Post Game: Steelheads 4, Grizzlies 2

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

Grizzlies Live - And the answer is . . . True

This week Denny was joined by Assistant Coach Leigh Mendelson, Brock Wilson, and Andrew Engelage for Grizzlies Live.

We learned that Colley likes to look at the Grizzlies at the top of the league standings almost as much as we do. It's awesome to see your team high in the standings, but Mendelson put this in perspective: "By yourself you can look at the standings and smile, but as a team you need to keep a clear mindset each night." We liked that.

Mendelson also addressed the Grizzlies winning road trip, where the boys went 4-0 over the Thanksgiving weekend. He commented on Emmerson's positive influence on the bench, even when Riley is playing grocery stick. Talk also included Brett Parnham and his spectacular week; Brett took full advantage of his top line opportunity to make a big impression in the league.

Denny then turned attention to Brock Wilson's goal. Brock expressed his surprise that he got that goal, since he was trying to center the puck for Parnham. "When Parnham skated over to me after the goal, he let me know it was mine," Wilson said. "I could have sworn he'd gotten it." Andy piped in with his two cents, joking "I think it was just a poor centering attempt that ended up in the net."

Brock also discussed his confidence in the Grizzlies goalies, JP and Andy, as well as his summer work with youth hockey groups. He also shared that his Thanksgiving dinner was from the 7-11. Tasty.

Engelage discussed his roll with Reading in the playoffs last season, along with playing with former Grizzlies Olivier LaBelle and Ryan Cruthers. When asked what he thought of the Royals coming from behind 3-0 to tie the series and lose in Game 7, Andy responded that he felt it was a lack of mental preparation: "I think some of the guys went into the series expecting that we'd win at least one. And you can't really do that and expect to get the win."

Denny and the boys ended the evening with a quiz of Bakersfield or West Valley City, since they've spent more time in Bakersfield than on home ice. Our favorite part? Denny asked the question "The movie The Sandlot was filmed near West Valley City or Bakersfield?" Andrew, missing the Bakersfield option, answered with a confident "True." After a pause, Brock responded with a confused "West Valley City." This is why a goalie needs his defensemen. (Kidding . . .)

Yeah, that's about the face we made too, Squints.

Next Grizzlies Live airs December 7, at 7pm on 1230AM.

Post Game: Wranglers 4, Grizzlies 3 (SO)

The Grizzlies may have lost this one, but today - today we have love for the Crowder boys.

Yesterday, Paul piled on the goals and today younger brother Tim took his turn. When these boys are on, they're on fire! It's really hard to deny the numbers. Paul picked up 4 points over the weekend with 2 goals and 2 assists, while Tim picked up the identical stats. (We'd make a Sedins joke here, but it might be a little too early in the season.) And of course, we would be remiss if we didn't mention Michael Gergen's contribution to both of Tim's goals. Beauty.

Riley Armstrong joined the Grizzlies and picked up an assist on a power play goal by Jackman. As a bonus, Riley drew the penalty resulting in the man advantage. And if we're going to be honest here at the UGB, we've kind of been Riley Armstrong fans for a while, so it just made our day to see him land in Utah.

And we have to highlight the awesome Brock Wilson fight, which we're not even certain how it started as it was behind the play. One of the Vegas players was in Armstrong's face, and the next thing we saw was Brock taking care of business. But of course, for the B2 watchers, our favorite part was Wilson in the penalty box with a huge grin on his face. Good times.

Nick Tuzzolino took on the intermission interview and mentioned one reason for coming here was issues with the Wheeling Nailers. Well . . . we have heard that Death Is Better Than Wheeling (Found this on Bourne's Blog last season and we're still laughing at it).

Overall, the Grizzlies picked up 3 of 4 possible points in Vegas, so we consider it a good weekend.

Stars of the Game -

*All Vegas, so we deem the Crowder boys our stars.


Links -
post game || Grizzlies Fall 4-3 In Vegas Shootout
gamesheet || Utah at Las Vegas 11/6/10
highlights || Game Highlights 11/6/10 at Las Vegas
interview || Nick Tuzzolino 11/6/10 intermission

Post Game: Steelheads 5, Grizzlies 4

The Grizzlies are on the brink of being kicked out of their playoff spot, but they sure aren't playing like it. We estimate that Utah played only 10 of the 60 minutes in this loss.

Idaho tacked on 3 goals, two in the 1st and one in the beginning of the 2nd, before Utah responded with a power play goal from Kinasewich to end the 2nd 3-1. In the 3rd period, the Steelheads grabbed up two more goals, including a shorthanded goal, which would turn out to be the game winner, 5-1.

Utah mounted an impressive comeback in the last half of the final frame tallying 3 goals - which included a James Sixsmith final minute special - to make it 5-4, but the Grizzlies were unable to send the game past regulation.

