BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (27-16-7) earned a key goal in the third period and held off the Utah Grizzlies (27-15-7) from there in 2-1 win on Saturday night from CenturyLink Arena in front of 5,126 fans, the 12th sellout of the season and the sixth-straight since mid-January. The Steelheads now sit tied for second place with the Grizzlies in the Mountain Division after a four-point weekend.
After the third-straight scoreless first period, the Steelheads struck first on special teams for the second-consecutive night but while up a player. At 7:47 of the second period, forward Colby McAuley pounded home a rebound coming from a shot by defenseman Ondrej Vala at the blue line for his third-straight game with a goal and the 1-0 lead. The Grizzlies found an answer on a deflection by forward Mitch Maxwell at 11:36 to tie the game at 1-1.
The Steelheads needed just one goal to set the difference and found that tally in the third period. Steelheads forward A.J. White had his own deflection coming from a shot, this time defenseman Brady Norrish took the attempt to deflect at 6:09 to edge ahead, 2-1. Despite a strong effort by the Grizzlies in the final minute of the game, the Steelheads held off the pursuit and claimed the win.
Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl (21-7-5) stopped 34 of 35 shots in the win, while Grizzlies netminder Martin Ouellette (17-9-2) halted 21 of 23 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads head east to open a two-game road weekend against the Toledo Walleye on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 5:15 p.m. MT from Huntington Center. Coverage begins at 4:55 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM “The Ticket” & ECHL.tv.
The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7:10 p.m. for their final game of the season series against the Kansas City Mavericks. The Hockey Starter Pack provides the benefits of the ultimate fan on the time you want! Call the Steelheads Front Office at 208-383-0080 to inquire about getting your pack as well as planning your next outing with single-game tickets, flex plans and season tickets. Stay connected to the Steelheads on idahosteelheads.com or by following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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