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Weekend Preview/Playoff Update - Utah Grizzlies vs Victoria Salmon Kings

2011-04-22T14:07:00.018-06:00

Okay, we get it. Sometimes it takes a little to get used to playing a new team. Sometimes there is pressure playing in front of your home fans. Sometimes you're just inexperienced and you don't know exactly what to expect. But you always have a choice - you can give it your best and feel good about the result, or you can make a bunch of excuses and always wonder whether or not you could have done better.

This is that kind of moment for the Utah Grizzlies.

The team is now in what we call "Yoda Territory". They are down 3 games in a best of 7 series, and haven't left themselves a lot of wiggle room. According to Adrian Denny's game day blog, Coach Colley is going to break down the game into 12 five minute segments and emphasize winning each one. Hey, they have to try something. But as Yoda says, "Do or do not - there is no try." If they "do not," then their season is not. (Our own little philosophic touch there.)

The way the Grizzles came out in the first series, we saw what they were capable of. We already knew this, of course, because they sat at the top of the Western Conference for quite some time. But with changes to the team, some injuries, and some uninspired play down the stretch, we kind of forgot how good they were. We think maybe they did too.

The Grizzlies have had their chances in all three games, and though the series tally doesn't show it, it's been a pretty tight matchup. It could just as easily have been Victoria down 3-0. As defenseman Nick Tuzzolino said, "In any of the three games, if you didn't look at the scoreboard, you couldn't tell who won." That might be profound... But it's true, especially of the last game that Victoria won in overtime. Call it luck, bounces or whatever, but the Grizzlies have to find a way to push past it and make it less even in their favor.

As we pointed out many times this season, Utah is at their best when they play for each other. As soon as they become selfish, everything falls apart. The common goal of everyone on the team at this point (we assume) is to win a championship. But not one guy on that team can win it by himself. They need each other, and have to realize they are needed by their teammates. Besides, the achievement is that much sweeter when you celebrate it with your friends.

We know the Grizzlies can do this. It is, difficult, but not impossible - especially not for this team. But, if like young Luke Skywalker, they sit around thinking they can't believe it, Yoda has another response: "That is why you fail." Fail would be in the "do not" category, as imparted by Master Yoda. Winning every 5 minute segment of that game is a "do". We hope that Tuzzolino speaks for the team when he says, "We're still positive. We're still of the mentality that we can force this into a seven-game series."

Puck drops at 8:00 pm tonight in Victoria. Time to choose to climb out of the hole. Believe it, do it, and do it for your friends. May the Force be with you.

Western Conference Semifinals: Game 3

2011-04-20T09:01:00.006-06:00

Utah will really need to step up their game on the road after dropping the first two in this series at home. Fortunately, the Grizzlies have at the very least two good things going for them: Matt Reber and their power play.

After joining Utah straight from his college hockey career, Reber has been a boon in every way. He currently leads rookies in scoring during the playoffs with 10 points and is part of the reason the Grizzlies power play has seen a comeback. Utah's power play sits in the top spot at 40.9%. Well hello, power play . . .

The Salmon Kings have the obnoxious and not too uncommon stat of being 5-0 when leading after 2 periods. So the Grizzlies will need to work hard to put the breaks on any Victoria leads that arise.

We were going to wait and see if Denny had anything to add in his blog, but we have shit to do. Mostly, we'd just like to see some effort from the boys before this series is swept away from them.

Here's to hoping for some playoff hockey.

Game 2: Salmon Kings 4, Grizzlies 2

2011-04-19T09:02:00.008-06:00

Really, Utah? THIS is your playoff hockey?

To say this game was a disappointment would be a vast understatement. The Grizzlies didn't look like they knew how to pass, were looking at the bench more than they were the puck, and were fighting among each other in the 2nd. Yeah. We saw that, Utah. The whole game left us with the distinct taste of "WTF?" in our mouths.

Our two highlights? Nick Tuzzolino's goal and Shea Guthrie taking the puck to the net late in the 3rd followed by McIlveen picking up the rebound. We were mostly shocked to see anyone picking up a rebound, let alone having a beautiful SOG result from it. Actually, Carroll's goal was a thing of beauty as well. Thumbs up for these 10 seconds of the game.

Other than that, pure crap in our book. And while we're more disgusted with Utah, the Salmon Kings didn't look so hot either. How on earth do you miss a two-on-none with an empty net, Victoria? At least you made us laugh . . .

Boo to the uncalled elbow on Donovan. Like we said: a distinct taste of WTF?

Nice job staying out of the box, Grizzlies. But we really don't think anyone cared enough to commit any penalties.

Utah - knock off this bullshit. Get your heads in the game, focus on your 15 wins, and take care of business. Stop underachieving and have some damn pride.

Here's to a road sweep.

Stars of the Game -

1. VIC - C. Painchaud
2. UTA - M. Carroll
3. VIC - R. Hennigar

Links -
post game || Victoria Takes 2-0 Series Lead With 4-2 Win
gamesheet || Victoria at Utah - 4/16/11
highlights || Game Highlights 4/16/11 vs Victoria
interview || Kevin Colley 4/16/11 post game
interview || Chris Donovan 4/16/11 intermission

Game 1: Salmon Kings 4, Grizzlies 2

2011-04-16T08:31:00.010-06:00

Zero down, four to go.

Not a bad game by Utah, but the boys just weren't on top of their opportunities in the same way Victoria was. We were hoping to see the same fire from the Grizzlies in the first game of this series as we did in the first game against Stockton, but Utah couldn't consistently pull off that same buzz. However, the Grizzlies kept at it right down to the wire and worked on coming back after each Victoria goal, which is something we'd like to see continue throughout the series. Tomorrow, we'd like to see them keep in those pucks in the Salmon Kings' end - but that's just us.

Nice to see the power play still clicking. Both Grizzlies goals tonight were on the man advantage. While Utah's special teams are doing some great work, it sounds like Victoria's goal is to stay out of the box as much as possible - so we're gonna need to see some 5-on-5 goals as well. However, if the Grizzlies can continue to capitalize on the Salmon Kings' penalties like they did tonight, they can't go wrong.

Matt Reber was at it again, picking up assists on both of Utah's goals. Talk about an asset to the power play. We have to hand it to both Reber and Tuzzolino - they've really given special teams a boost.

Pick one up tonight, boys.

Stars of the Game -

1. VIC - D. Martin
2. UTA - M. Reber
3. VIC - J. Caister

Links -
post game || Victoria Edges Out Utah: Game 2 Saturday at Maverik Center
gamesheet || Victoria at Utah - 4/15/11
highlights || Game Highlights 4/15/11 vs Victoria
interview || Kevin Colley 4/15/11 post game
interview || Matt Clarke 4/15/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Victoria Salmon Kings

2011-04-15T09:54:00.023-06:00

Round 2. We're ready.

The #6 seeded Grizzlies drew #7 seed Victoria in the 2nd round. The two teams eliminated Stockton and Bakersfield respectively to move on. The other remaining teams? #5 seed Idaho, and #1 Alaska, who got a bye for the 1st round. Looking at who is left standing, we think it's safe to say that we can toss out those seeding numbers.

Also tossing out regular season statistics because they're not particularly relevant during the playoffs, that doesn't leave us a lot of information to form an opinion on this matchup. We have liked what we've seen from the Grizzlies so far. They seem to be getting back to where they were back in December and January, partially due to players coming back from the AHL. But also, the team added some new guys who were able to blend in and make a difference. "It's the same team, but it's a different team," Coach Colley explained. Though we sometimes need a philosophy class to decipher Colley's explanations, this one we get. The team identity hasn't changed even though the roster has. The team plays the same way regardless of who is on the ice. That stability, plus some veteran experience in returnees Tuzzolino, Lamoureux, and team captain Ferguson have helped them find their game at exactly the right time.

The biggest challenge for Utah may be adjusting to the difference in the way Stockton played and what they expect from the Salmon Kings. Against the Thunder, Utah was able to get goals by annoying them into taking penalties. (See Utah at the top of the playoff power play statistics with 35.3%.) Victoria has more playoff experience, and won't be falling for that trick. "The last series, we really outworked Stockton," forward Paul McIlveen said. "Victoria has a lot more skill. We're still going to have to play hard, but we have to be sharp as well." The team matched up well with the Salmon Kings when they were on a roll in December, but not as well down the stretch. Of course, that could be said about almost any team they played. We figure we'll just have to wait and see how everything will go down in this series. Game 1 on Friday should be a good indicator.

For Victoria, they seem to have realized what Utah was doing to Stockton, and have a plan. "When you look at Utah's power-play percentage from the first round, it's clear we need to be disciplined," said Victoria Coach Mark Morrison. "If you take nine penalties a game, like we did during stretches of the regular season, you're going to lose against a team like Utah. We have lots of short fuses and those players need to suck it up." So they're on to you, Grizzlies. Sounds like you've got the right idea playing sharp. We hope the idea translates to the game.

If you're not on the bandwagon yet, now is a good time to get on. Tonight is a 2 for 1 ticket night if you have a Maverik card, so bring a friend. We've also heard they're trying a white out for Friday, so wear a white jersey, shirt, jacket, whatever. It's a really nice effect in an arena - it brings the fans all together in the stands. Also, if you're bored at work, you can go to the Salmon Kings' website and vote in their fan poll. They're asking who the fans think will win round 2 of the playoffs. We've already voted for the Grizzlies multiple times.

Round 2 starts tonight at 7:05 pm. It's on.

Game 4: Grizzlies 5, Thunder 0

2011-04-11T09:19:00.003-06:00

Wow. They finished it in 4.

So, this is how the series ends for Stockton - not with a bang, but with a whimper. (Give yourself bonus nerd points if you know that reference.)

On to Victoria!

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - J. Lamoureux
2. UTA - P. McIlveen
3. UTA - M. Reber

Links -

post game || Grizzlies Advance With 5-0 Win Over Stockton
gamesheet || Utah at Stockton - 4/10/11
highlights || Game Highlights 4/10/11 at Stockton
interview || Samson Mahbod 4/10/11 intermission

Game 3: Grizzlies 4, Thunder 2

2011-04-10T10:34:00.010-06:00

Two down, one to go.

The Grizzlies we saw tonight was not the same team as in Game 1, but we'll take it. The boys were able to respond to each Stockton goal and eventually gain the lead on a power play opportunity at the top of the 3rd. Utah had two special teams goals: one shorty and one on the power play. Even though Stockton didn't completely give up after Utah's shorthanded goal, the momentum had changed. And we want to point out how back to business the boys were after that shorty. No jitters, no impatience - just ready to take care of business.

We're really liking this Mahbod kid.

Also, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the efforts by Ferguson in this series. Simon picked up 4 points tonight, factoring in on every Utah goal. And even though he missed his empty net opportunity, he set up Carroll on his. Nicely done.

And some amazing saves by Lamoureux, who really saved Utah's collective butt once again when the boys weren't able to work the puck out of their own end. We'd liked to see a bit more from the Grizzlies on defense and in the corners. There were just too many close calls when they weren't able to get the puck out.

Finish it on Sunday, boys.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - S. Ferguson
2. UTA - J. Lamoureux
3. STK - R. Constant

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Take 2-1 Series Lead With 4-2 Win
gamesheet || Utah at Stockton - 4/9/11
highlights || Game Highlights 4/9/11 at Stockton
interview || Simon Ferguson 4/9/11 intermission

Weekend Preview/Playoff Update - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder

2011-04-09T10:05:00.010-06:00

If you're anything like us, the end of game 2 against Stockton on Wednesday left you feeling a little deflated. Not the kind of deflated where the air slowly leaks out of the balloon while making rude noises, but the kind where the balloon pops while you're blowing it up and you stand there stunned while little pieces of plastic float down around you.

After Tuesday's win, we were hoping we'd seen the last of the March Grizzlies, and were back to the December Grizzlies, but now we're a little nervous. Not that Wednesday's game was bad, but we've seen better. We've seen it recently. We know Utah is capable, but the question is how badly do they want to win, and is it more than Stockton? The Deseret News had this quote about the series from defenseman Nick Tuzzolino: “We’ve got to get our confidence back. Anytime you lose a playoff game, it hurts. You have to forget it and move past it.”

We'll try.

The Grizzlies have had a good road record this season so they have that in their favor. According to defenseman Matt Clarke on Talkin' Sports last weekend, the team tends to tighten up a little more on the road, and they don't play as free-flowing as they do at home. He also mentioned it might have something to do with "bus legs". Forward Kevin Deeth then discounted that theory a little, saying they actually fly when they go to Stockton, but did say that travel can catch up with you after a long season. Bus legs or airline food or whatever, it seems to work for them on the road. If they can get to the things that made them successful on the road before, they can win the 2 games they need to continue on in the playoffs. We're all for that, because we don't want that last game at the Maverik Center to be the last one we see until next season. We'll be disappointed and empty all summer long. Start up the busses, boys.

We know that quoting a bunch of stats from the regular season doesn't do much good once the playoffs start. All that gets tossed out the window of the bus and everyone gets a clean record. What does matter is that the team plays as a team. The Grizzlies are at their best when they stick to their team game and everyone works together. With a lot of guys starting to trickle in off the IR, we think this could help team chemistry and get them playing for each other again. The power play is clicking, and the penalty kill is outstanding according to Coach Colley. Everything is aligned for a great playoff run here if they can band together and do it.

This best of 5 series is tied at a breadstick apiece. Game 3 is tonight in Stockton at 8:30 pm. Get out the bus legs, Utah.

Game 2: Thunder 3, Grizzlies 2

2011-04-07T12:39:00.011-06:00

Series tied.

Utah and their fans were definitely stunned in this one. The Grizzlies came out really strong in the 1st and 2nd periods, but couldn't keep the puck out of their own end in the 3rd or Overtime. Frustrating, especially considering the game we saw from the boys in Game 1.

When Stockton went up in the 3rd, we didn't know if Utah could do it. But Parnham saved the day with his tying goal late in the 3rd. Nicely done, Visa.

Special teams were still pretty strong. Utah has yet to allow Stockton a power play goal, but has been able to capitalize on 4 of their 9 power play situations. If the Grizzlies keep this kind of work with the special teams up, then we shouldn't have to worry.

Get the lead back Saturday, Utah.

Stars of the Game -

1. STK - K. Czuy
2. UTA - J. Lamoureux
3. UTA - B. Parnham

Links -
post game || Stockton Evens Series With 3-2 Overtime Win
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah - 4/6/11
highlights || Game Highlights 4/6/11 vs Stockton
interview || Brett Parnham 4/6/11 intermission
interview || Nick Tuzzolino 4/6/11 intermission

Game 1: Grizzlies 5, Thunder 2

2011-04-06T10:18:00.007-06:00

One down, two to go.

This is the Grizzlies team we'd hoped to see come out to play tonight. After a less than appealing recent losing streak, we weren't sure what to expect from the boys tonight. But came out with absolute style, looking like the team they were during the first half of the season. Stockton looked stunned.

We truly appreciated the way Utah responded to the Stockton goals. We'd been waiting to see this kind of rebound after a momentum change for months, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Scoring was clicking with several players (Ferguson, Reber, McIlveen, Parnham) having multiple point nights, and the boys were able to keep things on the forecheck for the majority of time, only allowing 28 SOG compared to the Grizzlies' 37.

Welcome to Utah, Reber.

Also, amazing job by the Grizzlies in staying out of the box. For two teams that were penalty heavy through the season, it was nice to see Utah only pick up two minors and capitalize on two of Stockton's 5 short-handed situations.

And that's all we have to say about that.

Let's go for two, boys.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - M. Reber
2. UTA - K. Deeth
3. UTA - S. Ferguson

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Take 1-0 Series Lead With 5-2 Win
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah - 4/5/11
highlights || Game Highlights 4/5/11 vs Stockton
interview || Kevin Colley 4/5/11 post game
interview || Kevin Deeth 4/5/11 intermission

Quarterfinals Preview: Stockton Thunder

2011-04-05T08:21:00.010-06:00

Ah, Stockton . . .

We had a feeling this was going to be the first round match up. But now - now, we finally get to sound off on the two teams and their meetings.

It's no secret that Utah's had trouble with the Thunder this season. The Grizzlies have only captured 4 wins from 11 games played against Stockton. If you equate that into a playoff series (albeit, a rather long one), things don't look good for Utah heading into the Quarterfinals.

However, we're hopeful, but mostly we hope that Utah can remember what made them such a force in the beginning of the season. We know it seems like a while ago, but we're sure fans can remember the rush of holding that number one spot in the Western Conference for weeks on end. Yet in the first series with Stockton on home ice, the Grizzlies lost their heads and began to lose their grip on that coveted top spot. So what happened?

Utah's game had been based around the ideal of professionalism. We heard this a lot during the first of the season - about how professional the boys were and how focused on winning the game. Does anyone else remember the December 29th game against the Condors in which the Grizzlies wouldn't square off with former teammates Gergan and Snetsinger? We do. During the era of professionalism (so to speak), it was hard to pull the Grizzlies into a head match.

But during the Stockton series, Utah stopped focusing on the professionalism of their game strategy and moved on to "team solidarity," which apparently consisted of beating the crap out of the opposition rather than playing hockey. We love a good fight as much as the next hockey fan, but not when it keeps the team from playing hockey. From playing their own game.

Stockton's strategy in this series - and throughout most of the season - reminded us of Reggie Dunlop's strategy in Slapshot: "We win because I make them crazy!" And to the Thunder's credit, they suceeded. Colley played Thomas's game by starting with a line of Kilburg, Schulz, Tuzzolino, Emmerson, and Deeth with the sole purpose of kicking the crap out of the Thunder's starting line. That's Stockton's game right there. Playing that kind of a game will make you crazy:

This totally made our rinkside seats worth it.

Play it smart, focus on hockey, play your own game. We can't imagine Colley is saying anything different. And while emotion will definitely play a part in this series, we're hoping Utah will be able to keep it professional and stay away from any circus sideshow antics.

Let's get 3, boys.

It's that time of year again!

2011-04-04T18:38:00.007-06:00

Time for growing beards! Not that me or my fellow writers can. Yet. Ask us in many years when we are old women if our whiskers have grown in yet.

Welcome back to our Grizzly world, Nick Tuzzolino! You're just in time for the play-offs. Does that make you happy? It sure makes us happy. Nick returning is a great thing. He's been with the AHL's Portland Pirates since February 15. Before that he was second in the league for shots on goal, tied for the lead in power play points, and the team was 23-17-3-1 with him in the line-up. Here's hoping he'll quickly find his groove with the team again.

A lot is happening this week, namely the start of the playoffs. Tomorrow. Yes. Really, they start tomorrow. For the first round we are playing Stockton, starting at home. This is the first time in 10 years the Grizzlies have started the play-offs at home. Another first: this is the first time the Grizzlies and Stockton have ever played each other in the post-season.

So what's the situation? Well, with a combined 728 penalty minutes in 11 games this year, the teams show they are a feisty bunch. That's an average of 66.1 minutes per game, if you were wondering. Stockton led the series this year 7-3-1, but Utah is 2-0 versus Pacific Division opponents in the first round of the playoffs in the ECHL. Kevin Deeth is the top scorer this year against Stockton. In his recent three starts at home, Lamoureaux went 3-0. He won one, lost one against Stockton in the 11 game series.