From the official post game:

The Utah Grizzlies (28-27-3-5) turned a 5-1 third period deficit into a 5-4 score with 42 seconds left but were unable to get the equalizer in a 5-4 regulation loss Wednesday night in Boise. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Frantic Comeback Falls Short in 5-4 Loss
highlights || Game Highlights 3/17/10 at Idaho
gamesheet || Utah at Idaho - 3/17/10
interview || Marcus Carroll 3/17/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

IDH K. DeVergilio (16), 6:03 1st period (Rome, Oleksy); Steelheads 1, Grizzlies 0
IDH A. Rome (17), 17:12 1st period (Oleksy); Steelheads 2, Grizzlies 0
IDH T. Spurgeon (25), 3:39 2nd period (Friesen, Barlow); Steelheads 3, Grizzlies 0
UTA R. Kinasewich (39), 17:35 2nd period (Galbraith, Hunter); Steelheads 3, Grizzlies 1
IDH M. McKnight (11), 4:34 3rd period (Oleksy, Rome); Steelheads 4, Grizzlies 1
IDH B. Kushniruk (10), 6:14 3rd period (Friesen); Steelheads 5, Grizzlies 1
UTA T. May (20), 9:02 3rd period (Carroll, Ferguson); Steelheads 5, Grizzlies 2
UTA B. Wilson (3), 11:47 3rd period (Sixsmith, Aston); Steelheads 5, Grizzlies 3
UTA J. Sixsmith (21), 19:18 3rd period (Hunter, Aston); Steelheads 5, Grizzlies 4


What Worked Well: Staying out of the box
The Grizzlies only allowed 3 short-handed situations. For the most part, the boys stayed out of the box, and when they couldn't they took one of the Steelheads down with them. Nice job.

What Could Have Been Better: Power Play
We know what kind of firepower we have on our power play. Converting only 1 out of 6 on the man advantage isn't cutting it for us (and probably not for Colley, either), so do it better. The Grizzlies also allowed a short handed goal, which ended up being the game winner; controlling the puck during the power play is half of the issue.

Who Made the Difference: James Sixsmith
While we could think of a lot of players who didn't make a difference, it was only slightly easier narrowing down who we think did. Marcus Carroll and Simon Ferguson were impressive new forces to be reckoned with, but we had to go with James Sixsmith for his ability to grab a goal in a pinch. And while James can carry almost any line you put him on, we think he'd be close to unstoppable with the proper wingers.


Stars of the Game:

1. IDH - A. Rome
2. IDH - A. Dawson
3. IDH - D. Friesen


Additional Notes:

> Three Grizzlies had multiple point nights: Dylan Hunter (2a), James Sixsmith (1g, 1a), and Peter Aston (2a)
> Simon Ferguson and Marcus Carroll both tallied assists for their first points with Utah. For Carroll, his assist also marks his first professional point.
> Mitch O'Keefe stopped 34 out of 39 shots in the loss.
> Captain Ryan Kinasewich extended his scoring streak to 7 games and matched his career season high for goals at 39.

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Salmon Kings 2 (SO)

For not going to a shootout until midway through the season, the Grizzlies sure are making up for it now. This game marks the fifth straight shootout between Utah and the Victoria Salmon Kings.

The Grizzlies opened things up at 1:09 with a sweet goal from Vlady, but Victoria was quick to respond, tallying one of their own 30 seconds later to end the 1st frame tied, 1-1. But midway through the 2nd, Vlady struck again with a power play goal to regain the lead for Utah. The Grizzlies held the lead through the end of the period, but the Salmon Kings pulled out a power play goal as well at the beginning of the 3rd, which ultimately pushed the match past regulation.

After a scoreless overtime, Utah was headed for yet another shootout with Victoria. (But we're not complaining!) James Sixsmith and AJ Perry tallied for Utah in the shootout, while Beau Erickson stopped 4 of the 5 Victoria shots for the win.

From the official post game:

The game was the fifth-straight shootout played by Utah and Victoria this season and marked the 11th time in 12 games dating back to October 29, 2008, that the two teams have played a one-goal game. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Open Home Stand with 3-2 Shootout Win
highlights || Game Highlights 2/17/10 vs Victoria
gamesheet || Victoria at Utah 2/17/10
photos || 2/17/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Victoria Salmon Kings
interview || Kevin Colley 2/17/10 post game
interview || Brock Wilson 2/17/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:


Additional Photos: [Flickr]




Scoring Summary:

UTA V. Nikiforov (11), 1:59 1st period (Sixsmith, Perry); Grizzlies 1, Salmon Kings 0
VIC A. Taylor (9), 2:31 1st period (Gladue, Morrison); Grizzlies 1, Salmon Kings 1
UTA V. Nikiforov (12), 11:15 2nd period (Romano, Perry); Grizzlies 2, Salmon Kings 1
VIC J. Sharrow (11), 2:30 3rd period (Hamilton); Grizzlies 2, Salmon Kings 2

SO - UTA A. Perry


What Worked Well: Staying out of the box.
Just two penalties for the Grizzlies tonight - nice. Not only did this keep them from being continually on the defensive and allowing Victoria those shorthanded chances, but it allowed them more time to play their own game, which we like to see. So, yay!

