Game Day: Idaho Steelheads

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: Steelheads 8, Grizzlies 1

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

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

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.

Post Game: Grizzlies 4, Steelheads 3 (SO)

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

(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: 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

Game Day: Idaho Steelheads

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.

Wall-E and some milk

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

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

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.

Post Game: Steelheads 3, Grizzlies 1

Grizzlies lose.

The numbers for this game looked good: 39 SOG compared to Idaho's 15, 5 for 6 on the penalty kill with the one goal allowed a 5-on-3, and only 2 goals allowed with an additional empty netter.

We definitely don't want to undermine the strengths of Idaho in this loss. The Steelhead's goalie was on fire, and Mouillierat almost had a Gordie Howe, but he received a minor for roughing instead of a major for fighting. Idaho did a great job setting up on that 5-on-3, and they played with desperation.

We can't even think of something the Grizzlies could have done better, per se. Utah obviously did a good job of controlling the puck; the majority of the 3rd period was spent in Idaho's zone. They just seemed to have a bit less intensity than Idaho until the last 3 minutes of play.

Loved the Crowder-Parnham-Ruegsegger line, whichever order they're supposed to go in. Nice to see Gauvreau picking up an assist. And again, good job to Parnham picking up a nice 7 SOG, which Matt Clarke matched.

And for the penalties? Well, we had a nice time trying to explain hockey math to our fellow attendees.

Game Photos -



Stars of the Game -

1. IDH - K. Mouillierat
2. IDH - J. Weslosky
3. UTA - N. Tuzzolino

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Fall 3-1 To Idaho
gamesheet || Idaho at Utah - 12/22/10
highlights || Game Highlights 12/22/10 vs Idaho
photos || 12/22/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads
interview || Kevin Colley 12/22/10 post game
interview || Matt Clarke 12/22/10 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Steelheads 1

Grizzlies win.

The boys played a pretty even 60 with only a slightly slow start at the 1st; Utah picked up it's first shot on goal at about 12 minutes in, but kept Idaho to 3 during that span of time. Lamoureux allowed only one goal out of 24 shots, and honestly we don't know how that goal happened. Sounds like Idaho was attempting to dump the puck into the zone, and it deflected off of Tom May into the Grizzlies net. So, we guess you could say Tom had two goals in this game . . . Other than that, JP was completely on his game.

Two of the Grizzlies three goals came on the man advantage, which just shows why the boys are 24.8% on the power play conversion. Nice job. And while we love seeing those power play stats on the rise, we wouldn't mind also seeing a rise in 5 on 5 goals.

Deeth looked sharp tonight, contributing on every goal, including the wild effort at the empty netter. We liked Colley's summation of this: "There were four other guys that helped make that play, and Tom did a good job finishing it off."

Game Photos -



Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - S. Ferguson
2. UTA - K. Deeth
3. UTA - J. Lamoureux

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Beat Idaho 3-1: Host Steelheads Again Wednesday At 7
gamesheet || Idaho at Utah - 12/21/10
highlights || Game Highlights 12/21/10 vs Idaho
photos || 12/21/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads
interview || Kevin Colley 12/21/10 post game
interview || Simon Ferguson 12/21/10 intermission

Fake Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads

We know it's not really the weekend, but since an actual weekend preview would read something like this...

We expect Santa to be dropping by sometime tonight to bring us presents. Or coal. We're not sure how good we've been.

...we're just going to move the traditional Weekend Preview post up a little bit.


Tuesday and Wednesday the Grizzlies host the Steelheads at the Maverik Center. For at least one game - the game on Tuesday - both teams will be down a player. Idaho will be missing Kael Mouillierat due to a one game suspension, and Utah has just traded forward Brad Snetsinger to Bakersfield for a player to be named later. We don't know how much later, but we're not sure they'll get it announced in time for the game tonight. We could be wrong though - it's happened before. Either way, we're not all that excited about the prospect of our team playing against Snetsinger - we rather liked him on our side. But such is life in the ECHL, and we wish Brad the best of luck in Bakersfield. (Except when playing the Grizzlies.) We'll miss him. Merry Christmas, we guess.

Even though the Grizzlies are tied with Vegas for points, they're not quite at the top of the Western Conference right now, since the Wranglers have played fewer games. But they are at the top of the division. It's a pretty close race and Idaho is only two points behind them, so the games this week are going to be important in determining who goes into the Christmas break on top. Four points for the Grizzlies could put them at the top of the conference, since none of the other western teams play until the 26th. Conversely, four points for Idaho could put them on top. The standings are a complicated place this season.

