QUICK HITS: Three games with the Aces

Races with Aces: The Steelheads will finish off their five-game home stand with three contests against the Alaska Aces, their first meetings with the Aces this season. This is a much different Aces team from last season, though the roster will look very much the same. The Aces brought back eight players from the team that finished in last place in the West Division last season, but they have turned things around this year with an impressive 11-4-1 record. The Aces are riding a five-game winning streak and begin this series just one point behind Idaho and with two games in hand.

Sweet ’n’ Unbeat: The Steelheads are riding pretty high themselves, earning points in their last seven consecutive games (6-0-1) and in 11 of their past 13 games (10-2-1). The Steelheads are just one game shy of matching their longest unbeaten streak from all of last season, and have depended on strong play on home ice to do it. Idaho has won four in a row at CenturyLink Arena. The Steelheads are 8-2-1 in November heading into the final game of the month, and they have won four straight games against Mountain Division opponents.

Rosie Returns: Goaltender Philippe Desosiers won 15 games for Idaho last season, and he’s back in Boise again. Desrosiers returned to Boise along with forward Branden Troock after the two were assigned from AHL Texas over the weekend. Desrosiers posted a 16-game unbeaten streak (12-0-4) with Idaho last season. Troock appeared with the Steelheads for eight games last season, netting two goals and five points.

Creeping Kill: With the Steelheads power play performing at dominant levels to start the season, the penalty kill has quietly crept back into the league’s top-ten after finishing second in the ECHL last season. The Steelheads killed off 10 of 11 penalties against the Americans last weekend and added a short-handed goal for good measure. Idaho has now killed 27 of their last 29 disadvantages over the last eight games, with two short-handed goals in that time.