Post Game: Condors 3, Grizzlies 1

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

Post Game: Wranglers 2, Grizzlies 1 (SO)

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

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

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: Thunder 4, Grizzlies 1

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

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

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: Condors 4, Grizzlies 3

Grizzlies lose.

The boys looked amazing in the 1st, picking up two goals and dominating the puck. Utah piled on 11 SOG to Bakersfield's 6. However, the Grizzlies didn't look so hot in the 2nd.

We'd mentioned before that the boys have been starting out the 2nd period sloppy, yet so far they'd been fortunate enough to hold on until the opposing team lost the post-intermission momentum. But last night, the Condors picked up 2 goals before the halfway mark of the period to tie things up and snatch control away from Utah. We'd actually been waiting for one of the opposing teams to realize that the Grizzlies were slower in the beginning of the middle frame and take full advantage of that, so we weren't particularly surprised when the Condors figured it out.

We were a little surprised at some of the calls in the top of the 3rd, though. Yeah, if you were watching on the B2, you saw the leveling hit on Morency that took him out of the game . . . several hundred times. To us, it looked clean: Morency had the puck, his head was up, but the Grizzlies ended up shorthanded. Fair enough - this is the ECHL after all and we're not officials.

But honestly, Kaip . . . what was with the joke move on Tuzzolino before the puck dropped? Cute one, chief.

Utah improved on their power play, going 2 for 6 on the man advantage. I'm sure this was a relief to Colley after the 0 for 7 job the boys pulled on Wednesday. We'd like to see them keep improving on this tonight (and we're sure Colley would, too).

Stars of the Game -

*Wha? All from Bakersfield. Whatevs.

Links -
post game || Grizzlies fall 4-3 in Bakersfield
gamesheet || Utah at Bakersfield - 11/12/10
highlights || Game Highlights 11/12/10 at Bakersfield
interview || Matt Clarke 11/12/10 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 2 (OT)

Utah wins. Huzzah!

The Grizzlies really dominated the 1st period, even though no goals were scored on either side. What we really noticed was the amazing control the boys had over the puck during that initial frame. Whenever Vegas touched the puck, it seemed like Utah snatched it right back. And throughout the game, the Grizzlies piled on more SOG overall with 37 to the Wranglers 27.

Of course it wasn't all roses. The boys came out pretty sloppy in the 2nd period, but with back to back goals in that frame it is hard to complain about it. Though, we have our suspicions that was the only way to appease Colley after such a start.

And of course, the Crowders and Carpentier were definitely the talk of the night with all 3 goals being a product of that line, with a little help from Nick Tuzzolino for the game winner. Also wanted to point out Brad Snetsinger's 7 SOG as well. Another fun fact we found in the official post game: "Goaltender Andrew Engelage stopped 25 of 27 shots, including 23-straight" Nicely done boys.

And for anyone watching on the B2 you'll have noticed Vegas named their power play the Roulette Power Play. We tried to find out actual roulette odds to compare to the Wranglers power play percentage, but we only figured out that they went 0 for 3 on the power play for Friday. (Nice PK, boys!) So our guess is that you might have slightly better odds with roulette.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - T. Crowder
2. LV - C. Long
3. LV - V. Bellissimo


Links -

post game || Grizzlies Beat Las Vegas 3-2 in Overtime
gamesheet || Utah at Las Vegas - 11/5/10
highlights || Game Highlights 11/5/10 at Las Vegas

Pink in the Rink 2010-11 Jersey Auction

Another Pink in the Rink game, another pink jersey auction.

The Utah Grizzlies website reported that "Nearly $12,000 was raised to fight breast cancer following the team’s live post-game pink jersey auction." Nicely done, boys.

Auction Photos -

Captain Gannon is first up.



The other boys mill around waiting for their turn on the auction block.



Tim Crowder and Brad Stensinger hang out in the back.



Paul Crowder up for auction.



More milling about - Carpentier is up next.



Tim Crowder waits for his picture with a fan.



We also tried to get a clear shot of Brock heckling the bidders, but to no avail. And no classic GQ shots like we captured of Captain Kinasewich last year, but still some fun pictures.

Post Game: Grizzlies 6, Condors 4

No pink ice this year. I guess they got Bourne's memo.

