The Idaho Steelheads had no trouble finding the net on Saturday night, defeating the Allen Americans 5-2 and completing a three-game sweep.
The win, which marks the Steelhead’s fourth straight, is the final contest of the team’s five-game homestand before they travel to South Dakota for a three-game set against the Rapid City Rush starting Wednesday.
Rookie forward Liam Malmquist opened the scoring for the Steelheads midway through the first period, displaying multiple facets of his game in the process. The Edina, Minn. native created a turnover by swiping the puck back into the Steelheads’ possession at the offensive blue line before firing a wrist shot into the back of the net.
Malmquist played for the University of St. Thomas last year, finishing the season in the top 10 in goals among all Division I skaters with 20.
The 25-year-old Malmquist has scored five goals and is tied for second-most points on the team with 10.
“You obviously want to make a good first impression with the team in this league,” Malmquist said, speaking on his strong rookie season and what it means to grow alongside the team. “We have a lot of good young core guys and older guys too, and it feels like it’s just one. I’m very grateful to be a part of it.”
A 2-on-1 goal for Allen with 2:33 left in the second frame evened the score before Jade Miller batted an airborne puck into the net on a power play for his fourth goal of the season, giving the Steelheads a 2-1 lead.
Shortly after, a goal from inside the crease by Sam Jardine on a pass from Brendan Hoffman extended the Steelheads’ lead. Later in the second period, Hoffman, who leads the team in goals with seven, scored one of his own by firing a clean shot through traffic from above the right wing circle, bringing Idaho to a 4-1 lead.
Allen responded late in the second frame with a Kevin Spinozzi goal to cut the Steelheads lead to two.
In the final period, Nick Canade created a turnover and fed the puck to Jade Miller for his second goal of the game. The Steelheads would go on to hold their lead and win the game 5-2.
Miller spoke on his chemistry with Nick Canade, noting it as a catalyst for success.
“Our games complement one another pretty well,” Miller said. “We talk about the same things, we know what each other wants to accomplish, and it’s easy knowing where he is on the ice. It’s just about building chemistry in practice, around the rink, away from the rink, on the ice.”
The victory, which completed the Steelheads’ three-game sweep of the Americans, came after a thrilling overtime win on Friday, Nov. 21.
The two teams traded goals in both the second and third periods after a scoreless first, setting up the deciding extra frame.
Two minutes into OT, Forward Kaleb Pearason rocketed a one-timer into the Allen net to end the night and gave the Steelheads a 3-2 win.
Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Everett Sheen touched on the team’s unwavering mentality this season and their ability to stay poised through close games and tough defeats like their 5-0 loss to the Utah Grizzlies on Oct. 24. Sheen noted the team’s resiliency and hardy approach as strong points of this year’s squad.
“Even in that 5-0 loss, there’s no negativity on the bench,” Sheen said. “It speaks volumes to the character of the guys here. They’re willing to compete to the very last buzzer. The message this year is ‘focus on us and get really good at what we do best.’ I think when we do that, we can compete against any team in the league.”
On Nov. 19, two days before scoring the game-winning goal, Kaleb Pearson was the one to open the scoring in Idaho’s 3-1 victory over Allen, putting his own rebound into the net for an unassisted score. Allen then tied the game in the second period on a Michael Gildon power play goal.
In the third period, Toronto native Franceco Arcuri won a puck-scramble and scored from inside the crease to give the Steelheads a 2-1 lead. With under a minute to play in regulation, the team found insurance when Pearson scored on an empty net from the neutral zone to secure the 3-1 win.
With the sweep over the Allen Americans in the books, the Steelheads, now 10-6-1 and second in the ECHL’s Western Conference, turn their attention to a three-game road series against the Rapid City Rush starting Wednesday, Nov. 26.
The Steelheads have now won four straight and carry significant momentum heading into Rapid City. Facing a 5-8-2 Rush team, Idaho looks to take advantage of their opponent’s slow start to the season and continue offensive production and defensive playmaking before returning to their home ice at Idaho Central Arena against the Trois-Rivières Lions on Dec. 3.
