About a week ago, coach Brad Ralph watched a game from his spot behind the bench. Although Idaho has played well this season, he didn’t like everything he was seeing on the ice.

“Over the weekend, I don’t think our team played its best hockey and our systems were sloppy,” Ralph said.

Ralph thought about someone who could help: David de Kastrozza.

“Especially on the penalty kill, I thought Dekes, with his size and his speed and his stick … I do think that he’s a guy that can be a game-changer,” Ralph said.

Problem was, Ralph cut the 6-foot-3, 220-pound forward Oct. 24. “I didn’t want to let him go, and looking back at it, maybe I did make the wrong decision at that point,” Ralph said.

A phone call on Monday remedied the situation.

“When he called and said he wanted me back, I definitely jumped at that,” said de Kastrozza, who played in four games before his release.

His agent had been talking with other teams, but de Kastrozza said there was no longer any need for that.

“I definitely wanted to play here,” the third-year pro out of Maine said. “It just seemed like a good fit and I know a lot of the guys.”

Defenseman Patrick Cullity played with de Kastrozza when they skated for the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL, and he was glad to see his old teammate back in the Steelheads’ fold.

“It’s a crazy business,” Cullity said. “You have to leave all your options open and leave all the doors open. Especially in a time like this, with the lockout, you can’t be burning bridges.”

Rather than being upset about being released, de Kastrozza put a positive spin on the turn of events.

“A little six-day vacation was just what I needed,” said de Kastrozza, who played Friday night and finished with two shots on goal.

GAME NOTES: Idaho defeated Utah 3-2 on Friday night at CenturyLink Arena, a breakthrough win of sorts for the Steelheads. Idaho had three losses against the Grizzlies and was 5-0-0 in other contests. … Andrew Carroll scored Idaho’s first goal and leads the team with seven scores. … Kael Mouillierat tallied the next two goals. … Idaho goalie Tyler Beskorowany (3-2-0) stopped 29 shots for his third straight victory. … The Steelheads are enjoying a rare Saturday off by attending the Boise State football game.