Yesterday Coach Colley called out his power play team point blank, stating they needed to do a better job. Going 0/4 on the power play last night in a 5-0 game seemed completely unacceptable, but the boys made up for it tonight scoring 4 straight power play goals to give themselves a 3 goal lead over the Condors. With Jackman's two goals leading the way, the Grizzlies' power play came together picking up the loose pucks in front of the net and finally beating the goaltender. We'd definitely been waiting for this.

As happy as we were about the power play, the loss of a 3 goal lead by the end of the 2nd was a big disappointment. Really, guys? But instead of the dismal 3rd we were used to seeing in 2009-2010, the boys put in the effort and managed to regain the lead. As Colley saw it, the boys "stuck with it, got back to our game plan, and Hugo got a big goal." And the cherry on top was definitely Gannon's empty netter off of the glass and into the net. Highlight reel, anyone?

Parnham's hand - anyone see what happened? We noticed he was checking guys 3 times his size and was flying around the rink all over the puck, but missed the actual injury. All we know is that he was out by the midway point of the 1st.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - R. Jackman
2. UTA - H. Carpentier
3. UTA - B. Snetsinger


Game Photos -



Links -
post game || Grizzlies Score Late To Beat Bakersfield 6-4
gamesheet || Bakersfield at Utah - 10/23/10
game highlights || Game Highlights 10/23/10 vs Bakersfield Condors
interview || Kevin Colley 10/23/10 post game
photos || 10/23/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Bakersfield Condors

Utah Grizzlies 3rd Jerseys Auction

After Friday night's game, the Grizzlies auctioned offed their 3rd jerseys to benefit St. Jude Children's Hospital. The Utah Grizzlies website reported that:

$13,300 was raised for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Foundation after the game as the Grizzlies auctioned off live their New York Islanders themed third-jerseys that they wore on Friday nights this season.

We typically do a breakdown of the jersey sales for the auction, but we had a few technical difficulties with our notes. Damn. If anyone did get what each jersey went for, feel free to email us or post it in the comments. We'd be happy to hear from you.

But, we did get some pictures from the auction for anyone that missed it.

Peter Vandermeer auctions off his jersey (child not included):


Ryan Kinasewich takes his turn:


The rest of the team waits for their spin on the auction block:


James Sixsmith looks pretty bad ass:


Matt Clarke is pensive:


Hugo Carpentier is amused that his name was mispronounced:


And Brett Parnham gives the bidders a smile:



We do have a few more photos that we may put up at our Flickr account later this week. Enjoy!

Weekend Preview 2/19/2010 - Utah vs Victoria

Well, the trade carousel seems to have slowed down a big for the Grizzlies. They did get Hugo Carpentier back from Abbotsford on Tuesday, but since we've seen him before and they didn't give anyone up, we're not all that frustrated with this move. In fact, we quite like the guy. Anyway, the Grizzlies seem to be more consistent as of late, and that's in a good way. In fact, six of their last ten games have ended in shootouts. That's pretty consistent. (The Grizz have won five of their last ten.)

Speaking of consistent shootouts, the team finishes up their series against Victoria this weekend. They've played the Fish Dudes (what? Oh, Salmon Kings...) six times this season, including Wednesday night, and five of those games have gone to shootouts. Utah has won two of those shootouts. Victoria has won three. Are we crazy if we predict another shootout? It should be the Grizzlies turn to win this one.

Coach Colley said in his post-game interview after Wednesday's game:

"We had the lead in our rink going into the third period; we can't give that up. It doesn't matter if it's on their power play or whatnot, but we've got to get the job done and not give teams any more points."

The Fish are currently eleven points ahead of the Grizzlies in the standings, so like Colley said, we're hoping they can just swallow that salmon whole this time without giving them any extra points. We do like an exciting close game, especially when it's in front of the home crowd, but we hope they can win in regulation this time.

Before coming to Utah this week, Victoria had won 6 of their last 10, but their longest winning streak was only two games. We're not sure if that means they're hot right now or what. The Grizzlies have won 5 of their last 10 (including Wednesday against Victoria), but again, their biggest streak in that span was only two games.

Eh, odds are it's going to a shootout anyway, so we just hope the guys are practicing their moves.

* * * * *

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING WE TOTALLY MISSED EARLIER...

• If you're one of the first 2,500 people at the rink Friday night, you can get a team calendar. We're so there... especially since we never put up a new one for 2010.


