IDAHO STEELHEADS (10-7-0) @ KANSAS CITY MAVERICKS (6-9-1)

FRIDAY, DEC. 3, 2021 | 6:05 P.M. MTCABLE DAHMER ARENA | INDEPENDENCE, MORADIO: 95.3FM & 1350AM KTIK | STREAM: FLOHOCKEYCLICK HERE FOR GAME NOTES

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads make their first trip to Independence to open December with a two-game weekend against the Kansas City Mavericks beginning tonight from Cable Dahmer Arena.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads and Mavericks meet seven times during the 2021-22 season with four games in Independence and three games in Boise. This will be the first of two trips to Missouri, and the Steelheads dominated their last series with the Mavericks in 2019-20 with a 4-0-1 record in their five-game set. The Steelheads have won 12 of 17 games in the franchise series, owning a 12-4-1 record while going 3-3-1 in Independence.

Last Game: The Steelheads scored twice on special teams but fell 4-2 to the Allen Americans on Saturday night from Idaho Central Arena. The Americans pounced early with two goals within the first 10 minutes of the contest to scoot ahead 2-0 before the Steelheads found an answer. Defenseman Colby McAuley (PP, 13:08 1st) put home a slap shot from the left point on the team’s first man-advantage to cut the lead in half, 2-1. Special teams continued to be a factor in the second period but for the opposing side with a pair of power play goals by the Americans for a 4-1 lead heading to the final period. Steelheads forward Will Merchant (SH, 10:16 3rd) added the first shorthanded goal of the season, but the team fell short in the 4-2 loss.

November Wrap: The Steelheads closed out their first full month of the season on the winning track, taking a 7-5-0 record through their 12-game stint. The Steelheads opened the month with six games on the road followed by six games at home, going 3-3-0 at home while owning a 4-2-0 record at home. During the month, the Steelheads outshot their opponents in 11 of 12 games while earning power play goals in nine of 12 games in the month. The Steelheads have lost just one of their first six weekend series heading into December, where the Steelheads play six of their nine games at Idaho Central Arena.

Home, Sweet Home: The Steelheads also completed their first six-game homestand of the season on Saturday, and despite the loss the team finished with a 4-2-0 record with wins in both Wednesday and Friday games. The Steelheads have performed well in the first quarter of the season, boasting wins in six of nine games and winning two of three games in back-to-back weeks against both the Adirondack Thunder and Allen Americans. The Steelheads held opponents to two goals or less in five of six games and finished with four-straight games owning power play goals. The team owns a share of the most home wins in the Mountain Division and second-most across the ECHL.

Cashing In Deals: Steelheads forward Will Merchant capped off a stellar month with his first shorthanded goal of the season during Saturday’s loss. The tally moved the Eagan, Minn. native to the only double-digit point month, posting 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) with one power play goal, one shorthanded goal, and the game-winner on November 10 in Rapid City. Merchant earned a season-best five-game point streak (3-4–7) from November 10-19 and a pair of multi-point games. Merchant sits second on the team in scoring with 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in 17 games in his fifth year in Idaho.

Power Supplier: Steelheads defenseman Colby McAuley has been a large reason for the team’s positive performance on the power play, especially over their six-game homestand to close November. The Sherwood Park, Alb. native netted his third power play goal on Saturday, now sharing the team lead in that category with forward Zack Andrusiak. In fact, all three of his power play tallies have come in his last six games and paired with two assists puts him atop the team in power play points. McAuley owns points in five of his last six games heading into this weekend, his best point streak of the season so far. He also has eight points (5 goals, 3 assists) on the year.

On Their Hooves: The Kansas City Mavericks have had a tough road as of late and look to break a downward tick in form as of late. After winning six of their first 11 games, the Mavericks have now dropped five-straight games since November 20, conceding four goals in each of those five games while earning only one point: November 26 against Rapid City (4-3 OTL). In that time, they’ve also never led at the end of the first period and have only held leads twice with his largest at just two goals in that overtime result. The Mavericks play six of their final 10 games before the holiday break at Cable Dahmer Arena, where they own  a 4-3-1 record.

2021-22 MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads close their two-game weekend against the Kansas City Mavericks on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 6:05 p.m. from Cable Dahmer Arena. Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. on KTIK "The Ticket" (95.3FM/1350AM) and FloHockey.