The Steelheads took a lead early at 2:59 in the first period when defenseman Nolan Gluchowski scored off a pass from forward Tony Calderone, taking a 1-0 lead. Momentum continued early with a fight from Steelheads forward Kale Kessy against Grizzlies forward Jake Marchment. However, the Grizzlies answered back with two goals from forward J.T. Henke coming at 8:57 then again at 15:10, vaulting to a 2-1 lead.
The Grizzlies spread their lead over the rest of the contest starting with defensemen Taylor Richart in the second at 18:20 with a shot from the blue line to double the lead at 3-1. Grizzlies defenseman Teigan Zahn added his own goal at 2:36 in the third for a 4-1 lead, and forward Julien Nantel closed the scoring at 5:21, setting the final score at 5-1.
Grizzlies goaltender Kevin Carr (8-1-1) stopped 20 of 21 shots in the win, while Steelheads netminder Ryan Faragher (3-3-1) halted 24 of 29 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads finish their two-game weekend and nine-game home stand against the Grizzlies on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena. Tickets are available by calling 208-383-0080 or going to IdahoSteelheads.com.
With Idaho Steelheads release