RUBBER MATCH: STEELHEADS @ SALMON KINGS

After falling 3-2 on Wednesday night and bouncing back with a convincing 5-2 win in Victoria last night, the Steelheads would love to earn a series victory on the road before heading home to begin a string of five consecutive games against the Stockton Thunder (Yes, you read that correctly). If you listen to tonight’s broadcast, you’ll hear captain Marty Flichel’s two cents on the series to this point; however, in talking to Marty, he stressed the importance of playing a complete 60 minutes.

The Steelheads have fallen short in some close games, and Marty mentioned the occasional slow start as a possible reason. One thing’s for sure: it’s certainly not a lack of offensive production from Flichel, who is off to a very nice start. The 15th year professional has nine points on four goals and five assists in nine games to this point; his nine points are second only to Mark Derlago, the Steelheads’ point leader from a season ago.

The Steelheads deflated the Salmon Kings last night with a pair of power play goals early in the third period, and enter this evening’s clash with the second-ranked power play in the ECHL. If the Steelheads continue to capitalize on power plays- Victoria is the third-most penalized team in the ECHL, and most penalized team in the Western Conference at the moment- they will have offensive success.

ODDS & ENDS

-Steelheads equipment manager Khris Bestel- my roommate on the road- decided that we couldn’t leave the hotel room this afternoon until we watched the Breeders’ Cup Race featuring the previously undefeated Zenyatta. Well, that came to a screeching halt, didn’t it. Credit is due to Zenyatta for not giving up, but after all the hype, I must say I was fine with Blame getting the victory. Zenyatta = 19-1. “The Beast” and I also discussed how humorous it would have been had a fan taken a sign into the event with just “19-1″ on it. Perhaps that’s the wrestling fan in me thinking of that.

-Tough day for me in NCAA Football; the red-hot (By Syracuse standards) Syracuse Orange fell at home today in a tough one, as Louisville prevailed at the Carrier Dome by a 28-20 score. They’ll still go to a bowl game- although just about everyone does- and I’ll chalk this season up as a huge improvement. If only my colleague Will Hoenike could say the same about his Washington State Cougars.

-Oregon looked very average in the first half against Washington, but eventually the Ducks ran away with that game. Auburn, as predicted, ran away from Chattanooga. The game that Boise State fans should be most threatened by: TCU’s 40-point pasting of fifth-ranked Utah in Salt Lake City. A win over a top-five team- regardless of which team it is- at this juncture of the season will solidify a presence atop the BCS standings.

-Enjoy the game tonight, folks. As always, get your emails out and I’ll read them in the second intermission: dplagens@idahosteelheads.com