ECHL.com put out a nice sheet of information about this round of the play-offs. Some highlights:
-Both teams have appeared 5 times in the play-offs
-It's a best of 5 series, not 7 like some are accustomed to from the NHL
-The stats are stacked against the Grizzlies, it's going to be a tough road

That said, the games at home are tomorrow April 5, and Wednesday April 6. Hate to say it, but this could be the last time we get to see the Grizzlies at home this season. Go get tickets! Tomorrow select tickets in the lower-bowl are 2 for 1.

Congratulations to Justin Donati for winning the EHCL scoring title this season with 94 points. Andrew Engelage finished as the #11 goaltender in the league.

Post Game: Grizzlies 2, Condors 1 (SO)

2011-04-03T12:39:00.001-06:00

Welcome back, J.P.!

While we really don't blame Engelage for the losing streak lately (even if you have a good goalie, you still have to play in front of him), having Lamoureux back in net definitely gave the boys a boost. J.P. stopped 44 of the 45 shots he saw with style. And his work in the shutout was perfect. With the Grizzlies tallying only 17 shots on goal in the entire contest and allowing almost 3 times as many, it's undeniable that Lamoureux saved the day.

Also, assists on Matt Clarke's goal? New guy Reber and Lamoureux. Very nice.

Thumbs up to Paul McIlveen on the only shootout goal of the contest. Sweet shot . . . and that's really all we have to say about that.

On to the playoffs.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - J. Lamoureux
2. UTA - M. Clarke
3. UTA - P. McIlveen

Links -
post game || J.P. Lamoureux Leads Utah To 2-1 Shootout Win
gamesheet || Bakersfield at Utah - 4/2/11
highlights || Game Highlights 4/2/11 vs Bakersfield
interview || Leigh Mendleson 4/2/11 post game
interview || Matt Reber 4/2/11 intermission

Post Game: Condors 3, Grizzlies 1

2011-04-02T11:54:00.004-06:00

Grizzlies lose.

In some sort of sick April Fool's day twist, the Grizzlies played surprisingly well but still lost to the Condors 3-1 in front of a record high crowd. There were a few breakdowns - which of course lead to Bakersfield's goals - and some missed chances, but otherwise not much that we have to complain about.

Great job by both goalies. Engelage had some help in front of the net and only allowed 2 goals on 33 shots. However, we do have to give some respect to Condor's goalie Stewart who had a wildly successful game, stopping 39 of the 40 Grizzlies' shots he saw. Damn.

The boys played some good defense and had a much better effort on the forecheck than we've seen in their recent losing streak. While the first goal from Bakersfield came in the 1st, Utah was able to calm things down and keep the Condors at bay until the 3rd. The Grizzlies' sole goal was shorthanded from Carpentier and Carroll who were probably happy to get such an essential goal after getting their asses kicked so heinously on the road.

Nice job on the PK; would love to see the power play come together again.

Get the win tomorrow to close out the season, boys.

Stars of the Game -

1. BAK - S. Goulet
2. UTA - H. Carpentier
3. BAK - B. Stewart

Links -
post game || Record-High Crowd Sees Grizzlies Fall 3-1
gamesheet || Bakersfield at Utah - 4/1/11
highlights || Game Highlights 4/1/11 vs Bakersfield
interview || Leigh Mendleson 4/1/11 post game
interview || David Schulz 4/1/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Bakersfield Condors

2011-04-01T10:26:00.020-06:00

Well, this is it. The Grizzlies' last two games of the regular season will be played this weekend at the Maverik Center. Two more games for the team to convince us that the playoffs will be something to look forward to, and not a volcanic meltdown. We're hoping by Saturday night we're partying like it's 1999 as opposed to the last days of Pompeii.

Let's face it, the Grizzlies have been less than stellar in their last few games. In fact, they've only won 2 of their last 10, which isn't exactly ideal going into the post season. That's not to say they couldn't come out and blow away their first round opponent, but it helps to be on a little bit of a streak that isn't losing. We have faith, however, that they can take care of these last two games and get a better streak started. We'd hate to see them just give up after everything they've accomplished this season.

Utah does have a lot of injuries right now, and has been playing somewhat shorthanded. Last weekend there were 6 players that were not able to go to Anchorage with the team, and they were again without 5 of those players on Wednesday in Idaho. As of writing this post, we have no information on whether or not any of those players will be back this weekend, but we do know that JP Lamoureux has returned from Abbotsford to help out. That will be a welcome reinforcement for the team. Also, the Grizzlies have signed forward Matt Reber of Dartmouth to an amateur tryout. If we had to guess, we'd say that means Utah is still shorthanded. Welcome, Matt. (Pun intended.)

The Condors are at the top of their division, and have won 8 of their last 10 games, but they lost their last two. The last time Utah and Bakersfield squared off was in December - a win for Utah - so it's been a while. (That sounded... not how we meant it. Whatev.) After looking at some weird stats, our advice to Utah would be to not let Bakersfield score first, and to be ahead at the end of the 2nd period. Bakersfield's record when scoring first is 26-8-2. When the Grizzlies are ahead at the end of the 2nd, their record is 23-0-1. Pretty solid as weird statistics go. Utah has beaten Bakersfield 6 times this season out of 8. Also pretty solid. We're pretty sure they can get two more wins.

We're not going through the standings again this week. The Grizzlies are in, and that's all that matters at this point. Win or lose, once Saturday's game is done the slate is clean. No wins, no losses, no streaks - just a shot at the championship, just like everyone else who made it this far. We're just hoping for some entertaining hockey this weekend, a solid effort, and a couple of good warm-up games for the playoffs.

We heard a rumor that the playoffs could start as early as Monday, but to be honest, we're not even sure where we heard it, so don't hold us to that. We also heard that there will be an open skate after the game on Friday night. That was from the Grizzlies on twitter, so we're pretty sure that one is legit. $2 skate rental if you want to participate.

Two games left in the regular season - we can't believe it. Games Friday and Saturday at 7:00 pm at the Maverik Center. Time to get serious.

Post Game: Steelheads 7, Grizzlies 2

2011-03-31T12:10:00.001-06:00

Screw you, Utah. Since you didn't bother to show up, we're reviewing the Wheeling-Reading game instead.

Royals win.

In a game that saw 3 former Grizzlies pick up a goal, the outcome came down to the goaltending. Reading goalie Dalton stopped 45 out of 47 SOG in regulation and all 4 Wheeling shooters in the SO to capture the win for the Royals. Now, that's a game. Add to that both of the Nailers' goals came on the 5-on-3, and we're even more impressed.

Of course, we also need to point out the great job that Wheeling did in their own end on defense and also on the forecheck. While the Nailers racked up 47 shots, they only allowed 27 comparatively. And like the Royals, both goals allowed came on the power play.

Both Reading goals came from former Grizzlies in Cruthers and Labelle (ah - we miss you, Labelle), and one of the two Nailers goals came from Tim Crowder (who we also miss dearly). It was Timmy's first goal in a Nailers uniform and it was on the power play. When we switched over to the Grizzlies game, Wheeling was leading 2-1 with Tim's goal as the GWG; but Labelle scored late in the 3rd to tie things up and send it past regulation. We missed it. Boo.

Overall, great effort from both teams. It's hard to make any sort of comparative statements regarding the game as we haven't been following these teams closely, but it was a fun one to watch. Much more entertaining to watch than Utah's non-effort.

Go Eastern Conference.

**If you want to read about Utah getting slaughtered, go read the official post game. We're opting to ignore it.

Game Day: Idaho Steelheads

2011-03-30T15:25:00.005-06:00

Last road game of the season.

We're hoping to see some of that Utah road magic that we were so fond of at the start of the season. From a stats point of view, it looks like Utah needs to grab, then hold on to their lead as they are 23-0-1 when leading after two periods . . . yeah, that's pretty much textbook.

Kevin Deeth leads the Grizzlies against Idaho in points, so we hope to see him working his usual skills. Deeth has been held off the points sheet for the last 7 games. Engelage will be in net tonight and should also be a bonus for the Grizzlies against the Steelheads; Andrew is 4-1 against Idaho this season. Not a bad place to start. Let's make it 5-1, Andy.

Utah still has a few injuries in the mix, but Kilburg will be returning - woot! And it looks like Idaho has picked up some fresh blood in terms of a goalie and a forward. No real idea of how this may affect things, but we figure it's worth a mention.

Of most importance, we hope Utah decides to stay out of the box as much as possible. Idaho is 1st on the power play at 24.5%. The Grizzlies need to keep their heads and not allow the Steelheads to go on the man advantage . . . please?

Looking forward to something a little better than Sunday, boys.

Post Game: Aces 6, Grizzlies 0

2011-03-28T14:10:00.003-06:00

No eff-ing comment.

Post Game: Aces 4, Grizzlies 1

2011-03-27T10:10:00.003-06:00

Grizzlies lose, but don't get shut out.

The boys 1st period looked much better than what we saw from them last night. Utah seemed to keep up with the Aces on the Olympic-sized ice and push the advantages they had. Also, the Grizzlies were playing a lot better in front of their own net during the initial 20, which allowed them to end the period with a 1 goal lead. However, Alaska rallied quick in the 2nd to add 3 goals in 4 minutes.

We have to give some coaching propers to Colley who utilized his 30 second time out to calm the boys down and stop the bleeding. Utah played better after this point, but weren't able to come back. The game seemed more psychological tonight than yesterday, as we saw some genuine effort before the crash and burn. Tough luck, boys.

Even when the Grizzlies were getting chances, they weren't getting past Alaska's goalie Coleman. We really can't say much more about that - the guy is on his game.

Let's go for Sunday, boys.

Stars of the Game -

1. AK - W. Goldie
2. AK - A. Dzielski
3. UTA - R. Grantham

Links -
post game || Alaska Rallies By Utah
gamesheet || Utah at Alaska - 3/26/11
highlights || Game Highlights 3/26/11 vs Alaska
interview || 3/26/11 intermission

Post Game: Aces 4, Grizzlies 0

2011-03-26T09:31:00.006-06:00

Grizzlies get shut out.

A great game by the Aces. We were hoping Utah would try to make it tough for Alaska, but they didn't really bother to show up. The Grizzlies did go into this one shorthanded with McIlveen, May, and Kilburg out of the line up; however, they still had Ferguson, Carpentier, and Carroll (to name a few) who we expected to produce.

We tried to watch for the new defensemen, but they were mostly nondescript. We're wondering if they're still getting used to the Utah system.

Sorteberg seemed to stand out on defense; we were amazed he ended the game with a -2. Parnham was great on the back end as well, making some decent blocks, and Guthrie had several runs at the net which were noteworthy. Otherwise, the team looked lackadaisical.

For the most part, the Grizzlies stayed out of the box, but the few penalties they had hurt them. Two back to back penalties in the 1st allowed Alaska to grab the lead, and a double minor late in the 3rd put Utah shorthanded for the remainder of the game, guarenteeing the Aces the shutout. while we can't really bitch about the amount of shorthanded situations, the penalties the boys took were not necessary or smart. Disappointed.

We need to give some major love to Tyler Sims, who did a great job finishing up the game and allowed only one goal on the 15 shots he saw from Alaska. Some of those saves were spectacular, as the Grizzlies play in front of the net became increasingly sloppy in the final 20. Nicely done.

Do better tonight, Utah. We don't even care if you win - just play.

Links -

post game || Grizzlies Fall In Alaska
gamesheet || Utah at Alaska - 3/25/11

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Alaska Aces

2011-03-25T09:36:00.038-06:00

The Grizzlies are on the road for a 3 game series in Alaska this weekend which could see the Aces clinch the Western Conference title. As of right now, there are a lot of things that have to take place for that to happen, but let's put it this way - the more they win, the sooner it happens. With them being 8 points ahead of the closest contender (Bakersfield), it's basically inevitable, but we're a little bit bitter about it. We think that should have been the Grizzlies' spot, so we're all for the clinch being delayed as long as possible. Of course, if the Grizzlies had been a little more bitter in the first place, maybe it WOULD have been their spot...

Moving on. Put simply, Alaska is a good team. They have won 9 of their last 10 games, and Utah has only beat them once this season. They are 30-6-1 when scoring first, and Ace Wes Goldie is on an impressive 12 game point streak right now. The Grizzlies, on the other hand have not been as impressive lately, winning only 4 of their last 10 and leading the league in penalty minutes. However, we know that Utah is also a good team when they get to their game and don't get distracted. Is it a tall order to get points out of Alaska this weekend? Yes. But it's not impossible.

As Adrian Denny points out in his game day blog, this could end up being a great goaltending battle. Andrew Engelage and Gerald Coleman have eerily similar statistics this season, right down to them both being 6'5". Coleman has more wins, but he's played 8 more games in the ECHL this season than Engelage has. Engelage has a slightly better save percentage. Coleman has a slightly lower goals against average. With so many things being close to equal, we think this will come down to who has a harder-working team playing in front of them. And maybe who is luckier. It never hurts.

When it comes right down to it, the Grizzlies just need the points more than the Aces do. We'd really like to see them come out and play like they want those points. They had a good start on Wednesday, even though they didn't come out on top in the shootout. They still gained a point, and they're currently at the 2nd spot in the division. That's definitely a spot they want to keep, as the higher up they are, the better chance they get home ice in the playoffs. They only have 6 regular season games left, so they need to make them count.

Final road trip of the season. 3 game weekend. 6 points available for the taking. Let's do it.

Post Game: Wranglers 2, Grizzlies 1 (SO)

2011-03-24T09:08:00.010-06:00

Grizzlies lose, but gain a point in a shootout.

Fortunately, there was a season high crowd at the Maverik Center for this one because the B2 kept cutting out on us at home. From what we saw of the game, the boys looked good. Denny mentioned in his postgame that had this been a post season match that Utah would have taken it. We have to agree. The boys' energy during OT was phenomenal.

Unfortunately, the Grizzlies couldn't make it past Ouzas in the shootout. Vegas's goalie was more than on top of it tonight, and we have to hand the majority of Utah's defeat to his game. Utah definitely got their chances, tallying 34 SOG on the Wranglers' netminder. Nice job by Carpentier on getting one past him to spoil a shutout.

Would have liked to see a few better moves in the shootout. Thumbs up for Mendleson mentioning that in the post game.

We were looking forward to seeing the new d-men on the ice, but we didn't get to see enough of them to offer an opinion. We blame the B2.

Better luck next time, Grizzlies. Well played.

Stars of the Game -

1. LV - M. Ouzas
2. UTA - H. Carpentier
3. UTA - P. McIlveen

Links -

post game || Season-High Crowd Watches Utah Rally: Fall In Shootout
gamesheet || Las Vegas at Utah - 3/23/11
highlights || Game Highlights 3/23/11 vs Las Vegas
interview || Leigh Mendleson 3/23/11 post game
interview || Matt Sorteberg 3/23/11 intermission

A loss, a win, a dirty hit

2011-03-21T18:04:00.003-06:00

Here is a quick weekend recap: The Grizzlies played Friday and Saturday at Victoria. Friday night's game seemed to be a failure of special teams: they allowed Victoria a shorthanded and two power play goals before scoring two goals of their own. Then two more penalties and an empty net goal came. The goaltender, Engelage, did not allow any even-strength goals.

Saturday night the Grizzlies surged back, winning 3-2 in overtime. They fell behind by two goals, but then Simon Ferguson scored a power play goal, followed by a short-handed goal. Paul McIlveen won the game in OT. Utah is in 6th place overall for the conference.

There is a home game this Wednesday against Las Vegas, then the team is away again for the weekend, playing in Alaska.

The big news in the hockey world today is the 14 game (at least) suspension of Pittsburgh Penguins' defenseman, Matt Cooke. He is suspended the rest of the season and the first round of the playoffs.

"Mr. Cooke, a repeat offender, directly and unnecessarily targeted the head of an opponent who was in an unsuspecting and vulnerable position. This isn't the first time this season that we have had to address dangerous behavior on the ice by Mr. Cooke, and his conduct requires an appropriately harsh response." --Colin Campbell

The coach, GM, and some teammates all seem to agree with the suspension.

The hit:

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Victoria Salmon Kings

2011-03-18T10:39:00.019-06:00

It's a good thing the Grizzlies have already clinched a playoff spot because their 9-2 loss in Victoria on Wednesday did nothing to help their position in the division. That's all we're going to say about that. From here, it's all about moving on.

The Grizzlies have two more games against Victoria this Friday and Saturday. We'd play the "if" game and go through all the scenarios that could happen if they win and get the four points, but that involves a lot more math than we like on a Friday. We'll just say that there are a lot of factors now determining where Utah will start out in the playoffs - some of which they don't have any control over - and that the 4 points available this weekend really can't hurt. More than the points, we'd like to see the team come out and really try to get themselves in the right mindset to go into the playoffs. It's been a little rough lately, and they're going to need some momentum coming down the stretch. We're just not seeing that with the 3-6-0-1 record they're sporting in their last 10.

If the Grizzlies need a spark right now, it may come in the return of goalie Andrew Engelage to the team. Engelage was doing a terrific job for Utah before joining the Toronto Marlies and could just be the piece they need to get back on track. If he can steal a couple, maybe the team can gain some confidence in their game and make a mental comeback in time for the playoffs. It's not that they lack the ability to win, they just seem to have a hard time focusing recently. They'll need that in the next few weeks, especially if they want to stretch that out to the next few months. The team is also expecting captain Simon Ferguson and Brent Gauvreau back in the lineup this weekend. Riley Emmerson has also returned from Bridgeport, but will not join the team in Victoria this weekend.

Before that thing on Wednesday that we're not talking about, Victoria had lost 5 in a row in series against Alaska and Bakersfield. In those 5 games, Victoria had 8 goals - 1 less than Wednesday's thing, so we figure they've used up their goal allotment for the next 6 games at least, if not the rest of their season. That said, the Grizzlies will want to keep the fish from scoring first, as Victoria's record on such occasions is 24-8-2. Another thing the Grizzlies can take advantage of is their power play - Utah ranks 2nd on the road with a 23.1% success rate. We're not suggesting they get themselves punched in the face or anything - in fact, we'd prefer no one get suspended this weekend - but taking advantage of any power play opportunities that arise would be recommended.

We're coming down to the wire. The Grizzlies have 9 games left in the regular season to get their act together. They won't have time to do it in the playoffs. Games start at 8:05 pm this weekend. You can listen on 1230 KFAN.

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Thunder 2 (OT)

2011-03-14T20:17:00.006-06:00

Thank you, Utah!

The boys really rev-ed things up during the 1st. Puck control was amazing and they pulled of 20 shots on goal to Stockton's 8. There wasn't a moment where Utah looked shaky during the initial 20, which isn't quite what we expected after Saturday's game where the boys looked dead on their feet. But the boys remained on the forecheck for the most part and when they needed it, Sims stepped up to make the saves.

