PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (33-19-4) @ KANSAS CITY MAVERICKS (28-21-4)

FRIDAY, MAR. 1, 2019 | 6:05 P.M.SILVERSTEIN EYE CENTERS ARENARADIO: 93.1 FM KTIK | STREAM: ECHL TV

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads continue their three-game weekend against Kansas City Mavericks from Silverstein Eye Centers Arena.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads ended a five-game win streak against the Mavericks and also suffered their first loss of the season in the series. However, the Steelheads still only need one win to claim the season set with two games remaining in the weekend. The Steelheads hold a 7-3-0 record in the ECHL franchise series, and this is the first season with both a home and road portion.

Last Game: The Steelheads couldn’t find the final answer in a 4-3 loss to the Mavericks on Friday night from Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. Mavericks forward Greg Betzold (12:55 1st) opened the scoring at 1-0 with the lone tally of the first period. Steelheads forward Reid Petryk (11:01 2nd) answered back before both Mavericks forward David Dziurzynski (14:56 2nd) and Steelheads forward Alex Dahl (5:09 3rd) continued the back-and-forth into a 2-2 game. Mavericks forward Corey Durocher (15:20 3rd) and defenseman Nate Widman (EN, SH, 19:04 3rd) tried to put the game away with a 4-2 lead late in the game. Steelheads defenseman Charlie Dodero (PP, EA, 19:47 3rd) brought the road side within one, 4-3, but the Mavericks held on for the win. Mason McDonald (17-5-2) halted 31 of 34 shots in the win, while Tomas Sholl (19-10-0) saved 33 of 36 shots in the loss.

New Month, Who Dis?: The Steelheads closed February on Wednesday and head into their final full month of the season. The Steelheads continued their streak of posting points in a majority of games, going 6-5-1 while finishing with points in five of their last seven games and a strong 4-1-1 record at CenturyLink Arena. However, their 13 points sits fourth of the five total months played coming off a combined 17-6-0 record in December and January. The Steelheads will play 13 games in March, which is tied for the highest number of games in a month this season, and just over half of those games will be on the road.

Spreading The Love: The Steelheads saw a spread of scoring throughout the lineup in February, and for one of the first months this season, the team didn’t have a defined scoring leader. Five different skaters earned an eight-point month with forward Elgin Pearce (5g, 3a) leading the way in goals thanks to his four-in-five stretch to close the month and early goals in Allen. Defenseman Brady Norrish (3g, 5a) led all defensemen in scoring while averaging a point-per-game, and forwards Alex Dahl (4g, 4a), Reid Petryk (4g, 4a) and Steve McParland (3g, 5a) stayed consistent. 10 skaters owned at least six points during the month.

Leaving Lights On: The Steelheads road power play continues to be a dominant force across the ECHL with yet another goal, marking goals in three-straight road games (3-13, 23.1%) as well as seven of eight road games (8-42, 19.0%) since January 27. The run continued with the fewest power play attempts on the road since January 26 (three) and also marks goals in two of their last three games overall (3-12, 25.0%). The Steelheads sit in the top-five in road power play scoring, going 28-for-116 (24.1%) and netting 65.1% (28-of-43) of their season power play goals away from CenturyLink Arena.

Reiding The Saddle: Steelheads forward Reid Petryk has been quieter than usual as of late, but his goal on Wednesday against the Mavericks continues a hot hand against Kansas City. The Edmonton, Alb., native now has points in all four games against the Mavericks this season while posting his first single-point game in four attempts head-to-head, leading the Steelheads with seven points (5g, 2a) and scoring goals in three of their four meetings. Petryk has just three points in his last seven games but still sits tied for second on the team in goals (19) and third in points (39) through 46 games.

Be Betzold: Mavericks forward Greg Betzold was on the scoring stretch again on Wednesday, keeping consistent wiht his offensive production and lighting the lamp over the last few weeks. With his goal to open the game, the Bel Air, Md., native now has a three-game goal streak for the second time this season and has tallied in seven of his last nine games dating back to February 8 against Allen. In that time, he also has points in eight of those nine games but only one assist: February 13 against Tulsa. On the season, Betzold is second on the active roster in goals (17) and was the eighth player to reach 30 points.

MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads and Mavericks finish their weekend on Saturday, Mar. 2 at 6:05 p.m. from Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence, Mizz. Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. on 1350AM KITK and ECHL TV.