ECHL Idaho Steelheads

STEELHEADS: Game Day Storylines- vs Cincinnati

March 10, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release


(33-18-5-2) (17-8-3-0 Home) (31-25-4-0) (10-17-0-0 Road)

Steel Reel

The Idaho Steelheads are finally back on home ice after their longest road trip of the season, a 7-1-0 swing through Mountain Division opponents that saw Idaho earn two series sweeps and finish on a four-game winning streak. The Steelheads welcome the Cincinnati Cyclones to Boise, with the Cyclones on a good roll themselves. The Cyclones have won three in a row and eight of their last ten as they fight off the South Carolina Stingrays for the final playoff spot in the South Division, while also trying to chase down Orlando ahead of them.

The Steelheads have not played since last Saturday night in Rapid City, where a third period effort helped Idaho overcome a one-goal deficit to earn a 4-2 win, their ninth in the past 11 contests. Rob Linsmayer tied the game early in the third period with his 12th goal of the season, and Brian Nugent put Idaho in front with his second goal of the game. Branden Komm made 37 stops for his second consecutive win.

Long Time, No See...

For two teams that rarely see each other, the Cyclones are an opponent of significance for the Steelheads. Friday night will mark the first meeting between the teams since the 2010 Kelly Cup Final, when the Cyclones defeated the Steelheads in five games and took both match-ups at CenturyLink Arena. Prior to then, the only meetings between the squads came back in Idaho's first season in the ECHL. During the 2003-04 campaign, Idaho went 2-1-0 against the Cyclones. That included the first two shutout wins in Steelheads ECHL history, with Dan Ellis and Blair Allison blanking the Cyclones on consecutive nights.

Winds of Change...

Five current Steelheads are former Cyclones, and two of them have been leading the Idaho offense in recent weeks. Brian Nugent has notched two multi-goal games in his last four outings, and has five goals and seven points in his last seven games. Anthony Luciani, who played three seasons in Cincinnati, leads the Steelheads in goals and points and has posted 12 points in his last 13 contests.

About the Cyclones...

The Cyclones earned back-to-back wins over the Adirondack Thunder, where goaltending grabbed the headlines. Joel Rumpel, making just his sixth and seventh appearances of the season, won both games of the series with a 46-save shutout and another 51 save effort to earn ECHL Goaltender of the Week honors. The Cyclones have been winning close games, their offense ranked 24th in the ECHL in goals per game but their defense ranked fourth in goals-against per game. Former Grizzlies rookie Shane Walsh leads the Cyclones with 40 points in 59 games, but ex-Steelhead Jordan Sims has the hot stick with a five-game points streak.

Idaho Leaders Cyclones Leaders

Goals: Luciani (25) Goals: Walsh (15)

Assists: Dahl (37) Assists: Sims (25)

Points: Luciani (54) Points: Walsh (40)

Plus/Minus: Glen (+13) Plus/Minus: Atwal (+11)

Power Play Goals: Merchant (11) Power Play Goals: Huard (7)

Goals-Against Average: Bow (2.15) Goals-Against Average: Visentin (2.93)

Check out the Idaho Steelheads Statistics



ECHL Stories from March 10, 2017


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