Steelheads Weekly - Dec. 20, 2021

BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (16-8-1) completed their long stretch of home games and head into the holiday break as one of the top teams in the ECHL.LAST WEEK…­Wednesday, December 15 vs. Rapid City Rush: L 2-1Shots: Rush 23, Steelheads 33PP: Rush 0-for-2, Steelheads 0-for-2A 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.Friday, December 17 vs. Rapid City Rush: W 5-2Shots: Rush 26, Steelheads 46PP: Rush 0-for-1, Steelheads 0-for-1The Steelheads wasted no time in getting ahead on a goal of the year candidate by forward Luc Brown (3:12 1st) on a through-the-legs goal for the early 1-0 lead. Though the Rush answered later that period, the Steelheads edged back ahead in the early portion of the middle frame thanks to a flip shot by forward Will Merchant (1:28 2nd) on a rush. Rapid City earned another tying tally before the Steelheads found one that wouldn’t be usurped. Forward Shawn McBride (15:13 2nd) deflected a shot from the blue line off the left post for the go-ahead tally, 3-2. Late in the game, the Steelheads earned back-to-back empty net goals thanks to defenseman Colby McAuley (EN, 18:48 3rd) and forward A.J. White (EN, 19:53 3rd) to seal the 5-2 win.Sunday, December 19 vs. Rapid City Rush: W 3-0Shots: Rush 21, Steelheads 29PP: Rush 0-for-3, Steelheads 1-for-3The Steelheads held firm defensively until they were able to net the game’s first goal in the middle frame. Forward Colby McAuley (14:00 2nd) created space with a check and finished the attempt with a one-time shot off the right post, netting the difference-maker and the 1-0 lead. Steelheads forward A.J. White (PP, 4:31 3rd) pushed through the first power play goal of the weekend on a net front press to double the advantage, and defenseman Casey Johnson (EN, 19:58 3rd) ensured the game with an empty net goal for the 3-0 win. Matt Jurusik halted all 21 shots in his second shutout of the year.THIS WEEK…No Games This WeekThe Steelheads hit the holiday break and are one of the few teams with a full weekend off following the holiday. The Steelheads will have 11 days between games for the longest holiday break in the league with the first game back on New Year’s Eve against the Allen Americans.UPCOMING PROMOTIONS…4 For $50 Family Friday: Get four tickets, four Double R Ranch hot dogs, and four Pepsis for just $50 and bring out the whole family for a Friday night with the Steelheads. Limited availability that sell out fast, so go to idahosteelheads.com to get yours today.$2 Beer Wednesday: $2 beers are back for every Wednesday night game during the 2021-22 season. The second of 11 $2 Beer Wednesdays comes on Wednesday, Nov. 24 against the Allen Americans. Get your seats at idahosteelheads.com or call 331-TIXS.Holiday Hat Trick: Get the perfect stocking stuffer for the fan in your family that includes three ticket vouchers for the 2021-22 season and a Steelheads hat starting at just $55. Snag yours by going to IdahoCentralArena.com/store.STEEL STATS…Quick Bites:

• The Steelheads closed a long stretch at home with 12 of 14 games at Idaho Central Arena, finishing with a 10-3-0-1 record as well as an overall league-best 11-4-0-0 record at home. The Steelheads are one of just two teams with at least 10 home wins.
• The Steelheads sit second in the ECHL heading into the holiday break at 33 points, their best mid-season ranking since the Brabham Cup-winning 2009-10 season.
• Goaltender Matt Jurusik stopped all 21 shots on Sunday for his second-straight ECHL shutout and third shutout in four games across two leagues. Jurusik (1.66) only trails teammate Jake Kupsky (1.65) in GAA across the ECHL.
• Forward A.J. White earned his second-straight multi-point game, assisting the winning goal and scoring on the power play. He leads the Steelheads in all scoring categories (10-14—24) and is one assist from becoming the fifth player in the Steelheads ECHL era to breach 100 career assists.

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BROADCAST INFORMATION…

All home games during the 2021-22 regular season are broadcast on local television as well as on radio and online pay-per-view. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 95.3 FM/1350 AM KTIK “The Ticket” as well as 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 & FloSports.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 95.3FM/1350AM KTIK “The Ticket” & FloSports.The Deschutes Brewery Idaho Steelheads Hockey Show airs every Tuesday through Thursday during the 2021-22 season on 95.3 FM/1350 AM KTIK “The Ticket”, featuring Steelheads news, analysis and insight from around the ECHL. Listen to the long-form podcast-style format to get you more in-depth conversations and information from players, alumni and others from the hockey world.The Steelheads return from the holiday break on Friday, Dec. 31 at 5:05 p.m. against the Allen Americans from Allen Event Center and come back to Idaho Central Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 7:10 p.m. against the Utah Grizzlies. 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 action from around the ECHL.