GROWLERS KNOCK DOWN STEELHEADS TO BEGIN SERIES 6-2

GROWLERS KNOCK DOWN STEELHEADS TO BEGIN SERIES 6-2

ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND – The Idaho Steelheads (37-16-2-1, 77pts) fell to the Newfoundland Growlers (26-23-7-2, 61pts) Saturday night by a final score of 6-2 in front of 4,774 fans at the Mary Brown’s Centre to kick-off a six-game Canadian road trip. Idaho and Newfoundland meet tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. (MT). 

The Growlers led 2-0 after the opening period on a pair of special team goals. Tate Singleton made it 1-0 just 3:46 into the game on a short-handed breakaway and then Tyler Weiss scored on a five-on-three power-play with a rebound in front. Shots favored Newfoundland 15-10. 

Keenan Suthers scored the second short-handed goal of the game 4:27 into the second period giving the Growlers a 3-0 advantage coming on a breakaway. Idaho went on their fourth power-play of the game with eight minutes left in the period and Jordan Kawaguchi (5^th) provided the score 48 seconds into the man advantage with a wrist shot from the left circle finding the back of the net low far side. Matt Register and Will Merchant picked up helpers on the goal, but the Steelheads trailed 4-1 after 40 minutes of play outshooting Newfoundland 13-12 in the stanza.

A.J. White (21^st) scored a rebound goal in front of the net 1:40 into the third period from Patrick Kudla and Ben Zloty to cut the deficit to 4-2. The Growlers increased back to a three-goal lead with Tate Singleton’s second of the night coming at 10:20. With 17 seconds left Issac Johnson capped off a two goal night of his own handing the Growlers a 6-2 win.   

Jake Kielly made 29 saves 35 shots in the loss while Dryden McKay turned aside 31 of the 33 shots he faced. 

BOX SCORE

ICCU Three Stars

1. Tate Singleton (NFL)
2. Tyler Weiss (NFL)
3. Issac Johnson (NFL)

GAME NOTES

• Idaho went 1-for-4 on the power-play while Newfoundland was 1-for-2. 
• Idaho was outshot 35-33.     
• Sam Sternschein (IR), Wade Murphy (IR), Jack Jensen (IR), Jade Miller (DNP) and Connor Blake (DNP) did not dress for Idaho. 
• Matt Register increased his point-streak to five games (1-6-7). 
• A.J. White has four goals in his last six games.
• Jordan Kawaguchi has a point in six of his last seven games (3-6-9). 
• Will Merchant has a point in three of his last four games (1-2-3). 
• Patrick Kudla played in his first game with Idaho since Feb. 16 after being released from his PTO with Calgary and has a point in four straight games (1-5-6). 
• The two short-handed goals allowed in the game was the second time Idaho has done so this year, the other on Oct. 21 in a 8-5 win vs. Allen. Idaho has surrendered six short-handed goals against now. 
• Ben Zloty tallied an assist in his first games back with Idaho since Feb. 17 after being re-assigned from Texas earlier this week. 

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