BOISE, Idaho — The ECHL Mountain Division Finals shift to the City of Trees this week as the Idaho Steelheads play host to the Kansas City Mavericks for three games.
Idaho rallied back from a 2-1 deficit with a pair of goals from Keaton Mastrodonato and Ty Pelton-Byce in the final frame to claim a 3-2 win and even the series Sunday on the road. In the opener the day prior, Kansas City sealed a 4-2 victory after jumping out to a 4-0 lead.
Game 3 gets underway at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday at Idaho Central Arena. The Steelheads' come-from-behind effort in Missouri to knot the best-of-seven series gives them home-ice advantage and an opportunity to advance before hitting the road again.
All home games during the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs, including the next three matchups with Kansas City, will be broadcast on Idaho's Very Own 24/7 in the Boise and Twin Falls markets through KTVB Channel 7's partnership with the Idaho Steelheads.
Idaho's Very Own 24/7 is available free over the air on channel 7.2 or 7-2 depending on your TV brand. It is also available on Sparklight Cable on channel 13 and Cox Cable on channel 128.
RELATED: How to watch Idaho's Very Own 24/7
Knocking off Kansas City is a tall task for Idaho head coach Everett Sheen's group, which owns plenty of experience from last year's run to the Kelly Cup Finals. The Mavericks claimed the Brabham Cup as the regular season champions and totaled the fourth-most wins (54) and points (114) in league history.
Idaho was 2-3-1-0 in the regular season against Kansas City, a squad with 10 players under AHL contracts with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The Steelheads got a rooster boost prior to the series as defenseman Dawson Barteaux was assigned to Idaho from the AHL's Manitoba Moose.
Bryan Thomson made 27 saves on 29 shots for Idaho in its Game 2 win, while Mastrodoanto and Jordan Kawaguch each collected a goal and an assist. Pelton-Byce and Wade Murphy have points in each of the past four games.
The Mavericks are led by All-ECHL first team forward Patrick Curry, who set a franchise record for a single season with 39 goals. David Cotton and Jacob Hayhurst each scored two goals in Kansas City's Game 1 victory, and Cotton found the net again in Game 2.
In the Mountain Division Semifinals, Idaho defeated the Allen Americans 4-1 and Kansas City swept the Tulsa Oilers. This is the Mavericks second appearance ever in the second round and first since the 2015-2016 season. The Steelheads have now reached this point 13 times during the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs.
Click here for information on purchasing tickets, which are on sale now for all three games this week in downtown Boise. The remaining schedule for the Mountain Division Finals is included below.
- Game 3 vs. Kansas City – 7:10 p.m. Wednesday, May 8
- Game 4 vs. Kanas City – 7:10 p.m. Friday, May 10
- Game 5 vs. Kansas City – 3:10 p.m. Saturday, May 11
- Game 6 at Kansas City – 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14 (if necessary)*
- Game 7 at Kansas City – 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 15 (if necessary)*
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