The Steelheads just finished losing three games - one in Victoria and two in Las Vegas - so they are looking for a good showing in Utah. Streaks of any sort don't typically last too long in hockey, and especially in the ECHL, so the law of averages says they're about due for a win. It will be up to the Grizzlies to make sure that doesn't happen.

Utah just wants to keep getting a good effort from everyone, because we've seen as long as they can do that, they get the results they (and we) want. They lost their last one at home - a close one - but their play has been improving in the Maverik Center. We're very grateful for that. We'd rather not see them digress. We think it's best that they win at home before going into the break so they can spend it full of holiday cheer. And maybe a little egg nog.

Two games against Idaho for the fake weekend. Puck drops at 7:05 pm. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads

Happy Halloween!

Will it be a trick or a treat for the Grizzlies this weekend when they once again face the Idaho Steelheads for two more games? We consulted our crystal ball, but the future looks partly cloudy with a chance of showers, so we're not sure. This is definitely the weekend for treats, however, so we're hoping the Grizzlies can come out and play Idaho tough two more times.

The Steelheads had a strong showing in their first game of the season, shutting out Victoria 5-0, but since then they've struggled. They've dropped their last three games like Jason dropping bodies on Friday the 13th. Their last three games have gone to overtime, so they've picked up points, but it hasn't been enough to keep them from last place in the division.

Wednesday's shootout victory was the Grizzlies' first match up against the Steelheads this season. The Grizz seem committed to playing hard this season, and it's been paying off for them. Idaho is always a tough opponent though, and we're sure the coaching staff has drilled it into the Grizzlies' heads that they can't let up. They still have a chance to get 6 out of 6 points this weekend, which would keep them at the top of the division.

Andrew Engelage is expected to be in net again tonight for the Grizzlies. He had a great showing in his first game with the team, so we're hoping he's just getting started.

Tricks or treats? Well, we'd consider a hat trick for the Grizzlies a better treat than candy for Halloween. No sugar crash from that one.

Six out of six - let's do it, boys.

Post Game: Grizzlies 4, Steelheads 3 (SO)

We missed the first goal of the game because of traffic school - thanks, City of American Fork. We got home just in time to see the long string of penalties that the Grizzlies committed. Stay out of the damn box, boys (. . . Chad)! Eight short handed situations in this game with two Idaho goals allowed.

But the real game was the 5 minute overtime period with the 4-on-3 penalty kill. Utah controlled the puck for most of the 5 minute stretch picking up 6 SOG, which was just one shot less than their entire 20 minute 3rd period. And even after going shorthanded at the worst possible moment, the boys were able to drive the game to a shootout. Now, this is Grizzlies hockey.

Also, this was definitely a game for firsts. First pro goals for Deeth, Ruegsegger, and Carroll. First time in net this season for Andrew Engelage. First point of the season for Chad Denny. And we'd definitely be remiss in not saying congrats to all! Engelage stopped 41 of 44 in his season debut, and stopped 4 of 4 in the shootout.

Outside of the action on the ice, we really have to give props to this guy:


Everyone watching on the B2 will know exactly what I'm talking about. But for those of you who weren't, just imagine this guy doing a dance somewhere between a booty shake and the Jump on It dance from Fresh Prince to C&C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat" and you'll have a pretty close visual. We salute you, random Idaho fan.

Let's go for Friday!

Stars of the Game -

1. IDH - M. Derlago
2. UTA - K. Deeth
3. IDH - J. Swanson


Links -
post game || Grizzlies Top Idaho 4-3 In Shootout
gamesheet || Utah at Idaho - 10/27/10
highlights || Game Hightlights 10/27/10 at Idaho
interview || Hugo Carpentier 10/27/10 intermission

Game Day: Idaho Steelheads

Ah, the Idaho Steelheads.

After splitting a two game preseason series with the Steelheads, the Grizzlies look to start their 8 game road trip on the right foot. According to Adrian's blog this morning, it may be an uphill battle: "Last year, Utah was outshot 361-252 in 10 games played here and outscored 10-7 in the first period while being outshot 110-68 in the opening frames." On top of these stats, Idaho's goalie Mike Zacharias is tied for fifth in the league with a 2.01 goals-against average, which means Utah will need to look sharp in all areas tonight.

The Grizzlies picked up some new help this week in the form of defenseman Nick Tuzzolini and forwards Kevin Deeth and Tyler Ruegsegger. D-man Tuzzolino is no stranger to Grizzlies fans, having spent 2 seasons in Alaska and should add to the experience of the defensive lines. Deeth adds speed and a strong, accurate shot to the front end, while Ruegsegger brings an ability to take the puck to the net for the goal. This will be much needed with Parnham out on the 21-day IR. We found a nice goal of Ruegsegger's on YouTube and fans should recognize former Grizzly Tom May in the clip as well.



