IDAHO STEELHEADS (18-12-1) VS. UTAH GRIZZLIES (20-11-2)

FRIDAY, JAN. 14, 2022 | 7:10 P.M. MTMAVERIK CENTER | WEST VALLEY CITY, UTRADIO: 95.3FM/1350AM KTIK | STREAM: FLOHOCKEY

GAME NOTES: CLICK HERE

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads head into the road portion of their six-game stretch with the Utah Grizzlies at Maverik Center. 

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads have won back-to-back games for the second time against the Grizzlies and have taken both weekend series, earning wins in four of six games to open the 16-game season set as well as three of four games in Boise. The Steelheads have also won 13 of their last 17 meetings with the Grizzlies since the start of the 2019-20 season and closed the gap to the division lead to five points. The Steelheads are 110-53-26 all-time against the Grizzlies as well as 50-29-13 on the road.

Last Game: The Steelheads snagged the extra point in a 4-3 shootout win over the Grizzlies on Saturday night from Idaho Central Arena. The Steelheads and Grizzlies went back and forth throughout the game, and the Grizzlies struck first on the power play for the early lead before Steelheads forward Shawn McBride (PP, 18:08 1st) retaliated with his own power play tally off the faceoff to tie the game, 1-1. Steelheads forward Chase Zieky (5:06 2nd; PP, 6:01 2nd) came out hot in the middle period with two goals less than one minute apart to take a two-goal lead, 3-1. However, the Grizzlies answered in a similar fashion for situations to force a 3-3 game into overtime. After a strong goaltending play by Colton Point, Steelheads captain A.J. White (3rd Round) netted the lone goal in the shootout, taking the 4-3 result.

On The Road Again: The Steelheads are coming off a strong finish to their first home weekend of 2022 thanks to back-to-back wins over the Grizzlies. With their pair of wins, the Steelheads have yet to fall in a three-game weekend series this season in five-straight sets since their first in mid-November, and the tema has not lost a weekend set of any kind at home in six homestands. The Steelheads own the most home wins (13) in the ECHL, and their .722 win percentage is third in the league only to Reading (.833) and Cincinnati (.750). However, the Steelheads enter the weekend with three-straight road losses, their second time hitting a three-game skid away from home, and have lost four of five road games (1-3-0-1) since December 3 with their lone win on December 4.

Supercharged: The Steelheads and Grizzlies both finished the weekend with a perfect 3-for-3 performance on the power play over their last two games to close out the weekend. For the Steelheads, it’s just the third time this season that they’ve recorded a multi-power play goal game, joining their 2-for-3 game on December 3 against Kansas City (3-2 SOL) and a commanding 4-for-11 contest on Opening Night against the Grizzlies (7-3 W). It also marks the fourth time the Steelheads have conceded multiple power play goals in a game and the second time in five games. The Steelheads have scored in six of their last seven games on the power play (7-for-22, 31.8%).

Transaction Frenzy: The Steelheads have seen more roster fluctuation coming in the last week with four new faces in the lineup along with three departures. The Steelheads welcomed back forward Yauheni Aksiantsiuk and saw defenseman Max Martin both join from the Texas Stars, the team signed defenseman Sam Skinner after parts of two seasons at Ferris State University, and forward Mason Mitchell arrived in Boise from Cincinnati. Forward Kyle Marino was recalled by AHL Chicago on Thursday while forwards Nick DeVito and Conor Landrigan were released. The Steelheads have made 50 moves on or off the roster this season with 22 of them (44.0%) within the last 19 days.

Mr. Zorro: Steelheads forward Chase Zieky netted two goals in the second period in Saturday’s win to help gain the lead and continue his strong run of form. He finished off the week with three goals in two games and has been on fire since returning from the injured list on January 2, earning points in three of four games (3 goals, assist). He’s earned back-to-back games with goals now twice this year with his first coming as his first two professional goals on November 13 & 17. Five of his six points in his first 13 professional games have come as goals.

Rollercoaster Ride: Just like the Steelheads, the Utah Grizzlies have battled for positive results coming out of the holiday break and have now fallen in consecutive games for the first time since December 3 & 4 against Kalamazoo. Since returning to play on December 27, the Grizzlies have dropped four of their seven games but earned points in four contests, posting a 3-3-0-1 record and only winning consecutive games on January 1 & 5 crossing from their four-game series with Rapid City to their current stretch with Idaho. The Grizzlies came into the holidays with a six-game win streak and wins in seven of eight contests, and currently they’ve been held to three goals or less in three-straight games for the first time this season.

2021-22 MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads  home weekend against the Utah Grizzlies on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 7:10 p.m. from Idaho Central Arena. Tickets are single-seats only but available by going to idahosteelheads.com or calling 208-331-TIXS. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on  95.3FM/1350AM "The Ticket" as well as 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 & FloHockey.