Steelheads drop late decision in Gwinnett

Duluth, GA (1/26/13) - Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored on the power play with just over a minute left in regulation Saturday night, lifting the Gwinnett Gladiators to a 3-2 win over the Idaho Steelheads in front of 8,041 fans at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. Idaho (26-11-5) wraps up its three-game east-coast swing Sunday afternoon with another game against Gwinnett at 4:05 (Eastern). Neither team scored in the first period as Idaho spent most of the second half of the opening frame on the penalty kill, successfully killing off three Gladiator man-advantages. Gwinnett would take the lead early in the second, though, as Corey Fienhage took a feed from Andy Brandt and blasted a one-timer from the right circle over Josh Robinson's shoulder to make it 1-0. The Steelheads would answer quickly. Bryce Reddick's shot from the left circle was saved by Gwinnett's Louis Domingue, but the rebound rolled right to Idaho's David Toews, who snapped home the rebound goal at 4:25 of the second to even the game at 1-1. The goal was Toews' fifth of the season, third since being acquired by Idaho earlier in January. The tie score was buoyed by an impressive penalty kill for Idaho as the Steelheads successfully killed off a full, two-minute 5-on-3 power play for Gwinnett midway through the frame. Idaho would take the lead early in the third on a power-play goal from Andrew Carroll, who re-directed Austin Fyten's shot past Domingue at 4:53. The assist extended Fyten's point streak to six games. The rookie now has 20 points in his last 13 games for Idaho. Gwinnett tied it up midway through the frame on an Alex Belzille goal, tapping a loose puck across the goal line at 11:43 to make it 2-2. That score would hold through chances on both ends until the final two minutes. Idaho's Patrick Cullity was whistled for slashing at 18:38 of the third, a call contested by the Steelheads. Less than 30 seconds into the Gladiator power play, a long shot through traffic found the back of the net at 18:53, pushing Gwinnett to the win in the first-ever regular season meeting between the two teams. Robinson was the tough-luck loser for Idaho after stopping 37 of 40. Domingue got the win after making 23 saves on 25 shots. Idaho was 1-4 on the power play and successfully killed off six of Gwinnett's seven man-advantages. The team returns home on February 6 against the Utah Grizzlies. Tickets are available by calling the CenturyLink Arena box office at 208.331.8497 or by going online at www.idahosteelheads.com COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME - David Toews CENTURYLINK THREE STARS: 1) Casey Pierro-Zabotel (GWN) 2) Corey Fienhage (GWN) 3) David Toews (ID) Group outings at a Steelheads game are a great way to gather friends, colleagues, or co-workers for a fun night out in downtown Boise. Ticket prices are discounted and you can get a Pepsi, Double-R Ranch Hot Dog, and bag of Tim?s Cascade Chips with each ticket. Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 or log on to www.idahosteelheads.com for more information.