PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (32-17-7) VS. UTAH GRIZZLIES (33-16-9)

FRIDAY, FEB. 28, 2020 | 7:10 P.M. MTCENTURYLINK ARENA | BOISE, IDTICKETS: CLICK HERETV: SPARKLIGHT CH. 72 | RADIO: 1350 KTIK-AMSTREAM: FACEBOOK LIVE (ECHL)

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads head into the midway game of their three-game weekend with the Utah Grizzlies from CenturyLink Arena.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads have won three-straight games against the Grizzlies since February 7 and now have a chance to earn at least a share of the season series with a win tonight. The Steelheads are now 7-1-1 against the Grizzlies this season, and their win on Wednesday continued the trend of only home teams winning in the 2020 portion of the season set. The Steelheads have four-straight home games remaining through mid-March, and overall the Steelheads own a 105-51-27 record all-time against the Grizzlies.

Last Game: The Steelheads finished a back-and-forth game with a 4-3 shootout win against the Grizzlies on Wednesday night from CenturyLink Arena. Steelheads forward Brett Supinski (3:13 1st) scored the only goal of the first frame to start the ball rolling, 1-0. Both teams scored in the middle frame starting with Grizzlies forward Ryan Wagner (8:34 2nd) followed by Steelheads forward Will Merchant (16:50 2nd) to re-take the lead, 2-1. The see-saw continued thanks to Grizzlies forward Mitch Maxwell (5:43 3rd) and continued with Steelheads forward Colby McAuley (13:46 3rd) and Wagner (EA, 18:29 3rd) to force overtime at 3-3. After a scoreless extra period, Steelheads forwards A.J. White (1st Round) and Supinski (2nd Round) secured the 4-3 shootout win. Colton Point (6-8-2) halted 35 of 38 shots in the win, while Martin Ouellette (22-10-3) stopped 32 of 35 shots in the shootout loss.

Going Streaking: The Steelheads earned their fourth-straight win since returning home on February 19 while also extending their home win streak to six games thanks to Wednesday’s win. The overall win streak is the longest since the team’s six-game run from December 13-27 and tied for their second-highest with their season-opening four-game stretch. The Steelheads have hit three goals or more in five of their six home wins and in all four games over the last 10 days while only hitting post-regulation play in two of their wins during both stretches. Since January 31, the Steelheads own a 8-2-0-0 record and will have at least a positive record through the end of their homestand on March 7.

Shoot ‘Em Out: The Steelheads have seen a rapid increase of shootout results since the middle of January but have also found better results in that time. The shootout win on Wednesday was their first back-to-back set of wins in shootouts while also being their second shootout result in their last three games overall. The Steelheads have won three of their last four shootouts to come to an even 4-4 record on the year. Since January 20, the Steelheads have finished in shootouts during five of their last six games with post-regulation play while only seeing a shootout in three of 13 post-regulation games. The Steelheads are 12-7 in post-regulation play this season.

Souper Man: Steelheads forward Brett Supinski remains one of the hottest players in the ECHL as of late, adding another two points plus a shootout goal to his efforts. His goal and assist in Wednesday’s win extends his goal streak to four-straight games, which is the longest for a Steelheads player this season and shared with the longest active streak in the ECHL. His points brings his overall point streak to eight games, which ties forward A.J. White’s streak and places him one point away from sharing forward Marc-Olivier Roy’steam-high of nine games. In Supinski’s streak, he owns 10 points (5-5–10) since February 7 with the most goals in a point streak this season. He leads Steelheads rookies in scoring (17-16–33) and sits tied for third on the team in scoring and second in goals.

McAwesome: After missing his last two games, Steelheads forward Colby McAuley netted another goal in Wednesday’s win to keep his own hot run alive. The goal marks his second-straight game with tallies but is also the sixth time in seven games during February where he’s earned at least one point, netting seven points (5-2–7) with goals in five of those six games after only earning two points in seven games after being acquired from the Orlando Solar Bears on January 15. McAuley now owns nine points (6-3–9) in 14 games with the Steelheads and already owns double the goals compared to his Orlando total this year.

The Purge 2020: The Utah Grizzlies have a different look to their roster with the departure of four players to the Colorado Eagles: Josh Dickinson, Tim McGauley, Peter Tischke, and Ryan Wagner. Dickinson is second on the Grizzlies in power play goals (6), McGauley sits second in the ECHL in scoring (62), Wagner scored two of three goals in Wednesday’s game, and Tischke is one of four defensemen with a plus/minus rating of at least +10. This adds to the list including Griffen Molino (Colorado) and Teigan Zahn (IR) of impact players now absent from the lineup. 

MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads and Grizzlies FINISH their weekend set on Saturday, Feb. 29 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.