Third period kind again in comeback win

Boise, ID (1/15/14) - Match Wahl scored on a breakaway midway through the third period and Pat Nagle turned aside 39 of 40 shots as the Idaho Steelheads rallied past the Utah Grizzlies, 2-1, in front of 3,951 fans at CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday night.It is the second consecutive game where Idaho (19-12-4, 42 points) came from behind to win when trailing after two periods. The team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Colorado, 4-2, on Saturday.A scoreless first period was nearly ended in the first period when Utah's Danick Paquette found himself all alone on top of the Idaho crease but a hustling Dalton Reum and Nagle's leg pad disrupted the play enough where Paquette couldn't put the puck in the net in the final minute of the period, leaving a scoreless tie into the second. At the 9:28 mark of the second, DJ Jelitto scored on his own rebound in close to put Utah on top, 1-0.Idaho struggled putting pucks on net, having just 14 shots on goal through two periods, compared to 28 for Utah.Early in the third, the Steelheads found life. A Norm Ezekiel slashing penalty put Idaho on the power play and the Steelheads cashed in when Wahl's pass from the left-wing circle found Austin Fyten alone at the right-wing post for a slam-dunk goal, Fyten's eighth in eleven games with Idaho, to tie the game at 4:26 of the final period. Then, three minutes later, Wahl read a neutral-zone pass from Utah's Derick Martin, intercepting it near the center line for a breakaway. Wahl went to the forehand over Aaron Dell's glove from the low slot at 7:31 of the period to give Idaho a 2-1 lead. The goal was Wahl's 12th of the season.Utah mounted pressure aplenty over the final ten minutes, including a puck hopping the stick of Jamie MacQueen near the right-wing post and a couple of tremendous Nagle saves as the Steelheads had to kill off two late power-play opportunities for the Grizzlies to secure the win.Nagle was the winner with his 39 saves. Dell took the loss, stopping 20 of 22 for Utah. Idaho's penalty-kill unit was a perfect 6-for-6, making it 33-for-36 (91.7 percent) over the past eight hockey games.  The power-play unit was 1-for-2.The Steelheads and Grizzlies meet up again Friday in Boise for Blue Cross Knit Cap Night. Tickets are available by calling the CenturyLink Arena box office at 208-331-8497.COORS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME - Mitch Wahl (G/A)CENTURYLINK THREE STARS:1) Pat Nagle (ID)2) Mitch Wahl (ID)3) Aaron Dell (UT)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 for more information.