GRIZZLIES EDGE OUT STEELHEADS 5-4 FRIDAY NIGHT IN UTAH

GRIZZLIES EDGE OUT STEELHEADS 5-4 FRIDAY NIGHT IN UTAH

WEST VALLEY CITY, UT – The Idaho Steelheads (43-19-2-2, 90pts) fell to the Utah Grizzlies (30-33-3-0, 63pts) Friday night by a final score of 5-4 in front of 6,333 fans. Idaho will play their final road game of the season tomorrow facing the Grizzlies at 7:10 p.m. before returning home for the last five games of the regular season. 

The score was 2-2 after the opening 20 minutes of play with shots even at 11 a piece. The Grizzlies got out to an early 2-0 lead receiving goals from Brett Stapley and Tyler Penner 71 seconds apart from one another in the opening five minutes. 32 seconds after falling behind 2-0 Francesco Arcuri (21^st) cut into the deficit. Ty Pelton-Byce started up ice from his own high slot and once he got to the blue line he sprung Arcuri at the red line. The rookie forward was able to get around the Utah defender back and he cut from the right circle to the high slot sending a wrist shot past the far blocker of Dante Giannuzi. Idaho went on their first power-play of the game with 6:15 left in the first and Will Merchant (8^th) provided the power-play marker 39 seconds into the man advantage. From the left circle Pelton-Byce fed Wade Murphy on the left side of the goal line. From there he cut to the net and lost the puck but Merchant in the high slot located it and blasted it into the top right corner at 14:24. 

The Grizzlies took a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes of play getting a power-play goal from Mick Messner at 5:49. Idaho went to the penalty box four times during the second period as they were able to kill of three of the four penalties including some substantial five on three time. The Steelheads outshot the Grizzlies 13-7 in the frame.

Cole Gallant increased the Utah lead to 4-2 just 58 seconds into the third period before Idaho struck twice to tie the game at 4-4. At 2:46 Wade Murphy (25^th) blasted a one-time from the top of the left circle into the bottom right corner off a cross zone feed from Patrick Kudla. Then 5:41 later Francesco Arcuri (22^nd) scored a power-play goal at 8:27 with a one timer from the right side of the goal line upstairs on Giannuzzi after Kudla sent the puck to him from the blue line. The eventual game winner came on the power-play courtesy of Luke Manning with 6:14 to play in the contest.  

Jake Kielly made 20 saves 25 shots in the loss while Dante Giannuzzi made 33 saves on 37 shots 

BOX SCORE

ICCU Three Stars

1. Luke Manning (UTA, 1-1-2, +1, 4 shots) 
2. Mick Messner (UTA, 1-1-2, -2, 4 shots) 
3. Francesco Arcuri (IDH, 2-0-2, +1, 3 shots) 

GAME NOTES

• Idaho and Utah both went 2-for-5 on the power-play. 
• Idaho outshot Utah 37-25 including 26-14 in the final 40 minutes.   
• Idaho is now 134-66-27 all-time vs. Utah and 62-35-13 in Utah. 
• Sam Sternschein (IR), Colton Kehler (IR), Jared Moe (IR) Lynden McCallum (DNP), Matt Register (DNP), and Ben Zloty (DNP) did not dress for Idaho. 
• Wade Murphy scored a goal and added two assists for his team leading 20^th multi-point game of the year, fifth three-point game to extend his point-streak to three games (3-5-8). 
• Ty Pelton-Byce recorded two assists for his third straight multi-point game (3-5-8). It was his 16^th multi-point game of the season.  
• Will Merchant scored for his third straight game. 
• Patrick Kudla tallied two assists for his 16^th multi-point game of the year. 
• Nick Canade also registered an assist. 

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