• Saturday will be the 4th annual "Pooch on the Pond" night at the E Center. Call us crazy, but we like dogs more than we like Gary Coleman.
  

Game Day: Steelheads, Sixsmith rejoins Utah Grizzlies

Game day: Idaho Steelheads

Ah, the ISH. We meet again, comarades.

Both the Grizzlies and the Steelheads enter this game with a road win behind them. Utah looks to continue their wins on the road, while Idaho is hoping to capture their own on home ice. O'Keefe will be in goal tonight for the Grizzlies after his success on January 9. Perry and Galbraith are expected to be back on the ice tonight, but no word on Hunter that we've heard. We hope to see more of Asselin in Idaho as well.

We don't have much more to say about this, so go read Denny's game day blog instead.


Grizzlies Transactions

James Sixsmith returns to Utah after spending some time with Bridgeport in the AHL. While Sixsmith won't join the team tonight in Boise, he's expected to play in Stockton this weekend. It will be nice to see Sixer (Bubba) back in a Grizzlies jersey - maybe revive the Sixsmith-Vlady-May line?


Also, Hugo Carpentier was recalled by the Abbotsford Heat of the AHL. Luck, Hugo!


Other Grizzlies news

Tip-A-Grizz is coming up on February 15. Money raised at the event will go to Grizzlies Children Charities which supports youth hockey in Utah. It's $25 to reserve a seat for non-season ticket holders, so RSVP before it's sold out.

The ECHL All-Stars game is coming up on January 20. Kinasewich, Bartley, and Perry are scheduled to play, and Grizzlies trainer Plandowski will also attend the game as training staff.


Good luck tonight boys!

Utah Grizzlies vs Alaska Aces Post Game 1/6/10

The Grizzlies have somehow incurred the wrath of the hockey gods.

Well, maybe not, but we have no other explanation for the Grizzlies' 3rd periods as of late. Minus that last 20 minutes and the casualties (Hunter and Vlady), Utah played a good game. Multi-point nights for Kinasewich, Crowder, and May, some beautiful glove saves by O'Keefe, and a couple of decent fights from RJ. Not bad. And it turns out, Kotsy is one tough cookie to play against. But we kind of already knew that . . .

It was nice to see Hunter in a Grizzlies uniform again - for the 18 minutes he was on the ice, anyway. We'd forgotten how well Dylan and Snatch worked together: like a well-oiled machine, baby. We expected there to be at least a game's worth of adjustment time, but they were skating circles as soon as the puck hit the ice.

And as usual, the Utah Grizzlies site has the official post game and audio highlights, ECHL.com has the gamesheet, and our post game is below.


FIRST PERIOD

Apparently the 1st period started out with a fight, but we missed it because the B2 was being a pain. No luck finding highlights, either. We tuned in just in time to see Kotsy take out Beljo with a huge hit. Beljo bounced back ready to go, but the refs broke it up after a short shoving match. Boo. Utah is having no problem controlling the puck, and most of the 1st is spent in Alaska's end. At 18 minutes in, Hunter gets a breakaway, but is taken out by Alaska and slides/crashes into the boards. No call. Snatch kept the play alive, shooting it toward the net where Maxwell knocked it in to put the Grizzlies on the board. A very pretty goal. But Hunter is out for the rest of the game.

End of first. 1-0, Grizzlies.


SECOND PERIOD

This period was littered with more bodies than a Tarantino film. 4 minutes in, Vlady is smacked in the face with a stick and goes down. Casualty #2 for the Grizzlies. Blood on the ice; Vlady's a tough kid, though. Alaska gets a double minor for high-sticking, but the Grizzlies do nothing with their 4 minutes. (No, we're not kidding.) During the power play, Alaska's Burt blocks a puck and is injured in the process. RJ goes for fight #2 of the night. Galbraith is checked head first into the boards by a former teammate, and O'Keefe gets mowed down in the net during that same run. Somewhere in there, Alaska ties it up. But Utah responds with 1.3 seconds left in the period to regain the lead. Crowder's second goal of the season and points to May and Snatch for the assists. Nice.

End of second. 2-1, Grizzlies.


THIRD PERIOD

Utah flounders on the ice. Alaska scores 4 goals. Carpentier tallies with :11 left in the 3rd, but the Grizzlies run out of time.