Going into the 3rd, we really didn't think the guys were going to pull it off. They looked exhausted; Stockton was pushing every advantage and was able to tie things up quickly. We really have to give some props to the Maverik Center for having technical difficulties with their lights. The break seemed to give Utah the push they needed to take things past regulation and get the win in OT.

Two favorites of the OT period were Nyren with his game winning goal (of course) and Parnham picking up the passes. Welcome back, Visa! Both of those guys really assisted in manufacturing the win in that crucial time, so hats off to them.

Better luck on the man advantage, boys - Utah only converted on 1 of 9 power play situations. On the upside, they only went shorthanded 3 times - nicely done.

And in case you hadn't heard: with Sunday's overtime win, the Grizzlies are in the playoffs. Couldn't have been done during a better game or a better series.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - G. Nyren
2. UTA - B. Parnham
3. STK - F. Clair

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Beat Stockton 3-2 In OT; Clinch Playoff Berth
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah - 3/13/11
highlights || Game Highlights 3/13/11 vs Stockton
photos || 3/13/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder
interview || Kevin Colley 3/13/11 post game
interview || Chris Donovan 3/13/11 intermission

Post Game: Thunder 6, Grizzlies 1

2011-03-13T10:16:00.008-06:00

Grizzlies lose.

The boys definitely tried in this one, but they didn't have the extra oomph needed to pull it off. When Clarke was thrown out in the 2nd, we didn't expect the 4 remaining defensemen to be able to continue at the pace they would need in order to win. The effort was there, just not the stamina.

Connelly kept the boys in the game as long as he could. His performance was very reminiscent of Sims's during Wednesdays game. The last few minutes were pretty deadly to his overall statistics but for the first 54, he was pretty much on fire.

Nice to see Tanguay get a goal.

Overall, this just seemed to be a game of tough breaks, but what can you do? Nobody's going to give anyone else an inch going down the stretch to the playoffs, especially not Utah. We felt tired just watching it, so here's to the boys getting a decent night's rest and making a comeback tomorrow.

Best of luck for Sunday.

Stars of the Game -

1. STK - F. Clair
2. STK - J. Pitton
3. UTA - B. Kilburg

Links -
post game || Stockon Strikes Late On Shorthanded Grizzlies
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah - 3/12/11
highlights || Game Highlights 3/12/11 vs Stockton
photos || 3/12/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder
interview || Kevin Colley 3/12/11 post game
interview || Brett Parnham 3/12/11 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 4, Thunder 2

2011-03-12T17:18:00.010-07:00

Grizzlies win.

This was a completely different team we saw tonight as opposed to Wednesday. Passes were clicking, defense was solid, and offense was scoring.

Defense was shorthanded tonight, playing with only 5 blueliners and continually rotating pairs throughout the game. Play wise you couldn't even tell; it was an amazing effort on their part. Something else we truly appreciated from the d-men was not allowing Stockton to push their buttons. Only 5 of the 14 penalties assessed to Utah in the match were from the 5 defensemen. Thank you for that.

Grantham took over the penalty role, seemingly spending more time in the penalty box than out. But since he was able to draw the Stockton sideshow circus his way and let defense take care of business, we see it as taking one for the team. Thumbs up.

Parnham was back on the ice and looked great. We didn't think he'd be back for a while, so that was a welcome surprise. Between Parnham, Shea, and McIlveen - those boys got things rolling for Deeth and May to capture some great goals later in the game.

And a great job by Connelly. He definitely made some (34, to be exact) timely saves and as the game continued, looked more and more comfortable in the crease.

Let's go for the rest of the weekend, boys!

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - T. May
2. UTA - K. Deeth
3. UTA - S. Connelly

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Beat Stockton 4-2
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah - 3/11/11
highlights || Game Highlights 3/11/11 vs Stockton
photos || 3/11/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder
interview || Kevin Colley 3/11/11 post game
interview || Paul McIlveen 3/11/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder

2011-03-11T07:43:00.039-07:00

The Grizzlies are back at it against the Stockton Thunder this weekend with games Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They didn't fare so well on Wednesday, dropping the game 5-1, so we're looking for some redemption. They've got 3 games to do it. That's 6 points that they really need right now.

Utah has kind of gotten themselves into a pickle recently in the standings. Once leading the Western Conference, they've managed to slip to 3rd in the Mountain Division and way down to the bottom of the conference, with only Ontario and Victoria behind them. Alaska and Las Vegas have already clinched playoff spots, so there are two less for the Grizzlies to claim. With only 13 games left in the season, now would be the time to pick things back up and get on a roll - a WINNING roll - going into the playoffs.

Stockton has been even steven lately, splitting their last 10 with 5 wins and 5 losses. We think that means that since they won their last game against the Grizzlies, they should be fated to lose the next one. Of course, we have a very weak grasp of the laws of probability and the universe, so we're probably wrong. But even so, Utah should take that opportunity to avenge itself of Wednesday's poor showing.

*DISCLAIMER: When we use the word "avenge", we mean on the scoreboard. We've said before that the Grizzlies need to stop being undisciplined and having the kind of brawls that gets everyone suspended. (See last Saturday's game.) There are a lot of ways to stick up for your teammates that don't involve a 30 minute delay and a penalty box that looks like a clown car. For example, "That guy is busy giving my buddy a facewash so that must mean he's not paying attention to where the puck is. I think I'll pick it up and take a shot on goal so my buddy isn't smelling that glove in vain." The universe approves. So do the clowns. Also, we approve of ourselves.

In order to do that, they're going to have to buckle down and do some work. The kind of work that got them to the top of the Western Conference earlier in the season. In his post game interview on Wednesday, Coach Colley said, "We need to play hockey. We can't throw the skates on and go out there and hope for 2 points. It's getting a little too much, and everyone needs to be held accountable." But he's not expecting everyone to try to do it themselves. "Guys can't think they're Wayne Gretzky or Bobby Orr. Everyone needs to play the system, play it with tenacity and go out there and create some offense." (Italics added by us.) Like we said, earlier in the season they were working hard and playing the system and it was paying off in wins. This team needs to learn from its own history.

The Grizzlies will be without Riley Emmerson this weekend. He's off suspension, but has been called up to Bridgeport of the AHL. They'll also be without team captain Simon Ferguson - he's still suspended. Dave Schultz has been moved to IR for a few days, and Brent Parnham is still out with a knee injury. ECHL trade deadline is today at 3:00 pm ET, so we could see some last-minute changes. We hope not at this point, but whatev. We have no control.

Three games in a row, starting tonight at 7:05 pm. Six points up for grabs. Stockton doesn't need any more - let's do it, boys.

Hockey Outside the Grizzlies Box - 3/10/2011

2011-03-10T10:50:00.020-07:00

A look at some other hockey news while the Grizzlies are gearing up for their last 13 games...

AHL

The Abbotsford Heat fake traded defenseman Keith Seabrook to the Manitoba Moose for center MacGregor Sharp this week. We say "fake traded" because somehow they worked it out so that the parent clubs (Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks) retain the rights of their own players, they just go play on someone else's team for a while. We guess it's kind of like getting a foreign exchange student or something. Confusing? That's nothing compared to the ironically named "clear day list" the Heat had to submit to the AHL on Monday. From what we could gather, this is the finalized 22-man roster each team has to set for the playoffs. However, the Heat's list included several players currently on IR, and left of some that are actually getting ice time. Here's the trick - there's an "emergency conditions" provision that allows them to use players not on the list if someone gets injured. Therefore, by putting currently injured players on the list, everyone else falls into that "emergency" category, and they can keep as many players as they want. So what's the point of the 22-man clear day list? "I don't really understand it, to be quite honest with you," Abbotsford's coach Jim Playfair said. Maybe they should rename it the "clear as mud day list." Ha ha...

Abbotsford is currently in 5th place in the North Division, but they're only 5 points back of 1st place Manitoba. Says goaltender Leland Irving, "It's going to be a battle the rest of the year. In a sense, I think it's good for us because it forces us to play playoff-type hockey right up until the playoffs start. By that time, we'll be ready to go." The Heat host the leage-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday and Saturday. The two teams' goalies are old buddies. For more on the Heat, check out the Heat Report.

NHL

We have to admit it - at the beginning of January we had pretty much written the Calgary Flames out of the playoffs. Long time general manager Darryl Sutter had just resigned and rumors of franchise forward Jarome Iginla being traded were about 23947 times more abundant than points in their win column. (There were a lot of rumors.) They ranked in the bottom third of the league in special teams play and had the worst road record in the Western Conference. They lost 2 of their first 3 games of 2011. But then they started something. They lost a couple in shootouts, but picked up a couple of points. Then they went on a 6 game winning streak, and they've been one of the hottest teams in the league since. They currently sit at 5th place in the Western Conference, tied in points with the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks. We've got to give them credit for turning things around. Of course, with the clown car that is the Western Conference playoff race this season, we never know who will be getting out of it, and there's still plenty of time for several teams to push their way in. Should be interesting for the Flames going down the stretch. If the playoffs started today, they'd draw the Blackhawks. Tonight they play the Coyotes in Phoenix.

Speaking of the Blackhawks, they're scheduled to meet the President at the White House tomorrow (3/11/2011) at 3:00 pm ET. Unfortunately, not all members of their Stanley Cup winning team will be available (half the team was traded or not re-signed over the summer), but they do have a few guys coming back from other teams to be honored. Following a brief ceremony, they'll be conducting a youth clinic on the south lawn with the Washington Capitals. Sounds like a security risk to us... We'd love to see the Secret Service send someone to the penalty box though.

Post Game: Thunder 5, Grizzlies 1

2011-03-10T05:34:00.004-07:00

Grizzlies lose.

We really need to hand it to Tyler Sims for his amazing job in net. Those last two goals were harsh ones to allow - both for the team and for his save percentage, which to that point was pretty stellar. But with the Grizzlies playing the way they were in front of him, it was only a matter of time until Stockton got the upper hand.

Anything we have to say about this game, Colley said in his post game - and really it's what we've been thinking (and saying) for the past few weeks anyway. So here's a little required listening for you:

Kevin Colley 3/9/11 post game

That's all. Get things done on the weekend, Grizz.

Game Day - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder

2011-03-09T13:20:00.004-07:00

Utah finally pulled themselves out of a losing streak on Saturday night, just in time to face off against Stockton. Utah hasn't had the greatest of luck against the Thunder this year, mainly because - in our opinion - the boys refuse to play their own game against Stockton and rather slip into the defensive, committing penalty after penalty instead of scoring goal after goal. Hopefully with some discipline, the Grizzlies can pull this one off.

Stockton has the interesting statistic of going 18-0-3 when they lead after the 2nd period. That's a lot of wins. Utah will need to be on their toes to keep the Thunder at bay through the first 40 and maintain their defense in the final 20, instead of getting sidetracked into the circus atmosphere that tends to occur when playing Stockton. Either way, the Grizzlies should be on the lookout for Fraser Clair who leads the Thunder with 8 points against Utah.

Over the last few games, the Grizzlies have been able to pull themselves back up to third on the power play. We're able to accept this a bit better than when they fell to 6th.

The Grizzlies picked up some new blood this week with the return of Shea Guthrie to the Utah line. Also, sounds like Paul McIlveen decided to show up (apparently he didn't report after the trade, hence the suspension) and will dress tonight. You can also expect Kevin Deeth to add to the mix as he leads rookies in assists with 36.

Start the series off right, Grizzlies.

Post-weekend scramble

2011-03-07T19:40:00.003-07:00

Today's Magic Number (straight from utahgrizzlies.com)
The Grizzlies magic number for clinching a playoff spot is eight. Each time Utah wins or Ontario loses in regulation, two points will be shaved off the number.

The Las Vegas Wranglers and the Alaska Aces were the first two teams to clinch a play-off spot this season. How do we feel about that? Boo. These two teams have proved tough for the Grizzlies lately.

This weekend Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames became only the 10th player in NHL history to score 30 or more goals in 10 consecutive seasons. He joins the like of Wayne Gretzky , Bobby Hull, and Jaromir Jagr. He did the even after a slow start, only score 2 goals in 15 games.

This article by Kyle Goon of The Salt Lake Tribune was featured on the Grizzlies site. In it, he calls February a disaster for the Grizzlies. Part of this was blamed on the loss of players such as Jake Gannon, Nick Tuzzolino, and Andrew Engelage.

"It’s definitely an adjustment. You start seeing that anybody can beat anybody in this league if you don’t bring your best every night."--Kevin Deeth

Another article in the Tribune feels a little more upbeat about the situation. "The Utah Grizzlies didn’t just end their seasonlong seven-game winless streak Saturday at the Maverik Center — they did so with authority." In comparing Saturday night's game to a professional wrestling match, it echoes the sentiment "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out." 118 penalty minutes and 10 game misconducts? Definitely a WWE event.

“Tonight was just a matter of putting the nail in the coffin,” Kevin Deeth said. “We let teams hang around. We get a lead and then give it up. We didn’t let up after we got up one or two, we kept pouring on ’em.”

So what do you think? Which article seems more upbeat about the Grizz?

Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Reign 1

2011-03-06T10:25:00.006-07:00

Grizzlies win. At last.

After the 1st period brawl, the boys played down and played some good hockey. Carroll's goal seemed to spark the Grizzlies offensively, and even though Ontario picked up their only goal of the night 42 seconds after, Utah kept their heads in the game. Talk about a game to get you prepped for Stockton - we hope the boys can remember to play hockey.

We have to give some major props to Ontario's Zacharias in this game. The kid stopped 43 of 48 shots thrown his way. We also have to give some mad props to Utah for not letting up after they grabbed the lead. Utah pulled away in the 2nd with 28 SOG to Ontario's 5. They also defended that lead beautifully through the 3rd, keeping on the forecheck for the most part and tallying May's 3rd of the evening for his trick.

Keep the momentum into Stockton, boys.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - T. May
2. UTA - K. Deeth
3. UTA - M. Clarke

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Beat Ontario 5-1
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 3/5/11
highlights || Game Highlights 3/5/11 vs Ontario
photos || 3/5/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign
interview || Kevin Colley 3/5/11 post game
interview || Hugo Carpentier 3/5/11 intermission

Post Game: Reign 3, Grizzlies 2

2011-03-05T16:30:00.013-07:00

Grizzlies lose their 7th.

We ended up stuck in the massive ticket lines, so we missed the first goals by Utah and Ontario - and that's not to mention the Emmerson fight. The last 16 minutes of the period weren't that impressive, with the Reign picking up speed and the Grizzlies struggling to keep up and ending the period in a deficit. But that definitely changed in the 2nd when the boys racked up 25 SOG, taking over on the forecheck. We saw some great play from Utah in the middle 20. Regrettably, they couldn't get anything past Beau Erickson until the 3rd.

We though the boys still kept their heads in the game, even while picking up some penalties. Even though the Reign pushed back after Beau's injury and Hugo's clipping penalty (Rule 44.1 Clipping - Clipping is the act of throwing the body, from any direction, across or below the knees of an opponent. A player may not deliver a check in a “clipping” manner, nor lower his own body position to deliver a check on or below an opponent’s knees. - and yes, we had to look it up.) But once Ontario scored their third goal of the night, Utah started playing like they only needed to defend their lead rather than push for a tying goal and pressing every advantage.

We're not going to name names here, but there were some pretty obvious missed passes in the last two minutes of the game by players who should have known to have their sticks on the ice . . . Do it better.

Get the win tomorrow, boys.

Stars of the Game -

1. ONT - J. Hill
2. UTA - K. Deeth
3. UTA - H. Carpentier

Links -
post game || Ontario Beats Utah 3-2: Rematch Saturday
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 3/4/11
highlights || Game Highlights 3/4/11 vs Ontario
photos || 3/4/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign
interview || Kevin Colley 3/4/11 post game
interview || Kevin Deeth 3/4/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign

2011-03-04T08:29:00.020-07:00

The Grizzlies are back in town this weekend, hosting the Ontario Reign at the Maverik Center. This begins a 6 game home stand where the Grizzlies really need all the points they can get. The playoffs are quickly approaching, and Utah has slowly slid down into 3rd in the Mountain Division. We can't even post our #2 sign anymore.

We're not quite sure what to make of this weekend's games. There has been a lot of turnover in the Grizzlies' lineup since the last time we saw them. We can quote all the statistics we want, but we don't know if any of them are applicable now. The truth of the matter is that when you change up guys on the team, you change the way they play. We're glad Coach Colley didn't trade himself, because now at least there's someone trying to get everyone on the same page. Anyway, it should be interesting to see how (and if) everything falls into place this weekend.

Something we can tell you is that while Utah has won 6 of 9 games against Ontario this season, only two of those wins has come at the Maverik Center. Conversely, the Reign have never beaten Utah in Ontario. Kind of an odd statistic. We don't know what it means. Probably nothing. Here's one that might be useful - the Reign currently lead the league in overtime wins with 8. Our advice - don't let it go to overtime. Utah needs 2 points out of these games.

The Grizzlies come into this weekend having only won 3 of their last 10 games. That's the worst past 10 in the Western Conference right now, with teams like Alaska winning 8 of 10, and Idaho winning 6 of 10 to pass them by. For a team that spent a good chunk of the season at the top of the conference, that's pretty disappointing. With only 16 games left in the regular season, Utah needs to start clicking again. A good weekend at home would spark that. They have a chance to make up 12 points in the next 2 weeks, and if they can get on a roll pushing into the playoffs, we'd be really happy. We're pretty sure Coach Colley would be too. He might even smile a little, or at least look less ticked off.

Two games this weekend at the Maverik Center. Four points on the line. Puck drops at 7:05 pm.

Cap Wars: Goalies, Forwards, and fun with ECHL trades

2011-03-03T21:18:00.010-07:00

Earlier this week, the Grizzlies made a few changes to their roster. We saw Paul and Tim Crowder traded for Wheeling's David Marshall, goalie Tyler Sims signing with Utah, Paul McIlveen completing the Dylan Hunter trade, and now joining the team - Shane Connelly. But with forwards Marshall in the AHL and McIlveen now suspended (we're assuming this means Europe for Paul as he played there last season), what did Utah end up with out of all this wheeling and dealing?

Well, two goalies - which is exactly what the Grizzlies were looking for. Rumor has it, the trade of the Crowder boys was mainly to free up money in the Grizzlies' salary cap so they could have bargaining power in finding new netminders, which is where Utah has been hurting lately. With defensemen able to step up into the offensive stratum if needed, missing four (Crowder, Crowder, Marshall, McIlveen) forwards may not make Colley as uneasy as going without the solid help in net the Grizzlies have relied on all season.

Of course, this is all just our speculation. But from some of these post game interviews, we get the impression that Colley is looking to his boys to start burying pucks on their opportunities, rather than looking for someone new to take on that role.

Let's take a look at the new goalie Shane Connelly. So far this season, Shane's played in games with 3 different ECHL teams (Utah will be his 4th), and for all statistical accounts he looks like a solid backup goalie to Tyler Sims. With the Devils, he comes to the Grizzlies with a 0.883 save percentage and 3.45 GAA. We found this awesome save from his college days to show you what this kid is made of:

Very nice.

