PREVIEW: IDAHO STEELHEADS (1-0-0) @ UTAH GRIZZLIES (0-1-0)

SATURDAY, OCT. 12, 2019 | 7:10 P.M. MTMAVERIK CENTER | WEST VALLEY CITY, UTRADIO: 1350 AM KTIK | STREAM: ECHL TV

Tonight’s Game: The Steelheads finish their season-opening weekend against the Utah Grizzlies from Maverik Center.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads claimed the first win in the 16-game season series, taking one of seven total meetings at Maverik Center this season while breaking a five-game losing skid on the road. Last season, the Grizzlies took the season series, slotting the Steelheads with a 6-8-1 record as well as a 2-5-1 record at Maverik Center. The Steelheads are now 99-50-25 all-time against the Grizzlies in the franchise series since 2005-06.

Last Night: The Steelheads opened the season with a 3-2 win over the Grizzlies on Friday night from Maverik Center. Steelheads forwards Zack Andrusiak (PP, 15:45 1st) and Brett Supinski (16:54 1st) netted the first goals of the season to jump out to a swift 2-0 lead. The Grizzlies answered thanks to forward Travis Barron (PP, 10:46 2nd) before Steelheads forward Anthony Nellis (14:44 2nd) slotted the eventual game-winning goal, edging back ahead to 3-1. Grizzlies forward Yuri Terao (1:44 3rd) brought the home side back within one, 3-2, but the Steelheads held off the home side in the win. Tomas Sholl (1-0-0) halted 30 of 32 shots in the win, while Hunter Miska (0-1-0) stopped 36 of 39 shots in the loss.

One For The Money: For the first time in three attempts, the Steelheads won their season-opening game when coming on the road, last doing so on Oct. 17, 2014 against the Grizzlies (3-1 W). Additionally, the Steelheads have now won two of their last three season-openers while earning points in five of their last six opening games (4-1-0-1) dating back to the 2014-15 season. With a win tonight, the Steelheads could claim their first 2-0-0-0 start in 10 years, last doing so in the 2009-10 season when winning their first three games against the Stockton Thunder (3-1, 3-2, 3-2) at CenturyLink Arena.

Two For The Show: Two different Steelheads players netted their first professional goals in last night’s win, both coming as the team’s first two goals. Forward Zack Andrusiak scored the opening goal in his professional debut while scoring in all four games played dating back to preseason play both in the AHL (Texas) and ECHL (Idaho). Forward Brett Supinski followed suit with his first goal after three games between the Steelheads and Ontario Reign (AHL) dating back to last season after being acquired from the Maine Mariners on Wednesday. All three Steelheads goals on Friday came from non-returning players.

Rebel Nell: Steelheads forward Anthony Nellis scored the game-winning goal in last night’s opening victory over the Grizzlies, continuing a scoring trend since entering the ECHL at the end of last season. His goal marks three-straight games with goals dating back to Apr. 6, 2019 while not only scoring back-to-back game-winning goals but also earning points in six of his last seven games, tallying eight points (6-2–8) in that stretch with two multi-point games and five different games with goals. In just 11 ECHL games between the Steelheads and Fort Wayne Komets, the former Hobey Baker Award Nominee owns nine points (6-3–9) with two power play goals.

Mr. Goalie: Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl opened his season debut with a win while also keeping his historical run going into a new year. The Hermosa Beach, Calif. native stopped 30 of 32 shots in the win, marking his third-straight season debut (all in the ECHL) with a victory but first on the league’s opening night. With his win, he’s four wins away from tying Josh Robinson’s 40-win mark and reaching a share of fourth-most wins in Steelheads history and moved to sixth-most minutes (3,062). Sholl owns a 36-12-3 record with a 2.02 GAA and .933 SV% in 51 games with the Steelheads.

Rising Sun: Grizzlies forward Yuri Terao scored his first North American professional goal in last night’s loss, marking a long stretch since his last appearance away from his home country. The Toshigi, Japan product netted his last goal in the U.S. on May 7, 2016, which was the game before his final appearance with the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) and 1,252 days since his last goal in this country. Terao has played for the Nikko Icebucks (Asia League) for the last three seasons, netting 23 points (6-17–23) in 27 games last season while also earning five points (1-4–5) in five international appearances with Team Japan.

2018-19 MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads host the Wichita Thunder for the 2019-20 Home Opener on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7:10 p.m. from CenturyLink Arena. Tickets are available by calling 208-383-0080 or going to idahosteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM "The Ticket" and at 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 & ECHL.TV.