Steelheads Defeat Grizzlies 3-2 on Saturday Night in Boise
Boise, Idaho – The Utah Grizzlies led 2-1 after 1 period as Briley Wood scored two goals but the Idaho Steelheads responded with two unanswered second period goals and they held on in the third period to defeat Utah 3-2 in front of a crowd of 5291 at Idaho Central Arena on Saturday night.
Idaho took a 1-0 lead when Trevor Zins scored from the right point 2:28 into the contest. Briley Wood scored his tenth goal of the season 4:41 in to tie the game. Wood became the second Grizzlies player to score 10 or more goals this season. Wood added his second of the night 9:15 in to give Utah a 2-1 lead. Grizzlies held on to the lead for the remainder of the first period as they outshot Idaho 14 to 8 for the frame.
Idaho tied it up as Patrick Moynihan scored from the right wing 12:08 in. Brendan Hoffman scored the eventual game winner off his head from a Slava Demin shot 14:53 into the second to give the Steelheads the lead.
Utah was 0 for 4 on the power play and Idaho was 0 for 6. The Steelheads outshot the Grizzlies 34 to 30.
Grizzlies goaltender Jake Barczewski kept Utah in the contest as he stopped 31 of 34. Idaho’s Ben Kraws picked up his ninth win of the season as he saved 28 of 30.
Earlier in the day the Grizzlies traded defenseman Kabore Dunn to the Fort Wayne Komets for either cash or future considerations. Dunn had 1 goal and 3 assists in 22 games for Utah this season.
The Grizzlies return to Maverik Center for a two-game series against the Kansas City Mavericks on January 10-11. Face-off both nights are at 7:10 pm and tickets are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.
3 stars
- Patrick Moynihan (Idaho) – 1 goal, +1, 3 shots.
- Ben Kraws (Idaho) – 28 of 30 saves.
- Briley Wood (Utah) – 2 goals, +2, 3 shots.