We're interested to see which of the two goaltenders Colley decides to go with in net this Friday. Welcome, Shane!

New goalie: Tyler Sims

2011-03-02T20:45:00.003-07:00

And the changes to the Grizzlies line up continue. This time it didn't involve trading (giving) away players on the roster. Today the Grizzlies signed goaltender Tyler Sims. Here is the press release (short) taken straight from the Grizzlies site:

Utah Grizzlies Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Kevin Colley announced today that the team has signed goaltender Tyler Sims.

Sims has appeared in the ECHL with Las Vegas, Bakersfield, Reading and Elmira and totaled a 2.84 goal-against-average and a .901 save percentage. This year he has backed up with Lake Erie of the AHL and played with Tulsa of the CHL. He played four years of college hockey at Providence College.

Here's a little dish on Tyler from his college days: he was born in West Berlin, Germany, and in college he became the first Friar goalie to record consecutive shutouts in back-to-back games. Does his last name sound familiar? His father, Al, spent 10 years in the NHL and was a former head coach for the San Jose Sharks. You've probably heard of them.

Guess what? Tyler fights, or did, at least once, and grabbed some serious penalty minutes in the process. How many? 27. From what dirt I can find, Tyler took offense to a hit on the team captain and started whomping on a player from the other team. That team's goaltender, Andrew Penner (no relation to Dustin, I looked) came down the ice to fight Tyler. Ah, you have to love goaltender fights. Both were ejected from the game. Want some video? Here you go. The best part? You'll know when you see it.

Crowders to Wheeling for David Marshall (and what we think this means for the big picture)

2011-03-01T20:42:00.015-07:00

So, the Crowder boys have been shipped off to Wheeling in exchange for David Marshall. In our opinion, we're not happy about this one but we're also not in charge. The Grizzlies' plan here is to prepare for the post season and they're looking to put together a team that can make a run against the likes of Stockton and Alaska - two rivals that Utah has had trouble with this year.

On the numbers end, we can see Utah's point. After ramping up at the end of 2009-10, Tim has had an inconsistent season this year without his catalyst of a brother Paul, who was injured between November and February. Tim led the Grizzlies' with overall points for a while, but currently comes in with 33 points (13g, 20a) in 55 games. And a recovering Paul is still adjusting back to game shape from his injury.

That being said, the boys seemed to spark in both games this weekend in their hometown of Victoria, as we expected. We were hoping to see the return of the Crowders and Carpentier in the same firepower line that began the Grizzlies' season, but sadly that was not to be.

So, let's look at the big picture - we're talkin' playoffs, baby.

Grizzlies made the trade for David Marshall who is currently playing with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL. With the Baby Pens, Marshall has picked up only 2 points in 8 games so not the heaviest hitter in that league. (His stats in the ECHL are pretty nice, though. You can check them out here.) Which means there's a good possibility that he'll be in Utah come playoff time.

That being said, it's necessary to take into account the upper leagues. Marshall's currently hanging out in WB/S, who has maintained the top spot in their division despite massive injuries and callups from the Pens, who have seen their own share of injuries and relied heavily on their farm teams this season. And even if the Pens don't make the playoffs this season, the Baby Pens are slated to make their run in the AHL. But with the injuries and callups to Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton needs bodies . . . and this is where it gets tricky for us as Grizzlies' fans.

Marshall has played in recent games for WB/S, so we know he's not riding the bench and will be in game shape when he joins Utah - or should we say, IF he joins Utah. Just today, the Baby Pens found out that three of their top scorers will not be cleared for the AHL playoffs due to NHL injuries. This could mean a spot on the playoff roster for Marshall who has AHL experience not only with WB/S but with two other teams this season.

Of course, it's not uncommon in the ECHL for a trade made in preparation for the playoffs to fall apart due to an AHL callup; this is what we saw with the Simon Ferguson trade last year after all. And honestly, more power to David Marshall if he can make the callup stick even though we want him here in Utah to help out our boys.

So, as for the Crowders? We're going to miss them terribly on a personal note. But we know that the boys will be guaranteed ice time as shorthanded Wheeling fights to hold onto their #2 position in the Eastern Conference's North Division. Tim was drafted by the Penguins in 2005, so it's somewhat fitting that he's joining their organization and playing with ECHL affiliate for the last push to the post season. And if this last weekend was any indicator of what the Crowders will take going into the Nailers, we may have to look out for them in the playoffs.

Aw, draft day!
Best of luck to the Crowders!

Welcome to the New Guy

2011-02-28T19:30:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the team, Paul McIlveen. The Grizzlies acquired him today from the Cincinnati Cyclones, completing and earlier trade. Sounds like he brings a lot of experience, especially in the play off circuit. He joins the team just in time to start an intense March, at least when compared to February. The Grizz will play double the games: 14 in 27 nights compared to 7 in 26.

Tomorrow at Chili's is Grizzlies Live. Ryley Grantham and Josh Meyers are the chosen players for this round (makes sense since they are the newbies). They each had one point in Saturday's game. You can join them, or listen on 1230 KFAN-2. Points to anyone who is creative and can put a rhyme in there somewhere.

Here is Monday night's tear-jerker story about a little boy and a jersey. It is nice to know that good people are everywhere. (Story and jersey kind of rhyme, more of an off rhyme)

Post Game: Salmon Kings 6, Grizzlies 5 (SO)

2011-02-27T13:22:00.013-07:00

Grizzlies lose, but not as bad.

So the effort Colley wanted to see in this game was definitely taking shape. There was more push from the boys to keep up with the game, and we saw more of the Crowder magic with Tim's goal to tie things 2-2 at the end of the 1st. Even better, it was amazing to see Utah battle back from a 2 goal 3rd period deficit to send things past regulation. It's hard to recall when we last saw this kind of play from the Grizzlies, and we plan on holding them to more of it.

Welcome once again to Meyers and Grantham who both picked up points in their second game in Utah colors.

And special teams - ah, how we've hated you over this last stretch. We're glad to see the Grizzlies getting both their power play and their penalty kill back on track. The boys slaughtered a 4 minute shorthanded situation during the last few minutes of regulation and the beginning of overtime. Just amazing. And on the power play, Utah capitalized 3 of their 5 opportunities on the man advantage. Such an improvement from what we've grown accustomed to cursing under our breath. Keep it up, boys.

Glad to see Deeth once again making the stars of the game list - we're sure he is too.

The boys are back next weekend.

Stars of the Game -

1. VIC - C. Painchaud
2. VIC - R. Dingle
3. UTA - K. Deeth

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Fight Back To End Streak: Collect Shootout Point In Victoria
gamesheet || Utah at Victoria - 2/26/11
highlights || Game Highlights 2/26/11 at Victoria
interview || Marcus Carroll 2/26/11 intermission

Post Game: Salmon Kings 6, Grizzlies 2

2011-02-26T08:06:00.008-07:00

Grizzlies lose. Miserably.

Typically this season, the Grizzlies have been able to control the game and the scoring by dominating the puck on the forecheck, but we didn't see any of this tonight. Utah only tallied 6 SOG in the 1st, 8 in the 2nd, and 5 in the 3rd - totaling 19 against Victoria's 39. The boys basically spent their time chasing the Salmon Kings around the ice, ineffectively hoping to get some wood on the puck. It was painful to watch, and we hope to see the hard work that everyone credits to these boys to come out tomorrow night.

Our prediction of the Crowder boys getting a goal in their hometown proved correct with Paul scoring the Grizzlies first goal and Tim picking up the second assist. We want to see the family effort kept up.

Welcome back, Meyers. Welcome to the Grizzlies, Grantham.

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Fall In Victoria
gamesheet || Utah at Victoria - 2/25/11
highlights || Game Highlights 2/25/11 at Victoria
interview || Tamio Stehrenberger 2/25/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Victoria Salmon Kings

2011-02-25T10:25:00.030-07:00

The Grizzlies make their way up to Canada this weekend to take on the Salmon Kings. They haven't been to Canada yet this season, so let's hope everyone's passport is in order. They have faced Victoria 3 times this season at the Maverik Center - 2 wins and a loss.

Utah may have lost their last 4 games, but Victoria isn't taking them lightly by any means.
"There's no secret to what Utah does -they are aggressive on the forecheck and the hardest-working team in the conference," said Victoria head coach Mark Morrison. "They simply outwork other teams. [Utah head coach] Kevin Colley demands they work hard and they respond. We are going to have to match that." Sounds like the book is out on the Grizzlies. Fortunately for them, there are no answers in the back for hard work. When they outwork their opponents, they win games.

The Salmon Kings may have lost their last two games, but they've won 7 of their last 10. The Grizzlies have only won 4 of their last 10, so it seems Victoria has been in a better groove as of late. (Groovier? Whatever.) Utah had been getting great help from their goaltenders, but with JP Lamoureux still in Abbotsford and Andrew Engelage getting a tryout with Toronto, they've been a little shorthanded at that position. This week, however, they gave goalie Kyle Moir a tryout with the team. Moir spent the last 4 seasons at Lakehead University. We're not really great at reading stats, but we did notice he had a few penalty minutes. Kind of intriguing. As is his hair in his draft picture from Nashville.

Random Goaltending Trivia: On a shot from 60 feet away the goaltender will have less than half a second to react.

Also joining the team this weekend will be 2 players sent down from Abbotsford - defenseman Josh Meyers and forward Ryley Grantham. Meyers actually played in Utah at the beginning of last season, and has been in Abbotsford since. Grantham has been with the Heat since the beginning of his pro career. We'll be interested to see how these guys fit in.

With the 4 losses last week and wins by other teams, the Grizzlies slid to 2nd in the Mountain Division and 4th in the Western Conference. They did, however, move up in the penalty minutes race. They now lead the league with 1247. Not really something you want to be #1 at, especially if it's costing you on the scoreboard. Undisciplined play, as well-intentioned as it may be, can put you at a disadvantage on the ice. Even though Utah has 10 shorthanded goals this season, the only time that makes up for it is if your penalty kill is 100%. Utah's is 83.4%. Here's a hint, guys - we want to beat them, not beat them up. Of course, if they could do both at the same time, we wouldn't complain.

Two games this weekend in lovely Victoria, BC, 8:05 pm puck drop. After that, a 6 game home stand. Time to get your heads on straight and go to work, boys. Take back the neighborhood.

Hockey Outside the Grizzlies Box - 2/22/2011

2011-02-22T14:15:00.020-07:00

A quick trip around the world of hockey...

AHL

The Abbotsford Heat are still stuck at 5th place in their division with 62 points. The good news is they're only 4 points behind the division leading Hamilton Bulldogs. And the Manitoba Moose. And the Lake Eerie Monsters. We guess the standings are tight in every league right now. The Heat have won 6 of their last 10, but were only able to get one point out of last weekend, when they played two games against Oklahoma City. The Heat have a week to think about that and get some good practice in before Providence comes to town on Friday and Saturday. Maybe John Rheault can liven things up for them.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins currently lead the AHL, despite having several of their top scorers called up to the NHL to fill in for the ailing Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, they've won their last 3 games, and just continue to plug along. You can read here about some of the thoughts they have about playing in the NHL and trying to make it stick. Just for the record, the WBS Penguins are 22 points ahead of the Abbotsford Heat. Whew...

NHL

The Calgar y Flames take on the Boston Bruins tonight. Calgary is coming off of an inspiring win in the Heritage Classic, where they shut out the Montreal Canadiens 4-0. (We think maybe Carey Price's ugly mask was cursed.) The Flames had troubles earlier in the season but have since snuck into the #6 playoff spot in the Western Conference. They've won 7 of their last 10, and are showing no signs of slowing down. That's good for them, considering 9 teams in the west are within 5 points of each other, including 3 teams that are currently out of playoff position. Those teams would be the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks, and last year's Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks. That's some stiff competition.

The trade deadline for the NHL is next Monday, February 28th and that means deals, steals, and rumors. It's a little different for the players. In the most recent blockbuster trade between Pittsburgh (maybe they can give WBS some of its players back) and Dallas, Alex Goligoski (going to Dallas) talked a little about his feelings on the trade. James Neal and Matt Niskanen (going to Pittsburgh) got rerouted through New Jersey because of a snowstorm. Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma said, "they hopefully didn't think they got traded to the Devils." We as fans have mixed feelings about trades at every level. On one hand, we're sorry to see players go. Yet we're interested to see how the new guys fit in, and what they can do for the team. But imagine being one of the players. Former Grizzly Justin Bourne has a couple of columns here and here about what it's like to be traded. Seems like mixed feelings all the way around.

OTHER

Today (February 22nd) is the anniversary of the 1980 Olympic Miracle on Ice. This is an event that influenced not only hockey in the United States, but all over the world. It was largely viewed as one of the most important sports moments of all time. For plenty of cool links and remembrances of this event, check out USA Hockey's Miracle on Ice page. Then go home and watch Miracle.

18 more: 9 at home, 9 away

2011-02-21T20:34:00.004-07:00

Rough weekend for the Grizzlies, losing both games to the Wranglers. Two things come to mind when thinking over these games: Shoot more, and quit taking penalties at the end of the game. Sounds easy to us, right? On Friday, Las Vegas out shot the Grizzlies in the second period by some atrocious ratio around 4,395 to 4. Saturday, the Grizzlies were leading until the last 3 minutes, when they took some penalties which lead to Las Vegas scoring 2 power play goals for the win. Like I said, sounds easy to us office working, desk sitting, internet-surfing-for-hockey-news mortals.

In happy news, Saturday's game drew a big crowd as nearly 7,000 people (and a couple hundred dogs) watched the game. Over $12,000 was raised for the Angel's Hands Foundation.

More happy news: Andrew Engelage (who was called up last week to the Toronto Marlies) won his debut on Saturday in a shoot out, and again today saving 33 of 37 shots. Way to go, Andrew. Do we keep cheering him on, hoping he continues to do well and stay at this level level, or do you want him to end up back in Utah? It's kind of a catch 22, isn't it?

Our NHL affiliate, the Calgary Flames shut-out the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic yesterday. (Totally random note: I like the set up and look of that game re-cap page) It sounds like the game was a fun (like outdoor games should be), cold game. Good thing they had heated benches! The Flames are currently in a play-off position.

Post Game: Wranglers 3, Grizzlies 2

2011-02-19T23:01:00.007-07:00

Grizzlies lose. Again.

For a while, we were looking at the same game as before. Vegas scored early, a Utah goal waved off in the 2nd, Grizzlies with the go ahead in the 3rd . . . the main difference was the boys held on until 3 minutes left instead of 7.

Utah killed themselves with penalties. Las Vegas, who's power play currently stands at 15th in the league, went 3 for 4 against Utah's 5th ranked penalty kill. 2 of those power play goals came in the last 3 minutes of the game to snatch the win for the Wranglers. Seriously, boys - What gives with the special teams lately?

Colley did call out his team stating: “Tamio gave us a chance to win and I feel sorry for him, he just had no help in front of him.” But there we disagree. We were sitting right behind the net. We saw the amount of effort that went into getting that puck cleared after the initial stop by the goalie and saving him from making those additional rebounds that he looked like he had a snowball's chance in hell of stopping. Now, we're not discounting the massive amount of effort that we saw from Tamio. Hell, that was probably one of his best games in his career (if we can be so bold), and he deserves ever bit of recognition from his star of the game performance. But the reflexes just weren't there like we're used to seeing with Engelage (naturally), or even past goalies like Mole. But we're glad he pulled off what he did. We also recognize the massive amounts of help he had with the rebounds and covering openings. We would have liked to see a better effort on the forecheck, however, and it will be interesting to see if the Grizzlies help Tamio develop those reflexes or pick up someone new.

Here's to wins on the road.

Stars of the Game -

1. LV - B. Goers
2. UTA - S. Ferguson
3. UTA - T. Stehrenberger

Links -
post game || Nearly 7,000 and Over 300 Dogs See Vegas Win Late
gamesheet || Las Vegas at Utah - 2/19/11
highlights || Game Highlights 2/19/11 vs Las Vegas
photos || 2/19/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers
interview || Kevin Colley 2/19/11 post game
interview || Brian Kilburg 2/19/11 intermission

Post Game: Wranglers 5, Grizzlies 2

2011-02-18T22:47:00.008-07:00

Grizzlies lose.

What a crazy game. And for about 30 seconds we thought Utah was going to win it. And then . . .

We looked everywhere for a clip of that accidental shorthanded Vegas goal Rinfret allowed, but no luck. Honestly, the poor kid was hanging in there until that crappy bounce. Then he lost all confidence like the Hiphopopotamus when he's freestylin'. And that was pretty much the game. Marc allowed 3 quick goals after that point and let a frustrated Vegas team break away to claim the win. Talk about a bad day at the office . . . But a great job by the defense in getting the rebounds out.

And speaking of bad days - Um, power play? Where did you go? Four 5-on-3 situations and only one goal?

Giffen Nyren had a good game, scoring both Utah goals that COUNTED (we're still confused about the one that was waved off); but we were also delighted to hear what Colley had to say about Giffen in the post game: "He's got a nice shot . . . he just needs to pull the reigns back though. He's a bit of a riverboat gambler - he just needs to let the puck do the work, trust his teammates, and not try to do too much." Yeah, Giff - good job, but stop with the fancy.

And now for the important business: Parnham - NOO!! Not sure what got injured on the kid, but he looked like he was in some serious pain. The team is gonna feel it with Brett out of the line. Hell, we refer to him as "Visa" over here: he's just everywhere you want to be. Hope he's feeling better soon.

Stars of the Game -

1. LV - A. Power
2. UTA - G. Nyren
3. LV - M. Ouzas

Links -
post game || Las Vegas Takes Utah Late 5-2
gamesheet || Las Vegas at Utah - 2/18/11
photos || 2/18/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers
interview || Kevin Colley 2/18/11 post game
interview || Brock Wilson 2/18/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers

2011-02-18T07:53:00.032-07:00

Is it just us, or does it seem like Las Vegas is ruling our lives lately?

Believe it or not, after this weekend the Grizzlies only have one more regular season game against the Wranglers in March. However, with the standings looking the way they have, it's very likely they'll meet at some point in the playoffs. We'd prefer it be later rather than sooner. We're getting tired of them.

The Grizzlies blew their shot to go into this weekend ahead of Las Vegas in the standings, so that makes these two games even more important in their quest for the #1 spot in the conference. Utah currently sits right behind Vegas with 61 points to the Wranglers' 63. (Stockton is right behind them with 59.) The good news is that in the 8 times Utah and Vegas have met this season (seems more like 88 times), the Grizzlies have come out on top 6 times with 1 shootout loss, and have earned 13 points. Not a bad record so far. Kevin Deeth leads the Grizzlies against the Wranglers with 11 points. Also a good sign. Our #2 sign, however, is getting a bit old. We'd prefer the Grizzlies get 4 points this weekend and the Wranglers get 0 points so we can stop posting it.

Somewhat like the Grizzlies recently, Vegas has been flailing a little bit, winning only 4 of their last 10 games. They've lost their last 3, so they're on a bit of a losing streak. The Grizzlies themselves have a bit of a streak going themselves, losing their last two, but since their streak isn't as long, it won't be as painful if they have to end it. We're sure they'll be willing to sacrifice their own losing streak in order to keep the Wranglers' going. They're kind and unselfish that way.

