PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (25-12-3) VS. UTAH GRIZZLIES (23-11-4)

MONDAY, JAN. 21, 2019 | 1:00 P.M.MAVERIK CENTER | WEST VALLEY CITY, UTRADIO: 1350AM KTIK | STREAM: ECHL TV

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads open a nine-game road trip with a single meeting with the Utah Grizzlies from Maverik Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Head-To-Head: For the first time this year, the Steelheads and Grizzlies will not play a two-game weekend, but the two sides will reach the midway mark of the 15-game season series. Both sides have split their previous eight meetings, and they also split all four two-game weekends, however the Grizzlies own two extra points from a pair of overtime losses. This is the lone meeting of January, and both teams will meet again three more times to close the Steelheads road trip. The Steelheads own a 96-46-24 record against the Grizzlies in the ECHL series.

Last Game: The Steelheads netted another overtime thriller in a 4-3 OT win over the Allen Americans on Saturday night from CenturyLink Arena. Americans forward Brayden Shmyr (7:32 1st) opened the scoring with the lone goal of the first period before forward Riley Bourbonnais (SH, 3:45 2nd) doubled the lead, 2-0. Steelheads forward Alex Dahl (6:24 2nd) cut the lead in half, 2-1, on a rebound before Shmyr (9:55 2nd) and Dahl (13:38 2nd) traded goals again to stay within one, 3-2. Steelheads forward Mitch Moroz (16:22 2nd) deflected the game-tying goal, 3-3, to force overtime. After a penalty, Steelheads forward Brad McClure (PP, 4:21 OT) sealed the 4-3 win with a shot from the slot. Colton Point (4-1-1) halted 23 of 26 shots in the win, while C.J. Motte (11-11-4) saved 37 of 41 shots in the overtime loss.

Bonus Hockey: For the second-straight game, the Steelheads earned back-to-back overtime results with both going in their direction. It’s the third time this season that the Steelheads have had back-to-back post-regulation games but the first against a singular opponent. The Steelheads have now won five-straight games ending after the end of regulation with four of those coming in overtime since their shootout loss on November 14 to Rapid City and an overtime loss to Tulsa on November 10. Overall, the Steelheads are 8-3 in post-regulation play and 6-2 in overtime games, ranking third in the ECHL in overtime win percentage (.727) trailing only Maine (.833) and Jacksonville (.800).

Home Churning: The Steelheads finished their six-game homestand on a high note, posting a 5-1-0 record over the last two weeks. Since the week of November 7, the Steelheads have yet to have two losses come in the same week, which is 10-straight weeks without a pair of losses. Following that series against Tulsa, the Steelheads now stand at 20-5-1 in their last 26 games as well as 14-3-1 in 18 games at CenturyLink Arena in that same span. The Steelheads have yet to lose a weekend series at home but has split three times (all with Utah) in two-game series

All About Pacing: After a lull in shot outputs focused on increased quality, the Steelheads have ramped up their shooting over the last two weeks transitioning into the second half of the season. After only one 30+ shot game in nine games between December 14 through January 6, the Steelheads now have six-straight games with 30+ shots with three of their last four games resulting in 40+ shots. The Steelheads have reached 40+ shots now in seven games this season and are averaging 38.00 shots per game, which is well over their season average (32.45).

Big Dahl: Steelheads forward Alex Dahl was the catalyst in Saturday’s overtime win with a pair of goals in the second period to get Idaho on the board. The multi-goal game is his first of his ECHL career, and the multi-point game is his third in his professional career with his last coming on December 31 in Rapid City (1+1=2). After going scoreless in six games, the spark by Dahl puts him in a share of his career-high scoring total of 13 points set last season while sitting four goals above last year’s number in 14 fewer games. He owns seven goals and six assists in 28 games this season.

Ups And Downs: The Utah Grizzlies snapped a three-game losing skid on Saturday and salvage their three-game home weekend against Tulsa with a win. The skid was their second three-game stretch of the season with their only other bad spell coming from October 27 to November 3. However, the Grizzlies have still won six of their last nine games since starting the 2019 calendar year while averaging 3.44 goals per game in that same span and only being held to fewer than three goals once: January 16 against Tulsa (4-1 L). The Grizzlies will make up one of their games in-hand over the Steelheads during their upcoming six-game road trip beginning on Saturday in Kansas City.

MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads continue nine-game road trip on Satuday, Jan. 26 at 6:05 p.m. against the Wichita Thunder from Intrust Bank Arena. Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. on 1350AM KITK and ECHL TV.