Kupsky Shines, Points Slip in Steelheads Late 2-1 Loss

BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (16-12-1) fell short of recording a point by 1.7 seconds as they fell in a heartbreaker, 2-1, to the Utah Grizzlies (20-10-1) on Wednesday night from Idaho Central Arena.THE GAME’S STO­­RYThe Steelheads and Grizzlies were toiled in a back-and-forth battle throughout the game that saw the Grizzlies gain the first advantage in the second period. However, the Steelheads answered back less than one minute later thanks to a blue line shot from defenseman Michael Prapavessis (15:30 2nd) to knot the game up, 1-1. The third period remained tight, in part, because of a strong performance by goaltender Jake Kupsky, however the Grizzlies stole the game with 1.7 seconds remaining to deny the Steelheads of points and sneak away with the win.ICCU 3 STARS OF THE GAME1. UTA – Charle-Edouard D’Astous (game-winner)2. IDH – Jake Kupsky (33-35 saved)3. IDH – Michael Prapavessis (game-tying goal)PEPSI PLAYER OF THE GAMEJake Kupsky (G) – Season-high 33 saves, stellar third periodSTEELHEADS STANDOUTS- Jake Kupsky: Despite the result, Kupsky put on an immaculate performance with a season-best 33 saves and now has held opponents to two goals or less in 10 of 12 games. He owns a 1.82 GAA (2nd best in the ECHL) and a .923 save percentage.- Luc Brown:Brown added another point to his recent run, now owning the longest active point streak at four games with five points (2-3—5). He now sits alone at second on the team in scoring (10-12—22).- Michael Prapavessis:Since returning from AHL Ontario, Prapavessis owns points in two of three games with one goal and one assist. He now has 13 points (3-10—13), which is second among Steelheads defensemen.CATCH OF THE DAYThe Steelheads second period continues to be a beacon of success for the team, and even though they allowed a goal tonight they did not change the differential. The Steelheads have allowed a league-lowest 19 goals in the second period while scoring now 33 tallies, marking a plus-14 differential following Wednesday’s game. The differential in that frame remains third-best across the ECHL, only trailing the Utah Grizzlies (plus-18) and Toledo Walleye (plus-17) in that area. The Steelheads have scored in the middle frame in seven-straight games as well as 21 of 29 contests (72.4%), re-enforcing the consistency from that period.ATTENDANCE: 4,615LOOKING AHEADThe Steelheads and Grizzlies continue their series on Friday, Jan. 7 at 7:10 p.m. from Idaho Central Arena. Tickets are limited but available at idahosteelheads.com or by calling 208-331-TIXS. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 95.3 KTIK “The Ticket” as well as 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 & FloHockey.tv.