PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (4-3-1) @ TOLEDO WALLEYE (5-1-1)

FRIDAY, NOV. 2, 2018 | 5:15 PM | HUNTINGTON CENTER | TOLEDO, OHRADIO: 1350AM KTIK | STREAM: ECHL TV

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads open the final weekend of their 12-game road trip with the first of two meetings against the Toledo Walleye from Huntington Center.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads and Walleye meet for the first time in their five-game season series that will head to Boise in January to play the final three games. The Steelheads meet the Walleye for the first time as their current iteration but met during their time as the Toledo Storm in the early 2000s, winning both meetings in Ohio. The Storm played in the ECHL from 1991-2007.

Last Game: The Steelheads pushed ahead with a strong second period during a 5-3 win over the Indy Fuel at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Fuel forward Radovan Bondra (8:46 1st) opened the scoring before five-straight goals by the Steelheads starting with forward Brad McClure (17:51 1st) to tie the game, 1-1. Defenseman Clint Lewis (7:04 2nd) started a four-goal run in a five-minute span followed by forward Spencer Naas (9:10 2nd), McClure (10:09 2nd) and defenseman Jeff King (PP, 11:25 2nd) to take a 5-1 lead. The Fuel added two more goals from forward Josh Shalla (17:14 2nd) and defenseman Neil Manning (15:17 3rd), but the Steelheads took the game with a 5-3 win. Tomas Sholl (1-0-0) saved 34 of 37 shots in the win, while Matt Tomkins (3-2-0) stopped 29 of 34 shots in the loss.

Taking The Spread: The Steelheads ended a franchise-high seven-game streak of one goal games to begin the 2018-19 season thanks to a two-goal win on Tuesday in Indy. During the game, the Steelheads posted a season-high 18 shots in the second period as well as their second four-goal period in that frame, joining their four-goal output on October 19 against Utah. In addition, the team earned their largest goal spread (four) during that period and kept their maximum decifict to just two goals in a game through their first eight contests.

(Not) Beginner’s Luck: Steelheads forwards Brad McClure has been one of the best forwards in the ECHL through the first month of the season, adding to his run with a two-goal night on Tuesday. It’s the first two-goal output by a Steelheads player this season and becomes his second-straight game with the winning goal, moving into first on the team in that category. With his six goals and eight points, the Stratford, Ont., native leads the Steelheads in goals and sits tied for second in scoring. He sits third among ECHL rookies in goals and points, only trailing Braylon Shmyr (Allen) and Giorgio Estephan (Newfoundland) in both categories.

Going Streaking: Three Steelheads players have gotten hot during their current road trip, notching three-game point streaks in the process. Forward Steve McParland leads the way with five points (2g, 3a) during their trip followed by defenseman Jeff King with four points (1g, 3a) and forward Spencer Naas with three points (1g, 2a). The run helps put McParland atop the team in scoring (4+5=9) while sitting second in goals and assists. All four of King’s points have come during this road trip, and he shares the team lead in plus/minus rating (+7). Naas has points in five of his first eight games with the Steelheads and sits fourth on the team in scoring during his first full season.

Similar School: The Toledo Walleye have had a similar road to the Steelheads during their first seven games of the season with slightly different results. In their opening three weeks, the Walleye have played just one game at Huntington Center and will play nine of their first 12 games away from home through November 13. In addition, the team has played five of their first seven games with a one-goal differential including their last two games while heading to at least overtime in four of their first seven contests. The Walleye are 4-1-1-0 on the road this year and 4-0-1-0 in one-goal games.

Leading The Pack: The Walleye offensive front has been led by two long-time forwards plus one forward with prior NHL experience. Forward T.J. Hensick leads the Walleye in scoring (3+7=10) and brings 120 NHL games with 38 points (12g, 26a) and 630 AHL games with 568 points (166g, 402a) to the plate along with four appearances at the AHL All-Star Game. Forwards Shane Berschbach (5+3=8) and A.J. Jenks (3+4=7) follow that with a combined eight seasons with the Walleye in four equal seasons. Berschbach has averaged over one point per game, scoring 273 points (81g, 194a) through 263 games with the Walleye, and Jenks adds another 152 points (75g, 77a) through 183 games with Toledo. All three lead the active roster in scoring through seven games.

Next Game: The Steelheads finish their weekend against the Walleye on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 5:15 p.m. MT. Coverage begins at 4:55 p.m. MT on 1350-AM KTIK and ECHL TV.