To view Chad Nehring's live interview shortly after scoring the game-winning goal, click the video link above...
(Boise, ID) - Chad Nehring's third-period goal capped the scoring in a wild third period and Jerry Kuhn made a one-goal lead stand up with several late saves as the Idaho Steelheads edged the Las Vegas Wranglers, 4-3, in Game 3 of their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series in Boise.
Las Vegas still leads the series, two games to one, with Game 4 coming up on Saturday night at CenturyLink Arena in Boise. Tickets are available online at www.idahosteelheads.com.
Five of Idaho's eight playoff games have been decided by one goal after a regular season that saw 41 of the team's 72 contests end with a one-goal difference.
The Steelheads netted the only goal of the first period on the power play when Aaron Lewicki finished a nice passing sequence from Derek LeBlanc to Jacob Cepis and then Cepis from the goal line below the right circle to Lewicki at the bottom of the left circle. Lewicki stuck home his fourth of the playoffs as Cepis extended his postseason point streak to a career-best seven games.
The lead grew to two at 10:01 of the second period when Joe Pereira scored on a scramble in front of the net. His third of the playoffs, assisted by Ron Meyers and Steven Tarasuk, gave Idaho a 2-0 lead. Las Vegas struck back quickly, though. First, it was Peter MacArthur from below the goal line, banking a puck off the back of Jerry Kuhn's leg at 11:48 to get the Wranglers back to within a goal at 2-1. Then, with time winding down in the second, Josh Lunden came up with a pretty redirection of a point shot past Kuhn at 19:11 to even the game at two.
Las Vegas took the lead early in the third period on a broken play. Kuhn made an initial save, but was knocked back into his own net by a teammate. In the ensuing scramble, Wrangler defenseman Jeff May got his blade on the puck and floated it into the net before Kuhn could get back up, giving Las Vegas a 3-2 lead at 5:16 of the third.
The Steelheads would answer quickly, though. Chad Nehring held the puck behind the Las Vegas net thirty seconds later. He worked out into the right-hand circle before getting a shot off on Mitch O'Keefe. O'Keefe made the save but Cody Purves stayed with the loose puck in the crease, eventually jamming it under O'Keefe's leg pad at 5:57 for his fourth of the playoffs to tie the game at 3-3.
Two minutes later, the Steelheads broke the tie with another goal-mouth scramble. The puck came to the post on the left-hand side of the ice, where O'Keefe tried to keep his pad firmly against the post so Idaho couldn't get it home. Nehring and Ian Lowe each took whacks at the puck and the goal light came on. Referee Frederic LeBlanc signaled nothing as the Steelheads celebrated. LeBlanc conferred with his linesman and the goal judge behind the net who turned the light on before signaling the play as a goal, credited to Nehring, giving Idaho a 4-3 lead at the 8:09 mark of the third.
The Steelheads had to withstand a late flurry from the Wranglers, including a couple of difficult shots through traffic turned aside by Kuhn and a last-second scramble in front of the net, in order to secure the victory.
Kuhn got the victory, stopping 34 of 37 shots for Idaho. Mitch O'Keefe took the loss for Las Vegas, allowing four goals on 45 shots as the Steelheads out-shot the Wranglers for the first time in the series.
Each team scored on the power play as well, with Idaho going 2-4 with the man advantage and Las Vegas going 1-2.
Idaho will host home games in the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday, April 19th, Saturday, April 21st, and Sunday, April 22nd, at CenturyLink Arena in Boise. Tickets for Game 3 and 4 are on sale now at the CenturyLink Arena box office or online at www.idahosteelheads.com.
COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME - Chad Nehring
AQUA FINA "3 STARS" -
(1) Chad Nehring (ID)
(2) Cody Purves (ID)
(3) Jerry Kuhn (ID)
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