Post Game: Grizzlies 2, Condors 1 (SO)

Welcome back, J.P.!

While we really don't blame Engelage for the losing streak lately (even if you have a good goalie, you still have to play in front of him), having Lamoureux back in net definitely gave the boys a boost. J.P. stopped 44 of the 45 shots he saw with style. And his work in the shutout was perfect. With the Grizzlies tallying only 17 shots on goal in the entire contest and allowing almost 3 times as many, it's undeniable that Lamoureux saved the day.

Also, assists on Matt Clarke's goal? New guy Reber and Lamoureux. Very nice.

Thumbs up to Paul McIlveen on the only shootout goal of the contest. Sweet shot . . . and that's really all we have to say about that.

On to the playoffs.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - J. Lamoureux
2. UTA - M. Clarke
3. UTA - P. McIlveen

Links -
post game || J.P. Lamoureux Leads Utah To 2-1 Shootout Win
gamesheet || Bakersfield at Utah - 4/2/11
highlights || Game Highlights 4/2/11 vs Bakersfield
interview || Leigh Mendleson 4/2/11 post game
interview || Matt Reber 4/2/11 intermission

Hockey Outside the Grizzlies Box - 2/8/2011

Just so we're keeping ourselves updated on other hockey-related items...


AHL



The Abbotsford Heat are currently in the middle of a 7-game-in-9-days gauntlet in which only two of those games are at home. Our guess is that they'll be switching up goaltenders a few times just to keep them fresh, so JP Lamoureux should be seeing a game or two. He's played 4 of their last 10 with a record of 1 win, 2 losses, and a shootout loss. No word as to whether or not he'll be in tonight against Hamilton. The Heat are currently 5th in the Northern Division of the AHL. That's 5th out of 7. We don't know the system in the AHL, so we're not sure where that puts them as far as the playoff picture right now, but we do know a few more wins wouldn't hurt. Maybe Ales Kotalik can get things going for them while he's in the AHL.



Elsewhere in the AHL, they're getting ready for the Whalers Hockey Fest in Conneticut. It sounds like there are going to be a lot of fun activities planned, including a few outdoor games. They've run into a little snag trying to get the outdoor rink ready in Rentschler Field though. Darn weather...



NHL



Speaking of outdoor games, the Calgary Flames are getting ready for the Heritage Classic on February 20th in which they'll play the Montreal Canadiens. We think this is sort of the Canadian version of the Winter Classic which was on New Year's Day, so it should be cool. (Pun intended.) They've called in Dan Craig, the NHL ice guru and work has begun. The Flames haven't had as strong a season as they'd have liked so far, but last night's win against the Chicago Blackhawks finally bumped them up into a playoff position. In the NHL's Western Conference, that could change on any given night, but at least for now, they're in. If they playoffs started today, they'd draw the league-leading Vancouver Canucks. Ah, fun times...



The big topic of discussion around the NHL these days (and in fact, the whole hockey world) is concussions. Commissioner Bettman announced at the GM meetings recently that concussions among players are up this season. It's had a lot of attention with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby being out for an extended period of time due to a concussion, and Boston's Marc Savard announcing that he'll be out for the rest of the season after getting his second serious concussion in about a year. This injury is serious because it not only affects a player's season, but it could affect their career or their entire life. Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine who was forced to retire due to post-concussion syndrome gives his perspective here, and former Grizzly Justin Bourne talks about what it's like to have a concussion here. We don't know much, but we think it might be a good idea for some hockey people and some health experts sat down in a room together and tried to determine how best to handle the situation. We love seeing the hard hits as much as the next fan, but we wouldn't want any of these guys ruining the rest of their lives for our entertainment.



OTHER


And just in case you wanted a reason to celebrate, the hockey puck turned 135 years old on Monday. You can check out a video on that here. Happy birthday, hockey puck!

And Andrew Engelage for the win.

Congratulations to Andrew Engelage as the Reebok Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week!


Engelage went 3-0-0 this last week and had a - get this - 1.67 GAA for those games. His save percentage was 0.937, just above his total SV% which sits at 0.924 and puts him in at second in the league. He's also fifth in GAA. Color us impressed. Always looking solid in net, we're definitely fans of Engelage's size and style.

