Knight Monsters put together scary good performance in Halloween win over Idaho
STATELINE, Nev. – The Tahoe Knight Monsters took down the Idaho Steelheads 3-1 in game one of a three-game set at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. Bear Hughes, Sloan Stanick, and Luke Adam all scored, and netminder Jesper Vikman made 21 of 22 saves to stall the red-hot Steelheads.
It was Hughes who started the scoring halfway into the first period on a deflection off a shot from defender Elijah Vilio. The Knight Monsters have scored first in each of their first three games this season. Vikman was sharp in the first as well, stopping all eight shots he saw.
Early in the second the Steelheads notched the equalizer on a one-time blast from Mark Olver. The play was created by Hank Crone, who skated past multiple defenders into the offensive zone, curled around the net, and found Olver wide open closing on the weak side.
But ten minutes later, Tahoe took over.
They scored two goals in 18 seconds, with Stanick potting home a rebound off a slot shot from Brennan Kapcheck and then Luke Adam rifling a backdoor pass from Troy Loggins in transition just seconds later.
Stanick’s mark was his first in his pro hockey career, and Adam’s was his first in the ECHL and first in the United States since the 2015-16 season. Tahoe’s second line of Hughes, Stanick, and Simon Pinard accounted for two goals and 10 total shots, and was the consistent driver of play throughout the entire game.
Idaho outshot Tahoe 8-5 in the third period, but the Knight Monsters were able to limit high-danger scoring chances throughout the frame. The key moment was an excellent Tahoe penalty kill with 12 minutes to go, effectively ending Idaho’s chances of mounting a comeback.
Tahoe went 3-3 on the penalty kill in the game, shutting down the second-best power play unit in the ECHL when they needed to the most.
Tahoe continues their series with Idaho on Friday, November, 1, at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm. Ticket packages for the 2024-25 season are now available. For more information, visit http://www.knightmonstershockey.com.
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