The Allen Americans beat the Idaho Steelheads 5-2 on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, sweeping the two-game series and improving to 2-1-0 on the season.
Five different players scored for Allen. The Americans built a 3-1 lead after the first period and kept Idaho at a distance the rest of the way.
Noel Nordh opened the scoring at 6:10 of the first, assisted by Sam Lipkin and Andre Anania. Idaho's Kale Howarth answered at 9:26, but Lipkin scored at 13:33 and Mathieu De St. Phalle added another at 17:29 to put Allen firmly in control, according to the game box score.
Zackary Shantz extended the lead just 76 seconds into the second period, assisted by Anania. Luke Mistelbacher, assigned to Allen by the Ottawa Senators earlier in the week, added an unassisted goal at 8:49 to make it 5-1.
Idaho's Nick Portz scored at 3:48 of the second for the Steelheads' only other goal. Neither team scored in the third.
Goaltender Jesper Vikman stopped 32 of 34 shots for a 94% save percentage. Allen outshot Idaho 39-34.
The win capped the Boise portion of a four-game road trip that opened Oct. 17 in Tulsa. Allen won game 1 of the Idaho series on Friday, Oct. 23, in overtime behind a hat trick from forward Riley Kidney, according to the Americans' game recap.
Both Kidney and Shantz signed with the Americans in September. Head Coach and General Manager Steve Martinson said at the time that he expected Kidney to be a dominant presence in the lineup, according to the team's signing announcement.
The Americans' penalty kill was perfect through the first two games of the season, with opponents going 0-for-6 on the power play, according to the team's game-day preview.
Forward Miko Matikka left the Oct. 23 game with a lower-body injury after colliding with Idaho goaltender Jake Barczewski, who also left that game injured. The team listed both players' statuses as unknown ahead of game 2.
Allen's home opener is Thursday, Oct. 29, against the Steelheads at Comerica Center in Frisco, with a second game Friday, Oct. 30.