Goaltending has been a big boon for the Grizzlies this season. And with Utah's netminders earning back to back Goaltender of the Week awards (Lamoureux 12/27-1/2, Engelage 1/3-1/8), we don't feel overzealous in saying that this is the hottest goalie duo in the league right now. Apparently, the ECHL agrees.

Even with Lamoureux in the AHL, the Grizzlies can depend on Engelage, who - for us at the UGB - has proved himself invaluable this season in net. This kind of solid reassurance can't be overstated enough for Grizzlies' fans who have often had to rely on shaky backup goaltenders when callups or injuries snatch away their prized starters.

Though Utah started with a strong duo, the unofficial goalie development in the Grizzlies system has also been a bonus for these boys. It has helped them develop their skills even further in a league where goalies like Ouzas and Grumet-Morris grace the stage. So what makes the difference?

Start with Assistant Coach Leigh Mendelson, who played as a goalie during his hockey career and has worked with goalies in the past. While the ECHL doesn't have goaltending coaches, this sort of background in an assistant coach can build a better goalie system in spades. On top of Mendelson's background and efforts toward helping his netminders, both Engelage and Lamoureux work with and learn from each other during practices. As Engelage puts it, "There's nothing better than having a second pair of eyes. You can't always critique yourself or grade what you're doing, so it's great to have somebody else watching." And we definitely feel that it shows. Whether it's back to back shutouts or or stopping 74 SOG in a week, Utah can definitely depend on their goalies to save the day.


In other news, Jason Fredricks has been traded to the Ontario Reign for future considerations. Coach Colley's statement, according to the Utah Grizzlies' website, is that “We’re deep right now on defensemen and wanted to give Jason a chance to go and play every night.” Funny, we said the same thing when we read it on the ECHL website. (Always nice to know we can read Colley's mind . . . sometimes.) We thought Fredricks was a great d-man to have, making some genuine and timely efforts. But we're also pretty pleased with the defense that Utah has in place right now, so it's nice to see Fredricks go to a team that needs some help. Badly. (No offense, Ontario.)

Best of luck, Jason!

It's all downhill from here

No, we're not talking about the fact that the Grizzlies managed to tie the league-leading Greenville Road Warriors for points in the standings this past weekend and are right up at the top of the ECHL pack. Technically, Greenville still has a game in hand on Utah, which would put the Grizz at second in the league, but we're not going to be that picky when our team is playing as well as they are. Besides, it's confusing, and they're still first in the Western Conference. No, what we are referring to is the fact that the Grizzlies have played exactly half of their regular season games at this point. Their win on the road on Saturday gave them 15 road wins, which tops their entire road win count last season. We're not going to complain about that.

We didn't get a chance to mention last weekend (because we didn't know) that Goaltender of the Week J. P. Lamoureux was recalled on Friday by the Abbotsford Heat. We suppose that's what back-to-back shut outs will get you around here. We'll miss the guy, but we're happy for him. Best of luck in the AHL, Jean-Pierre!

Speaking of moving on, former ECHL coach Peter Laviolette was selected to co-coach one of the teams for the NHL's All-Star Game which will be played January 30th. From the ECHL's website: "Under the All-Star Game selection process, the head coaches of the teams with the highest points percentage in the Eastern and Western Conference through games of Sunday, Jan. 8 earn the right to co-lead one of the All-Star teams." Laviolette is the only former ECHL coach to date to win a Stanley Cup, which he did as the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. The coach of the other All-Star team will be Joel Quenniville of the Chicago Blackhawks by virtue of having won the Stanley Cup last season.

Don't miss Grizzlies Live tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 7:00 pm on 1230 KFAN. They'll be broadcasting from Ruby Tuesday in West Valley City, so drop by and see them in person if you get the chance.

The Grizzlies play Idaho next at the Maverik Center on Wednesday night. (Again? Spuds...)

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: Grizzlies 2, Salmon Kings 0

Second shutout in a row for JP.

If you missed it, the game went like so: the Grizzlies and the Salmon Kings were pretty evenly matched and played some mighty fine hockey through the first 40 minutes. Then, Victoria turned into a bunch of goons after Utah scored its first goal in the 3rd. No, seriously. Even Victoria's goalie tried to get in on the action, earning himself 2 minors. And the game ended with a good ol' fashioned brawl after Stefanishion knocked Ferguson's feet out from under him at the buzzer. Cute.

