Steelheads Weekly - Nov. 1, 2021

BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (3-2-0) begin a six-game, two-week road trip starting with a three-game weekend in Tulsa.LAST WEEK…Friday, October 29 vs. Rapid City Rush: L 5-4Shots: Rush 26, Steelheads 31PP: Rush 1-for-3, Steelheads 1-for-4The Steelheads struck first for the first time this season early in the game on a one-time shot from forward Yauheni Aksiantsiuk (2:08 1st) for the 1-0 advantage. The Rush answered with back-to-back tallies to close out the opening period before the Steelheads found life in the second period. Steelheads forward Luc Brown (3:49 2nd) started the three-unanswered goal stretch early in the frame to level the score, 2-2, before forward Will Merchant (PP, 13:58 2nd; 0:31 3rd) notched his first two of the season to push the advantage by two. However, the Rush added three in the final frame while the Steelheads couldn’t come back in the 5-4 loss.Saturday, October 30 vs. Rapid City Rush: W 2-1 (OT)Shots: Rush 26, Steelheads 34PP: Rush 0-for-2, Steelheads 0-for-3The Steelheads pressed hard offensively throughout the game though the Rush tallied the opening goal in the first period to take a 1-0 led. The home side hit three posts in the first period and outshot the Rush throughout all three periods, though it took almost two frames to tie the game. Steelheads forward Yauheni Aksiantsiuk (17:40 2nd) pushed one through the legs of the netminder to tie the game, 1-1. After a scoreless third period, Aksiantsiuk (0:07 OT) only needed seven seconds to ta­ke the extra point and the 2-1 overtime win.THIS WEEK…Thursday, November 4 @ Tulsa Oilers – 6:05 p.m. MTSaturday, November 6 @ Tulsa Oilers – 6:05 p.m. MTSunday, November 7 @ Tulsa Oilers – 3:05 p.m. MTThe Steelheads open a six-game season series against the Tulsa Oilers in their lone road meeting of the season. In their last season meeting in 2019-20, the Oilers claimed the season series, winning six of eight games and giving the Steelheads a 2-5-1 record while falling in four of five meetings on the road. This is the first of a six-game season series and the only trip to Tulsa this season. The Steelheads own a 17-12-2 record all-time against the Oilers as well as 10-6-1 at the BOK Center.UPCOMING PROMOTIONS…Pepsi Puck Giveaway: The Steelheads are handing out the annual Steelheads Pepsi Pucks for the first 1,000 fans in attendance on Saturday, Nov. 20 against the Adirondack Thunder. For tickets, head to idahosteelheads.com or call 331-TIXS.STEEL STATS…Quick Bites:

• The Steelheads finished October with the third-most goals in the ECHL (18), only trailing the Utah Grizzlies (22) and Norfolk Admirals (19).
• The overtime winner scored on Saturday night by Yauheni Aksiantsiuk was the fastest overtime goal (0:07) in Steelheads ECHL history, breaking the old record set by Marty Flichel on Nov. 14, 2007 vs. Las Vegas. The goal is also tied for the third-fastest in ECHL history, only trailing the overall lead of four seconds set in 2019 and six seconds in 2002.
• Forward Yauheni Aksiantsiuk earned five points last weekend against Rapid City, including the game-winner on Saturday. Through October, the Belarus native leads the ECHL in scoring (4-5—9) as well as all ECHL rookies.
• Defenseman Michael Prapavessis earned another pair of assists over the weekend, moving his assist total to six to start the year. He leads all ECHL defensemen in assists and owns a share of the ECHL lead with six assists.

Team Leaders:

Mountain Division Standings:

BROADCAST INFORMATION…

All road games during the 2021-22 regular season are broadcast on local radio and on an online pay-per-view service. Coverage begins 20 minutes before puck drop on 1350-AM KTIK “The Ticket” & FloSports.The Deschutes Brewery Idaho Steelheads Hockey Show returns this Thursday on 1350 KTIK-AM “The Ticket”, featuring Steelheads news, analysis and insight from around the ECHL. The show airs every Tuesday through Thursday during the 2021-22 season.​​​​​​​The Steelheads open a six-game road trip against the Tulsa Oilers on Thursday, Nov. 4 at 6:05 p.m. and return to Idaho Central Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7:10 p.m. against the Adirondack Thunder. Single-game tickets are available for all home games during the 2021-22 regular season by going to idahosteelheads.com or calling 331-TIXS! Make sure to secure your FloSports subscription for the 2021-22 season to lock in all Steelheads games and more on ECHL TV.