The Wranglers recently acquired goaltender Billy Sauer from Gwinnett. We don't know why. We also don't know whether he'll be in the net against the Grizzlies or not. And there's some debate on which name is easier to taunt - Sauer or Ouzas. That may need to be tested this weekend.

One thing that doesn't need to be tested this weekend is the power at the Maverik Center. With Wednesday's outage, something seemed to go out in the Grizzlies too. Their last two games have been somewhat lackluster, and Wednesday's game even caused Coach Colley to say he was going to dissect everyone. That's got to be a messy business. Hopefully he got everyone put back together in time for tonight's game. And let's keep the power on this time.

It's Hockey Weekend Across America, and the Grizzlies have a bunch of promotions going on for Friday and Saturday. We don't know if the two are related, but we're going to say they are. For tonight's game (Friday) fans are encouraged to bring a can of food for the Utah Food Bank. It's especially encouraging since you can get $5 off any ticket for each can donated. There will also be a post-game skate for fans and the team. Bring your own skates, or rent some for $2. On Saturday it's Pooch on the Pond where fans can bring their dog and sit in the special pooch section. This goes right along with Bring a Friend to the Rink Day. Nice. The Grizzlies will also be sporting special jerseys for the Angel's Hands Foundation that will be auctioned off after the game. Proceeds go to the Angel's Hands Foundation which helps families dealing with rare diseases. And don't forget the Try Hockey For Free activities going on at 4 different ice rinks across Utah on Saturday the 19th in conjunction with HWAA.

The fun starts at 7:00 pm tonight at the Maverik Center. Three games left against the Wranglers. Two games this weekend. One chance to get ahead of them in the Western Conference.

Post Game: Alaska 5, Grizzlies 2

2011-02-17T19:27:00.002-07:00

So, this wasn't the big comeback game we'd hoped for against the Aces.

In fact, we didn't get to see it. The weather was against us, the B2 was against us, and we figured it was all just as well. Though we were sad to miss Parnham's goal, which apparently earned him 3rd star of the game.

Looks like former Grizzlies Tyler Ruegsegger had himself a game: 3 points (1g, 2a) in a first star of the game performance. Nicely done.

Check out the links for more on the game, cause this is it from us.

Get it figured out by the weekend, Utah.

Stars of the Game -

1. AK - T. Ruegsegger
2. AK - K. Falite
3. UTA - B. Parnham

Links -
post game || Alaska Takes Utah 5-2
gamesheet || Alaska at Utah - 2/16/11
interview || Riley Emmerson 2/16/11 intermission

Post Game: Aces 4, Grizzlies 3

2011-02-16T07:16:00.007-07:00

Grizzlies lose.

Utah had all the luck on their side in this one. They got all the bounces, all the openings, and they still couldn't get the job done. The Grizzlies 1st period was pretty clean, considering the 1-0 Alaska scoreboard. The 2nd was riddled with penalties that slowed down the boys, even though Utah managed to tie things up.

We have to give major propers to Alaska for their grit. After the Grizzlies scored their 3rd goal to take the lead, the Aces put the pressure on, never stopping until Wes Goldie (or as we like to refer to him the-worst-trade-Victoria-ever-made) snapped away from the Utah defensemen and popped in two to bring the game home.

Once again, Brock played the wildcard. Two goals were scored during his penalty: a shorty for Utah, then a power play goal for Vegas. Then the kid picks up Utah's 3rd goal. Seriously - he's the Charlie Kelly of the team. Ye-haw!

But overall Colley wasn't too happy: "These guys are getting paid, they had a good break. We gave them the days off to rest the bones and some guys didn't sacrifice a drop of sweat tonight."

Ouch.

Stars of the Game -

1. AK - W. Goldie
2. AK - B. Miller
3. UTA - S. Ferguson

Links -
post game || Alaska Prevails 4-3 In Utah
gamesheet || Alaska at Utah - 2/15/11
highlights || Game Highlights 2/15/11 vs Alaska
photos || 2/15/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Alaska Aces
interview || Kevin Colley 2/15/11 post game
interview || Marcus Carroll 2/15/11 intermission

Game Day - Utah Grizzlies vs Alaska Aces

2011-02-15T09:59:00.022-07:00

It's been a while since the Aces have been in town. In fact, the last time they were here was in November, when they handed the Grizzlies a pair of losses (one in overtime). Of course, you may remember that back in November every team that came to the Maverik Center was kind of giving Utah a wedgie. It wasn't pretty. Now, however, the Grizzlies have figured out how to play on their home ice, and we'd like to see them use this opportunity to get a few points up on Las Vegas.

Alaska is coming off of a challenging weekend against Stockton. They won two out of the three games, but one was an overtime win, and they were eventually unable to overtake the Thunder in the standings. The Aces are currently 3rd in the Mountain Division, 2 points behind Idaho, and 5 behind Utah. Utah is at the top of the Mountain Division, but still only #2 in the Western Conference. Hence the sign. However, the Grizzlies could be in the lead by the weekend if they can get 3 out of 4 points in the series with Alaska. 4 would be better.

The Grizzlies have been getting back to the game we know and love lately. They've won 6 of their last 10 games, and we're looking for them to start a new streak. They've been on and off with the wins, not stacking more than two together since the beginning of January. They got one in Vegas last week, so with the 4 home games coming up, we don't think 5 in a row is too much to ask. We're not demanding or anything.

One way the Grizzlies can do that is by making sure they have the lead going into the 3rd period. Here's another one of those weird stats someone thought of keeping once - the Grizzlies are 20-0-1 when leading at the end of the 2nd. What that actually tells us in non-statistical terms is that Utah is good at holding a lead and closing out games. That is a very good skill to have, and probably has contributed quite a bit to them hovering around the top of the conference for most of the season. Too many teams are tricked into thinking they have a "safe" lead. The Grizzlies know there's no such thing. They're probably not safe in Colley's locker room until they win. We know how he is about losing.

Also coming up this weekend - along with the Grizzlies' rise to the top of the Western Conference - is Hockey Weekend Across America. The three special event days are Wear Your Jersey Day on Friday the 18th, Bring a Friend to the Rink Day on Saturday the 19th, and Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes Day on Sunday the 20th. There are also 4 locations in Utah where you can participate in a Try Hockey For Free Clinic on Saturday the 19th. And of course, what better way to celebrate hockey than to support your local team? If you've ever needed an excuse to bring someone to a Grizzlies game, this is it.

4 home games in 5 days. 8 points on the line. 1st place in the west within reach. It all starts tonight at 7:05 pm.

Let's get busy!

2011-02-14T17:59:00.004-07:00

Happy National Have a Heart Day. And Valentine's Day, if you're in to that sort of thing.

So, last week was a slow week for the Grizzlies: one game and then their only weekend off for the season. They won in Las Vegas, bringing their winning streak against the Wranglers to 5. Since they All-Star break they have a very winning record, but remain in the same place in the standings. Here is the opening paragraph to the Las Vegas Review-Journal's recap of the game:

Eliminated from the ECHL playoffs by Utah last year, the Wranglers are getting knocked around by the Grizzlies again this season.

That's what I call a great, attention grabbing opening, at least for a Utah fan. The game was painful for at least one Wrangler. Ryan Huddy had a face-to-face meeting with an open gate on Utah's bench and left the game. He didn't come back to the game. Here's good healing vibes. That can't feel good for anyone.

Utah has a very busy schedule this week--4 home games! They start tomorrow night at 7:05 with a meeting against Alaska. It's a 2-for-1 ticket night at the box office, the first of many promotions this week; we'll list the rest of the promotions as they come later in the week. No need to bog you down with too many details here.

The captain "C" has been pinned on a different player while Jake Gannon is playing in the AHL (again--third time this season). Simon Ferguson is playing the captain's fiddle, which is great, since he's on a scoring streak and he leads the team for goals and Utah is 10-1 when he scores.

AHL affiliate, Abbotsford Heat, had a hot week. (I didn't make up the pun, I stole it from their website...I bet they use a lot of puns like that) The Heat played 7 games in 9 days. Yep, you really did read that correctly. They went 5-2, including winning their last 4 games in a row. Ryan Stone scored the first natural hat trick in Heat history on Friday night. That's a good, solid record that no one else can out do.

Why is green such a popular color to pair with a grizzly mascot?

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 2

2011-02-11T05:58:00.010-07:00

Grizzlies win.

It was pretty awesome to see this game decided by May's penalty shot. Just goes to show you how decisive a penalty can be in any game situation.

Speaking of, both of Vegas's goals were on the power play. Really, Utah? You have the 5th ranked penalty kill and allowed 2 goals in 6 shorthanded situations against the Wranglers' 15th ranked power play? Since the Grizzlies won, we won't give them too much guff, but we wouldn't mind seeing the PK tightened up a little.

Both goals tonight were from Ferguson. Nice to see him getting in there with the goal scoring. Taking the lead against Vegas is a major aspect of any game against them, and he helped out with that with some style.

Glad to see the Crowders & Carpentier back together. Tonight they looked good, meshing well again as usual - but now we want to see them pick up some goals. (Yes, we're demanding and we don't care.)

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - S. Ferguson
2. UTA - T. May
3. LV - N. Ross

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Win 3-2 In Las Vegas
gamesheet || Utah at Las Vegas - 2/10/11
highlights || Game Highlights 2/10/11 at Las Vegas
interview || Paul Crowder 2/10/11 intermission

Game Day - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers

2011-02-10T11:02:00.026-07:00

There seems to be a shortage of games this week, and nothing at home for the Grizzlies. Hopefully you've already pulled out your Costco card and picked up your rations to make it through the famine. ($2.50 off a giant tub of cookie dough with coupon until the end of the month.) They'll make up for it next week, when they have 4 home games in 5 days. But for now, there's only one game, and it's tonight in Vegas, baby.

The Las Vegas Wranglers currently lead the Western Conference by 4 points. The Grizzlies are in 2nd... still. Utah has its next three games against, Vegas while the Wranglers have a couple of games this weekend against Victoria sandwiched in the middle. So again, the Wranglers come out with the upper hand, having more chances to get points than Utah. That makes these games against Vegas all the more important. The Grizzlies can't just worry about earning points, they've got to be about keeping Las Vegas from getting them. NO OVERTIME!!! Just our suggestion.

Another suggestion would be to not let the Wranglers score first. They have a record of 21-3-3 when they get the first goal in a game. This is kind of a weird statistic and we don't really know what it means, but they always report so it must be important. We are all for getting the first goal anyway. Or not letting your opponent score first. Either way works for us.

We know that Andrew Engelage has been stellar in net for the Grizzlies, and again earned Goalie of the Week honors, but Las Vegas recently got Michael Ouzas back from Peoria. Oddly enough, this is where Utah just sent captain Jake Gannon. We're kind of confused about this, but then again, we're confused about most things to do with moving players around, so everything is status quo. Anyway, Ouzas is currently ranked 6th in the league in GAA (goals against average). Engelage is 3rd in that statistic. We're thinking that last meeting between the two where Engelage got a shutout and Ouzas gave up 5 goals may have had something to do with that. We'd like to see a repeat performance. However, we think Vegas might still remember that, and might possibly be ticked, so we'll settle for a win. In regulation.

The Grizzlies will get Paul Crowder back in the lineup tonight. This is perfect timing - before he went out with injuries, he had two goals and two assists in two games against the Wranglers in November. It would be great if he picked up right where he left off. We're sure Timmy will be happy to see Paulie back in the game. Especially if they're also roommates, because having to watch your brother play while you can't has got to make a guy kind of cranky.

Only game of the week tonight. Puck drops at 8:05 pm. Hang with Adrian Denny on 1230 KFAN while you inventory your toilet paper and cookie dough.

Another beaming goaltending report

2011-02-09T19:18:00.005-07:00

The Grizzlies have had an amazing season so far, and it would be hard to pick the biggest factor to this, but might we suggest the goaltending? Andrew Engelage was again named as goaltender of the week in the ECHL for January 31-February 6. He earned this nomination earlier in January as well. He is currently tied for 3rd in the league with 17 wins. Last week he only allowed 8 goals in 4 games. (Photo from the Salt Lake Tribune)

Former Grizz goaltender, Mikko Koskinen, was called up to the NHL to play with the Islanders. This is the second former Grizzlies goaltender called up to the NHL this season. Here is a great stat for your enjoyment: Koskinen was 6-0-0 in his games with the Grizzlies. Maybe he didn't play here long, but let's at least assume that his time playing here helped his development. J.P. Lamoureux played with the Grizzlies and was named the goaltender of the week before being called up to the Abbotsford Heat. Go ahead, count how many that is. Yup, 3 goaltenders called up from our team, and another with 2 goaltender of the week honors in 1 month.

Speaking of being called up and re-assigned back to a team, the ECHL posted an article about this very thing. The first point is that it is a way of life for professional hockey players. A player might be called up to fill a spot due to injury or illness, then often re-assigned back down. What does he get from this? Experience. That is an important part of the process, and it can be very beneficial to his "home" team.

Often overlooked is the fact that many players recalled often return to bolster ECHL rosters, particularly come playoff time, allowing fans the opportunity to witness great talent at a critical time of year.

Plus it keeps things interesting.

Hockey Outside the Grizzlies Box - 2/8/2011

2011-02-08T09:45:00.027-07:00

Just so we're keeping ourselves updated on other hockey-related items...

AHL

The Abbotsford Heat are currently in the middle of a 7-game-in-9-days gauntlet in which only two of those games are at home. Our guess is that they'll be switching up goaltenders a few times just to keep them fresh, so JP Lamoureux should be seeing a game or two. He's played 4 of their last 10 with a record of 1 win, 2 losses, and a shootout loss. No word as to whether or not he'll be in tonight against Hamilton. The Heat are currently 5th in the Northern Division of the AHL. That's 5th out of 7. We don't know the system in the AHL, so we're not sure where that puts them as far as the playoff picture right now, but we do know a few more wins wouldn't hurt. Maybe Ales Kotalik can get things going for them while he's in the AHL.

Elsewhere in the AHL, they're getting ready for the Whalers Hockey Fest in Conneticut. It sounds like there are going to be a lot of fun activities planned, including a few outdoor games. They've run into a little snag trying to get the outdoor rink ready in Rentschler Field though. Darn weather...

NHL

Speaking of outdoor games, the Calgary Flames are getting ready for the Heritage Classic on February 20th in which they'll play the Montreal Canadiens. We think this is sort of the Canadian version of the Winter Classic which was on New Year's Day, so it should be cool. (Pun intended.) They've called in Dan Craig, the NHL ice guru and work has begun. The Flames haven't had as strong a season as they'd have liked so far, but last night's win against the Chicago Blackhawks finally bumped them up into a playoff position. In the NHL's Western Conference, that could change on any given night, but at least for now, they're in. If they playoffs started today, they'd draw the league-leading Vancouver Canucks. Ah, fun times...

The big topic of discussion around the NHL these days (and in fact, the whole hockey world) is concussions. Commissioner Bettman announced at the GM meetings recently that concussions among players are up this season. It's had a lot of attention with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby being out for an extended period of time due to a concussion, and Boston's Marc Savard announcing that he'll be out for the rest of the season after getting his second serious concussion in about a year. This injury is serious because it not only affects a player's season, but it could affect their career or their entire life. Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine who was forced to retire due to post-concussion syndrome gives his perspective here, and former Grizzly Justin Bourne talks about what it's like to have a concussion here. We don't know much, but we think it might be a good idea for some hockey people and some health experts sat down in a room together and tried to determine how best to handle the situation. We love seeing the hard hits as much as the next fan, but we wouldn't want any of these guys ruining the rest of their lives for our entertainment.

OTHER

And just in case you wanted a reason to celebrate, the hockey puck turned 135 years old on Monday. You can check out a video on that here. Happy birthday, hockey puck!

Monday News: It snowed in Utah

2011-02-07T20:23:00.003-07:00

Captain Jake Gannon was "loaned" to Peoria of the AHL today. No mention why on either team's site.

Our current standing: 2nd in the conference to Las Vegas. We're only 2 points behind, so if Vegas loses tomorrow and the Grizz win at Vegas on Thursday it's tied! Or we might be ahead because we'll have won more games, but have the same number of points. I always get confused on the standings when things like that happen. Either way, Go Grizzlies!

Tomorrow you can listen or attend the "Grizzlies Live" from Chili's.

Here is to planning ahead: the next home game won't be until February 15th, and it's crazy busy hockey after that--4 games in 5 nights. 3 of those games are promotion nights. You can do anything from getting 2 for 1 tickets, donating food, or taking your dog to a hockey game. Do dogs enjoy hockey? All the pooches and their human handlers will be in one area, lucky for those of us not taking a dog and who don't want to worry about any unpleasant surprises. A pleasant surprise would be the Grizz winning all the games!

Random Grizz alum now in the NHL mention (hmm...maybe I need to come up with a better title than that): Andrew MacDonald took a 10 minute misconduct penalty during the New York Islanders' game against the Ottawa Senators February 5, 2011.

Post Game: Thunder 3, Grizzlies 2

2011-02-06T17:47:00.003-07:00

Grizzlies lose.

Turned this one off with about 10 minutes left in the final frame . . . which apparently is when all the good action started. The Grizzlies mounted a pretty decent comeback late in the 3rd, gaining their first goal from at 13:28 into the 3rd then following up with a shorty from Ferguson with just over 2 minutes left. Not bad.

Utah did a decent job in the first, slowing the Thunder down and playing the game they wanted to play. The boys tallied 13 SOG to Stockton's 12, and picked up zero penalties in the initial period. The trouble came in the 2nd, when the Thunder took over the game and Utah started committing penalties: 3 of their 4 shorthanded situations came in the middle 20. But the Grizzlies were able to pack a punch (literally, in some cases) in the last half of the 3rd we decided to miss. Damn.

Next game, next Thursday. Luck, boys!

Links -
post game || Stockton Holds On 3-2: Five-Game Unbeaten Streak Ends For Utah
gamesheet || Utah at Stockton - 2/5/11
highlights || Game Highlights 2/5/11 at Stockton
interview || Brett Parnham 2/5/11 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 2, Thunder 1

2011-02-04T22:59:00.011-07:00

Grizzlies win against Stockton. Sweet.

This was definitely a disciplined game against the Thunder. Only six minors were committed by Utah during this game and only one power play goal was allowed by the Grizzlies. This is how we like to see Utah play against Stockton. While the Thunder outshot the Grizzlies in each period, Utah didn't allow any major momentum changes throughout the game or allow Stockton to control the emotional level of the game. We hope to see this going into tomorrow night's game as well. Keep your heads, boys.

Another great game by Engelage, who only allowed the one power play goal on 28 shots. Amazing.

Parnham continues his goal streak as well, scoring the game winner for the boys and tallying his 14th of the season. That puts him on top of the bunch for goals scored in 2010-11. This makes us happy - we like Brett Parnham.

