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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.