The Idaho captain played in his 437th game, setting a new franchise record.
The Idaho Steelheads outdueled the Tulsa Oilers 6-4 Wednesday night in front of 5,235 fans at the Idaho Central Arena. It was the 44th consecutive regular-season sellout for Idaho.
The game was significant for Steelheads captain A.J. White, as he became the club’s all-time games played leader at 437, passing Marty Flichel. He picked up a goal in the process, giving him three in his last six games.
The first period saw five goals between the two teams. Michael Farren roofed a shot on a breakaway just 28 seconds into the game to give Tulsa a 1-0 lead.
The Steelheads scored two quick goals in the span of 3:36. Matt Register scored against his former team to tie the game at 13:35 on a Jade Miller deflection. C.J. Walker then gave the Steelheads the lead with a shot a few feet above the crease after Hank Crone spun the puck to the high slot from the right corner.
Alec Butcher would then tie the game 2-2 for the Oilers on a tip-in from an Olivier Dame-Malka shot in front of the cage with 73 seconds left in the period.
Each team scored twice in the middle frame for a 4-4 deadlock heading into the third. Idaho converted on their only power-play chance of the game as Patrick Kudla snapped a shot from the right circle and located his own rebound for a 3-2 Steelheads lead.
Mike McKee tied it for the Oilers at 3-3 2:24 later after being set up by Solag Bakich and Ruslan Gazizov.
Austin Albrecht gave Tulsa the lead 24 seconds shy of the midway point in the period for his sixth goal of the season.
White redirected a Brendan Hoffmann shot
from the right circle to tie the game 4-4 with 6:54 left in the second period.
After killing a five-minute major penalty early into the third period, the Steelheads took the lead for good 39 seconds later when Ty Pelton-Byce tipped in a Trevor Zins shot in the high slot.
Idaho’s final tally came over a minute later after Reece Harsch fired a shot from the point for a 6-4 lead, which would hold up for the final score.
Bryan Thomson picked up the win in net for the Steelheads, stopping 34 of 38 shots. He has made 30 or more saves in seven of 10 games this season. Vyacheslave Buteyets suffered the loss, making 36 saves on 42 shots.
Idaho has recorded 40 or more shots in five of their last six games.
The Steelheads went 1-for-3 on the power-play, while Tulsa was unsuccessful in all three of its opportunities.
The Steelheads improve to 12-9-1-0 for 25 points, while Tulsa drops to 12-8-1-0 and 24 points. The two teams will face off again Friday and Saturday.