PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (24-12-3) VS. ALLEN AMERICANS (13-27-3)

SATURDAY, JAN. 19, 2019 | 7:10 P.M.CENTURYLINK ARENA | BOISE, IDRADIO: 1350AM KTIK | TV: CABLEONE CH. 72 | STREAM: ECHL TV

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads continue their weekend set against the Allen Americans from CenturyLink Arena on Jayden DeLuca Foundation Jersey Auction Weekend.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads dropped their first game of six against the Americans this season, and all six games will be played in a three-week span. Last season, the Steelheads played the Americans 10 times with six of those games at home, splitting their series with a 5-3-1-1 record before meeting in the Mountain Division Semifinals, featuring a reverse sweep by the Steelheads. Since their franchise series began, the Steelheads own a 10-6-3 record over the Americans.

Last Night: The Steelheads outlasted the Americans with a 3-2 overtime win on Friday night from CenturyLink Arena. Americans forward Curt Gogol (4:58 1st) opened the scoring with the lone goal of the opening period to take a 1-0 lead. The Steelheads scored two in the second period from defenseman Brady Norrish (0:55 2nd) on a give-and-go play as well as forward Elgin Pearce (6:33 2nd) on a deflection from the right wall, giving the home side a 2-1 lead. After Americans defenseman Alex Breton (5:50 3rd) tied the game at 2-2, the game was settled in overtime. Steelheads forward Steve McParland (3:17 OT) took it in himself to take a 3-2 overtime win. Tomas Sholl (15-5-0) halted 27 of 29 shots in the win, while C.J. Motte (11-11-3) saved 42 of 45 shots in the overtime loss.

Pound For Pound: The Steelheads and Americans had a game full of fisticuffs, and though it doesn’t breach the highest mark of the year, it ranks near the top for this season. The two sides combined for 127 penalty minutes with the Steelheads only garnering 55 of those minutes and the Americans setting a season-high 72 penalty minutes. The total is the highest since the 212-minute affair on December 29 in Rapid City and is the second game this season with over 100 penalty minutes combined for the Steelheads and their opponent. Both sides now stand in the top-two in the ECHL standings for penalty minutes per game with Allen sitting second (22.00 per game) and the Steelheads settling in at first (22.46 per game).

Steve McWinner: Steelheads forward Steve McParland netted his second-straight post-regulation winning goal in as many attempts and has been a key addition since returning from AHL San Diego. The Schreiber, Ont., native now has game-winning goals in three of the team’s last four wins with his only non-overtime winning goal coming on January 9 against Toledo to start back-to-back games with winning goals. Since returning to Idaho, McParland has points in four of those six games with six points (3g, 3a) and two multi-point games. He now sits tied for third in scoring and third in goals on the team, boasting 29 points (13g, 16a) through 34 games this season.

Assist Machine: Steelheads captain A.J. White has been quietly building a strong repertoire of play-making moves this season, adding another assist in last night’s win. The assist makes it four-straight games with assists , garnering five points in that span, and he also past points in nine of his last 11 games with 12 points (3g, 9a) since December 22. White has been collecting assists and points consistently throughout the year, leading the Steelheads in assists (22) and now sharing the team lead in points (31) through 39 games. he’s one goal, two assists, and three points shy of matching career-high marks in each major scoring category set last season (10g, 24a) in 70 games.

Most Valued American: Americans goaltender C.J. Motte continues to be heavily relied on by the Americans since re-joining the team from AHL Iowa with no rest in sight. The netminder has started 12 of the team’s last 13 games, and in that time he’s been able to hold opponents to three or fewer goals in 11 of those games and also appearing in every game since December 19. As the Americans have conceded shots, the Iowa Wild signee has risen into the top-4 among ECHL goaltenders in saves, now boasting 835 saves and trailing Indy’s Matt Tomkins (900 saves) for the top spot. Despite this, he still sits in the top-15 among qualifying goaltenders for save percentage (.920), while owning a 11-11-3 record with a 3.15 goals-against average through 25 games.

MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads open a nine-game road trip on Monday, Jan. 21 at 1:00 p.m. against the Utah Grizzlies from Maverik Center. Coverage begins at 12:45 p.m. on 1350AM KITK and ECHL TV.