Andrew Engelage will get his first start of the season. Derlago is the man to watch out for, leading the Steelheads with 4 goals.

Game starts tonight at 7:10 pm, and the pregame show at 6:40, on 1230 KFAN-2 or you can watch online at the B2 Network which is probably what we'll be doing . . . after we finish traffic school.

Go Grizzlies!

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads

If you were here last season, you'll remember the Steelheads were the team that caused us to go home and eat cupcakes after the playoffs. Those were some good cupcakes. We're over that now though, and even though this is a pre-season game, we're glad to see the Grizzlies get back at it against an opponent other than themselves.

We know the team isn't finalized yet, and we could still see plenty of change, but these pre-season games are all about getting the guys working together and figuring out who has the ever-popular "chemistry" on the ice. With new guys trickling in every day, these games can be pretty important.

The five players Abbotsford has assigned so far (see here and here) have made it to Utah and should at least be around for the weekend games. No word yet as to who will be in the lineup, but considering ECHL.com lists only 20 players on the current Grizzlies roster, we guess there won't be many guys riding the pine. Two thumbs up for that. We're hoping they can get a team together early and stick with it through most of the season.

We are hoping to make it to the game in Logan to check out the team and see what's what. They're not selling tickets to the one in Idaho, so we guess crashing would be the method of operation for that one. We don't know how well that would work though, so we're not going to try it. That's a long drive just to get tossed out by old guys in Event Staff shirts.

Regular season starts next week.

Game 4: Steelheads 4, Grizzlies 1

We did warn everyone that we would be spending the weekend moping about in our bathrobes if the Grizzlies lost. And we did. Here is your belated and final post game of the season.

The Steelheads scored 3 times in the 1st, the last of the 3 goals coming in the final minute of the period. Utah thought they had scored the first goal of the game, but the puck was not seen to cross the red line. In the 2nd Idaho tacked another goal to their total, ending the period 4-0.

The Grizzlies tallied their only goal during the 3rd as they kept the Steelheads to a scoreless period, ending the game 4-1 in Idaho's favor.

From the official post game:

The Idaho Steelheads defeated the Utah Grizzlies 4-1 Friday night at the E-Center to defeat Utah four games to none in the ECHL’s National Conference Semifinals. The Grizzlies season ends in the second round of the postseason. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Season Ends In Second Round
highlights || Game Highlights 4/23/10 vs Idaho
gamesheet || Idaho at Utah - 4/23/10
photos || 4/23/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads
interview || Tim Maxwell 4/23/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:


1st period - Ryan Kinasewich, Malcolm MacMillan listen to why their first goal was not a goal.

Additional Photos: [Flickr]



Scoring Summary:

IDH M. McCutcheon (3), 9:50 1st period (Derlago, Flichel); Steelheads 1, Grizzlies 0
IDH E. Barlow (3), 11:51 1st period (McCutcheon, Flichel); Steelheads 2, Grizzlies 0
IDH B. Kushniruk (1), 19:52 1st period (McCutcheon); Steelheads 3, Grizzlies 0
IDH M. McKnight (3), 5:02 2nd period (DeVergilio, Friesen); Steelheads 4, Grizzlies 0
UTA T. May (3), 11:15 3rd period (Sixsmith, Crowder); Steelheads 4, Grizzlies 1


Stars of the Game:

1. IDH - R. Bachman
2. IDH - M. McCutcheon
3. UTA - T. May

Additional Notes:

> James Sixsmith lead the team with 6 SOG and also tallied an assist.
> Mike Morrison stopped 23 of 27 of in the match.
> Thanks for an awesome season, Grizzlies!

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads

Well, not much to preview here. The Grizzlies face Idaho Friday night for the chance to play again on Saturday. This is game four of a seven game series in which the Grizz are down 3-0. No team in the ECHL has ever come back to win a series after being down 3-0.

Someone's got to do it eventually - may as well be the Grizzlies.

After watching this team all season long, we know a few things about them, not the least of which is that they can be really frustrating. But we also know they can really play hockey when they put their minds to it.

They can beat the Idaho Steelheads.

Jake Gannon will be back from Bridgeport and in the lineup for Friday's game. We're excited to see him back. In the one playoff game he's played with Utah, he had two assists, four shots on goal, and was a +2. No doubt the Grizzlies can use that kind of play if they're going to do this thing. They could probably also use a good, swift kick in the pants, but we're not going there.

The bottom line is that whether or not the season ends Friday, Saturday, or anytime after that is really up to the team. We believe in them, and we believe that they'll play the way we know they can. We believe they can beat the Steelheads. Four times, even.

Game 4 Friday at the E Center. Start time is 7:05 pm. Game 5 Saturday, same time, same place.

We'll be there.