Steelheads Drop First of Two Games in Utah

The Idaho Steelheads (12-10-6) fell to the Utah Grizzlies (15-8-4) by a 3-1 score at the Maverik Center, and with the Victory Utah extended its lead atop the Mountain Division to three points over the second-place Alaska Aces and to four points over the third-place Idaho Steelheads. Simon Ferguson scored the game?s first goal at 14:09 of the first period when he sent a wrist shot from the shot into the Idaho net with Utah on the power play. Idaho answered at 13:00 of the second period when defenseman Mike Gabinet?s attempt to dump the puck into the Utah zone sent the puck bouncing off a Grizzlies player and into a net that had been vacated by Utah goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, who was on his way out of the net to play the puck before its direction had been diverted toward the goal. For Gabinet, the unassisted goal was his fourth of the season. Utah regained a one goal lead early in the third period when Ferguson marched up the ice on a two-on-one, fired a shot, and the rebound was tapped into the Idaho goal by Utah?s Kevin Deeth at 2:39 of the final frame. Tom May added the empty netter with eleven seconds remaining to secure Utah?s 3-1 victory. Mike Zacharias stopped 25 of 27 Utah shots; he is now 7-5-3 in net for Idaho. Lamoureux is 8-5-1 for Utah after stopping 23 of 24 Idaho shots in the victory. Idaho and Utah will battle again on Wednesday, December 22nd. Idaho returns to Qwest Arena for a pair of games against the Bakersfield Condors on December 31st and January 1st.