But overall it was a great game and another amazing win for the Grizzlies, with JP stopping all 27 shots he saw in the contest. And another beautiful setup with Marcus and Chris on the 2nd goal. Nicely done, all.

Gotta say, we love the Kilburg-Wilson pairing. Talk about double trouble . . .

We'd really like to see more from the Ruegsegger-Crowder-Parnham line; these boys have a lot of talent, but they haven't had much success lately. Brett's got some great puck control, Timmy's been delivering some decent hits, and Tyler's no n00b at taking the puck to the net. We just want to see this all come together.

Game Photos -



Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - J. Lamoureux
2. UTA - N. Tuzzolino
3. UTA - M. Carroll

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Blank Salmon Kings Again: Pull Away 2-0 In Third
gamesheet || Victoria at Utah - 1/1/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/1/11 vs Victoria
photos || 1/1/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Victoria Salmon Kings

Post Game: Grizzlies 1, Reign 0

And Lamoureux gets the shut out.

But let's talk about the Grizzlies' amazing 3rd period. Utah did a great job on the forecheck, rarely letting Ontario out of their own end for a good portion of the final frame; the Reign weren't even allowed a shot on goal until 7 minutes into the period. This is the kind of play we'd like to see on home ice. And while we realize that defending a 1 goal lead is an entirely different level of desperation than defending a 3 goal lead, we now know that the boys can do it.

Good job to Ferguson and the boys on the power play for the first and only goal of the game.

We do have to shine on Ontario and former Grizzlies goaltender Beau Erickson for his stunning performance in this game. His reward? A broken down car in the Maverik Center parking lot.

We love this dude. (Crappy screengrab is crappy, but if you watch the B2, you'll know who we mean.)


Brad Snetsinger on the kiss cam - brilliant. Brad's mauling of the player next to him takes the cake on players on the kiss cam. Go Brad.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - J. Lamoureux
2. UTA - S. Ferguson
3. ONT - B. Erickson

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Blank Ontario 1-0
gamesheet || Utah at Ontario - 12/10/10
highlights || Game Highlights 12/10/10 at Ontario
interview || Jake Gannon 12/10/10 intermission

Post Game: Reign 4, Grizzlies 3

Grizzlies lose at home again.

Hate to say it, but the Grizzlies just looked lazy tonight. Half the bench didn't appear to have bothered to show up to play. The boys were dropping their sticks
(no idea what that was about) and passes left and right. And the boys three goals didn't seem to generate any momentum for the team. Not the most entertaining game to watch. If we're going to be brutally honest, Ontario's 3rd goal of the game was probably the highlight of the 60 minutes.

We will say that the last two minutes of play looked pretty slick, but having watched their last road series, it was barely noticeable as we're used to a full 60.

Tim Crowder seemed to find his groove again, helping out with all 3 of Utah's goals. That was nice to see as we expect big things from Timmy. It was also good to see Ruegsegger picking up a goal and assist to extend his 4 game scoring streak; we were waiting from some consistency from Tyler and we think we're finally starting to see it.

And of course Lamoureux. He still made some big saves to keep the Grizzlies in a competitive position. Thank you.

One more chance to get it right this weekend.

Game Photos -

*Fixing our main computer, will get pictures up as soon as possible

Stars of the Game -

1. ONT - M. Pelech
2. UTA - T. Crowder
3. UTA - S. Ferguson

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Fall 4-3 To Ontario
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 12/3/10
highlights || Game Highlights 12/3/10 vs Ontario
photos || 12/3/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign
interview || Kevin Colley 12/3/10 post game
interview || Brian Kilburg 12/3/10 intermission

Post Game: Wranglers 3, Grizzlies 2

Um, Grizzlies? Where were you tonight?

Earlier in the season, we got used to Utah going up by a count of 2 or 3, then blowing their lead. Tonight, they seemed to sit back after a one goal lead and nothing seemed to shake them out of this mindset.