What Could Have Been Better: Erm . . .
Honestly, we were too busy enjoying the fact that hockey was back at the E-Center to nitpick - er, analyze in too much depth. If you were paying better attention than us and have something, feel free to share it with us in the comments section.

Who Made the Difference: Vlady Nikiforov
Another tough one to pick, but scoring both regulation goals, getting first star of the game, and leading the team with 6 SOG makes it easier to select Vlady for who we thought made the difference. And that nifty statistic about the Grizzlies being 10-0 when Vlady scores a goal, makes it easier, too.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - V. Nikiforov
2. UTA - A. Perry
3. UTA - B. Wilson


Additional Notes:

> Beau Erickson stopped 34 of 36 in regulation/overtime and 4 of 5 in the shootout.
> AJ Perry tallied 2 assists for his 18th multiple point game of the year.
> Vlady Nikiforov was one goal shy of a hat trick, tallying two goals for a multipoint game as well.

Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers Post Game 1/2/10

Utah didn't even bother to show up for this game.

We wanted to embed the circus music to our post, but we figured it would be a little too much . . .

Perry, Galbriath, and Kinasewich all ended the night with a -3. The only goal from the Grizzlies this game was from defenseman Brock Wilson in the 2nd period. Kinasewich picked up an assist on the goal and was able to extend his scoring streak to 8 games. Perry had two on ice collisions with his own teammates (or they with him - we couldn't tell), one of which led to the final Vegas goal. When you have two of your starting line colliding in the 1st period, that kind of sets the mood for the entire game. Just sayin'

The official post game is available at the Utah Grizzlies' site. The ECHL.com site has the gamesheet for review. Our post game is below.

FIRST PERIOD

Gannon picked up a penalty for hooking. Vegas capitalizes, scoring their first goal a minute into the power play. Five minutes later, Vegas scores again, 2-0. Hand starts a fight with the nearest Wrangler in an attempt to wake up Utah. It does nothing; the Grizzlies continue to play the period in their own end. Vegas scores again 16:53 into the 1st, 3-0.

Grizzlies were able to kill 2 of their 3 penalties this period, but were unable to keep control of the puck long enough to take advantage of Wranglers' penalties. Grizzlies were 0/3 on the power play during the 1st.

End of first. 3-0, Wranglers.

SECOND PERIOD

Second verse, same as the first. O'Keefe makes an appearance, replacing Erickson in goal. Galbraith picks up a minor :20 into the period for Elbowing, and Vegas goes on the power play. A minute in to the PK, Perry draws a holding penalty to make it 4-on-4. Then, Hugo draws another holding penalty on Vegas. Grizzlies have a 4-on-3 power play. They're able to capitalize just as Galbraith is released from the box. Kinasewich sends it to n00b Wilson for the goal, 3-1. However, there's no longevity to this glimmer of hope. The Grizzlies are unable to do anything with the other 3 power play chances they receive this period.

Other than the early Galbraith minor, Utah stayed out of the penalty box and kept Vegas at bay during the 2nd. Wilson's goal was a nice boost to the period, and the best Utah highlight of the game.

End of second. 3-1, Wranglers.

THIRD PERIOD

Utah was unable to recreate the early momentum of the 2nd period. Utah picked up 3 penalties this period, stunting their momentum in the process. Late in the 3rd, Perry and another Utah player (Galbraith again? - we're not sure) collided in their own end to create a 5-on-3 situation leading to the Wranglers' 4th and final goal of the night.

Game.

4-1, Wrangers.

No stars of the game from Utah.

Go Grizzlies!

Utah Grizzlies acquire Brock Wilson, trade Parker Van Buskirk, Brooks

More Utah Grizzlies roster transactions today.

Out:

• Parker Van Buskirk traded to the South Carolina Stingrays in exchange for future considerations. He leaves the Grizzlies with 5-8-1-0 and a 3.98 GAA this season.


• Defenseman Chris Brooks was traded to the Bakersfield Condors in exchange for future considerations.

In:

• Brock Wilson was added to the Utah Grizzlies from the Toledo Walleye in exchange for future considerations. Wilson, a defenseman, has 11 points in 29 games this year with the Walleye.

Utah keeps goaltenders Mitch O'Keefe and Beau Erikson on the roster. Erickson will make his debut with the Grizzlies tonight.

Wilson should be in a Grizzlies uniform tonight as well.

Go Grizzlies!