Sports stats



ECHL Idaho Steelheads

STEELHEADS: Game Day Storylines- vs Colorado

November 4, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Idaho Steelheads News Release


( 3-4-1-0) (0-3-0-0 Road) (4-2-1-1) (3-2-0-0 Home)

Steel Reel

It was a disappointing result for the Idaho Steelheads on Wednesday night, falling to the Rapid City Rush 5-3 in the Black Hills to remain winless on the road this season while the Rush pulled down their second win of the year. The Steelheads look to rebound in the final two games of their road trip against the Colorado Eagles, beginning with Friday night's contest at Budweiser Events Center.

In Rapid City, the Steelheads fought back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game late in the second period on goals from former Wisconsin Badgers Jefferson Dahl and Joe Faust. That tie game was short-lived, as the Rush's Michael Young would restore Rapid City's lead just 17 seconds later and in the period's final minute. After a Ryan Walters' tally would extend the Rush lead, Dahl would net his second of the game. That's as close as the Steelheads would come as they moved back below the .500 mark.

The Battle Resumes...

At the midway point of the 2015-16 season it appeared as though the Utah Grizzlies would be Idaho's team to catch in the race for the West Division crown. That was not the case by early April, when the Eagles surged to the top of the standings with a 9-1-1 record in their final 11 games to take the division's top seed. The Steelheads and Eagles finished tied in the standings with 86 points, but the Eagles won the tie breaker with more regulation and overtime wins. Fast-forwarding to their first meeting of the season on Friday night, the Steelheads know how important these head-to-head games with the Eagles can be by season's end. The Steelheads will look to improve on their performance at Budweiser Events Center, where they were 1-2-2 last year.

Captain Consistent...

Jefferson Dahl's hot-streak continues for the Steelheads as they prepare to face an Eagles defense that ranks 20th in the league in goals-against per game. Dahl enters Friday night with a six-game points streak, matching the best stretch of his career. Over those six games, Dahl has been one of the most productive players in the league with three goals and 11 points. Wednesday night's two-goal showing in Rapid City was the Steelheads' first such performance of the season, and Dahl's fourth multi-point game in eight appearances this season. Dahl has collected a goal and ten assists in 16 career games against the Eagles, including a four-assist game last season.

Find the net first...

Of the 27 teams in the ECHL, 24 have a winning percentage of .643 or better when they score the game's first goal. The Steelheads are no different, going 3-1-0 in games in which they score first. One of Idaho's challenges on Wednesday was having to dig out of a two-goal hole against the Rush before they could even attempt to take control of the game. The Steelheads have discussed the importance of having better starts to games and more consistent results in first periods, when they have a shot differential of minus-19.

About the Eagles...

The Eagles come into Friday night's game with a three point lead in the standings over the Steelheads, but are looking for a bit of a bounce back themselves after three straight winless outings. The Eagles gave up three third period goals on Wednesday to the Reading Royals en route to a 4-3 defeat, that following back-to-back losses to the Grizzlies in overtime and the shootout. The Eagles have a few scoring threats to help turn things around, with the reigning ECHL Player of the Month in Casey Pierro-Zabotel. He and returning Eagle Jesse Mychan are tied for third in the ECHL scoring race with 12 points, as Mychan tries to follow up on a career year in which he scored 32 goals to tie for the league-lead. Key contributors to last year's Eagles like Trent Daavettila, Adrian Veideman, and Kyle Kraemer have moved on, but newcomers like Matt Register (7 points) on the blue line and Luke Salazar (10 points) up front are helping to make up the scoring void. Rookie Cole Sanford has five goals in his first eight pro games.

Idaho Leaders Eagles Leaders

Goals: Faust (4) Goals: Three tied (5)

Assists: Dahl (8) Assists: Pierro-Zabotel (8)

Points: Dahl (11) Points: Pierro-Zabotel/Mychan (12)

Plus/Minus: Dahl (+6) Plus/Minus: Pierro-Zabotel/Mychan (+7)

Power Play Goals: Luciani (2) Power Play Goals: Four tied (1)

Goals-Against Average: Komm (2.96) Goals-Against Average: Saunders (3.18)

Check out the Idaho Steelheads Statistics



ECHL Stories from November 4, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Idaho Steelheads Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central