Matchup: Victoria Salmon Kings at Idaho Steelheads. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Game time each night 7 PM at Qwest Arena.
At Stake: Though the team has already sewn up a playoff spot, the West Division title, and the no. 1 seed in the upcoming National Conference playoffs, the Idaho Steelheads are still seeking the best overall record in the ECHL. That would earn the squad the coveted Brabham Cup and home-ice advantage throughout the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs. Meanwhile, Victoria is engaged in a heated battle for playoff positioning.
Under the radar: While teammate Mark Derlago assaults the team’s record book, fellow forward Tyler Spurgeon is quietly having an All-ECHL-caliber season. Despite missing nearly 20 games during a callup to the American Hockey League earlier this season, the 23-year-old Spurgeon is among the ECHL leaders in plus/minus rating (2nd, plus-32), points (14th, 61), and goals (17th, 25). The Edmonton, Alberta, native has been called the best center in the ECHL by others in the National Conference.
The Idaho Steelheads (46-16-5) needed a win to clinch Brabham Cup honors- the award given to the best regular season record in the ECHL each season- but were shut out by the Victoria Salmon Kings, 1-0, before a crowd of 4,796 at Qwest Arena.
After a scoreless first period, Eric Walsky scored the only goal of the hockey game for Victoria when he fired a shot over Bachman’s shoulder from the right circle. The Steelheads had several flurries on offense throughout the game, but were unable to convert against Salmon Kings netminder Glenn Fisher.
Neither team converted on the power play in the game, as Victoria was 0-for-6 on the man-advantage, and the Steelheads had nothing to show for their four power play opportunities.
Richard Bachman stopped 28 of 29 shots and falls to 20-7-3 with the loss. Fisher stopped 28 shots in the shutout; his third of the season. He is now 11-10-0 for Victoria.
The Steelheads and Salmon Kings will wrap-up their three-game set tomorrow, after which Idaho will head on the road for four games to close the regular season. The puck drops on the regular season home finale tomorrow at 7:10 PM.