Steelheads Drop Series Opener 7-1 to Utah

BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (0-1-0) fell 7-1 to the Utah Grizzlies (1-0-0) in Game 1 of the Mountain Division Semifinal to open the 2019 U.S. Bank Kelly Cup Playoffs, presented by SmileDirectClub.

The Grizzlies scored the first goal of the series at 4:59 on a deflection by Jake Marchment to edge ahead, 1-0. The Steelheads found an answer at 8:33 when forward A.J. White followed up his initial shot off the post with another swat that slid through the netminder to tie the game at 1-1. The Grizzlies began a sound offensive night at 17:59 with a tally by Josh Dickinson followed by a goal from forward Jack Walker at 19:31, giving the road side a 3-1 lead.

The Steelheads came close on chances in the second period, but it was the Grizzlies that capitalized. At 4:26, Grizzlies forward Caleb Herbert slotted a power play goal to spread the lead to three, 4-1. Dickinson earned his second goal of the night at 11:27 on a shot from the slot, elevating the Grizzlies to a 5-1 lead at the end of two periods.

In the third period, the Grizzlies added two more goals to their total. At 6:02 and 6:11, forwards Austin Carroll and Travis Barron, respectively, posted back-to-back goals and bring the scoreline to its final resting place, 7-1.

Grizzlies netminder Kevin Carr (1-0-0) stopped 35 of 36 shots in the win. Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl (0-1-0) halted 17 of 24 shots in the loss, and Ryan Faragher halted all five shots in 11:38 minutes of relief.

The Steelheads host Game 2 of the Mountain Division Semifinal against the Utah Grizzlies on Saturday, Apr. 13 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena. Tickets are available by contacting the Idaho Steelheads at 208-383-0080 or going to idahosteelheads.com.

Follow along as the Steelheads hunt for their third Kelly Cup Championship at IdahoSteelheads.com and follow the Steelheads on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.