Rematch tomorrow at 8:30pm.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - A. Engelage
2. UTA - B. Parnham
3. STK - J. Gimblett

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Earn Big Road Win In Stockton
gamesheet || Utah at Stockton - 2/4/11
highlights || Game Highlights 2/4/11 at Stockton
interview || Matt Clarke 2/4/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder

2011-02-04T07:58:00.025-07:00

The Grizzlies are on the road this weekend in Stockton, California, home to the ever-popular Asparagus Festival. Fortunately that isn't until April, so there should be no distractions for the team. Let's just hope they don't play Stockton in the playoffs.

The Grizz are coming off a recent successful home stand where they came up with 7 of 8 points. Their last game against Vegas was won in particularly commanding fashion, cutting down the current conference leaders 5-0. That's right - we said the Wranglers are the current conference leaders. We're not necessarily complaining about that, but the Grizzlies are 2nd, and only two points away, which makes this weekend pretty important. The Grizzlies have two games this weekend followed by 4 days off, then one game next week and another 4 days off. That's a lot of not playing hockey, so they need to make these games count to stay in the race. The Wranglers will play 6 games in the time Utah plays 3.

Stockton has been on a tear lately, winning 7 of their last 10 games, and moving up the conference ladder. They're 6 points behind the Grizzlies, with only Idaho in between. It should be easy enough to climb over those potatoheads, as long as it's not at the Grizzlies' expense. The Thunder are 20-8-6 when outshooting their opponent, so we think it will be important for the Grizzlies to 1) take plenty of shots on goal, and 2) keep Stockton's shot count down. Of course, that's nothing they shouldn't be doing anyway, so we'll just keep our coaching advice to ourselves. What do we know anyway?

With the way they played at home recently, we're hoping Utah can keep it up for their next three games. This will depend a lot on goaltender Andrew Engelage staying on top of his game and healthy. According to Coach Colley, Engelage is the team's backbone. He has consistently been able to bail the team out when they have breakdowns and keep them in the game. Not to mention that pretty slick 5-0 shutout on Wednesday night.

Now, you may or may not recall that Stockton and Utah don't really get along very well. In fact, the last time these two teams got together for a weekend, the infamous stick-tossing incident occurred. Not that it wasn't one of the highlights of the season, but starting that game off with a fight didn't seem to be the right choice for the Grizzlies, as everything kind of went ice jungle from there on out. We would say it would be wise for the team to stay out of as many distracting, momentum-killing altercations as possible while in Stockton. We don't want any Rick DiPietro situations. (Out 4-6 weeks from a punch in the face - ugh.)

Chance for 4 points this weekend. We're going for Grizzlies win and Wranglers lose. Stockton is in there somewhere. The fun starts at 8:30 pm.

Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Wranglers 0

2011-02-03T09:57:00.012-07:00

Grizzlies win.

We can honestly say we weren't expecting this one. We thought the game would be a bit tighter, but the Grizzlies really broke out here to make for one amazing game. Denny said that the boys caught Vegas on an off night, but we'd rather look at it as Vegas caught Utah on an ON night.

The name of the offensive game for the Grizzlies was timing. Timing made Carpentier's goal work, we can't say enough about May's timing on the shorthanded goal, and Parnham swooping in just in time to push a rebound in for the fourth goal was brilliance. Both Deeth (3a) and Ferguson (1g, 2a) had three point games, while Hugo picked up 2 points (1g, 1a).

Engelage was on fire: 40 saves for the shutout. And while the boys may have hung Andy out to dry a bit in the 3rd as Colley put it, we have to say that they made just as many necessary defensive clears on rebounds as Engelage made saves. Just a great performance from everyone.

On to Stockton . . .

Game Photos -

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - K. Deeth
2. UTA - S. Ferguson
3. UTA - A. Engelage

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Blank Las Vegas 5-0: Win Battle Of Division Leaders
gamesheet || Las Vegas at Utah - 2/2/11
highlights || Game Highlights 2/2/11 vs Las Vegas
photos || 2/2/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers
interview || Kevin Colley 2/2/11 post game
interview || Hugo Carpentier 2/2/11 intermission

Game Day: Las Vegas Wranglers

2011-02-02T13:18:00.003-07:00

Top two teams in the Western Conference tonight.

According to the stats, the Wranglers can be deadly when scoring first. They've gone 19-3-3 when they tally the first goal in a game. So, Utah will want to stop that from happening if possible. We expect to see a defensively played game on the Grizzlies end, since Vegas loves to create odd-man rushes with the speed of their players. David Schulz is out currently with an injury, but it looks like Matt Sorteberg will be stepping in on defense for the Grizzlies.

The Wrangler to watch out for in this game is Ryan Huddy. He currently leads Las Vegas with 23 goals. Damn. However, the Grizzlies can counter with Kevin Deeth who has the alternate statistic of 23 assists, then follow that up with secret weapon Tim Crowder who has scored 5 goals against the Wranglers this season.

Goalies are another area where we should see a duel between Vegas and utah. According to Denny's blog: "Las Vegas goaltenders Joe Fallon and Michael Ouzas, along with Utah’s Andrew Engelage and the recalled J.P. Lamoureux rank fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh respectively in the ECHL in goals-against-average." Though, Engelage has the upper hand as the only unbeaten goaltender (4-0-0-1) in the series between the two teams. Denny has more interesting stats regarding the battle of the netminders on his blog.

Utah has dropped to 3rd on the power play, which still isn't bad. But of course, we're spoiled. We liked seeing the boys in the number one spot, so we hope they pick that up tonight.

Puck drops at 7:05pm.

Go Team!

2011-02-01T19:50:00.003-07:00

Not much by way of super interesting news today. The Grizzlies lost in overtime yesterday. 5 out of 6 points from 3 games in 4 nights really isn't that bad. Tom May extended his scoring streak to 7 games. Plus they had record breaking crowds Friday and Saturday. Now if we could figure out a way to keep attendance around 8,000 per home game.

The Salt Lake Tribune actually wrote a long, in depth article about the Grizz, not just a game report saying win or lose (a few days ago, January 28th). Here is the opening, which highlights recent good thing, along with the not so good.

The last three weeks have not been kind to the Utah Grizzlies.
The team has lost seven of its past eight games and spent almost 150 more minutes in the penalty box than any other squad this season. The most attention the Grizzlies have gotten has been for an unfortunate viral video of coach Kevin Colley throwing sticks all over the ice while screaming at an official.

And yet, Utah quietly is on track for the best season the franchise has enjoyed in its five years in the ECHL. The team has been leading the Mountain Division for well over a month and at times has been tied for the league lead.

The article goes on to emphasize the unity this particular group of guys has found. Just go read it so this whole post isn't just quotes. What was your favorite part? Mine? "The biggest division in the team stems from disagreements over who is the best at NHL ’11 on Xbox." I'm not sure playing hockey in a video game really helps your on-ice skill, but hey, whatever works!

Team Grizzlies (go unity!) play at home again tomorrow night. It's a Wild $2 Wednesday, which means cheap food.

Post Game: Reign 4, Grizzlies 3 (OT)

2011-02-01T18:04:00.004-07:00

Grizzlies lose, but pick up a point.

We really have to give it to Ontario in this one. They kept up the pressure through the whole game, and with goalie Erickson making some amazing saves, the Reign earned every bit of those two points.

But Utah did pick up a point in the overtime loss, which we won't complain about . . . that much. They did push quite a few advantages in what could be considered a "high scoring" game for Utah; Brett Parnham brilliantly capitalized on a mental mistake of Erickson's for the Grizzlies' third goal. Yet the boys couldn't seem to keep up their consistancy to capture the win, especially through the overtime period where they didn't tally a shot on goal. That's not to say the boys' game needed massive work, but rather Ontario capitalized on the Grizzlies' mistakes just as often as Utah capitalized on the Reign's.

Grizzlies went 0 for 4 on the power play. Colley didn't sound too happy about that. Like the coach says, the boys just need to work on some capitalization. The power play is currently in 3rd, and we want to see that change.

Great job by Engelage in net. He stopped 33 of 37 in the loss and on two of those, we need to cite the defense for the lapse. Also May continues to ramp up, earning himself another goal to his tally.

Game Photos -

Stars of the Game -

1. ONT - P. Bowen
2. UTA - M. Clarke
3. UTA - T. May

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Settle For 5 of 6 Points And An Overtime Loss
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 1/31/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/31/11 vs Ontario
photos || 1/31/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign
interview || Kevin Colley 1/31/11 post game
interview || Nick Tuzzolino 1/31/11 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Reign 0

2011-01-29T22:51:00.017-07:00

Grizzlies win.

Finally. This is the team that we'd gotten use to seeing. The discipline that Colley talked about during his pregame interview is exactly what we feel had been missing. But when the Grizzlies put their heads down and focus on playing smart hockey instead of the calls being made, you end up with a 3-0 game.

While we're glad to see Utah's chemistry re-emerging, we're not as happy about the 2nd period slump: 22-11 SOG in favor of Ontario. Man . . .

But that just goes to show the incredible game Engelage had tonight with his first shutout of the season. Nicely done. There really can't be enough said for his performance in the last two games. 31 saves in this one for the shutout - he earned every bit of it.

Also, there was more love for Carpentier on the scoring side of things. He helped Utah go 1/3 on the power play, which is a stat we really like to see. Thumbs up.

Last game of the Ontario series Monday.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - A. Engelage
2. UTA - T. May
3. UTA - S. Ferguson

Links -
post game || 8,150 Fans Watch Andrew Engelage Shutout Ontario 3-0
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 1/29/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/29/11 vs Ontario
interview || Kevin Colley 1/29/11 post game
interview || Brendan Milnamow 1/29/11 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Reign 2 (OT)

2011-01-29T10:47:00.014-07:00

Grizzlies win in OT.

This was a fun one to watch. Well, after the tying goal it was a fun one to watch. Between that first Grizzlies goal and the second one, it was a little nervewracking, what with the penalties and the not scoring and the minutes ticking down. But score they did to tie the game and send things into overtime, where the boys picked up the two points.

Not that we were excited to see all the penalties thrown Utah's way, but the penalty kill - damn. Throughout this game there were some massive penalties killed, particularly some amazing 5-on-3 shifts. While Ontario did pick up one of their two goals while the Grizzlies were shorthanded, the shift on the kill right before the goal was nothing short of spectacular. There was also a solid 2 minute 5-on-3 that Utah was able to shut down with some player sacrifice from Chris Donovan. Even injured, Chris couldn't get off the ice until an Engelage save and he still kept making those sacrifices. Now that's hard core.

We also have to give Ontario props. They definitely deserved the point that they earned from their OT loss. We'd say better luck next time, but . . . not sure that we really want that.

Game Photos -

* Yeah, we're slackers . . .

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - H. Carpentier
2. UTA - A. Engelage
3. UTA - B. Wilson

Links -
post game || 8,530 See Grizzlies Stage Dramatic Comeback, OT Win
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 1/28/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/28/11 vs Ontario
photos || 1/28/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign
interview || Kevin Colley 1/28/11 post game
interview || Jake Gannon 1/28/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign

2011-01-28T08:58:00.034-07:00

After a nice little All-Star break, the Grizzlies welcome the Reign to the Maverik Center this weekend. We hope they've got their heads all cleared out, and maybe had some good practices, because the Grizzlies are no longer at the top of the Western Conference.

Shocking. Absolutely tear-jerking.

The fall from the top spot was a combination of the Grizzlies having a few not so great games, and Las Vegas really picking it up and winning 7 of their last 10. We know it's not the end of the world, and we're not all that upset - 2nd is still pretty good. But 1st is better than 2nd. Hence the numbering system. We're posting the sign until they're back from 2nd.

Anyway, the Reign are currently in last place in the conference, and have lost 6 of their last 10. So have the Grizzlies. Just an odd little congruency we thought we'd throw in for no particular reason. The Reign, however, are also last place in the league with only 28 points. This is exactly the kind of position that can make a team dangerous because they have nothing to lose. Sitting back and trying to hold their spot makes no sense, so they may as well go all-out and see what happens. Utah is going to want to keep this in mind, as sitting back is probably not their best option at this point either. There is still a lot of hockey to be played between now and April, and anything could happen. Oh, and keep an eye out for Ontario's lone All-Star representative, Aaron Lewadniuk - we hear he's got a great shot. Plus we really liked this feature on him.

According to Adrian Denny's game day blog, the Grizzlies should have their All-Star Captain (that has a nice ring to it), Jake Gannon, in the lineup tonight. It will be good to see him back on the ice here in Utah - we've missed him. We'll also see the two new guys - Brandon Milnamow and Maxime Tanguay. We're looking forward to seeing how they fit in. No updates on Andrew Engelage, which is maybe good news. We hope to see him uninjured and back in the net. The rest of the cast should be ready to play as well, and we're looking for them to rebound after some disappointing games last week. If you haven't yet read the article from Kyle Goon of the Salt Lake Tribune (no, we didn't make that up), check it out. Great article, and it really shows how these guys want to win together. A few little setbacks aren't going to cloud their overall goal - to win a championship.

With Friday being a "Pack the House Night" where all tickets are $5 with a Maverik receipt, we expect a great crowd to cheer the team on and start this weekend right. If you haven't got your tickets already, you'll want to hurry - they've gone fast in the past.

Games in town Friday, Saturday and Monday. Come see the Grizzlies claw their way back up to the top.

Kevin Deeth Interview

2011-01-24T17:04:00.003-07:00

(Photo courtesy Deseret News)
Kevin Deeth was interviewed by the Deseret News recently. When talking about coming from a family full of hockey players, Deeth provided the best quote of the article: "It wasn't really an option in my family. You either played hockey or you lived on the street." He seems pretty down to earth when asked about his professional goals:

"I'd love to make it to the next level. I think that's everybody's goal to make it to the NHL. That's pretty lofty and maybe not very realistic for me. Making it to the AHL (American Hockey League) would be definitely a big accomplishment. Hopefully if I had a really good year I could play there (AHL). Obviously it's a little tougher for smaller guys to play in the NHL because there are so many good players these days that it's always going to be tough. This year I just want to win a championship in Utah."

Winning a championship here is realistic, right? If we just all forget about the horrifying loss this weekend...

The Grizzlies acquired Brendan Milnamow (D) from Bakersfield to complete the December trade that sent Snetsinger to Bakersfield.

Today ECHL.com released long list of ways you can hear/listen to the All-Star game. We already mentioned being able to see/hear it in Utah. 110 million homes? That's a lot.

Post Game: Steelheads 8, Grizzlies 1

2011-01-24T15:59:00.002-07:00

We thought about writing something up on this one, but then decided against it. It sucked, we turned it off early, and moved on. We get to do that because it's our blog.

It was a nice send off for Doug Plagens, we suppose . . .

Enjoy the All-Star break!

Post Game: Steelheads 2, Grizzlies 1

2011-01-21T22:37:00.007-07:00

Grizzlies lose.

We were hoping that Utah could squeak by with another dramatic final minute, but no such luck. Idaho scored two quick goals in the 1st and was able to hold on through the final 50 minutes for the win, despite 40 SOG from the Grizzlies end.

Utah looked decent, though we really didn't see the same consistency we're used to throughout the game. After May's hell of a goal, the Grizzlies picked things up and seemed like the team we know and love, but for some reason, they couldn't keep it up for the duration.

Power play is down to 3rd in the league. Utah went 0/5 on the man advantage. Of interest to note, Idaho has both the top power play and penalty kill in the league currently. The Grizzlies come in 4th on the PK.

Shooting for 2 of 3 tomorrow.

Stars of the Game -

1. IDH - T. Beskorowany
2. IDH - C. Purves
3. UTA - T. May

Links -
post game || Shorthanded Grizzlies Fall 2-1 In Idaho
gamesheet || Utah at Idaho - 1/21/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/21/11 at Idaho
interview || Riley Emmerson 1/21/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads

2011-01-21T08:49:00.021-07:00

The Grizzlies are still in Idaho. Well, all except Tyler Ruegsegger, who got traded to Alaska yesterday. The Grizzlies are getting Maxime Tanguay in return, who is said to be one of the fastest skaters in the league. Like always, we'll miss Tyler, and wish him the best of luck in Alaska. Except when he's playing the Grizzlies.

Back to Idaho - the Grizzlies are stuck there until they play two games this weekend. Once they have accomplished that feat, they will be released into the maze that is downtown Boise where they will try to find their way to the path that will take them home to Utah. If this was a video game, they'd have to win on both Friday and Saturday nights, rescue a puck bunny, kill a vampire potato and build a lego bus before they made it to the maze. Thankfully, this game isn't being played in an alternate reality, because that sounds like about the weirdest video game ever known to man. However, we'd still like to see those two wins.

Utah recently battled their way out of a 4 game losing streak with an intense shootout win on Wednesday. Believe us when we say we were just as excited as anyone to see that win (except maybe Coach Colley). But now we really have to take a look at the standings. The Grizzlies are barely clinging to the conference lead by one point. While they were doing all that losing, Las Vegas was catching up. They are now breathing down Utah's neck, threatening to take over first place, so those 4 points available this weekend are crucial if they want to stay on top. Yes, we realize that it's still a long way to the playoffs, and leading the conference doesn't unlock some secret cheat once you get there that makes you invincible in the post season. But maybe it should. We'll work on that. (We just really like it when our team is in first place.)

We got the feeling after last weekend that the team was feeling somewhat worn out and pitiful, so we're hoping they got out of their funk with the win on Wednesday. We'd like that team back that kicked everyone's trash around the conference in December. Time to start kicking more trash, and Idaho is the perfect place to do it. Bonus points if they can get out of town before the trash gets cleaned up.

Idaho has only won 4 of their last 10 games, but two of those wins came against the Grizzlies. The Steelheads are always a tough team, even when they're not at their best. Utah can't be fragile for these two games. All that mental stuff that goes with a 4 game losing streak has to be out of sight, out of mind. We know one game isn't really a streak, but two is. So is three. That's this week's goal - 3 game winning streak, to be continued next week.

Puck drops at 7:10 tonight - the games can be heard on 1230 KFAN.

Tanguay for Ruegsegger

2011-01-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

Tyler Ruegsegger has been traded to Alaska for Maxime Tanguay.

Not much of an opinion on this one even though we liked Tyler. He had a lot of talent, which meshed with the team dynamic the Grizzlies were trying to create. But we always got the sense while watching him play that he needed about another year of development in this league before his talent and consistancy matched up. He seems like he's just on the cusp of breaking out continually, so maybe he can find his legs in Alaska. We wouldn't be surprised to see him start producing like he does here as we've certainly seen glimpses of it through the season -

We can't remember much about Tanguay in the games Utah's played against him, but here's what his stat sheet says: he plays center and has 15 points (4g, 11a) in 27 games. Ruegsegger isn't too far off from that in the numbers department with 14 points (7g, 7a) in 35 games. However, it's Tanguay's second year in the ECHL, having spent last season in Toledo and with 5 games in the AHL. Looks like a decent trade; it just depends on what Colley can do with Tanguay and how quickly Maxime can adapt to the Grizzlies team.

Best of luck to Tyler in Alaska!

