfield, MI, resident was a 7th-round draft pick of the NHL’s Calgary Flames in 2004.

Ritchie also skated for the Salmon Kings last season after wrapping up his college eligibility at Princeton. He had two goals and two assists in nine games with Victoria, his first professional experience. The 24-year-old blue-liner had five goals and 26 assists in his four seasons at Princeton, including a career-best 12 points last season as a senior. He was a college teammate of former Steelhead Brandan Kushniruk and, like Kushniruk, majored in engineering at the prestigious Ivy League school.

Rorabeck, 26, comes to the Steelheads from St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he was a member of the 2010 CIS national championship team. The versatile Rorabeck can play either forward or defense, scoring 48 points in a season during his junior hockey career for Toronto of the Ontario Hockey League before transitioning to defense at St. Mary’s. Rorabeck was selected in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes.

The addition of this trio gives Sauter ten players on his training-camp roster. Spratt, Ritchie, and Rorabeck join forwards Cody Purves, Eric Rex, Tyson Hobbins, and Chad Nehring as well as defensemen Matt Case, Chris Hepp, and Matt Cowie.

Steelhead Season-Ticket Holders get six games FREE when they sign up for full-season packages. Plans for all 36 home games start at just $275 per seat. Partial-season plans are also available. Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 or log on to www.idahosteelheads.com for more information.

On Wednesday, the Idaho Steelheads made forward Cody Purves the first player re-signed for the 2011-12 season (Photo Credit: Allen Picard/Idaho Steelheads)

The Idaho Steelheads announced the signing of forward Cody Purves on Wednesday.  Last season was Purves’ first with the Steelheads, and he was named the team’s Most Improved Player.

“I’m excited to be coming back,” the Hudson Bay, SK, native said. “I enjoy the city of Boise and I want to help bring another winner to the fans.”

Purves (pronounced PUR-vess) scored 23 points for the Steelies last season (8G, 15A) in 68 games played.

“You don’t necessarily grade Cody solely on his points,” head coach and director of hockey operations Hardy Sauter said. “Championships are built on the backs of players who do the little things, going to the corners, forechecking hard, skating hard every shift, and Cody brings those elements to our team.”

Purves is the first player to officially agree to terms with the team for the upcoming season. Seven players have received qualifying contract offers from the Steelheads – Dustin Friesen, Cody Lampl, Chris Hepp, Matt Case, Steve Oleksy, Kael Mouillierat, and Geoff Irwin.

Although the team has said the schedule is released, I haven’t been able to find a full version of it anywhere quite yet.  But, there are quite a few highlights in the press release, giving fans at least a hint of it.

Here is Idaho’s press release:

***

(Boise, ID) – For the first time since 2006, the Idaho Steelheads will open the regular season on the road as the team kicks off its 15th season at Utah on Friday, October 14.

It is part of the 72-game campaign released by the team on Wednesday.

Idaho’s first home game will come the following night, October 15, at Qwest Arena against the same Grizzlies squad.

Among the highlights of the 36-game home slate for the Steelheads:

• Three visits from the ECHL Kelly Cup champion Alaska Aces – November 18 and 19; December 21, 22, and 23; February 8, 10, and 11.
• One visit from the ECHL’s newest team, the Colorado Eagles, on December 7, 9, and 10.
• A third straight New Year’s Eve game, this time against the Las Vegas Wranglers.
• A St. Patrick’s Day contest – which falls on a Saturday – against the Ontario Reign.
• The regular-season finale, March 31, against the Stockton Thunder.

Twenty-five of the team’s 36 home games will fall on either a Friday or Saturday night.

The Steelheads opened the 2006-2007 season, its tenth-anniversary season, with seven consecutive road games en route to the Kelly Cup championship. The team will open this season with ten of its first 14 away from Boise but will have a seven-game homestand in December and an eight-game homestand bridging February and March.