Let's talk about the stellar 5-on-3 kill. Utah had two defensemen in the box, and managed to kill a 1:46 shorthanded situation with few changes, two forwards, and one defenseman on the ice. Both the crowd and the benches were on their feet for the full situation. Yet this didn't change the momentum. We thought the boys would be at Def Con One after this kill, but no such luck. Surprising.

It just seems like the mental game is not there for Utah at home like it is on the road, particularly the last road trip. Granted the boys have had some upsets in their roster, adding two new defensemen and a good portion of the team out with injuries (or suspensions), so it may take a game or two for the changes to meld.

However, the Grizzlies still have some very strong players in place - Parnham, Ferguson, Snetsinger, Tim Crowder, Ruegsegger, Tuzzolino, Carroll, Fredricks - and that's only naming a few of the top of our heads. So we just expect more from these boys.

Lamoureux was amazing again tonight. 41 of 44 saves and a 2nd star of the game performance. Vegas's late 3rd goal was a hard one to take with his performance through the rest of the night. Overall, beautifully done.

Tomorrow against Ontario. Let's go.

Game Photos -

*Have some good ones, but are having computer troubles. Will get them up ASAP.

Stars of the Game -

1. LV - G. Collins
2. UTA - J. Lamoureux
3. UTA - B. Parnham

Links -
post game || Conference Showdown Goes To Las Vegas
gamesheet || Las Vegas at Utah - 12/2/10
highlights || Game Highlights 12/2/10 vs Las Vegas Wranglers
photos || 12/2/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers
interview || Kevin Colley 12/2/10 post game
interview || Brett Parnham 12/2/10 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Bakersfield 2

Three straight wins is pretty damn awesome.

Utah did a great job controlling this game from start to finish. Even though Bakersfield outshot the Grizzlies 42 to 18, the defense stopped a lot of the Condor speed without penalty which lead to fewer genuine scoring chances. And while the Grizzlies captured a win in the Robobank Arena on Wednesday, the boys looked much stronger on the backcheck tonight.

But of course we don't want to undermine the brilliance of JP Lamoureux here, either. JP stopped 40 of 42, where the first goal he allowed was generated from a breakdown in defense giving Condors numbers and speed on the goalie and the second in a 6 on 4 situation. On top of the numbers, Lamoureux again pulled out the stops to save the Grizzlies from their mistakes with some spectacular saves that left us cheering in delight and the Condors scratching their heads.

On the scoring end, we saw a lovely power play goal from Ruegsegger in the 2nd to increase the Grizzlies lead to 3-0. We'd been waiting to see more from this kid, so this makes us quite satisfied. Congrats to Brock and Marcus as well for their goals.

Also wanted to shine on Chris Donovan for his grit. Several times, Donovan controlled the puck and forced Bakersfield to chase him down, allowing for his teammates to complete a line change. At one instance in the 2nd after hitting the ice, Chris regained the puck and kept four Condors busy in the corner for at least 5 seconds. Color us impressed.

Just one more! Grizzlies vs Reign - Sunday, 6pm.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - J. Lamoureux
2. BAK - V. Trukhno
3. BAK - S. Goulet

Links -

post game || Grizzlies Roll 3-2 In Bakersfield; Win Third-Straight
gamesheet || Utah at Bakersfield - 11/27/10
highlights || Game Highlights 11/27/10 at Bakersfield
interview || Jason Fredricks 11/27/10 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Stockton 2

What a great game!

Even if the boys had lost, this was an incredibly entertaining match to watch. The Grizzlies played a full 60 of hard, fast hockey. Not only did they escape their usual 2nd period slump, Utah recovered beautifully after Stockton's second goal of the night.

In the 3rd, JP Lamoureux was the game winner, earning himself another well deserved first star of the game. He made with some epic saves and redeemed the Grizzlies from more than a few sloppy mistakes which could have resulted in a game tying goal. Lamoureux stopped 34 out of 36, including a perfect 20 of 20 in the 3rd. Nicely done, JP.

Parnham also picked up another 2 point (1g, 1a) game, along with Simon Ferguson (1g, 1a). And Donovan with help from Deeth and Carroll picked up a little extra insurance at the end of the 2nd to help propel the boys toward the win.

