Two goals by John Lammers helped the Steelheads to a 4-1 victory over the Dayton Bombers in Game Five, as they claimed the 2007 Kelly Cup Championship from the Nutter Center on Thursday night.
By virtue of their four-games-to-one series win, the Steelheads (16-6) have their second Kelly Cup in just four seasons, becoming the fourth team to win multiple ECHL crowns in the league’s 19 seasons. Steve Silverthorn, who made 33 saves in the decisive game, was voted Kelly Cup Finals MVP, as he led the league with 16 postseason wins.
Lammers gave the Steelheads a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission, notching his sixth goal of the playoffs at the 15:26 mark. With a delayed penalty call coming up to the Bombers (12-10), the Steelheads cycled the puck in the offensive zone allowing Taggart Desmet to center the puck, which caromed off Scott Burt and free to Lammers at the left circles. The rookie from the Western Hockey League used a quick release to sneak the puck past Bombers’ goaltender Adam Berkhoel’s (11 saves) on his blocker side.
The Bombers mustered 14 shots in the first period, which ties for the most shots they’ve posted in a stanza this series, while the Steelheads posted five shots.
Early in the second period, Greg Rallo put the Steelheads in front 2-1, as he gathered a rebound off Lars Helminen’s right wing shot and poked the puck past a sprawled out Berkhoel. Lammers registered the second helper on Rallo’s eighth of the playoffs in just 14 games. That marker turned out to be the game-winner, Rallo’s second of the series and fourth of the postseason.
With just 1:10 left in the stanza the Bombers got on the board via Tim Konsorada’s fourth of the postseason. After Brad Farynuk held the puck in at the left point, Paul Kelly fed Konsorada in the slot and from point blank range; he fired his chance over the crossbar. However the puck bounced off the glass and kicked back into the Steelheads’ slot, where Konsorada flipped the disc over Silverthorn.
In the third period, the Steelheads added two goals for some breathing room. At 10:50, Lance Galbraith picked up his 11th of the playoffs, an unassisted tally. Lammers tallied his second of the night at 15:51 to essentially ice the series, with B.J. Crombeen getting the only helper.
The final shots favored the Bombers 34-15, while neither team converted on the power play.
For information on the Steelheads’ 2007-2008 campaign, check out www.idahosteelheads.com