Steelheads prepare for toughest challenge yet

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — The Idaho Steelheads are four wins away from a trip to the Kelly Cup Finals, but their opponent marks the toughest challenge the team has faced all season.

After advancing past the Allen Americans, the Idaho Steelheads are in the Western Conference Finals, where they're pitted against the Toledo Walleye. The Walleye finished third in the regular season, but so far in the playoffs, they've been a step above every other team.

Toledo is 8-0 so far in the postseason, sweeping Indy in the first round and Cincinnati in the second. The Cincinnati sweep was particularly impressive because the Cyclones finished second in the regular season.

So far in the playoffs, the Walleye have scored 4.9 goals per game, a league-best. They've also allowed just 1.8 goals per game, the best mark of the four teams left in the playoffs.

On the other side of the ice, the Steelheads have averaged 4.1 goals per game in their first two series, with the team being led by veteran Wade Murphy. Murphy leads the league in goals so far this postseason (9), and he detailed how the team plans to break the Walleye defense.

"Forecheck them hard. That's basically it. Make smart offensive plays, put pucks in areas where their D-men don't want to go," Murphy said. "And just really be physical on them, and eventually they'll turn pucks over, and that's where I really think we strive with our offensive D-men as well."

Head Coach Everett Sheen emphasized the physicality Idaho possesses, noting that he thinks it'll be an advantage in the series.

"I think one thing that plays in our favor is our heavy style of play out in the Mountain Division," Sheen said. "We can bang bodies, and we're not going to mix it up and take penalties, but we're going to be heavy on the forecheck and heavy on the D-zone, but I definitely think that plays in our advantage."

Part of the Walleye defense that has shone so far, is their goaltenders. John Lethemon and Sebastian Cossa have alternated games, each playing four. Cossa is a highly-touted prospect who was drafted 15th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, and he's expected to be the future of their franchise.

In addition, the team has experience on every part of the ice. Several AHL players have been sent down to play for Toledo this postseason.

According to Elite Prospects, Toledo has 2,013 AHL games worth of experience on its roster. Idaho has just 352 games of AHL experience.

Toledo's ultimate weapon, however, is its special teams. In the playoffs, the Walleye have scored 40% of the time on the power play, while killing the opponents' power play 91% of the time. These marks are best and joint-best in the league respectively.

Steelheads Captain A.J. White noted the danger Toledo poses on the power play, saying that the team has to do everything possible to avoid penalties.

"Well, I think the biggest key is just not to let them get on the power play. They torched both teams on the power play so that's going to be crucial for us. It's just being disciplined," White said. "Obviously, you're going to take a penalty here and there, and you've got to find a way to buy in and make sure you can kill it off."

He added, that while Toledo has dominated stat sheets so far in the playoffs, the Steelheads are fully capable of getting through them.

"It's just another series," White said. "Can't look at it like they're superior. We're arguably the greatest team to ever play in this league after the regular season. We've had a few tough challenges in the playoffs and they haven't lost a game yet, so I think that we have a little bit of an advantage, knowing what it takes to kind of go through a grind and a battle, and hopefully, we can kind of jump on them early that first game and kind of put a little doubt into their mind."

The series is a 2-3-2 format, meaning the first two games will be in Boise. You can find out more about the game times, tickets and schedule here.