BOISE, ID — Five different players found the back of the net on Wednesday night for the Idaho Steelheads (13-6-4), as they skated to a 5-2 win over the Utah Grizzlies (6-10-7) at Maverik Center for their third consecutive win and sixth straight win on the road.
Justin Parizek and Shane Hanna each had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Faragher made 30 saves in his first game against his former team.
Following the final buzzer, Utah’s Brad Navin bumped into Faragher and a brief skirmish ensued. After the fight was broken up, both teams remained on the ice near the benches. Utah forward Travis Howe, who was a healthy scratch and not in uniform, emerged from the locker room tunnel and made his way onto the Idaho bench, having to be restrained by both linesmen before he was removed. The final sequence resulted in 32 minutes in penalties, excluding Howe’s participation.
The Grizzlies threatened in the opening minutes of the first period, with Greger Hanson hitting a post and Ryan Walters having a goal disallowed due to a high-stick, but the Steelheads would strike first. At 8:51 of the first period, Chris Leibinger attempted to step up on a cross-ice pass in the neutral zone from Cody Corbett. Leibinger missed the pass, allowing Parizek to streak in behind him and beat goaltender Kevin Carr over the shoulder for Parizek’s 12th goal of the season and a 1-0 Idaho lead.
Walters would extend his goal-scoring streak to four games and tie the game 1-1 at 12:13 of the first on a shorthanded breakaway, his sixth goal of the season. Idaho would retake the lead quickly, with Hanna firing a point shot over Carr’s shoulder 1:53 later for his fourth goal of the season and third in the past two games.
At 14:06 of the second, Mitch Moroz buried a power play feed between the circles from Henrik Samuelsson for his fourth goal of the season to put Idaho in front 3-1. Will Merchant extended that lead at 10:24 with his fifth goal of the season, finishing a 2-on-1 rush with Corey Durocher.
Carr exited the game after Merchant’s goal, surrendering four goals on ten shots.
Ryan Olsen brought the Grizzlies back within two with a power play goal, his fifth goal of the year, at 17:06 of the second period. That’s as close as Utah would come, with Ryan Faragher stopping all 12 Grizzlies shots in the third period and Connor Chatham adding his fifth goal of the season into an empty net.
With the win, the Steelheads remained one point behind the Colorado Eagles for second place in the Mountain Division. The Grizzlies are winless in nine straight games.
The Steelheads and Grizzlies move their series to Boise for two contests at CenturyLink Arena, resuming Friday night. Puck-drop is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. MT.
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