Also of note, Jake Gannon was named as an alternate for the All-Star Game, which is coming up this Wednesday. It sounds like we'll be able to watch or listen to the All-Star Game here in Utah, too. Not bad.

Post Game: Grizzlies 4, Steelheads 3 (SO)

2011-01-19T21:58:00.006-07:00

Grizzlies win.

An amazing comeback game. Didn't know if the boys were going to pull this one off as they haven't had much luck in the last minute of their past few, but with 18 seconds left Fergie made it happen. We can honestly say it was a bit of a relief to watch that puck bounce over the line behind the goalie.

On top of that beauty of a goal, both Parnham and Deeth showed off their wicked moves in the shootout. Not even sure how Parnham did it because it looked like he was going to be stopped, but at the last minute - goal. Deeth showed off some mad timing with a perfect five-hole shot on the goalie. And we can't forget Andy's part in this win. He stopped all Idaho attempts in that shootout with panache.

Glad to see the boys back from their losing streak. Hope to see this current win streak continue on Friday.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - K. Deeth
2. IDH - E. Barlow
3. IDH - M. Case

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Tie With 18 Seconds Left: Beat Idaho 4-3 In Shootout
gamesheet || Utah at Idaho - 1/19/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/19/11 at Idaho
interview || David Schulz 1/19/11 intermission

News of the lacking-news day

2011-01-18T19:49:00.003-07:00

(What a terrible title. I'm not feeling super creative. Maybe I should just change it to Tuesday news. Or I could be lazy.)

The Grizzlies are off on a road trip, so no home games this weekend. The next home game will be January 28th. Mark your calendars because it's cheap ticket night if you show a Maverik receipt. I'm sure it's not called cheap ticket night--Maverik Night, that is what it is.

The road trip starts tomorrow in Idaho. The Grizz will face a new player, Matt Case. The Steelheads just acquired him from Gwinnett (sounds like a medieval name or disease) to finish up a trade that sent John-Scott Dickson away.

We all know about Coach Colley's famous sticks on the ice incident last week. We all figured it would result in a suspension, which it did. He was suspended one game, served during yesterday's loss. Here's my question: If he received a bench minor (besides being chucked out of the game after chucking sticks on the ice) does one of the players serve two minutes for him? Some of the headlines for his show are pretty funny.

Post Game: Thunder 6, Grizzlies 3

2011-01-17T22:04:00.001-07:00

And the Thunder complete their sweep of the Grizzlies.

Utah did a pretty good job until Stockton scored their second goal. Then it was all downhill from there. The more upset the Grizzlies got, the more the Thunder capitalized on it until they grabbed the game winner late in the 3rd. We're hoping once Utah gets back on the road they can start playing their own brand of hockey again and not allow the opposing team to get in their heads.

Loved what we saw from the Crowder, Carpentier, Parnham line. They really accounted for a good majority of the momentum, not to mention the manufacture of the first two Grizzlies goals. That second goal by Parnham was definitely highlight reel material.

Since Colley was suspended, he had to hang out in one of the boxes behind the press section. We were somewhat amused by his pacing habits . . . though he probably wasn't.

Good luck on the road, boys.

Game Photos -

* We are still behind on these

Stars of the Game -

1. STK - R. Constant
2. UTA - B. Parnham
3. UTA - H. Carpentier

Links -
post game || Stockton Breaks Tie Late
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah - 1/17/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/17/11 vs Stockton
photos || 1/17/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder
interview || Leigh Mendelson 1/17/11 post game
interview || Brett Parnham 1/17/11 intermission

Post Game: Thunder 4, Grizzlies 1

2011-01-16T13:54:00.009-07:00

Need we say more?

Game Photos -

*Busy weekend - we'll get them up soon.

Stars of the Game -

1. STK - P. Bureau
2. STK - G. Zemlak
3. UTA - B. Parnham

Links -
post game || Stockton Beats Utah 4-1
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah - 1/15/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/15/11 vs Stockton
photos || 1/15/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder
interview || David Schulz 1/15/11 intermission

Post Game: Thunder 4, Grizzlies 2

2011-01-16T09:19:00.006-07:00

Grizzlies lose.

We'll be honest, we turned this one off halfway through the 2nd. The Grizzlies didn't seem to be playing in sync and we didn't really feel like watching another 30 minutes of passive hockey. According to Colley's post game, we didn't miss much.

We're all for the boys sticking up for one another - as you should in this sort of a game - but when you forget to play hockey . . .

The Grizzlies' success has been more about working hard, playing good defense, and keeping their heads in the game. If we saw anything in the first 30 or so minutes of this contest, it was that Utah wasn't playing the way that we're used to seeing. They were in the box as often as they were out, and the boys were only able to capitalize on one of their eight power play chances. Donovan earned himself second Star of the Game with 14 PIM. It was just that kind of game.

Let's get some Grizzlies hockey going tomorrow, boys.

Stars of the Game -

1. STK - J. Gimblett
2. UTA - C. Donovan
3. STK - G. Hunt

Links -
post game || Stockton Defeats Utah 4-2
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah - 1/14/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/14/11 vs Stockton
interview || Kevin Colley 1/14/11 post game
interview || Riley Emmerson 1/14/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder

2011-01-13T20:54:00.020-07:00

The Grizzlies host the Stockton Thunder this weekend as they try to bounce back from a loss to Idaho on Wednesday. The last time these two teams met up was December 11th, so it's been a while. Actually they've only played twice so far this season - both times in Stockton - so we've got a lot of them to look forward to in the second half of the season.

As far as the series goes, they've split the two games they've played. When all is said and done, we don't expect this series to end up an even split. We're not just saying that because they play 11 games either. It seems that the Grizzlies have really found their identity as a team and are playing and sticking up for each other like a family. (Check out Matt Sorteberg's interview here for a little more about that.) It may not always be pretty and they may get a little beat up, but more often than not they come away with a win at the end of the day. They may even end up with the girls once people forget about that little barn raising incident.

The Thunder have the statistic of being 11-3-4 when scoring first, so it looks like that is something the Grizzlies want to take away from them. While we're sure the Grizzlies can make a comeback if they don't score first, it's always a little more encouraging when they do, for the team and the fans. Then again, it's kind of embarrassing to blow a lead, no matter how small. So we guess what we're saying is we want Utah to go ahead first and stay ahead until the end of the game. We realize we may have dropped our hockey coaching IQ by a couple of points with that sentence, but it wasn't that high to begin with, and we're not actually hockey coaches, so the team will probably be okay. Besides, it's not a bad plan if you look at the big picture..

Adrian Denny pointed out in his game day blog that Stockton and Utah always have their physical battles when they meet. The last time these two teams played each other, the stat sheet ended up with 120 penalty minutes scrawled across it. Maybe there were two stat sheets to record all those penalties - it was a real barn raising. Anyway, we don't know if this will be the agenda for this weekend's games, but with an extra game day tacked on because of the holiday, these two teams could get sick of each other pretty quick. No stats on who has the better record if they win the first fight.

Stockton has won their last two games, but they've only won a total of three of their last 10. Not to be mean or anything, but recently they had a 7 game losing streak. Okay, so we're really not trying to be all that nice either. They haven't strung two wins together since a 3 game sweep of Victoria back at the beginning of December. It's Utah's job to get them started on another good losing streak this weekend.

We can't really let a game day go by without mentioning that even with the loss to Idaho on Wednesday, the Grizzlies are still at the top of the Western Conference. We never get tired of seeing that in the standings. The Aces and Wranglers are slowly creeping up the conference ladder though, so the Grizzlies need to take advantage of the chance to pick up 6 points this weekend. Again, they are only two points behind Greenville for the league lead, so there's another good reason to get all the points they can in the next three games.

First game of three starts tonight at 7:05 pm at the Maverik Center. The Grizzlies have announced so many concessions promotions that we can't keep track of them all, so check out their facebook page to see what the deals are. Maybe Millie's cooking...

Post Game: Steelheads 4, Grizzlies 2

2011-01-12T22:57:00.019-07:00

Fail Grizzlies. At least the tickets were free.

Utah did a good job in the 1st, denying Idaho a shot on goal until about 7 minutes into the period. In fact, the Steelheads only managed to get 5 SOG for the first 20; however, if you can score 2 goals in 5 shots, then . . . that's really all you need.

We can't say there's much love lost between us and Idaho, and so far this season they haven't been much of a threat, barely squeaking above .500 at the midway point. But we would be remiss if we didn't mention their goalie, who made 40 saves in the contest, or their penalty kill, which really swung the momentum to the Steelies side. After every killed penalty, Idaho showed more tenacity in play while the Grizzlies began to look more and more timid in the Steelheads' zone as well as their own. Outside of these factors, the Idaho coach applied some slick strategy, using a timeout midway through the 2nd right after Ruegsegger's goal to squash Utah's burgeoning momentum. Hate to say it, but . . . nicely played, Idaho.

On the Grizzlies' side, it was nice to see Tyler picking up a goal and saving Utah from something akin to eminent doom.

We also need to shine on Brock Wilson in this one. Brock had some feisty words and fists for Idaho . . . which was probably more amusing for us than anything, but he definitely earned his title as the wildcard. Yeehaw! Wilson also picked up an assist on the Gauvreau goal.

Stockton Friday and Saturday.

Game Photos -

Stars of the Game -

1. IDH - J. Weslosky
2. IDH - A. Seitsonen
3. UTA - T. Ruegsegger

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Fall 4-2 To Idaho
gamesheet || Idaho at Utah - 1/12/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/12/11 vs Idaho
photos || 1/12/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads
interview || Hugo Carpentier 1/12/11 intermission

Game Day: Idaho Steelheads

2011-01-12T13:28:00.004-07:00

Idaho tonight.

The Grizzlies are currently tied for the top position in the league for points. The boys are looking to keep it that way, while extending their current win streak to 4 games.

Special teams on both the Utah and Idaho side will be a big factor in this matchup. The Grizzlies are at the top of the pack with a power play conversion percentage of 23.6, which is pretty stellar - until you realize that the Steelheads sit at second in the league on the penalty kill. We've seen these stats in action during the last series between these two teams. Utah went 0 for 6 on the man advantage in a penalty heavy game and lost 6-3, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Idaho PK.

However, the Grizzlies have some not-so-secret weapons up their sleeve in their rookie line of Deeth, Donovan, and Carroll. Kevin Deeth currently leads Utah in points against the Steelheads with 3 goals and 6 assists. Carroll is not far behind with 3 goals and 5 assists against Idaho. And let's not forget the spectacular showing from Ferguson in Ontario this weekend.

Also on Utah's side is the recently awarded Goalie of the Week Andrew Engelage. With a SV% of 0.924, he currently sits at second in the league for save percentage. And over his last 3 wins, he allowed an average of only 1.67 goals. That's one beauty of a GAA number.

Puck drops at 7:05 tonight. If you're a student, you get in for $5 with an ID. If you're attending at all, you get $2 food specials.

And Andrew Engelage for the win.

2011-01-11T22:08:00.006-07:00

Congratulations to Andrew Engelage as the Reebok Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week!

Engelage went 3-0-0 this last week and had a - get this - 1.67 GAA for those games. His save percentage was 0.937, just above his total SV% which sits at 0.924 and puts him in at second in the league. He's also fifth in GAA. Color us impressed. Always looking solid in net, we're definitely fans of Engelage's size and style.

Goaltending has been a big boon for the Grizzlies this season. And with Utah's netminders earning back to back Goaltender of the Week awards (Lamoureux 12/27-1/2, Engelage 1/3-1/8), we don't feel overzealous in saying that this is the hottest goalie duo in the league right now. Apparently, the ECHL agrees.

Even with Lamoureux in the AHL, the Grizzlies can depend on Engelage, who - for us at the UGB - has proved himself invaluable this season in net. This kind of solid reassurance can't be overstated enough for Grizzlies' fans who have often had to rely on shaky backup goaltenders when callups or injuries snatch away their prized starters.

Though Utah started with a strong duo, the unofficial goalie development in the Grizzlies system has also been a bonus for these boys. It has helped them develop their skills even further in a league where goalies like Ouzas and Grumet-Morris grace the stage. So what makes the difference?

Start with Assistant Coach Leigh Mendelson, who played as a goalie during his hockey career and has worked with goalies in the past. While the ECHL doesn't have goaltending coaches, this sort of background in an assistant coach can build a better goalie system in spades. On top of Mendelson's background and efforts toward helping his netminders, both Engelage and Lamoureux work with and learn from each other during practices. As Engelage puts it, "There's nothing better than having a second pair of eyes. You can't always critique yourself or grade what you're doing, so it's great to have somebody else watching." And we definitely feel that it shows. Whether it's back to back shutouts or or stopping 74 SOG in a week, Utah can definitely depend on their goalies to save the day.

In other news, Jason Fredricks has been traded to the Ontario Reign for future considerations. Coach Colley's statement, according to the Utah Grizzlies' website, is that “We’re deep right now on defensemen and wanted to give Jason a chance to go and play every night.” Funny, we said the same thing when we read it on the ECHL website. (Always nice to know we can read Colley's mind . . . sometimes.) We thought Fredricks was a great d-man to have, making some genuine and timely efforts. But we're also pretty pleased with the defense that Utah has in place right now, so it's nice to see Fredricks go to a team that needs some help. Badly. (No offense, Ontario.)

Best of luck, Jason!

It's all downhill from here

2011-01-10T13:36:00.011-07:00

No, we're not talking about the fact that the Grizzlies managed to tie the league-leading Greenville Road Warriors for points in the standings this past weekend and are right up at the top of the ECHL pack. Technically, Greenville still has a game in hand on Utah, which would put the Grizz at second in the league, but we're not going to be that picky when our team is playing as well as they are. Besides, it's confusing, and they're still first in the Western Conference. No, what we are referring to is the fact that the Grizzlies have played exactly half of their regular season games at this point. Their win on the road on Saturday gave them 15 road wins, which tops their entire road win count last season. We're not going to complain about that.

We didn't get a chance to mention last weekend (because we didn't know) that Goaltender of the Week J. P. Lamoureux was recalled on Friday by the Abbotsford Heat. We suppose that's what back-to-back shut outs will get you around here. We'll miss the guy, but we're happy for him. Best of luck in the AHL, Jean-Pierre!

Speaking of moving on, former ECHL coach Peter Laviolette was selected to co-coach one of the teams for the NHL's All-Star Game which will be played January 30th. From the ECHL's website: "Under the All-Star Game selection process, the head coaches of the teams with the highest points percentage in the Eastern and Western Conference through games of Sunday, Jan. 8 earn the right to co-lead one of the All-Star teams." Laviolette is the only former ECHL coach to date to win a Stanley Cup, which he did as the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. The coach of the other All-Star team will be Joel Quenniville of the Chicago Blackhawks by virtue of having won the Stanley Cup last season.

Don't miss Grizzlies Live tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 7:00 pm on 1230 KFAN. They'll be broadcasting from Ruby Tuesday in West Valley City, so drop by and see them in person if you get the chance.

The Grizzlies play Idaho next at the Maverik Center on Wednesday night. (Again? Spuds...)

Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Reign 1

2011-01-08T22:54:00.010-07:00

Win. And tied for first in the league with points.

We'll admit that we're quite spoiled with the Grizzlies power play percentage against Ontario, having 100% on the man advantage in their first 5 chances earlier this season against Ontario and going 3 for 5 last night. But honestly, any time you can pick up 3 power play goals in a game your really can't complain about your special teams and the work they do.

While we generally just assume Nick Tuzzolino as a given for awesomeness, but we really wanted to give him special notice for his work on the 4-on-3 in the 1st - that is until he broke his stick. Tuzzolino was everywhere the puck was and with his size, he made it virtually impossible for Ontario to get set up around the net. Tuzz also picked up an assist in the game. Nicely done.

And what can we say about Simon Ferguson. He earned every bit of that hat trick. After being genuinely skeptical at the first of the season of Simon, we've become quick fans of the winger. After his third goal was waved off, we weren't sure if we'd get to see Fergie get his reward, but like a pro, he went back to work and secured himself the hat trick. Congrats, Simon!

Also, wanted to give a shout out to James for chatting with us on the B2 during the game. Good times.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - S. Ferguson
2. UTA - A. Engelage
3. ONT - S. Collymore

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Roll 5-1 In Ontario
gamesheet || Utah at Ontario - 1/8/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/8/11 at Ontario
interview || Matt Sorteberg 1/8/11 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Reign 3

2011-01-08T11:23:00.009-07:00

Two points is two points. And we'll take it.

The Grizzlies did a good job of playing catchup after falling behind, then regaining the lead after allowing the game to be tied. When Utah pulled away with 2 quick goals in the 2nd, they seemed to have the game in hand. The 3rd period wasn't as slick as we're used to seeing with these boys, but they managed to hold on and secure the 5-3 win.

Hello, power play. After going 0/6 on Tuesday and 0/2 on Wednesday, Utah came back with some special teams magic. They went 3 for 5 on the power play in tonight's game with the PK earning itself another shorty goal. Though, the PK could have done a bit better job, but maybe we're just spoiled . . .

Nice shot by Crowder for his goal. In fact, nice job by Tim on the power play. He picked up an assist on the game winner as well.

All the usual suspects were shining tonight, but wanted to shout out to Carpentier for his TOI. He was on the ice for 4 of Utah's 5 goals, picking up an assist on the shorthanded one. Nice to have you back, Hugo.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - T. Crowder
2. ONT - J. Morrison
3. UTA - S. Ferguson

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Beat Ontario 5-3
gamesheet || Utah at Ontario - 1/7/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/7/11 at Ontario
interview || Giffen Nyren 1/7/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign

2011-01-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

The Grizzlies take up arms tonight and Saturday against the Ontario Reign. They're going into this weekend on a 1 game winning streak, which isn't really a streak at all, but we're pretty sure they're planning on turning it into one, so we're going with it.

Streak or not, Utah has won 7 of their last 10 games and has been getting excellent play from everyone on the team. They are still at the top of the Western Conference despite a tiny little setback in Idaho on Tuesday. No big deal - they aren't going to win every game, no matter how much voodoo or fairy dust we throw out there. (Just for the record, combining voodoo and fairy dust is a bad idea. Or so we've heard.) Still, we're keeping our standards high and expecting 4 points this weekend.

Ontario may only have 21 points in the standings to the Grizzlies' 44, and they may have only won two of their last 10 games, but the truth of the matter is they can be a tough team for Utah to play against. The two teams have matched up four times already this season, and Ontario has won twice, both on the Grizzlies' home ice. Utah needs to look at this weekend not as an easy four points, but as a chance for payback in Ontario. We're not too worried about this team taking a vacation though. Maybe toward the beginning of the season they were guilty of that on occasion, but they seem pretty determined to stay on top now. They don't want the curse of Coach Colley on their heads. Plus it looks like the weather in Ontario is going to be crappy this weekend. (Maybe that IS the curse of Coach Colley. We have no idea what kind of powers he has.) Anyway, the Reign are 7-1-1 when leading after 2 periods, so the Grizzlies will want to get to work early. No pulling a Russian World Junior this weekend. (Our sympathies to all our Canadian friends out there - hopefully no one jumped.) If we were coaching, we'd tell the team to get ahead in the first two periods and stay there. Useful advice, but that's pretty much the extent of our plan, so it's a good thing we're not coaching.

