IDAHO STEELHEADS (14-8-1) VS. RAPID CITY RUSH (11-10-3)

FRIDAY, DEC. 17, 2021 | 7:10 P.M. MTIDAHO CENTRAL ARENA | BOISE, IDTV: SPARKLIGHT CH. 72RADIO: 95.3FM/1350AM KTIK | STREAM: FLOHOCKEY

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads head into their second of three games against the Rapid City Rush from Idaho Central Arena prior to the holiday break.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads and Rush have split their opening six games down the middle with now five remaining in the season series, though the Rush have the edge with one extra point in an overtime loss on October 30. The Steelheads have dropped two of three games in Boise against the Rush, however they also have wins in two of three while on the road. The Steelheads have just two home games remaining in the season set, and the Rush have won nine of 16 games since the 2019-20 season. Overall, the Steelheads are 45-21-5 against the Rush and are 21-9-4 at Idaho Central Arena.

Last Game: The Steelheads offense could not find the net enough in a 2-1 loss to the Rush on Wednesday night from Idaho Central Arena. A brisk opening period led to only one tally in the frame coming as a deflection for the Rush, and with a goal disallowed for the Steelheads it stayed at a 1-0 scoreline into the second period. The possession gap swung in the Steelheads’ favor, and they capitalized early in the frame thanks to a breakaway goal by forward Colton Kehler (6:08 2nd) to knot the game, 1-1. Despite the solid progress, the Rush gained back the advantage late in the second period. The Steelheads kept the pressure on for the remainder of the game, but two disallowed goals halted their efforts in the 2-1 loss.

Five (Not) Alive: The Steelheads suffered their first regulation loss in December in Wednesday’s result, ending a few team streaks in the process. The Steelheads are now coming off a five-game point streak to open the month with a 4-0-0-1 record, including four-straight wins since December 4 in Kansas City. It also halts the team-best three-game home winning streak after last week’s sweep of the South Carolina Stingrays. Despite the loss, the Steelheads are still outscoring their opponents 18-7 in the month while holding opponents to two goals or less overall in five-straight games. The Steelheads offense continues to create chances, outshooting their opponents now for 15-straight games since November 7 and are 10-4-0-1 in that stretch.

Stonewall Jacksons: Though the Steelheads picked up the loss, their defensive acumen continued through the game. The Steelheads are still averaging just 2.09 goals against per game, leading the ECHL in that category while holding opponents to two goals or less in regulation in six-straight games, all of which are in December. If all four Steelheads goaltenders qualified for league stats, they would all sit in the top-15 in goals-against average in the ECHL (Kupsky – 1st, 1.60; Jurusik – 3rd, 1.86; Point – 6th, 2.03; Scheel – 13th, 2.37).

Colton On Point: Steelheads goaltender Colton Point made his season debut in Wednesday’s loss, halting 21 of 23 shots in an impressive start to his tenure. The two-goal effort against marks the fifth time in his last seven games with the Steelheads that the North Bay, Ont. native has held opponents to two goals or less dating back to the 2019-20 season, including his lone shutout on Feb. 29, 2020. He played just five games with the Texas Stars this season before coming to the Steelheads for his third year. Point owns a 12-12-4 record with a 2.98 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage through 34 games.

Eating Kehl Chips: Steelheads forward Colton Kehler netted the lone goal in Wednesday’s defeat but continued a strong trend when finding goals. The Port Coquitlam, B.C. native has scored the opening goal of the game in three of his five goals on the season, and one additional added to that total equals the number of opening goals for the Steelheads, including on Wednesday. This was the first time in four games that the Steelheads lost when Kehler scored the team’s opening goal as well as overall in five games when Kehler scores. He owns 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in 21 games this season and set his career-high last year in his first professional season (17-21–38).

Go Lo Go: Though he did not pick up points last game, Rush forward Logan Nelson is having a strong seventh ECHL season to jump ahead of his team and most of the league. The Rogers, Minn. product posted six points in three games prior to Wednesday’s game, including a career-best three assists last Friday night against Kansas City, matching a mark first hit on Jan. 7, 2017 against the Utah Grizzlies while playing with Rapid City. Even without points to open the weekend, Nelson leads the ECHL in assists (21) with a three-point lead over Newfoundland’s Zach O’Brien and as well as sits second in the ECHL in overall scoring (30 points), one point back of Toledo’s T.J. Hensick. Nelson is eight assists and 11 points from matching his career-bests (29 and 41, respectively) from 2019-20 with Atlanta.

2021-22 MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads and Rush close their weekend before the holiday break on Sunday, Dec. 19 at 4:05 p.m. from Idaho Central Arena. Tickets are single seats only at idahosteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 3:45 p.m. on KTIK "The Ticket" (95.3FM/1350AM) as well as 3:55 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 & FloHockey.