Steelheads Going to Kansas City

The Idaho Steelheads are headed to Kansas City following a successful six game home stand in which the Steelheads posted a 4-1-1 record.

The Idaho Steelheads are now 33-18-4.

Here is a recap of last week's action:

Wednesday, February 20 vs. Tulsa Oilers: 5-2 W
Shots: Oilers 41, Steelheads 30
PP: Oilers 1-for-2, Steelheads 0-for-3

The Steelheads utilized early scoring in a 5-2 win over the Oilers from CenturyLink Arena. Forward A.J. White (0:28 1st) tallied on the first shot of the game and was followed up by forward Kyle Schempp (6:16 1st) on an odd-man rush to swiftly double the lead, 2-0. The second period has a similar track starting with defenseman Geoff Crisfield (1:59 2nd) in the opening minutes followed by forward Reid Petryk (6:08 2nd), doubling the lead again to 4-0. The Oilers answered thanks to two goals, cutting the lead to 4-2. However, forward Kale Kessy (EN, 18:10 3rd) put the game away late for the 5-2 win. Tomas Sholl (18-9-0) saved 38 of 40 shots in the win.

Friday, February 22 vs. Tulsa Oilers: 6-3 W
Shots: Oilers 53, Steelheads 28
PP: Oilers 0-for-5, Steelheads 2-for-4

The Steelheads took control early during their 6-3 win over the Oilers from CenturyLink Arena. Forward Zach Franko (4:38 1st) opened the scoring with his first pro goal to take a 1-0 lead. Defenseman Brady Norrish (13:51 1st; 4:09 2nd) tallied twice to triple the lead before forward Henrik Samuelsson (PP, 6:12 2nd) scored his first of two goals on a rebound for a 4-0 lead. The Oilers broke the shutout before Samuelsson (18:19 2nd) earned his second tally for a 5-1 lead. The Oilers scored two more goals to bring the road side within two, 5-3. However, Defenseman Charlie Dodero (PP, 5:46 3rd) spread the lead back to its eventual final score, 6-3. Tomas Sholl (19-9-0) saved a career-high 50 of 53 shots in the win.

Saturday, February 23 vs. Tulsa Oilers: 5-1 L
Shots: Oilers 40, Steelheads 24
PP: Oilers 1-for-4, Steelheads 0-for-5

The Steelheads slipped 5-1 to the Oilers in the final game of the homestand from CenturyLink Arena. The Oilers flipped the script of the previous games with two goals in the first period to take a 2-0 lead. Forward Elgin Pearce (19:54 1^st) cut the lead in half, 2-1, before the end of the period, but the Oilers tacked on three more goals in the third period, including one with an empty net, to take the 5-1 result. Ryan Faragher (7-5-2) halted 35 of 39 shots in the loss.

THIS WEEK…

Wednesday, February 27 @ Kansas City Mavericks – 6:05 p.m. MT
Friday, March 1 @ Kansas City Mavericks – 6:05 p.m. MT
Saturday, March 2 @ Kansas City Mavericks – 6:05 p.m. MT

The Steelheads head to Missouri to take on the Kansas City Mavericks for their lone road meeting to close the season series. The Steelheads met the Mavericks in December and took all three games, outscoring them 11-3 and extending their win streak to five games against the Mavericks. The Steelheads need one win to claim the season series outright and have won seven of nine games head-to-head, earning a 7-2-0 record in the ECHL franchise series.

STEEL STATS…

Quick Bites:

- Mitch Moroz earned his second and third multi-point game of the season last week with his first three-point night since Nov. 4, 2017 in another three-assist game. Henrik Samuelsson led in scoring during the homestand with six points (4g, 2a), and Moroz followed with five points (5 assists).

- ​Tomas Sholl stopped a career-high 50 shots on Friday night, including 24 of 26 shots in the third period. It’s the first time reaching that mark in pros but last stopped 50 shots on Mar. 8, 2013 in juniors.

- The Steelheads finished their homestand with a 4-1-1 record while tying a season-high five-game point streak and seven-game home point streak since January 18 in the process. The Steelheads are 20-6-2-1 (.741) at CenturyLink Arena this season, which is best in the Mountain Division.

- The Steelheads became the first team in the Mountain Division to reach 70 points on Friday night. Only four teams own a minimum of 70 points, and all four teams lead their respective divisions (Cincinnati, Florida, Norfolk).

Team Leaders:
GOALS:                       20 – Steve McParland
ASSISTS:                     30 – A.J. White
POINTS:                      45 –Steve McParland
PP GOALS:                  9 – Reid Petryk
SH GOALS:                 2 – Steve McParland
GW GOALS:                5 – Brad McClure/Reid Petryk
PIMS:                           279 – Kale Kessy
PLUS/MINUS:              +27 – Keegan Kanzig
SHOTS:                        175 – Steve McParland
WINS:                          19 – Tomas Sholl
GAA:                           2.24 – Tomas Sholl
SAVE %:                      .928 – Tomas Sholl

Mountain Division Standings:
1. Steelheads                33-18-2-2, 70 pts
2. Tulsa                        31-20-4-2, 68 pts
2. Utah                         31-17-4-2, 68 pts
4. Kansas City               27-21-3-1, 58 pts
5. Rapid City                22-27-5-3, 52 pts
6. Wichita                     21-27-6-3, 51 pts
7. Allen                        20-32-4-2, 46 pts

The Steelheads take on the Kansas City Mavericks on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 6:05 p.m. from Silverstein Eye Center Arena and return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Mar. 6 at 7:10 p.m. against the Wichita Thunder.