Outliers fall in Idaho Falls 2-1

IDAHO FALLS, I.D. - Utah’s comeback fell short in Idaho Falls on Wednesday night with the Outliers dropping 2-1 to the Mountain Division foe Spud Kings.

Utah dragged behind in the first period and let slip another tally midway through the third frame. Both squads suffered on special teams with the Outliers finishing 0-for-4 on the powerplay and the Spud Kings missing on all five of their man-up opportunities.

Outliers head coach Richard Bohan blamed the loss on the manner in which it began. He said, “I felt it was a sloppy start. I think we were slow to find our rhythm… Ultimately, at the end of the day, we just buried ourselves in the first period and weren’t able to beat them.”

A rocky first period gave the home team the momentum it needed to carry its way past the Park City-based crew. Idaho Falls centerman Brady Esplin jumped on the board first after the puck caromed off an official’s skate to set him up for the score. That makes back-to-back contests with a point for the California-native.

A scoreless second period contributed to Bohan’s post-game positivity. The coach explained, “I thought in the second period we established a little bit more of a forecheck presence and managed the neutral zone better.”

The headman credited the beginnings of the would-be comeback to solid work on the penalty kill as well as well-formatted rotations. He said, “In the third period I thought we brought more of our A-game and strung some shifts together.”

Idaho Falls trounced Utah in shots on goal from the jump. The Spud Kings doubled up the Outliers in the first period, winning the firepower battle 16 shots to eight. Like Coach Bohan explained, the visiting team cleaned up as the contest moved along, outshooting Idaho Falls 20-16 the rest of the way.