Game.
5-3, Aces.


Kinasewich was the 2nd Star of the Game.


Luck, Grizzlies!

Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads Post Game 12/26/09

Welcome to Christmas.

There has never been a more appropriate time to use that phrase. Kinasewich with his 20th goal of the season, Hughes with a goal, Romano with three assists, Clarke with 2 assists, and Hugo, Crowder, and May all tallying an assist and a goal. And a fight brought to you by RJ. Could there be a better Christmas present for Colley? We think not.

We don't have any pictures from this match because we forgot the SD card for our camera. Fail. And since we're behind, we've decided to not do a full postgame. So for a recap, the official post game is at the Utah Grizzlies' site. Also, you can find the gamesheet at ECHL.com.

Here's to getting caught up after the holidays.

Go Grizzlies!

Utah Grizzlies vs Bakersfield Condors Post Game 12/19/09

By now the entire hockey world heard about Condor goalie Pielmeier's empty netter. Which, if we're going to be honest, was pretty damn amazing.

Unfortunately, what will be overlooked is the incredible physical presence that the Grizzlies brought to the ice in the 3rd period. It seemed to be sparked by the 2nd Kinasewich goal, then fueled by his ejection from the game. The boys dominated the Condors throughout the 3rd, and even though they still came up with a loss, they showed the variety of play we'd like to see consistantly. The Condors had been playing a very different team up to that 3rd period; they didn't know exactly what to do once they had a real game on their hands. When Clarke Phaneufs some guy at the blueline and looks happy about it - game on!

We're taking that 3rd period as a sign that there are some happy wins around the corner. Snatch had 2 goals before being ejected, and Maxwell had 3 assists which is a new career high for the blueliner.

Read the official post game at the Utah Grizzlies' site, the gamesheet at the ECHL site, and our post game can be read below.

Pregame Warmups:

When we hadn't yet realized we'd left the memory card at home.

Perry and Romano.

Beljo takes a shot.

FIRST PERIOD

There were definitively less penalties this game as opposed to last game.

However, May opens it up on the first power play with a goal. 1-0.

Assists to Gannon and Carpentier on that.

We forgot a memory card for the camera.

So, we actually got to watch the game.

But without pictures, it's hard to remember exactly how things went down . . .

Grizzlies got another power play, but couldn't do anything with it.

Condors tie it up.

Boo.

Prokop gets a delay of game.

Maxwell takes a tour for hooking.

Killed.

Parker makes the save.

End of first. 1-1.

SECOND PERIOD

Penalties increase in this period.

Overall, a sad period for Utah.

Condors score twice. 3-1.

Snatch picks up a power play goal. 3-2.

Maxwell picks up a point for the assist.

Fisticuffs!

Captain Kinasewich waits for penalties to be assessed.

Brooks and Condors Stoflet and Weller get roughing.

Hugo gets boarding. 5 minutes.

Later, Snatch goes to the box for slashing.

5-on-3.

Bakersfield scores. 4-2.

Bakersfield gets a penalty.

Grizzlies will start the 3rd with a shortened power play.

End of second. 4-2, Condors.

THIRD PERIOD

Snatch scores 0:21 in to the 3rd on the power play. 4-3.

Points to Maxwell and Vlady on the assists.

Pavli goes to the box for roughing.

Bakersfield capitalizes. 5-3.

Gannon gets a minor for holding.

Kinasewich mouths off and gets himself Unsportsmanlike conduct, Misconduct, and Game misconduct - Abuse of officials.

We can't even remember the whole goal situation that led to this.

Bye, Snatch.

See what happens when you don't remeber your SD card. :(

Anyway, the Grizzlies come off of that goal/penalty fallout turbo-charged.

They are skating circles around the Condors, who start to pick up some penalties.

Some of Utah's hits are amazing.

Bakersfield wasn't expecting that . . .

Perry capitalizes on one of the Condors' penalties. 5-4.

Assists to Romano and Maxwell on that.

Maxwell's third assist of the night.

Utah dominates the rest of the period.

Throwing hits, controlling the puck, et al.

14 SOG compared to 3 of the 2nd period.

Peilmeier gets his empty netter.

Game.

6-4, Condors.

