PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (35-20-4) VS. WICHITA THUNDER (22-28-9)

FRIDAY, MAR. 8, 2019 | 7:10 P.M.CENTURYLINK ARENA | BOISE, IDRADIO: 1350 AM KTIK | TV: CABLE ONE CH. 72 | STREAM: ECHL TV

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads head into the midway game of their season series with the Wichita Thunder from CenturyLink Arena.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads leveled the season series with Wednesday’s win at two wins apiece heading into their final two meetings of the season. The Steelheads have the edge in points with a 2-1-1 record and both of their wins coming in regulation, and the win is also the first games without a one-goal differential in the season set this year. The Steelheads and Thunder have split their franchise series with the Steelheads holding a 5-3-2 record against the Thunder and a 2-0-1 at CenturyLink Arena.

Last Game: The Steelheads opened the weekend with a 4-1 win over the Thunder on Wednesday night from CenturyLink Arena. Steelheads forward Kyle Schempp (9:11 1st; 9:05 2nd) opened the game with the first two goals at nearly the same time in each of the first two periods for a 2-0 lead. Steelheads defenseman Nolan Gluchowski (PP, 12:28 2nd) added to the lead before Thunder defenseman Keoni Texeira (PP, 1:06 3rd) cut back into the lead, 3-1. Steelheads defenseman Charlie Dodero (EN, 19:59 3rd) added an exclamation point to the score in the 4-1 win. Tomas Sholl (21-10-0) saved 33 of 34 shots in the win, while Dylan Wells (10-5-2) stopped 20 of 23 shots in the loss.

Controlling Destiny: With the win on Wednesday night, the Steelheads need just five points to punch their ticket to the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs. The points come as earned by the Steelheads or lost by the Thunder, who still have the higher maximum point total of the teams outside of the current playoff picture. This weekend is a 12-point swing with the Steelheads already taking the positive side of their four points on Wednesday. Currently, the Steelheads hold the tie-breaker (regulation and overtime wins) over the Thunder. The Steelheads and Thunder have 13 games remaining in the season.

High Octane: For the 10th time this season, the Steelheads posted exactly four goals and also the 24th time of their 35 wins (68.6%) that the Steelheads have a minimum of four goals scored. Their nine four-goal game wins is now as many wins as three-goal and over six-goal games, and the team has points in all 10 games with a four-goal output. The Steelheads are 33-3-1 when scoring three or more goals this season, and when they’ve held teams to two goals or less, they hold a 22-3-0 record. The Steelheads are in the top-10 both in goals per game (T-8th) and goals against per game (3rd).

Point Per Schempp: Steelheads forward Kyle Schempp earned his second multi-goal game of the season on Wednesday while marking the 21st time the Steelheads have had a player earn two goals in a game without a hat-trick. For Schempp, it continues his recent point run to four points (3g, 1a) over his last four games with points in three of those contests. Overall, the Saginaw, Mich., native has points in five of his last seven games with seven points (4g, 3a) and marks his best point run since December 22 through January 11 when he posted points in seven of eight games with seven points (2g, 5a). On the season, Schempp has set all career-highs in scoring with 31 points (13g, 18a) through 57 games.

Mr. 200: Steelheads defenseman will play in his 200th game with the Steelheads in tonight’s game, moving him into an exclusive club of Steelheads players. He becomes the 10th player in the ECHL era to reach 200 games and sharing ninth place with Rob Linsmayer (2012-17) while joining former teammates Jefferson Dahl (241), Corbin Baldwin (211) and Matt Case (206) in that listing. During his career, Dodero has also moved into the top-10 for career points as a defenseman (5th) and penalty minutes (4th). Heading into his 200th game, Dodero owns 72 points (19g, 53a) with 352 penalty minutes.

Glimmering Hope: The Wichita Thunder still have an opportunity to reach the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs, but their hopes are starting to slip with their loss on Wednesday and just 13 games remaining. At this point, their maximum point total is 79 points, which gives the Mavericks 16 points to reach that total either won by them or lost by the Thunder. In order for the Thunder to make the postseason, they need a magic number of 42, which means the Thunder would, at worst, need to win all 13 games remaining and have the Mavericks finish with a 7-8-0 record to get into the postseason. The Thunder are still the barometer for magic number for the top-four teams with the highest potential point total.

MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads head into Pink in the Rink Night on Saturday, Mar. 9 at 7:10 p.m. when they close their season series against the Thunder. Tickets are available by calling 208-383-0080 or going to idahosteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 1350AM KITK and at 7:00 p.m. on Cable One Ch. 72 and ECHL.TV.