By steve luhm

| The Salt Lake Tribune

West Valley City • Utah won the battles.

Idaho won the war.

At a glance

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Storylines Utah loses violent game

Idaho scores a 4-1 victory in a brawl-filled ECHL game at the Maverik Center.

» The Grizzlies lose for the seventh time in the past eight games.

» Utah returns to the ice Thursday night against Bakersfield.

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The Steelheads used two second-period goals Monday night to break away from the Grizzlies and score a 4-1 ECHL victory at the Maverik Center.

It was Utah’s seventh loss in the past eight games.

In those defeats, the Grizzlies have scored only six goals.

The big story, however, was a brawl-filled final period in the third game in four nights between the two teams.

Referee Ryan Murphy called 22 penalties were in the final 18:09, including six for fighting and five for misconduct.

The hard feelings between the players lingered, too.

When Idaho goalie Jimmy Spratt was announced as the game’s second star, he raised his stick, spun around in a victory dance and pumped his arms in a show of glee.

After the game, four members of the West Valley City police and three arena security guards patrolled the hallway outside the locker rooms.

As the Steelheads left the arena, they were directed to a door away from the Utah locker room, where six players uncharacteristically lingered 30 minutes after the game.

Utah goalie Andrew Engelage politely declined to be interviewed.

"I don’t want to be a jerk," he said. "But no, I’d rather not."

The chaos began at 16:57 of the third period, when Idaho’s Matt Case knocked C.J. Severyn to the ice.

While Severyn lay face down on the ice, the Grizzlies’ Nick Tuzzolino confronted Case.

The ice exploded in fights, which the Grizzlies dominated.

While Tuzzolino threw the only effective punch in a relatively minor battle with Case, teammates Logan McMillan, Danick Paquette and Tysen Dowzak were all clear winners in the brawls that erupted.