Stars of the Game:

2. Ryan Kinasewich

3. Tim Maxwell

Go Grizzlies!

Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads Post Game 12/5/09

Such a hard loss.

The first overtime loss of the year.

But the boys played well, and from the post game interview, it sounds like Colley was happier with the way they played this weekend than the last. The Grizzlies made some amazing defensive plays as well as doing a terrific job on the offense. And we don't even know where to begin with O'Keefe's killer saves. The boys were on their game for a full 60 minutes against Idaho and got the regulation tie and point.

Hugo Carpentier made his debut tonight with the Grizzlies. Carpentier joined the boys from Abbotsford, the Grizzlies' Calgary AHL affliate. And already, he's picked up an assist in his first game with Utah. Not bad. This is a name we're not going to be able to pronounce for a while yet, so we'll probably just end up calling him Hugo.

After the game, there was a jersey auction to benefit the Angel's Hands Foundation, but we'll cover that in a separate post.

So, for the official post game summary, click here. For the ECHL gamesheet, go here. And our post game summary is below.

PreGame Introductions: Anthem picture.

Ceremonial Angel's Hands Foundation puck drop.

FIRST PERIOD

Some solid play this period.

Vlady, May, and Hugo at work.

Utah opened it up about halfway through the 1st with a power play goal.

Shea gives the Grizzlies the starting lead. 1-0.

Points to Hugo and Parnham on the assists.

Kotsy gets in a fight straight from the faceoff at center ice.

Our initial reaction is to cheer, so sometimes our reflexes with the vids and pics are a bit slow.

However, it was a pretty short fight.

But we'll post what we got of it.

We'll keep checking to see if Idaho posts the full fight on their site.

Later, Gannon gets a penalty for holding.

Faceoff in the Grizzlies' end.

Penalty killed.

Kotsy gets tossed out of the faceoff.

End of first. 1-0, Grizzlies.

First Intermission: Kids play hockey. Adorable.

SECOND PERIOD

We've noticed that the Grizzlies seem to have a bit of a lag at the start of their 2nd periods.

However, they generally pick it up about halfway through.

Utah still dominated this period with SOG.

But the Steelheads were the ones getting the goals.

Grizzlies got the first power play opportunity of the second.

But they can't capitalize.

Idaho ties it. 1-1.

Then Utah gets another power play.

But May negates it with a penalty of his own.

He goes to the box for holding.

Kotsy got slammed in Idaho's zone by two different Steelheads.

Ouch. But no call on it.

Idaho makes the save.

With just over a minute left in the 2nd, Idaho scores.

Boo.

End of second. 2-1, Steelheads.

Second Intermission: There's something about an oversized check . . .

For more on the Angel's Hands Foundation, visit their website here.

THIRD PERIOD

O'Keefe gets warmed up.

Utah gets the first penalty of the 3rd.

Bench minor for Too Many Men, served by Beljo.

But Idaho negates their power play with a tripping penalty.

4-on-4.

Snatch ties it up shortly after the penalties with a sweet shot down the middle.

2-2.

Clark and Perry pick up the assists on that.

Hugo goes to the box for holding.

Killed.

Collision against the boards.

Some great plays by both teams during this period.

O'Keefe minds the net.

But regulation ends in a tie.

End of third. 2-2.

OVERTIME

This was the harshest.

Because the Grizzlies were on the PK.

And it was a beautiful PK.

Hats off to Perry, Maxwell, Gannon, Bartley, Snatch, and Friesen.

Because you all rocked the kasbah.

But 5 seconds after the Grizzlies are back at full strength, Idaho ends it with a quick goal.

Man . . .

Game.

3-2, Steelheads.

Stars of the Game:

2. Kinasewich

3. Guthrie

2 out of 3 is still pretty damn good.

NOTES

We don't know what happened over the last week, but Kinasewich was killer on the defense this weekend. Snatch battled for the puck every time he was on the ice, threw the checks, pressured Idaho incessently, and played awesome PK shifts. This makes us incredibly happy (and we're sure Colley was happy about it, too).

But wait, there's more! Snatch is back as the top scorer in the ECHL today with 33 points in 21 games. Nice. We really couldn't ask for more. You da man, Ryan!

There was an auction after the game to benefit the Angel's Hands Foundation. We'll put the pictures and whatnot up in a separate post.

Go Grizzlies!