Western Conference Semifinals: Game 3

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

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 4: Grizzlies 5, Thunder 0

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 2: Thunder 3, Grizzlies 2

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

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

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.

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers and Victoria Salmon Kings

Las Vegas is still in town, and so far the Grizzlies haven't made it much of a Christmas vacation for them. Utah is looking to continue their home win streak as they face the Wranglers at the Maverik Center on Friday and the Victoria Salmon Kings on Saturday Saturday. Yes, we know the streak is only one game so far, but we're optimists.

The Grizzlies finally won a game at home on Wednesday when they beat Las Vegas 4-2. It was an entertaining game which saw Utah jump out ahead in the first, and Vegas catch up in the second and third. The Grizzlies were able to hold on though, and a goal from Gergen with a little more than half the period gone was enough for them to get the win.

And there was much rejoicing.


With a great game like that under their belt, and the knowledge that they are once again at the top of the Western Conference in the standings, the Grizzlies could have the confidence and motivation to start that nice home win streak we asked Santa for. Hey, it would save the big guy in the red suit some mileage.

When these two teams meet, it's all about special teams. The Wranglers have the top penalty kill in the league by a small margin, but Utah has been one of the few teams that have had success against it. According to Adrian Denny's game day blog, the Grizzlies have gone 4 for 21 on the power play against Las Vegas. They also haven't allowed a power play goal of their own in three of their last five games, so this will be a key for the Friday match up. If we were coaching, we'd tell the team to stay out of the penalty box, but try to draw penalties on Vegas. Maybe get them to punch you in the face in front of the refs or something. Needless to say it's a good thing we're not coaching.

The Wranglers have won 7 of their last 10 games, and had won 4 in a row before falling to the Grizzlies on Wednesday night, so the Grizz really have their work cut out for them on Friday. Just because their city looks like the Griswold's front yard doesn't make them all flash and no substance. They are two points behind Utah in the conference standings, but they have played four fewer games. This next game could easily put them on top if the Grizzlies don't stay focused for a full game.

Utah takes on the Salmon Kings Saturday night, who will be straight off the bus from Idaho. Hopefully this will give the Grizzlies and advantage. Victoria currently stands at 10-13-3, but is 9-0-0 when leading after two periods, so a Grizzlies' game like Wednesday's will come in handy.

Grizzlies home win streak continues Friday and Saturday. Puck drops at 7:05 pm.

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs State of California

The Grizzlies got a solid win in Bakersfield on Wednesday, had a quick Thanksgiving break, and tonight they'll pick up right where they left off. Well, maybe not right where they left off, since they'll be in Stockton on Friday, back to Bakersfield on Saturday, and make a stop in Ontario on Sunday before heading back to Utah. If you Mapquest that, it's about 1280 miles, so the guys should all have plenty of travel time to write letters to their families.

First up for the weekend on Friday is Stockton, and they currently lead the Western Conference by one point. The Grizzlies are actually only one point behind them, but so are Alaska and Idaho. There is probably a way the Grizz could come out on top of the Conference by the end of this road trip, but it would involve some combination of other teams winning and losing, and quite frankly we're too lazy to figure it out. We do know, however, that beating Stockton would fit nicely into that combination. The Thunder have lost their last three games (one in a shootout) so they're not unbeatable, but they're also not going to give up the points without a good fight. Utah hasn't played Stockton yet this season, so they'll have to really keep their focus if they want a shot at the top spot in the west.

On Saturday, the Grizzlies show up in Bakersfield again looking for their second win there this week. Only two days ago, Brett Parnham scored twice for Utah in the first period, the second of which held up to be the game winner. We're hoping for a little deja-vu tomorrow. We figure Parnham has some make-up work to do for being out with injuries for so long. And we'll never complain about one of the Grizzlies scoring two goals in one game. Anyway, it's two more points in the standings toward that top spot, which we also won't complain about. So it looks as if two is the lucky number for the second game of the weekend.

Finally, the Grizz round out the California tour with a visit to the Ontario Reign. This will be the first time Utah plays Ontario this season. The next time will be next weekend in Utah, so the team could use this as a chance to get used to the Reign before they play again at home. We're sure we speak for all the fans when we say we'd really like to see a win at the Maverik Center. Anyway, the Reign are currently last in the conference, and have only won 3 of their last 10. However, like the Grizzlies, they play a pretty full schedule this weekend and will have two home games against Vegas before they host Utah on Sunday. And like the Grizzlies, we don't really know what their record will be by Sunday, so this should be an interesting match. Could this be the game that pushes the Grizzlies to the top of the Western Conference? We'd keep our fingers crossed, but that makes it hard to type, among other necessary things.

The Grizzlies have been up and down as of late, winning 5 of their last 10 games. They really haven't been able to get a solid streak going all season long. With a good win under their belts from Wednesday, and three more games in one weekend, maybe that streak is due. As Adrian Denny comments in his blog, the Grizzlies have had some really nice goaltending this season that has really helped them out in the standings. They may need it. Even though Stockton lost their last game, they outshot their opponent 43-13. Utah's defense will need to be on their toes if the team wants to start the weekend off right.

Tonight's game against Stockton starts at 8:30 pm. Tomorrow night's game in Bakersfield has an 8:00 pm puck drop, and Sunday's game will start at 6:00 pm. Here's hoping the Grizzlies make the Friday after Thanksgiving pretty black for California.