WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – The Idaho Steelheads (29-17-3) controlled the flow of the game but couldn’t find the tying goal in a 4-2 loss to the Utah Grizzlies (30-13-5) on Saturday night from Maverik Center.
The Grizzlies scored the opening two goals of the game in a three-minute span in the first period. At 6:17, Grizzlies forward Ryan Walters followed up his own shot to slip ahead, 1-0. Grizzlies forward Mitch Maxwell scored the second goal at 8:48 in transition to double the lead at 2-0.
The Steelheads started the comeback bid with the first of two special teams tallies in the second period. At 8:11, Steelheads defenseman Keegan Kanzig deflected a shot from the blue line from the slot to cut the lead in half at 2-1. Grizzlies forward Caleb Herbert answered at 10:56 to double the lead again, 3-1, however Steelheads forward Steve McParland found an open puck in the offensive end during a line change and scored a shorthanded breakaway at 17:35 to draw back within one, 3-2.
The Steelheads continued their press in the third period despite a low-shooting frame between both sides. With the netminder pulled, Maxwell notched his second goal of the night in an empty net, sealing the 4-2 Grizzlies win.
Grizzlies goaltender Kevin Carr (17-5-2) halted 23 of 25 shots in the win, while Steelheads netminder Ryan Faragher (7-4-1) stopped 18 of 21 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 7:10 p.m. to open a three-game weekend against the Rapid City Rush. Tickets are available by calling the Steelheads at 208-383-0080 or going online to idahosteelheads.com.
Single-game tickets and season ticket packages are on sale, with full-season packages starting as low as $300 per seat. Contact the Idaho Steelheads at 208-383-0080 for more information or log on to idahosteelheads.com.
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