Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers

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.

Game Day - Utah Grizzlies vs Alaska Aces

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.

A Crumb or Two of Off-Season News

Finally - a little tidbit of news comes from the ECHL that actually relates to the Grizzlies! (Yes, we're a little slow on it, but hey, it's summer.) According to an article on ECHL.com, the teams have announced their protected lists. There are a lot of words explaining this in that article, but what it boils down to is a list of who the Grizz are retaining the rights to sign in the 2010-2011 season. This kind of gives us an idea of what the team might look like at training camp in October.

Here's who is on the list:

Dov Grumet-Morris

Brock Wilson

Matt Sorteberg

Justin Suda

Brian Kilburg

Tim Maxwell

Tim Crowder

Matt Clarke

Lance Galbraith

Steve McJannet

Dylan Hunter

Brett Parnham

Jadran Beljo

AJ Perry

Marcus Carroll

Malcom MacMillan

Tom May

James Sixsmith

Ryan Kinasewich

Looks pretty familiar so far. We're not complaining.

We do have to point out that this doesn't mean everyone on this list will be returning. For example, we already know that Ryan Kinasewich is headed to the cold wargrounds of the KHL, but by retaining his rights, if he ever does return to the ECHL, the Grizzlies would have first dibs. Some of the guys may end up starting in the AHL, or have their rights traded before the season starts. Or we could get some players from the AHL to start the season. And we may see some new faces at training camp looking for a contract. Or some familiar ones - we noticed Mark Pavli wasn't on Stockton's protected list, and I believe we've made it clear on this site that we'd take him back any day. (That's a hint, in case anyone with any authority is reading this.)

There's still a long way to go before we'll know what next season's Grizzlies will look like, but we're desperate for news right now, so we'll take any crumbs we can get.

Speaking of news, USA Hockey announced the dates for next year's Hockey Across America Weekend. It will be held February 18-20, 2011, and will feature the same themes as last year. The 18th will be Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey day, the 19th will be Bring a Friend to the Rink day, and the 20th will be Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes day. Good news for us - the Grizzlies will be hosting Las Vegas that weekend at the E Center, so Utah hockey fans can celebrate in grand fashion.

Adrian Denny has been keeping up with various members of the team and Coach Colley during the summer, so be sure to check out his blog, which he updates every Friday.

Hockey Weekend Across America Review

The point of Hockey Weekend Across America (USA Hockey) was to get people at the grassroots level out participating in hockey-related events. Since we figure Salt Lake City is about as grassroots as it gets when it comes to hockey, we participated. A lot of you did too. Here are some of the activities where we might have seen you...

The sold-out crowd on Friday night enjoys the action on the ice:

We sat by these ladies, who had brought their boys to the game - they were awesome fans:

Some blogger eats ketchup, with a little hot dog to give it flavor:

(In all fairness, the ketchup dispenser was overly-distributing the condiment. Note the fabulous USA Hockey hoodie.)

This fan brought her son to his first hockey game - the Guns N' Hoses game on Saturday afternoon:

(He looks thrilled.)

This was by far our favorite picture of the night:

Somehow this young fan got his head right in the way of our camera without us noticing. It is NOT photoshopped - it came straight off the camera this way. If you know this kid, or you are this kid, send us an email (grizzblog@gmail.com). You made us laugh out loud for about 15 minutes in the IHOP after the game.

Hopefully everyone had a lot of good hockey fun over the weekend. If you have other pictures, feel free to send them in. We'd love to see what everyone did. We might even post them.

Weekend Preview 1/29/10 - Utah vs Las Vegas

It seems we've spent a lot of time wondering about the Grizzlies' troubles lately. Sure, it hasn't been the best stretch. But the Las Vegas Wranglers, who the Grizzlies play Friday, Saturday, and Monday, aren't having the best time of it either. They've only won 1 of their last 5 games, so we're hoping the Grizzlies can maybe take advantage of that slump and get a couple of morale-boosting wins on the board.


While we don't really want to dwell on the team's troubles (because there's a lot of fun stuff going on this weekend we'd rather address), we did want to post a few quotes from Coach Colley's post-game interview that we thought were notable:


"I just think right now guys are looking to the guy beside them to go do all the dirty work and do all the hard work and hope we pull out a win, instead of just taking the bull by the horns themselves and just going out doing everything they can as an individual to help the team succeed."

RE: Finally having a full week to practice on home ice
"The guys are working hard, they're just not working smart," Colley comments. "When you grab somebody and actually show them on the ice where they're supposed to be and how to position themselves sthey get a lot more out of it than watching video."



So we're hoping that with that good practice time, and the team getting a little more instruction, we'll see an increased confidence level, and maybe some Wrangler butt-kicking this weekend. Awesome.



Now, on to the fun stuff...



