PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (10-8-3) VS. JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN (13-7-0)

SATURDAY, DEC. 1, 2018 | 7:10 PMCENTURYLINK ARENA | BOISE, IDRADIO: 1350AM KTIK | TV: CABLEONE CH. 72 | STREAM: ECHL TV

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads send the teddy bears to the ice as they close their two-game weekend with the Jacksonville Icemen at CenturyLink Arena with the 21st annual Teddy Bear Toss For Tots.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads won their first franchise meeting against the Icemen in six seasons for the franchise in the ECHL. The meeting was also their first against an Eastern Conference opponent out of five they will play, all against Florida teams (Jacksonville, Orlando). Last season, the Steelheads earned a 3-2-0-0 record against the South Division, winning both games against South Carolina, splitting two games with Norfolk, and dropping their lone game to Atlanta.

Last Night: The Steelheads scored four-unanswered goals to take down the Icemen with a 4-1 win at CenturyLink Arena. Icemen forward Garet Hunt (10:29 1st) opened the scoring to take an initial 1-0 lead before the Steelheads answered thanks to forward Tony Calderone (17:42 1st), leveling the score at 1-1. The Steelheads scored three times in the third period starting with forward Reid Petryk (PP, 7:32 3rd) on a 4-on-3 power play to snag a 2-1 lead. Steelheads forward A.J. White (14:17 3rd) and defenseman Nolan Gluchowski (EN, 17:40 3rd) added insurance goals to hold a 4-1 win. Tomas Sholl (5-3-0) stopped 20 of 21 shots in the win, while Ken Appleby (0-1-0) halted 35 of 38 shots in the loss.

Trending Up: The Steelheads’ win on Friday night extends a trend moving them up the Mountain Division standings. The win is their second-straight and fifth over their last six games as well as moves their point run to eight of ten games, earning a 6-2-1-1 record since their six-game home stand beginning on November 7 against Tulsa. In that time, the team has also scored three goals or more in seven of those games and has now held teams to two goals or less in five of their last six contests. The Steelheads are two games above .500 for the first time this season and now share third place in the Mountain Division.

Staying Special: Steelheads special teams came through again last night and continue their stride up the league standings. Their power play goal last night extends their goal streak to four games, their longest of the season, going 7-for-18 (38.9%) that span while also scoring in five of six games on the man-advantage. On the penalty kill, the Steelheads went perfect for the sixth time in their last seven games, only conceding one goal in their last 27 attempts (96.3%). In that time, the Steelheads have charged up from the bottom-five in both categories to 5th and 9th, respectively.

The Right Reid: Steelheads forward Reid Petryk has found his stride over the last two weeks and added to his scoring run with a power play goal last night. Thanks to his tally, the Edmonton, Alb., product extends his scoring streak to three games, putting up four points (2g, 2a) in that run with two power play goals and one power play assist. This comes following three games without playing and a six-game scoreless drought. This season, Petryk owns six points (3g, 3a) with three power play points.

Leading By Example: Since being named captain on November 14, forward A.J. White has found his scoring touch. In that time, the Dearborn, Mich., native leads the team in goals scoring, posting seven points (3g, 4a) over his last seven games and leading forward Brad McClure (2+4=6), forward Steve McParland (2+3=5) and defenseman Colton Saucerman (1+4=5) for the scoring lead in that time. In addition, he’s ballooned to third on the team in scoring on the season with 15 points (6g, 9a) and now shares the team assist lead with McParland. His pace through 21 games would put him well over his career-high, now setting the course for 50 points if he played 71 games like last season.

Push & Shove: Icemen forward Garet Hunt has been a familiar foe for the Steelheads and makes his return to CenturyLink Arena with a new opponent. The Maple Ridge, B.C., native began his career with the Stockton Thunder for seven seasons before joining the Alaska Aces for two more years, being a divisional opponent for all nine of those seasons. Hunt is the all-time ECHL leader in penalty minutes, posting 2,482 minutes through 652 career games, overtaking Cam Brown (2,425 minutes) from 1991-2006. The goal last night was just his second of the season, and he has points in three of his last six games (1g, 2a).

MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads continue their home stand with a two-game weekend against the Utah Grizzlies on Friday, Dec. 7 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena. Tickets are available by calling 208-383-0080 or going to IdahoSteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. MT on 1350-AM KTIK and ECHL TV as well as at 7:00 p.m. on CableOne Channel 72.