BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (41-24-5) finished the home portion of the 2018-19 regular season with a 3-1 win over the Utah Grizzlies (35-26-9) on Friday night from CenturyLink Arena in front of 5,229 fans, the 17th sellout of the regular season.
After a scoreless but physical first period, scoring picked up in the second period with both teams cashing in on the power play. At 12:53, Grizzlies defenseman Kevin Davis opened the scoring with a power play goal from the blue line to jump out to a 1-0 lead. The Steelheads cashed in on just their second power play attempt of the night at 18:57 when forward A.J. White flipped a shot off the back of netminder Kevin Carr from behind the net and banked the puck in, tying the game at 1-1.
The Steelheads jumped ahead in the third period and found the game-winning goal at 12:59 when defenseman Jeff King stepped up into play and rifled a shot from the right circle, taking the lead at 2-1. Steelheads forward Spencer Naas finished the night with an empty net goal at 19:12 to ensure the 3-1 win over the Grizzlies.
Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl (26-12-0) turned aside 23 of 24 shots in the win. Grizzlies netminder Kevin Carr stopped 20 of 21 shots in 38:56 minutes, and Alex Leclerc (0-1-0) halted 9 of 10 shots in 19:55 minutes.
The Steelheads and Grizzlies head to Maverik Center to continue their three-game series on Saturday, Apr. 6 at 7:05 p.m. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM “The Ticket” and ECHL.TV.
The Steelheads open the 2019 U.S. Bank Kelly Cup Playoffs, presented by SmileDirectClub, on Friday, Apr. 12 and Saturday, Apr. 13 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena. Tickets throughout the postseason are on sale now! For series-long or individual tickets, contact Idaho Steelheads at 208-383-0080 for more information or log on to idahosteelheads.com.
Adirondack Thunder
Allen Americans
Atlanta Gladiators
Bloomington Bison
Cincinnati Cyclones
Florida Everblades
Fort Wayne Komets
Greensboro Gargoyles
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Idaho Steelheads
Indy Fuel
Jacksonville Icemen
Kalamazoo Wings
Kansas City Mavericks
Maine Mariners
New Mexico Goatheads
Norfolk Admirals
Orlando Solar Bears
Rapid City Rush
Reading Royals
Savannah Ghost Pirates
South Carolina Stingrays
Tahoe Knight Monsters
Toledo Walleye
Trenton Ironhawks
Trois-Rivières Lions
Tulsa Oilers
Wheeling Nailers
Wichita Thunder
Worcester Railers