For the Grizzlies, Marcus Carroll and Chris Donovan currently have 4 game point streaks going, and Kevin Deeth has two mulitple point games in a row. Ontario has new goaltender Alex Petizian from Alaska/Portland. Brock Wilson has a 1 game streak without suspension.

If you happen to be in Ontario for the game, try to be one of the first 3,000 people in the arena - it's Bud Holloway bobblehead night.

Games start tonight at 8:00 pm MST. You can listen on 1230 KFAN. Second win of the latest win streak.

Wall-E and some milk

2011-01-06T20:40:00.004-07:00

The Grizzlies split their recent games with Idaho. Half isn't bad--the glass is half full, there is still more to drink! Or to dunk cookies in, whichever floats your boat. Here is a quote that compliments the team (courtesy idahosteelheads.com)

In the third period, we saw a prime example of why the Utah Grizzlies are the top team in the Western Conference at the moment. Idaho's Tyler Ludwig lined up for a slap shot from the blue line, and Brett Parnham, a 5'9" goal scorer who once tallied over 50 in an OHL season, dropped to the ice and put his body on the line to block Ludwig's shot. Parnham was successful in his attempt, and the puck bounced out of the Utah zone in into neutral ice on a play that demonstrates why Utah, who lacks the offensive firepower they've had in previous years, is atop the division and conference.

Well here's an interesting theme night: Robotics Night. Yes, you read that right, robotics. A robot will doing a ceremonial puck drop. I think it would be interesting to go to that, since robotics teams are going to be on the concourse displaying their robots. Unfortunately, South Carolina is a little far away to drive to by tomorrow.

Abbotsford released JD Watt (F) from his contract yesterday. He decided he "was no longer interested in pursuing his career with the Calgary Flames organization."

Post Game: Steelheads 6, Grizzlies 3

2011-01-05T00:44:00.010-07:00

Well, we knew it couldn't last forever.

Things were actually going pretty well until Idaho score two quick goals late in the 2nd and completely changed the momentum of the game. After that it seemed the Grizzlies couldn't get their feet back. The boys landed themselves in 8 shorthanded situations, which allowed the Steelheads to pick up two power play goals within two minutes of each other during the 3rd.

We have to admit, we admired Marcus Carroll's attempt to get Utah back on track late in the 3rd. Carroll picked up a nonchalant goal after stepping out of the box, which showed us that the boys still had the skills to tie the game. However, the determination was definitely sidetracked. They were not the same team that we watched score a shorthanded goal to open the game.

Not much else to say about this one: lost a 2 goal lead, 13 shorthanded situations, 0 for 6 on the power play. Happy Birthday, Coach Colley.

Stars of the Game -

None from Utah . . .

Links -
post game || Four-Game Winning Streak Ends In Idaho
gamesheet || Utah at Idaho - 1/4/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/4/11 at Idaho
interview || Matt Clarke 1/4/11 intermission

Mid-Week Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads

2011-01-04T11:44:00.010-07:00

The Grizzlies are cramming four games in this week, and they're all on the road. First up is Idaho, with games Tuesday and Wednesday.

Utah has had good luck against the Steelheads this season, winning three out of five match-ups so far. We're hoping that luck holds for these two games. Or at least if it's not luck, the Grizzlies' good hard work will pay off for them yet again. They are currently on a 4 game winning streak, their last loss being to... Idaho. Hm...

The Steelheads haven't been so lucky recently. They've been on a 4 game losing streak since that win in Utah, and have actually lost 8 of their last 10. Two of those losses were shootouts, but still, it's an extra point they haven't claimed. We've said before that teams in slumps kind of make us nervous, just because they could be due a win in the fickle eyes of the hockey gods, and just really come out and put the skunk on the Grizzlies. But then again, the Grizzlies haven't had a really stinky loss in a while. When you work hard all the time like this team, it's hard to really lose by a lot, even if you run into a hot goalie.

As fate would have it, however, the hot goalie is on Utah's side. J. P. Lamoureux - he of the double shut out last weekend - was recently named as the ECHL's Goaltender of the Week. In Adrian Denny's game day blog he comments that it's hard to believe that during the season in which Lamoureux was named Goaltender of the Year, he was never once Goaltender of the Week. We find it harder to believe that a guy named Jean-Pierre is from North Dakota.

Anyway, the Grizzlies are still on top of the Western Conference which makes us very happy. They're 9 points ahead of Idaho, and 6 points behind Greenville. Why do we care about Greenville, you ask? Because they're leading the entire ECHL right now. A win tonight leapfrogs the Grizzlies over Florida into second place in the league, and makes that top spot even more reachable. We don't want to be greedy or anything, but how nice would it be to hit number one in the ECHL?

We would be remiss if we didn't mention what might possibly be the best motivator for the Grizzlies to get a win tonight. It's Coach Colley's birthday today, and we're pretty sure all he wants is a win in Idaho. Two would be even better. Plus we're guessing if they lose there won't be any cake after the game. (Happy Birthday, Coach!)

Puck drops tonight at 7:10 pm in Boise. You can listen on 1230 KFAN-2. Four points possible in the next two days.

Can we make up a cool name for back to back shutouts?

2011-01-03T18:25:00.003-07:00

With the back to back wins--sorry, let me correct myself. With the back-to-back shut outs this weekend , the Grizzlies have kept their top spot in the west, and are now 2nd overall in the ECHL. Can we start the state-wide "Let's go, Grizzlies!" chant now, or is that a little too early for the next home game? They have a tough schedule this week, with back to back games in Idaho Tuesday and Wednesday, then back to back in Ontario Friday and Saturday. They still lead the league for road games won with 12.

The Grizzlies picked up two new players from Abbotsford today: Hugo Carpentier (F) and Giffen Nyren (D). Carpentier is returning to Utah, while Nyren is a rookie. Welcome boys!

The Islanders sent goaltender Dwayne Roloson to Tampa Bay in exchange for a defenseman. What does that mean for us? They aren't the Grizzlies affiliate. It means former Grizzly goaltender, Nathan Lawson, has had a busy few weeks shuffling around. He is now listed on the Islanders' roster as the other goaltender next to Rick DiPeitro.

There was a little game played over this weekend that a few people may have heard of (no, it wasn't the Grizzlies). The Winter Classic game on January 1 between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins was the most watched regular season game in 36 years. Even with the start delayed by a few hours, the audience grew by 22% when compared to last year. There is hope that hockey is becoming more popular! Or the population is rapidly expanding (in numbers, not waistlines).

The most exciting rivalry game since the USA/Canada final during the Olympics in February might be played tonight. USA/Canada meet up again in the World Junior Championship. (As I write this, Canada is up 2-0 at the end of the 2nd.) The winner will play the Russian team for the championship Wednesday night.

Post Game: Grizzlies 2, Salmon Kings 0

2011-01-01T22:42:00.020-07:00

Second shutout in a row for JP.

If you missed it, the game went like so: the Grizzlies and the Salmon Kings were pretty evenly matched and played some mighty fine hockey through the first 40 minutes. Then, Victoria turned into a bunch of goons after Utah scored its first goal in the 3rd. No, seriously. Even Victoria's goalie tried to get in on the action, earning himself 2 minors. And the game ended with a good ol' fashioned brawl after Stefanishion knocked Ferguson's feet out from under him at the buzzer. Cute.

But overall it was a great game and another amazing win for the Grizzlies, with JP stopping all 27 shots he saw in the contest. And another beautiful setup with Marcus and Chris on the 2nd goal. Nicely done, all.

Gotta say, we love the Kilburg-Wilson pairing. Talk about double trouble . . .

We'd really like to see more from the Ruegsegger-Crowder-Parnham line; these boys have a lot of talent, but they haven't had much success lately. Brett's got some great puck control, Timmy's been delivering some decent hits, and Tyler's no n00b at taking the puck to the net. We just want to see this all come together.

Game Photos -

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - J. Lamoureux
2. UTA - N. Tuzzolino
3. UTA - M. Carroll

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Blank Salmon Kings Again: Pull Away 2-0 In Third
gamesheet || Victoria at Utah - 1/1/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/1/11 vs Victoria
photos || 1/1/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Victoria Salmon Kings

Post Game: Grizzlies 1, Salmon Kings 0

2010-12-31T23:11:00.019-07:00

And the boys are back to .500 at home.

It's hard not to love a winning team, but the Grizzlies truly did a good job defensively here with the 1-0 shutout. Add to that the fact that the goal was shorthanded, and it sounds all the more impressive.

How beautiful was that shorthanded set up by Marcus Carroll? We have to give him props for generating that entire situation, and somehow an assist just doesn't cut it. There was some great timing in the pass to Donovan, who was absolutely robbed by the Victoria goaltender with an amazing save. Fortunately, Clarke was there to finish up the magic and get the goal.

Also wanted to shine on the defense. There were a couple of times where the boys just could not get it out of their own end in the 3rd, but the defense was solid. Sorteberg was on fire during a lot of those stretches, even when he could barely breathe from the length of the shift. Add some great blocks by Tuzzolino with timely snatches by Wilson, and you have a well played defensive game. As Colley put it: "Coaches take [a 1-0 game] all the time to mean you're playing good defense."

Very nice job by, JP. Congrats on the shutout.

The only bad thing we have to say about this game has nothing to do with the game itself, but rather the post game broadcast. We usually make it back to our car in time to hear Colley's post game, but tonight all we heard was dish on Brad Snetsinger which was wildly disappointing after such a game. Seriously, ladies? Talk hockey, please. Next time it would be nice to hear a post game that was actually about the game.

Game Photos -

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - M. Clarke
2. UTA - J. Lamoureux
3. VIC - D. Shantz

Links -
post game || Grizzlies, Lamoureux Blank Victoria 1-0
gamesheet || Victoria at Utah - 12/31/10
highlights || Game Highlights 12/31/10 vs Victoria
photos || 12/31/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Victoria Salmon Kings
interview || Kevin Colley 12/31/10 post game
interview || Brent Gauvreau 12/31/10 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Victoria Salmon Kings

2010-12-31T11:30:00.001-07:00

It's a new year, and the Grizzlies are in town for two games at the Maverik Center this weekend - one tonight to send off 2010 in a grand fashion, and one tomorrow to start 2011 off right. Welcome, Salmon Kings, to our four point celebration.

We like it when the Grizzlies play Victoria, if only because salmon are natural prey for bears. It always gives us a (possibly misguided) sense of confidence, being at the top of the natural food chain like that. Really, what's a poor little fish going to do once a grizzly bear gets it in its teeth? Get eaten, that's what.

However, we do realize that this is hockey, and the knockout punch can come from anywhere. (See Deryk Engelland vs Colton Orr.) In fact, the last time the Salmon Kings came to town, they ended up taking the Grizzlies down 4-3. They caught them by surprise, scoring twice in the first and again in the second before the Grizz knew what was happening. Unfortunately, by the time they started to make a comeback, it was too late. No points for Utah in that game.

That game also had 54 penalty minutes handed out between the two teams, most of them in the 2nd period. We bring this up because while the Grizzlies have been great on special teams lately, we'd rather not see them spending time in the box. It also gives us a chance to point out that Victoria leads the league in penalty minutes (697 - ouch). That could be good news for Utah if they can take advantage of power play opportunities. They just can't let themselves get sucked into a vortex of random fights and bad decisions. The penalty box isn't big enough for the whole team, although at times it seems they've tried to squeeze everyone in anyway.

The Grizzlies are still at the top of the Western Conference, and yes, we're going to keep saying it as long as it's true because we like the way it sounds. The Salmon Kings are 9 points behind them, but with division rivals, every point counts. It doesn't take much for them to move up. Thankfully, this Utah team seems to understand that being on top doesn't mean you can stand around and admire the view. They know if they're caught standing, Coach Colley will drag them back down to the bottom of the mountain and make them climb it again anyway, so they may as well keep moving forward. Hey, they haven't reached the Kelly Cup yet, and there's still some teams in front of them.

Friday night's game starts at 6:05 pm, and Saturday's starts at 7:05 pm. Tickets anywhere in the arena are only $11 on both nights, so get them fast if you want good seats. And for a full hockey weekend, don't forget the NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic on NBC Saturday at 11:00 am.

Hockey New Year!

Paging Jake Gannon to the All-Star Classic

2010-12-30T20:41:00.004-07:00

Our Grizzlies captain, Jake Gannon, was named an ECHL All-Star. Assuming he is off the IR (correct me if I am wrong on that one), he'll play in the All-Star game January 26, 2011 in Bakersfield. Congratulations! The game has a set up that seems a little odd: the Host team (presumably Bakersfield) will play against an All-Star team made of players from the other ECHL teams.

The Grizzlies are at home this Friday and Saturday. To ring in the new year, tickets for both games are $11. Get it? 2011= $11 tickets. Spend the night in the warmth with friends.

We're a little late with this news, but Darryl Sutter stepped down as the GM of the Calgary Flames, our NHL affiliate. Jay Feaster was appointed acting GM. The reactions from the players all seem to be bittersweet, as they are sad to see someone they have worked hard with go, but at the same time are excited to see what the future will bring with the new GM and are ready for a change.

Raise your hand if you remember Nathan Lawson. Anyone? Otherwise known as "The Beast" (at least by those of us here at GrizzBlog). Oh, you DO remember! Remember that NHL debut he had a few weekends ago? When asked what he is going to remember about that experience he replies, "Losing." The guy shouldn't be so hard on himself. He stuck it out to a shoot out, and it sounds like he is doing really well in the AHL. Here is the full article about his competitive fire. I really liked the last part, where it mentions his broken stick hanging in the equipment manager's office.

Player's reactions in Calgary

Post Game: Grizzlies 4, Condors 1

2010-12-30T09:52:00.017-07:00

Well worth the weather.

There's not much left to say about this one. It was a great team game for a solid win. Everyone was present on the ice tonight, which made for some exciting hockey. We think Colley put it best in his post game: "When you have a great team game, you don't want to just pick out individuals. I'd have to give 18 stars tonight."

The power play was back in full swing with the Grizzlies picking up 2 goals on the man advantage. Also, the penalty kill came out on top with the boys killing all 5 short-handed situations that Utah saw. 5-on-5 play was great as well, both on the forecheck and backcheck. And Engelage was solid in net, stopping 23 of 24. Can't really ask for much more.

Nice to see Timmy Crowder on a goal streak.

It sounds like Bakersfield was running their mouths a bit through the game. Really, Bakersfield? Don't know you know yet how these things end?

Next game at home starts early at 6:05pm.

Game Photos -

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - T. May
2. UTA - K. Deeth
3. UTA - A. Engelage

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Score Four-Straight To Beat Bakersfield 4-1
gamesheet || Bakersfield at Utah - 12/29/10
highlights || Game Highlights 12/29/10 vs Bakersfield
photos || 12/29/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Bakersfield Condors
interview || Kevin Colley 12/29/10 post game
interview || Riley Emmerson 12/29/10 intermission

Game Day: Bakersfield Condors

2010-12-29T13:10:00.005-07:00

Bakersfield tonight.

The Grizzlies are fresh off a road win in Las Vegas, which saw Kevin Deeth tally up another 3 points. This makes the rookie 3 points in the last 3 games according to Adrian Denny's game day blog. So, Bakersfield will definitely have their eyes on the Gig Harbor native.

In order to beat the stats, Utah will want to score first against the Condors who are 10-3-1 when they tally the first goal. With the top ranked power play in the ECHL and a firepower defenseman like Nick Tuzzolino, the Grizzlies should have ample ability to accomplish scoring the first goal of the night.

The Condor to watch for in this series is Stephane Goulet, who has picked up 7 points against Utah so far this season. And while we're kind of getting sick of Bakersfield (as the boys have played them 8 times already this year), this game will also be Brad Snetsinger's return to Grizzlies ice, as he was traded to the Condors about a week ago.

The Grizzlies are advertising that if you brave the weather, you can get a free voucher to the January 12th game. Not a bad deal if you can make it there.

Puck drops at 7:05pm.

Character Development

2010-12-27T19:52:00.021-07:00

If you're anything like us, you probably uttered (or yelled, depending on where you were) something not repeatable in polite company when you found out last week that the Grizzlies had traded their leading scorer, Brad Snetsinger, away to Bakersfield. Our rant went from "Wha- why?" to "That makes no sense," to "They'd better get someone amazing back," to "Why do they do this to us?" in just under five minutes. Yeah, we get that this is the ECHL and players move around a lot, but the leading scorer? Not to mention how well he was doing in the Grizzlies' line up as of late. It almost seems like a conspiracy to make us pull our hair out before the playoffs even start. (It's probably Coach Colley's revenge on us for commenting on his highlights last season.)

During the game on the 21st, Adrian Denny interviewed Simon Ferguson, and he mentioned this trade. He pointed out that Coach Colley felt pretty secure in making this move, even though Brad Snetsinger had been great for the team. Ferguson's response was this:

"I think we've got a lot of really good character guys in there, that everyone wants to work for each other, everyone wants to play for each other. So it's a good mix, and hopefully we can continue the way things are going right now."

We've been saying for most of the season that this team isn't really a team of all-stars, nor do they have any one player who is the big scoring threat, but we don't even really listen to ourselves half the time. But Simon Ferguson IS a character guy, and they say it takes one to know one.

Ferguson has 287 games of AHL experience (including 19 playoff games) with 4 different teams, including last season's Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears. He's been around a while and has seen it takes to make a successful team. This is a guy who isn't afraid to put in the effort to improve himself and his game. He even trained with boxer Jesse James Leija, and it's telling what Leija had to say about him after the workout - "You know why he's good - because he wants to work hard all the time." (Watch here - interview about the 6:39 mark.)

So when Simon Ferguson says the team is full of character guys who want to work for each other, we can trust he knows what he's talking about. As much as we fans like to whine and complain, the team is still going in the right direction.

Not that we still won't miss Snetsinger... especially when we play Bakersfield.

Speaking of Simon Ferguson, he had two goals in last night's 5-3 win over Las Vegas. Tim Crowder also had a goal, just like we guessed he would. Apparently Timmy likes playing in Vegas. Next up, the Bakersfield Condors on Wednesday. Uh... welcome home, Brad?

We would be remiss if we didn't mention just a couple of items outside the Grizzlies realm.

First of all, the World Junior Championships started last weekend in Buffalo, New York. USA and Canada both won their first games. Anyone hoping for a gold medal rematch from last year? For more information, you can check out USA Hockey's website.

Secondly, the NHL Winter Classic is on Saturday, January 1st in Pittsburgh. The hosting Pittsburgh Penguins will match up with the Washington Capitals on an outdoor rink. Check out the Winter Classic website - you'll find everything you ever wanted to know about this event, including a live webcam where you can watch the ice being built at Heinz Field. If you're not a little bit excited for this, turn in your "hockey fan" badge now.

And if you're planning on going to the game on Wednesday night, watch out for the weather. We're hoping our mom will let us spray down her back yard before the cold front settles in. Hey, it's Winter Classic time.