BOISE, Idaho – Ryan Faragher stopped all 31 shots he faced on Saturday night against his former team, earning the Idaho Steelheads’ (14-7-4) first shutout victory of the season and the eighth of his pro career with a 2-0 decision over the Utah Grizzlies (7-11-7) in front of 4,345 fans at CenturyLink Arena.
Steve McParland scored both goals for the Steelheads, the second one into an empty net, as the Steelheads took three of four games this week against the Grizzlies and won five of seven games over the last eleven nights.
After a scoreless first period, in which Faragher turned aside 13 shots, McParland got the Steelheads on the board early in the second. Tommy Thompson was back in the Steelheads lineup for the first time since October 21st after an eight-game call-up to AHL Texas, and he made an immediate impact setting up McParland at 4:59 of the second period.
Utah defender Rob Mann fumbled the puck in his feet at his own blue line before losing it to Thompson for a 2-on-1 back on Utah’s Kevin Carr. Thompson carried the puck deep, below the goal line to avoid the sliding Taylor Richart, before sliding the puck in front for McParland with a wide-open net.
McParland would ice the game with an empty-net goal with 17 seconds left in regulation. Cody Corbett’s shot the length of the ice missed the net, but McParland reached for the puck off the end boards with a full extension dive to beat out the icing call and flick the puck into an open cage.
Faragher only faced ten shots in the third period to secure the shutout, his first in a Steelheads uniform. He made some of his toughest stops in the first period, when he stopped Ryan Walters on a 2-on-1 with a blocker save and then turned aside Ryan Misiak sneaking behind the defense and all alone in front of the Idaho net.
The win allowed the Steelheads to keep pace with the Colorado Eagles in the Mountain Division, after Colorado also won on Saturday to stay three points ahead of Idaho for second place in the Mountain Division.
The Steelheads again wore blue and white specialty jersey for the St. Luke’s Jersey Auction, a fundraiser in support of St. Luke’s Children’s. Donations will be announced this week.
The Steelheads’ home stand continues on Wednesday night when the Rapid City Rush make their first visit this season to CenturyLink Arena. Puck-drop is scheduled for 7:10pm MT, with the game available on 1350AM KTIK, Cable One, and on ECHLTV.
With Idaho Steelheads release