STEELHEADS LOSE HEART BREAKER IN OVERTIME, 6-5

WEST VALLEY CITY, UT – The Idaho Steelheads (24-16-7-1, 56pts) fell to the Utah Grizzlies (17-25-4-2, 40pts) Saturday night by a final score of 6-5 in overtime in front of 6,573 fans at the Maverik Center. Idaho and Utah will meet for the final time this season on Monday at 3:10 p.m. 

Idaho scored their quickest goal to start a game this season as Wade Murphy (4^th) found the back of the net just 16 seconds in from Ty Pelton-Byce and Matthew Seminoff making it 1-0. Pelton-Byce from the right corner fed Murphy in the high slot where he blasted a one-timer home. The Grizzlies would take a 2-1 lead into the intermission however as Craig Armstrong tied the game at 11:37 and then Cooper Jones provided a four-on-four score at 16:39. 

Keaton Mastrodonato stretched the Utah lead to 3-1 at 9:55 of the second period on the power-play. Just 2:27 later Demetrios Koumontzis (3^rd) made it a 3-2 game on a deflection in front of the net off an initial shot from Reece Harsch and Brendan Hoffmann collecting the secondary assist. The Grizzlies recaptured a two-goal lead and led 4-2 after 40 minutes of play as Cody Corbett scored with one second remaining on the power-play at 19:49. 

The Steelheads went on the power-play 1:07 into the third period and just 25 seconds in Matthew Seminoff (2^nd) scored cutting the deficit down to 4-3 from Matt Register and Connor MacEachern. From the right half wall MacEachern slid the puck up to Register. From the top of the right circle he fed Seminoff in the left circle where he sent a wrist shot over the glove of Jake Barczewski at 1:32. Ryan Gagnon (1^st) then provided the equalizer at 7:41 making the score 4-4. Back behind his own blue line he darted down the left wing into the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot from the left circle over the glove of Barczewski. Utah went on the power-play at 13:32 of the frame and Derek Daschke at 14:10 put the Grizzlies in front 5-4. At 15:18 Daschke then went to the penalty box leading to an Idaho power-play. The Steelheads pulled Bryan Thomson after winning the face-off for a six on four advantage. At 15:38 Ty Pelton-Byce (18^th) buried the puck from the right circle tying the game at 5-5 with A.J. White picking up the assist. Idaho was assessed a goaltender interference penalty with 23 seconds which carried over into overtime. 

Idaho started the overtime session killing off the remaining 1:37 from the power-play that stretched over from regulation. Then the Steelheads were assessed a too many men bench minor at 3:46 leading to the game winner from Derek Daschke at 5:03 of overtime for a Utah 6-5 win.  

Bryan Thomson made 38 saves on 44 shots in the overtime loss while Jake Barcczewski made 31 saves on 36 shots in the overtime win.  

BOX SCORE

ICCU Three Stars
1) Derek Daschke (UTA)                          
2) Keaton Mastrodonato (UTA)                         
3) Cody Corbett (UTA)                      

GAME NOTES

• Idaho finished 2-for-5 on the power-play while Utah was 4-for-8.             
• Utah outshot Idaho 44-36. 
• C.J. Walker, Pito Walton, Jason Horvath, Blake Swetlikoff, Mark Olver, and Ryan Foss did not dress for Idaho. 
• Matthew Seminoff (1-1-2) and Ty Pelton-Byce (1-1-2) each finished with multi-point games… Seminoff has a goal in back-to-back games and points in three straight (2G, 2A)… Pelton-Byce scored his team leading eighth power-play tally while leading all Idaho skaters with five shots. 
• Ryan Gagnon scored his first goal as Steelhead in his third game. 
• Brendan Hoffmann, A.J. White, Reece Harsch, Connor MacEachern, and Matt Register all tallied assists.
• The Steelheads have a point in nine of their last 11 road games (6-2-3) dating back to Dec. 27… and a point in nine of their last 10 games (5-1-3-1). 
• Idaho has been to overtime 15 times this season including going beyond regulation in six of their last nine games. 
• The Steelheads have scored first in seven of their last nine games. 
• Idaho has played 23 of their 48 games decided by one goal (12-3-7-1).  

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