PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (2-3-1) vs. UTAH GRIZZLIES (4-0-1)

SATURDAY, OCT. 27, 2018 | 7:05 PM | MAVERIK CENTER | WEST VALLEY CITY, UTRADIO: 1350AM KTIK | STREAM: ECHL TV

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads complete their four-game stretch against the Utah Grizzlies from Maverik Center.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads and Grizzlies continue to play tight games, starting their season series with three-straight one-goal games. The Grizzlies take a one game edge (2-1) over the Steelheads with one game left on the weekend. Now, the two sides have played in one-goal games during 10 of their last 18 meetings. The Steelheads now own a 93-44-24 record in their ECHL franchise series against the Grizzlies.

Last Night: The Steelheads started strong but couldn’t hold the lead in a 3-2 loss to the Grizzlies on Friday night from Maverik Center. Steelheads forward Steve McParland (6:56 1st) opened the night with a goal on a one-time shot to take a 1-0 lead. Grizzlies forwards Cole Ully (13:32 1st) and Caleb Herbert (7:48 2nd) gained their first lead of the night, 2-1, with two-straight goals before Steelheads forward Reid Petryk (7:56 2nd) answered eight seconds later to tie the game at 2-2. Ully (14:53 2nd) added his second goal of the night to eventually seal the 3-2 win for Utah. Kevin Carr (2-0-0) stopped 22 of 24 shots in the win, while Philippe Desrosiers (1-2-1) halted 24 of 27 shots in the loss.

Getting The Jump: For the first time this season, the Steelheads scored the game’s opening goal during last night’s loss. The goal ends a run of 317:39 minutes without a lead and 212:10 minutes trailing in a game before gaining a lead or scoring a tying goal. The Steelheads scored the opening goal in 44 of their 72 games last season, recording a 31-9-4 record in that situation. The Steelheads trail 10-3 in scoring during the first period through their first six games.

Close Shave: The Steelheads have made a habit of playing close in games, continuing their streak to open the season to six-straight games with a one-goal differential. The team has already reached nearly one-fifth (19.4%) of their games in this situation from last season, during which the team went 16-7-5-3. The Steelheads still have never trailed by more than two goals and now haven’t lead more than by one goal. The Steelheads have had four different goal totals when finishing games and are now 0-3-0-1 when scoring two goals or fewer.

Par For The Course: Steelheads forward Steve McParland is heating up as of late, helping his recent trend with the game’s opening goal last night. With that tally, the second-year Steelhead now has points in three of his last four games, recording four points (3g, 1a) while leading the team in goals during that run. His lone game without a point during the stretch came last Saturday against Utah. McParland shares the team lead in goals and second in scoring with five points (3g, 2a) through his first six games this season.

King of the D: Steelheads defenseman Jeff King has been a positive force since his arrival last weekend to Idaho. Last night, he posted his first two assists with the team this season and another plus-two rating, bringing his line to two assists with seven penalty minutes and a plus-four rating through three games. The St. Clair, Mich., native has a plus-six rating through five total games between Idaho and Fort Wayne so far this season and already hit his mark for assists from his 23-game stint with the Brampton Beast last season.

Home Cooking: The Grizzlies have benefitted from an early portion of their season spent at home in Maverik Center, playing four of their first six games at home. During that time, they’ve averaged 4.33 goals per game on home ice while keeping opponents to just two goals per game. However, the Grizzlies will spend their next five games on the road, where they’ve split their two games and also split their scoring 7-7.

Hot Hands: Grizzlies forward Cole Ully led the offensive charge for the home side last night, recording his second three-point game over his last three games. The Calgary, Alb., native has six points (3g, 3a) during that span, tripling his point total from his opening two games. Along with linemates Caleb Herbert and Austin Carroll, the three have combined for 15 points (6g, 9a) over their first three games against the Steelheads with Herbert and Ully sharing the lead in goals and scoring during that time.

Next Game: The Steelheads play their first game against the Indy Fuel in franchise history on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 5:05 p.m. MT. Coverage begins at 4:45 p.m. MT on 1350-AM KTIK and ECHL TV.