BOISE, ID – The Idaho Steelheads (@Steelheads), proud ECHL (@ECHL) affiliate of the Dallas Stars (@DallasStars), hit the road again this week for three games against the Norfolk Admirals. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

Wednesday, March 4 at Norfolk | 5:05 p.m. (MST)

Friday, March 6 at Norfolk | 5:05 p.m. (MST)

Saturday, March 7 at Norfolk | 5:05 p.m. (MST)

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Idaho 2 – Wichita 3

Full Recap 

Box Score

The Steelheads stumbled in the opener of their two-game set with the Thunder, falling 3-2 on Wednesday night. Idaho was strong early in the contest, racing out to a two-goal lead on goals from Mitch Wahl and Nick Portz, but the Thunder fought back hard afterwards. After Kirby Proctor and Jay Dickman answered with goals for Wichita to tie the game early in the third period, Nick Nardecchia tallied a shorthanded goal late in the final frame that proved to be the game-winner after a Steelheads equalizer was waved off for a hand pass in the final minutes of regulation.

Saturday, Feb.28

Idaho 4 – Wichita 1

Full Recap 

Box Score

The Steelheads fought back on Saturday to shake off a three-game losing streak and get back in the win column. This time it was the Thunder scoring first, with Jay Dickman giving Wichita a shorthanded goal in back-to-back games for an early 1-0 lead. Idaho got to their game over the final 40 minutes, however, and after Jordan Steinmetz tied the game early in the middle frame, the Steelheads rattled off three goals in just over three minutes in the third period to jump out to a 4-1 lead and an eventual win by that same score.

MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS 
1. Kansas City Mavericks (53 GP, 41-9-2-1, 85 pts, 0.802%)
2. Idaho Steelheads (54 GP, 34-16-4-0, 72 pts, 0.667%)
3. Allen Americans (53 GP, 29-19-5-0, 63 pts, 0.594%)
4. Tahoe Knight Monsters (54 GP, 28-21-2-3, 61 pts, 0.565%)
5. Wichita Thunder (51 GP, 22-21-4-4, 52 pts, 0.510%)
6. Rapid City Rush (52 GP, 22-26-4-0, 48 pts, 0.462%)
7. Utah Grizzlies (54 GP, 20-27-7-0, 47 pts, 0.435%)
8. Tulsa Oilers (51 GP, 17-29-5-0, 39 pts, 0.382%)

SHINING STEELHEADS

• Jade Miller notched his fourth multi-goal game of the season on Saturday.
• Mason Nevers picked up two assists on Saturday, factoring in on each of Miller’s goals.
• Sam Jardine’s plus/minus rating of +20 ranks T-7^th in the ECHL.

TEAM NOTES

BACK ON TRACK
The Steelheads grabbed a 4-1 victory over the Wichita Thunder in their last contest on Saturday to snap a three-game losing skid and get back in the win column. After falling behind in the opening frame, the Steelheads rattled off the next four goals of the game, as Jordan Steinmetz, Jade Miller (two goals), and Kaleb Pearson each found the back of the net in the victory. The final three goals for Idaho came in a span of 3:09 in the third period, as the Steelheads exploded in the final frame to build their multi-goal lead. The win was the 34^th of the season for the Steelheads, and their first multi-goal win since defeating the Thunder 5-2 on Feb. 13 in Wichita.

MILESTONE UPDATE 
After Ty Pelton-Byce skated in his 200^th game as a Steelhead on Saturday, the forward is next chasing 200 points with the Steelheads, currently sitting at 197. Another milestone can occur this week along the blue line, as defenseman Charlie Dodero is set to skate in his 300^th ECHL game next time out. Dodero has logged 116 points (28G, 88A) entering his 300^th ECHL contest, racking up 517 PIM during that span.

JADE TIMES TWO
Idaho forward Jade Miller scored two goals against the Thunder on Sunday for his fourth multi-goal effort of the season. He is one of only three Steelheads with multiple games with 2+ goals this season, trailing Brendan Hoffmann (7 multi-goal games) and Kaleb Pearson (5 multi-goal games) in that category. Miller is now up to 14 goals on the season, two shy of tying his single-season career best. His 27 points put him just six away from tying his best single-season point output as well, with both numbers occurring in the record-breaking 2022-23 season.

BRICK WALL BARCZEWSKI
Jake Barczewski bounced back for Idaho in a big way on Saturday, allowing just one goal in the Steelheads’ 4-1 win. The effort was the eighth game this season in which Barczewski has allowed one goal or fewer in a game, and he carries a team-leading 2.63 goals against average and .915 save percentage into this week’s action against Norfolk.

 TRENDS

• The Steelheads rank second in the ECHL in goals per game at 3.61.
• The Steelheads lead the ECHL in shots per game at 34.78.
• Idaho has a record of 21-4-4 in games decided by two goals or fewer this season.
• The Steelheads lead the ECHL in power play opportunities (213) and times shorthanded (211) this season.
• The Steelheads have collected 24 points beyond regulation this season, the most in the ECHL.
• The Steelheads’ power play in February clicked at 13.2% (7/53), while the penalty kill operated at 74.5% (44/59).
• Idaho is the only team to feature two rookies with at least 35 points this season (Liam Malmquist and Kaleb Pearson).

UPCOMING MILESTONES

• #55 Chris Dodero is three games shy of 100 in the ECHL.
• #17 Ty Pelton-Byce is three points shy of 200 with the Steelheads.
• #81 Charlie Dodero is one game shy of 300 in the ECHL.
• #7 Mitch Wahl is eight games shy of 100 with the Steelheads.
• #26 Jade Miller is 10 points shy of 100 with the Steelheads.

ACTIVE STATISTICAL LEADERS

Goals: Brendan Hoffmann (32)
Assists: Ty Pelton-Byce (21)
Points: Brendan Hoffmann (51)
Plus/Minus: Sam Jardine (+20)
PIMs: Jason Horvath (88)
PPGs: Brendan Hoffmann (7) 
GWGs: Brendan Hoffmann (8)
Shots: Kaleb Pearson & Liam Malmquist (159) 
Wins: Ben Kraws & Jake Barczewski (12)
GAA: Jake Barczewski (2.63)
SV%: Jake Barczewski (.915) 

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