It's Hockey Weekend Across America (sponsored by USA Hockey), and the Grizzlies are obliging with a couple of really great promotions. Friday night is another Pack the House night at the E Center, with ALL seats being sold for $5. The last one (on November 20) ended up being a 4-0 shut out for the Grizzlies (no, they WON that one) in front of a crowd of 9,304. Hey, at $5 a seat, it's probably the best entertainment deal in town this weekend, so you may as well go support the team. Put a little bit of pressure on them to get their game going. And, of course, support Hockey Weekend Across America.

Friday is "Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey", so dig it out of the closet and put it on, America.


Saturday's theme for HWAA is "Bring a Friend to the Rink", and the Grizzlies have provided a great opportunity with their Guns N' Hoses theme game. This annual charity event includes an afternoon game (2:00 pm) that pits local police officers against firemen, with proceeds going this year to Shriners Hospital. The Grizzlies will sport special jerseys in the game Saturday night that will be auctioned off, those proceeds also going to Shriners Hospital. If you buy a ticket for Utah vs Las Vegas on Saturday, that ticket will also get you into the Guns N' Hoses game. So grab a couple of friends for this one, and introduce them to hockey for a good cause.



Also on Saturday, USA Hockey is introducing a new event - try hockey for free. The Acord Ice Center in West Valley and The Ice Sheet in Ogden are participating, so if you want to give it a shot, give them a call. Most of them are hosting the event between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm local time, but many have extended hours. USA Hockey requests you contact your participating local rink for more information. (This list has the contact information for all participating rinks.)



There isn't a Grizzlies game on Sunday, but the HWAA event is "Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes". Here's what they say about it:



USA Hockey and Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports know that every hockey community has individuals who helped make the game great for its players and fans. Today is a perfect day to honor these hockey heroes with ceremonies at youth, junior, college or professional games, letters to the editors of local newspapers or even sincere one-on-one expressions of gratitude.



We have one more suggestion - make a sign for your favorite Grizzlies player and take it to the game on Monday night. There are some awesome guys on the team.



For some reason that we can't really explain, Gary Coleman will be dropping the puck at the game on Monday night. Not that we're against it or anything, but we do think that this is one of the oddest articles the Grizzlies have ever posted. (Although not quite as odd as this one from NHL.com. So many unanswered questions...) We hope Gary enjoys the game. We also hope he comes dressed like this:





Have a hockey weekend!

Go Grizzlies!

Hockeyworld! 1/19/2010

AHL

Abbotsford Heat


The Heat will finish up an eight game home stand after the AHL All-Star break. So far they've split it with three losses and three wins, including a big comeback win against the Lake Erie Monsters. (We don't know why, but we really like the Monsters' logo.) The Heat's next two games will be against the Houston Aeros.


Bridgeport Sound Tigers

• With Mark Katic injured, Sound Tigers defenseman Dustin Kohn is representing Bridgeport at the AHL All-Star Game.
• Even though Katic will be staying behind, here's a little bit of info about him. (We had to look up Steve Prefontaine. Scott Niedermayer we know.)
• After the break, the Sound Tigers will try to snap a four game losing streak in Albany against the River Rats.

Our AHL Features

• The AHL All-Star Game in Portland is tonight (1/19/2010), and there are several options if you want to tune in. Several TV stations are broadcasting it this year, so check your listings and see if any are available for you.
• The All-Star Skills Competition was yesterday, and you can check out the highlights here. Team Canada beat Planet USA 18-12.
• The AHL inducted four new Hall of Famers today. Congratulations!

NHL

Calgary Flames

• In case you haven't heard, the Flames got put out in the Shark Tank last night. *fizzle* They've now lost five in a row.
• The Calgary Hitmen will not only host the Lethbridge Hurricanes, but also the Olympic torch on its way to Vancouver. Maybe they'll shoot off the playoff flames to welcome it.

New York Islanders

• The Flames may have been bad last night, but the Islanders shut out the Atlantic Division-leading New Jersey Devils to the tune of 4-0. Could Rick DiPietro finally be healthy?
• Matt Moulsen has found his niche in Long Island.
• The Islanders play tonight (1/19/2010) against the reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Kris Letang thinks that stinks. Or something...

Our NHL Features

• Where is your favorite NHL team in the standings?
• The LA Kings have super socks.


• Six out of ten games had goalies pulled last night (1/18/2010).
• This is how you put an opponent down... and keep him down. (Safely, of course.)

INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY

• Only 24 days to go until the Olympics in Vancouver, BC.

USA HOCKEY

• Hockey Weekend Across America is coming up (January 29-31, 2010). Reebok Hockey is having a contest where kids can win equipment for their videos about Why Hockey Rocks. Check out the videos, and vote for your favorites.