PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (30-17-7) VS. RAPID CITY RUSH (27-21-6)

SATURDAY, FEB. 22, 2020 | 7:10 P.M. MTCENTURYLINK ARENA | BOISE, IDTICKETS: CLICK HERETV: SPARKLIGHT CH. 72 | RADIO: 1350 KTIK-AM | STREAM: ECHL TV

GAME NOTES: CLICK HERE

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads play their final home meeting against the Rapid City Rush to close their two-game weekend from CenturyLink Arena.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads have won back-to-back Friday home meetings against the Rush and look to also earn their first back-to-back wins against Rapid City. Tonight is the final of seven-straight home games against the Rush, and the Steelheads are 3-5-1 overall with four games remaining in their season series. The Rush can claim the season series for the first time in franchise history with one win during their final four meetings. The Steelheads are 41-18-5 all-time against the Rush and now 19-8-4 at CenturyLink Arena.

Last Night: The Steelheads came from behind to secure a 3-2 shootout win over the Rush on Friday night from CenturyLink Arena. The Rush scored two goals in 41 seconds early in the game thanks to forward Tyler Coulter (4:01 1st) followed by forward Cedric Montminy (4:42 1st) to leap ahead quickly, 2-0. After the Steelheads settled in, forward Brett Supinski (19:37 1st; 8:54 2nd) netted both tallies that put the Steelheads back level, 2-2. Despite two correctly disallowed goals against the Steelheads, both sides went to bonus hockey. In the shootout, Supinski (2nd Round) placed in the only goal between both teams and secured the 3-2 win. Tomas Sholl (24-8-5) halted 28 of 30 shots in the win, while Gordon Defiel (3-4-3) stopped 45 of 47 shots in the shootout loss.

Connect Four: For the first time this season, the Steelheads are on a four-game home win streak thanks to their comeback effort last night. The Steelheads overtook their two previous marks set from November 22-27 and December 13-17 while continuing their stretch that began on February 7 against Utah. In that time, the Steelheads have allowed just six goals in four games while also adding three goals or more in three of those four wins. This continues a stretch that began at the outset of this 13-of-15 game stretch at CenturyLink Arena on January 31, and since then the team has won six of their last eight games with their only two losses coming on February 1 (2-1 L vs. RC) and February 16 (4-1 L @ TOL). The Steelheads now have the same number of home and road wins (15) and became the 11th ECHL team to reach the 30-win mark.

The Final Countdown: The Steelheads enter the final quarter (18 games) of the regular season on a hot tear. The third quarter was the team’s best 18-game performance of the season, owning a 11-5-0-2 record with 24 points, setting a new best for wins and points in a quarter. The Steelheads earned three different three-game point streaks and also turned around their home troubles, winning six of nine games at CenturyLink Arena during that stretch of time. On the defensive side, their penalty kill only allowed four goals in 56 chances (92.9%) and kept opponents to two goals or less in two-thirds of their games. The Steelheads head into the final quarter of the regular season with 67 points and, if their 20-plus quarter point trend continues, are on-pace to reach at least 87 points, which is one point shy of last season’s total.

Super Sup: Steelheads forward Brett Supinski lit up the scoresheet in last night’s win, earning an honorary hat-trick with two regulation goals and the only tally in the shootout. The performance was just the second multi-goal game of the rookie’s career, matching his two-goal output on December 4 against Allen (6-4 L), and it’s the seventh multi-point game of the season. The Collegeville, Penn. native is now on a six-game point streak since February 7, totaling seven points (3-4–7) and now on the ropes of a three-game goal streak for the sixth time this season from a Steelheads player. Supinski also now owns points in 10 of 12 games (4-8–12) and leads the Steelheads in scoring during the third quarter. He became the fourth player to 30 points (15-15–30) and leads Steelheads rookies in all scoring categories.

Deeee-yo: Rush goaltender Gordon Defiel stood on his head in last night’s game, helping the road side to earn a point in the shootout loss. The Stillwater, Minn. product hasn’t had the best of luck since joining the Rush in January, only winning three of his eight decisions, but he’s also kept the Rush in games, holding opponents to three goals or less in all 10 appearances including two in relief. Just with Rapid City, Defiel holds a 1.98 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage, which would rank atop the ECHL in both categories among qualifying goaltenders, however he hasn’t hit the minimum time yet this year. Overall, Defiel owns a 3-4-3 record with a 2.52 GAA and .927 save pct. through 12 games between Indy and Rapid City this season.

MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads host the rival Utah Grizzlies for a three-game weekend beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena. Tickets are available by calling 208-331-TIXS(8497) 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.