Colton Point’s First Pro Shutout Leads Steelheads to Sixth-Straight Win, 4-0

BOISE, Idaho –The Idaho Steelheads (34-17-7) put up three special teams goals and earned the help of Colton Point’s first professional shutout in a 4-0 blanking of the Utah Grizzlies (33-17-10) on Saturday night at CenturyLink Arena in front of 5,200 fans, the 12th-straight sellout and 18th overall sellout this season.

Physical play was plentiful but scoring was minimal again the first period. However, the Steelheads found the opening tally right off a faceoff coming from a media break. At 7:50, Steelheads forward Brett Supinski helped his own cause with a faceoff win and a cross body deflection pushed toward the net by defenseman Colton Saucerman for his team-leading 18th goal and the 1-0 advantage.

The Steelheads dominated the second period, outshooting the Grizzlies by a 12-1 line—that’s the fewest shots allowed in a period in the ECHL era for the Steelheads—and also adding two more tallies on special teams. On their third power play of the night, a pitch-and-catch play between forwards Jonathan Charbonneau and Diego Cuglietta opened up a shot at the top of the left circle for Charbonneau to add his second power play goal in four games at 14:16 and double the lead, 2-0. On the next Grizzlies power play, a bad bounce led the Steelheads on a shorthanded break, and the poke by forward Colby McAuley nudged the puck across the goal line at 17:04 for a 3-0 advantage.

Though the Grizzlies had a wealth of power play opportunities in the third period, the Steelheads found their second goal on the man-advantage. At 17:31, Cuglietta fed forward Anthony Nellis for a one-time chip in front of the net to put the game out of reach in a 4-0 scoreline.

Point (7-8-2) halted all 25 shots in the shutout win, while Grizzlies goaltender Martin Ouellette (22-11-4) saved 23 of 27 shots in the loss.

The Steelheads open a three-game weekend against the South Carolina Stingrays on Wednesday, Mar. 4 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena. Tickets are available by calling 208-331-TIXS(8497) or going online to idahosteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM “The Ticket” as well as 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 & ECHL.tv.

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.