This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

West Valley City • Ten minutes had passed in a scoreless contest between the Utah Grizzlies and the Idaho Steelheads when Utah forward TJ Syner deposited a rebound past a sprawling Jack Campbell, giving the home team the early advantage.

Posting an outstanding record of 14-2 when scoring first, the Grizzlies would improve upon that mark, defeating Idaho on Saturday night at the Maverik Center 3-1.

More importantly, the victory snapped a six-game slide against their division rival and reaffirmed Utah's stance atop the Western Division of the ECHL.

"It was a total team effort from start to finish," Utah coach Tim Branham said. "The boys worked hard and played hard for each other and they deserved that win."

Facing an Idaho power play, Ryan Walters nonetheless grabbed a loose puck and muscled his way through the Idaho defense, firing a shot through the pads of Campbell for a 2-0 lead that proved to be insurmountable.

Walters has shown a propensity for coming through in the clutch, as it was the forward's sixth game-winning goal of the season, good for second most in the league.

"Tonight's game felt like a playoff game to me," Walters said. "I think it gives our team a lot of confidence going forward to have a character win like this."

In the third period, defenseman Shayne Taker launched a shot near the blue line for a commanding 3-0 lead and it seemed that Utah not only was on its way to a victory but would have the extra satisfaction of posting a shutout.

However, much to the crowd's chagrin, Idaho spoiled at least some of the fun as Andrew Carroll's wrister got by Utah goaltender Ryan Faragher with just 90 seconds left to play.

Widely regarded as one of the fastest and most skilled teams in the league, Utah was most impressive on the defensive end, limiting the Steelheads to 27 shots.

Faragher was his usual reliable self, stopping all but the last shot Idaho steered his way. It was Faragher's 14th win in a Utah uniform, good for third most in the ECHL. —

ECHL standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

East GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA

Manchester 37 22 12 0 3 47 109 100

Adirondack 32 21 9 1 1 44 96 76

Elmira 35 20 15 0 0 40 100 107

Reading 35 16 14 2 3 37 107 95

Norfolk 38 14 22 1 1 30 100 129

North GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA

Toledo 34 20 10 1 3 44 98 82

Wheeling 34 15 15 2 2 34 103 111

Kalamazoo 34 14 17 2 1 31 92 112

Brampton 33 11 16 4 2 28 89 115

South GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA

Florida 37 24 11 1 1 50 117 81

Atlanta 34 21 11 2 0 44 101 104

South Carolina 35 20 12 2 1 43 97 75

Greenville 37 19 13 5 0 43 113 116

Orlando 34 15 14 2 3 35 111 114

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA

Missouri 33 28 3 1 1 58 115 58

Allen 34 19 14 1 0 39 97 97

Tulsa 31 16 11 2 2 36 86 76

Wichita 35 9 21 1 4 23 68 116

Midwest GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA

Fort Wayne 30 18 10 2 0 38 101 82

Cincinnati 33 15 13 3 2 35 97 92

Quad City 34 16 15 1 2 35 92 102

Indy 36 16 18 2 0 34 85 96

Evansville 33 12 17 3 1 28 93 115

West GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA

Utah 34 19 13 2 0 40 108 98

Idaho 37 16 16 4 1 37 102 107

Rapid City 32 16 13 2 1 35 83 89

Colorado 34 16 16 2 0 34 87 84

Alaska 33 11 18 1 3 26 87 105

Saturday's games

Greenville 2, Florida 1, SO

Toledo 4, Reading 2

Adirondack 4, South Carolina 2

Manchester 4, Elmira 1

Kalamazoo 3, Brampton 2, SO

Norfolk 3, Cincinnati 2, OT

Indy 3, Evansville 0

Orlando 6, Wheeling 3

Tulsa 6, Wichita 4

Utah 3, Idaho 1

Missouri 3, Rapid City 1

Sunday's games

Kalamazoo at Brampton, Noon

Alaska at Atlanta, 12:05 p.m.

South Carolina at Reading, 2 p.m.

Indy at Wheeling, 2:05 p.m.

Colorado at Allen, 3:05 p.m.

Fort Wayne at Quad City, 3:05 p.m.