PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (17-9-5) VS. ALLEN AMERICANS (22-5-4)

FRIDAY, DEC. 27, 2019 | 7:10 P.M. MTCENTURYLINK ARENA | BOISE, IDTICKETS: CLICK HERETV: SPARKLIGHT CH. 72 | RADIO: 1350 KTIK-AM | STREAM: ECHL TV

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads open their final home weekend of the 2019 calendar year against the Allen Americans from CenturyLink Arena.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads have earned points in four of six games against the Americans with half of those contests going to overtime, holding a 2-2-2 record with five games remaining in their season series. This weekend starts the fourth of six games against the Americans in December with five of those six at CenturyLink Arena. The Steelheads are 16-9-5 against Allen all-time while going 9-4-3 at CenturyLink Arena.

Last Game: The Steelheads extended their win streak to five games with a 4-1 win against the Norfolk Admirals on Saturday night from Norfolk Scope. After a scoreless first period, Steelheads forward Marc-Olivier Roy (2:05 2nd) zipped in the opening tally ahead of an answer from Admirals forward Charlie O’Connor (3:25 2nd) for a 1-1 scoreline. Roy (SH, 5:47 2nd) added his second-straight tally to begin opening the lead, 2-1, before Steelheads forward Anthony Nellis (SH, 12:07 2nd; 4:02 3rd) tallied two goals of his own to open the unanswered streak but also solidify a 4-1 result to close the weekend with three wins in three games. Tomas Sholl (12-4-4) denied 29 of 30 shots in the win, while Brandon Halverson (5-10-3) stopped 26 of 30 shots in the loss.

Straight Flush: The Steelheads return from the holiday break on a five-game win streak thanks to three-straight wins on the road in Norfolk. Their current run overtakes their season-opening four-game win stretch and is the longest since their best of the ECHL era at nine games spanning from Feb. 20, 2015 through Mar. 7, 2015. Over their run, the Steelheads have held opponents to two goals or less in four of five games while averaging 3.60 goals per contest and only outpacing opponents in shots in two of five games. Most of their scoring have come on even-strength play (15-of-18, 83.3%), and three of the five game-winning goals came from defensemen.

Friday Funday: The Steelheads come into their first two-game weekend since Home Opening Weekend on October 18-19 with momentum on weekend meetings. Thanks to their recent run, the Steelheads own a 13-3-3-1 record during tilts on solely Friday and Saturday contests including a 7-2-1-1 record just on Friday night games. This compares to a 4-5-1-0 record on games between Sunday and Thursday. The team’s last Friday loss came on November 29 against Rapid City (4-3 L), and their only other Friday defeat was on November 1 against Utah (5-4 L).

Tomas The Tank: Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl was named Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the third time this season after allowing only one goal to the Admirals in two games last week. The Hermosa Beach, Calif. native leads all players in weekly awards this year, and his sixth total weekly naming now ranks third in ECHL history. Recently, Sholl is on a three-game win streak while allowing only three goals in those games and earning a .968 save percentage in that time. It’s the third win streak of the season for Sholl and keeps him in a share atop the ECHL in wins (12) while sitting third in saves (525) climbing back to fourth in GAA (2.30).

White Light: Steelheads captain A.J. White added another game to his already impressive point streak, now owning an eight-game point streak heading into the weekend. His assist on Saturday puts the total to 14 points (4-10–14) since the streak began on December 6 and moves his assist streak to four games (seven assists) in the middle of that run. Additionally, the Dearborn, Mich. product’s plus/minus rating has dropped by 10 in his last five games, surging from a -11 rating to a -1 rating. With a point on Friday, White can tie forward Marc-Olivier Roy for the longest streak of the season at nine games (1-11–12) despite blowing out Roy’s point total. White owns 23 points (6-17–23) in 31 games this season, sitting second in assists and scoring while also moving into the Steelheads all-time record books, sliding into the top-10 for career assists (76) in the ECHL era.

Sheeshy Sheehy: Americans forward Tyler Sheehy has exploded throughout December, owning points in all 12 games this month and doing so in droves. The Burnsville, Minn. native owns 25 points (9-16–25) with 10-straight multi-point games since December 6 and three games posting three points or more. Not only does he lead all rookies in scoring but also the entire ECHL by six points over four different skaters as well as assists over Idaho’s Marc-Olivier Roy by three. The 12-game point streak is tied for active runs with Newfoundland’s Scott Pooley and trails the current season-long stretch by Indy’s Spencer Watson (15 games).

MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads host the Americans in the final home game of the 2019 calendar year on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena. Tickets are available by calling 208-331-TIXS or going to idahosteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM "The Ticket" as well as 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 & ECHL.tv.