PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (6-1-2) @ UTAH GRIZZLIES (3-3-3)

SUNDAY, NOV. 3 2019 | 1:10 P.M. MTMAVERIK CENTER | WEST VALLEY CITY, UTRADIO: 1350 AM KTIK | STREAM: ECHL TV

Today’s Game: The Steelheads finish their three-game, three-day weekend against the Utah Grizzlies from Maverik Center.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads have won three of their first four meetings with the Grizzlies this season as well as their first overtime meeting of the year. The road team has won all four games so far out of the 16-game series with the Steelheads owning a chance to win over half of the seven games at Maverik Center with a victory this afternoon. The Steelheads are now 101-51-26 against the Grizzlies in the franchise series.

Last Night: The Steelheads edged out a 3-2 overtime win over the Grizzlies on Saturday night from Maverik Center. Steelheads defenseman Ondrej Vala (2:05 1st) nested the first goal of the night on the team’s first shot of the night to jump ahead 1-0. The Grizzlies came back with two goals on the power play thanks to forward Griffen Molino (PP, 11:42 1st) on a major power play as well as defenseman J.C. Brassard (PP, 12:19 2nd) to take the lead, 2-1. Steelheads forward Zack Andrusiak (5:05 3rd) found the game-tying goal, 2-2, on a centering pass to send the game into overtime, and Andrusiak (2:30 OT) added his second goal of the night to snag the 3-2 overtime win. Tomas Sholl (4-0-2) halted 18 of 20 shots in the win, while Mason McDonald (0-2-3) denied 29 of 32 shots in the overtime loss.

Bonus Hockey: The Steelheads once again found themselves in overtime and found the win, continuing an early trend of seeing extra hockey. The team has seen post-regulation play in four of their nine games (44.4%) so far with all four overtime results coming in their last seven overall games. After their win, the Steelheads are 2-2 in overtime results without seeing a shootout, broke a two-game skid on the road during such results, and now share the most overtime games (4) in the ECHL with Allen. In 93 games across the ECHL, the league has seen 22 games (23.7%) head into post-regulation play, and 18 of those 22 games (81.8%) have finished in overtime. Last year, 201 of 972 games (20.7%) league-wide went to overtime, and 123 of those games (61.2%) ended in that overtime period.

The Comeback Kids: The Steelheads have made a habit of earning positive results despite trailing in games, and last night’s overtime win was another instance of that battling mentality. When trailing after two periods, the Steelheads have earned points in all three games with comeback wins in back-to-back Saturday night games all while expanding on their close game record, which now sits at 4-1-2-0 after last night. Additionally, the Steelheads have yet to lose on a Saturday night or their second-game in two nights, going 4-0-0-0 in both categories with two of those results coming after a loss.

Zack Attack: Steelheads forward Zack Andrusiak found the back of the net in both the game-tying and game-winning goals during last night’s overtime win, marking his second multi-goal game of the season since October 25 in another overtime result. The Armstrong, B.C. native has strung together points in three of his last five games while earning his first overtime-winner last night. Through just nine professional games, the 21-year-old already shares the team lead in goals (5) with another rookie forward, Brett Supinski, and also sits in the top-five among ECHL rookie skaters in goals.

Mr. 200: Steelheads forward A.J. White hit a career milestone during last night’s game, playing in his 200th ECHL game while enjoying an assist to add to his point total. Through his two stops with the Steelheads and Atlanta Gladiators, the Dearborn, Mich. product has posted 110 points (32g, 78a) with only 39 penalty minutes while serving in his second year as Steelheads captain and leading last year’s team in games played (72) and assists (35). He has yet to miss a game since the 2017-18, and he earned his 100th professional point on Mar. 8, 2019 against Wichita. In his time with the Steelheads, White owns 88 points (27g, 63a) through 151 games.

The Rising Sun: Grizzlies forward Yuri Terao has been a consistent producer in his first professional season in North America and only his second overall dating back to juniors. The Tochigi, Japan native now has points in three-straight games thanks to his assist last night, tallying four points (2g, 2a) in that span. On the season, he has points in six of his first eight games played and now has an even point-per-game ratio, adding eight points (3-5–8) through eight games and sitting in the top-15 among ECHL rookie scoring. Terao last played in the United States during the 2015-16 season with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL).

MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads meet the Rapid City Rush on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7:05 p.m. from Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM "The Ticket" & ECHL.TV.