Steelheads Weekly - Mar. 28, 2022

BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads (34-27-3) head to the Sunshine State for their last non-divisional road week.LAST WEEK…­Wednesday, March 23 vs. Wichita Thunder: W 7-4Shots: Thunder 27, Steelheads 52PP: Thunder 1-for-4, Steelheads 2-for-4The Thunder netted two goals in the first two minutes to lurch ahead quickly, but a key timeout called by the Steelheads brought them in before taking over the game. Steelheads forward A.J. White (3:42 1st) led the way back with a put-back tally within two minutes of the opening strikes to cut the lead in half, 2-1. A pair of multi-goal scorers notched back-to-back tallies starting with forward Colton Kehler (9:39 1st) and followed by forward Will Merchant (10:24 1st) to snag the lead away, 3-2. After the Thunder notched a tying tally in the second period, the Steelheads added two more with Merchant (PP, 8:50 2nd) and Kehler (17:51 2nd) pushing through their second goals for a 5-3 advantage. Merchant (PP, 14:41 3rd) completed the hat-trick late in the third period on his second power play goal before the Thunder got one back. Forward Ryan Dmowski (EN, 18:30 3rd) finished the night with the clinching goal in the 7-4 win.Friday, March 25 vs. Wichita Thunder: W 3-2 (OT)Shots: Thunder 25, Steelheads 40PP: Thunder 1-for-4, Steelheads 0-for-4The Steelheads took control of the tempo for most of the first period and were rewarded while in the midst of a change. Forward Mason Mitchell (17:45 1st) directed a back door play into the net as he snuck behind the defense for the 1-0 advantage. The Thunder pressed back and earned the lone goal of the middle frame, leading to a tight third period. Forward Ryan Dmowski (0:39 3rd) led off with an early strike for the one-goal lead, but the Thunder found one in the back half to force overtime, 2-2. The Steelheads and Thunder see-sawed chances, but defenseman Darren Brady (6:36 OT) took advantage of a miscue and sealed the extra point in the 3-2 overtime win.Saturday, March 26 vs. Wichita Thunder: W 9-1Shots: Thunder 30, Steelheads 39PP: Thunder 0-for-3, Steelheads 5-for-9The Steelheads wasted no time in getting on the board with four goals in the first period. Their first of five power play goals came on their first chance thanks to defenseman Will Cullen (PP, 2:56 1st) for the opening strike followed up by a saucy opening for captain A.J. White (4:47 1st) to double the lead, 2-0. Forward Austin Alger (8:41 1st) scored his first professional goal from the mid-slot, and forward Zach Walker (14:02 1st) finished off the early scoring for a 4-0 lead. The Steelheads scored two more before the Thunder answered back: forward Willie Knierim (PP, 6:30 2nd) and White (PP, 13:09) with back-to-back power play tallies for the eventual 6-1 lead following the Thunder goal. Three more came for the Steelheads with forward Ryan Dmowski (19:02 2nd) cashing in before the end of the frame followed by forward Colton Kehler (PP, 6:05 3rd) and Dmowski (PP, 7:37 3rd) on the same power play, finishing off the 9-1 win.THIS WEEK…Wednesday, March 30 @ Florida Everblades – 5:30 p.m. MTFriday, April 1 @ Florida Everblades – 5:30 p.m. MTSaturday, April 2 @ Florida Everblades – 5:30 p.m. MTThe Steelheads meet the Florida Everblades for their lone weekend series of the season. This is the fourth series in franchise history between the Steelheads and Everblades with their last meeting coming in Estero on Nov. 13-14, 2015 in back-to-back Everblades wins (4-3 OT, 3-0). The two teams first met during the 2004 Kelly Cup Final with the Steelheads taking the series 4-1 for their first championship. The Steelheads are 5-5-1 in the regular season against the Everblades as well as 2-2-1 on the road. The team’s only South Division meeting this year was a three-game sweep of the South Carolina Stingrays in December.UPCOMING PROMOTIONS…$2 Beer Wednesday: $2 beers are back for every Wednesday night game during the 2021-22 season. The final $2 Beer Wednesday is on April 6 during the last home regular season weekend, so get your seats at idahosteelheads.com or call 331-TIXS.Regular Season Finale: The Steelheads wrap up their home schedule with Awards Recognition Night on Saturday, Apr. 9 at 7:10 p.m. Tickets are available by going to idahosteelheads.com or calling 331-TIXS.STEEL STATS…Quick Bites:

• The Steelheads are on a four-game win streak, their longest since their five-game win stretch from January 26 through February 4, as well as five of their last six contests since March 13.
• The Steelheads have scored five or more goals in four of six games while matching their season-high goal total (9) on Saturday.
• Jake Kupsky is on a four-game win streak in four-straight starts, matching his longest win streak of the season.

• A.J. White led the Steelheads with eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) over their last three games, notching his first 60-point season.

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 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 open a three-game road weekend against the Florida Everblades on Wednesday, Mar. 30 at 5:30 p.m. MT and return to Idaho Central Arena on Wednesday, Apr. 6 at 7:10 p.m. 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.