Back to Bakersfield tomorrow night. See you at 8pm.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - J. Lamoureux
2. STK - J. Pitton
3. UTA - B. Parnham

Links -

post game || Grizzlies Beat Stockton 3-2; Lamoureux Stops 20 In Third Period
gamesheet || Utah at Stockton - 11/26/10
highlights || Game Highlights 11/26/10 at Stockton
interview || Simon Ferguson 11/26/10 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Condors 1

Well, hello Brett Parnham.

Grizzlies came out and played a full 60, which was nice to see after their home debacles. While the top of their 2nd period could still use some work, they were able to bounce back rather nicely and add a goal in the 3rd for the win.

The boys did a great job on the power play, with 2 of their 3 goals on the man advantage. Brett Parnham really turned things up, picking up both power play goals on his second game back. (We thought Tim Crowder had one of those, but it looks like they both went to Brett.) Marcus Carroll added his 3rd goal of the season to snatch the win from the Condors, 3-1. The Grizzlies had an additional goal, but it was waved off as the refs assessed it to be thrown in.

JP Lamoureux had a great comeback game, stopping 27 of 28 and earning himself the first star of the game. We also need to highlight Ferguson's fight, and his razzing of the crowd as he made his way off the ice. Nicely done.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - J. Lamoureux
2. UTA - B. Parnham
3. BAK - V. Trukhno

Links -

post game || Grizzlies Win 3-1 In Bakersfield
gamesheet || Utah at Bakersfield - 11/24/10
highlights || Game Highlights 11/24/10 at Bakersfield
interview || Andrew Engelage 11/24/10 intermission

Post Game: Aces 5, Grizzlies 0

Grizzlies lose.

There's really not much to say about this one. Utah looked pretty good in the 1st, then rapidly deteriorated in the 2nd. The boys came out with a slightly better 3rd, but it just wasn't enough.

The fans expressed their dismay by throwing their bears for the Teddy Bear Toss on the ice after the Ace's 5th goal. Ouch.

Wanted to give a shout out to Brett Parnham for his first game off of the IR since the last time the boys were at home. Parnham played some good shifts and made some great hits on Alaska. And also, we'd be remiss if we didn't post the one highlight of the game - the Marcus Carroll fight. Our favorite part is the dap he gets from Wilson as he leaves the ice. Nicely done.



Game Photos -


Links -
post game || Alaska Breaks First Place Tie With Win
gamesheet || Alaska at Utah - 11/20/10
photos || 11/20/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Alaska Aces

And we would like our keeper back thank you very much!

Yesterday Colley announced that we got our goal keeper J.P. Lamoureux back from the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat, which is good news for our games this weekend. J.P. is one of our newest players yet seems to be fitting in great and is an awesome asset to the team. He has the drive and the skill to help take us a long way this season.

We have games coming up this weekend against the Alaska Aces. I think we proved to them on the road that we have what it takes to become a fighting power in the ECHL. We won our last game with a 3-2 over time win - it was a nail biter! The Grizzlies are currently ranked number one in the Western Division and Alaska is ranked number two. Our team has been doing so well, to mess it up this weekend would cost us the number one seat. And seeing as many of us Grizzly fans aren't okay with the Aces having the number one seat, the boys need to come out on top this weekend.

Just a note Brad Snetsinger is ranked number 11 in scoring stats for the ECHL!

In other ECHL news, Peter Vandermeer, who played for the Grizzlies last year but is currently with the Victoria Salmon Kings, had an interesting game against Las Vegas. Peter got multiple penalties in this game including smacking Mosienko below the belt. Vandermeer continued to try and beat him up after the officials had already pulled them apart. He was called for spearing among other things during the game so he spent a lot of time in the penalty box.

Don't forget out two home games this week on the 19th and 20th against the Aces! Friday the 19th is maverick day so bring your receipt from maverick and get a ticket for 5$!

Go grizzlies!

Peace :)
GrizzGirl

Top of the Mountain

The Grizzlies finally return home from a successful 8 game road trip this week. They went 5-2-1 and now sit at the top of the Mountain Division. Not bad at all, boys. Look out though - here comes Alaska...

Don't forget - Friday the 19th is Maverik night. That means all seats are just $5 with a receipt from Maverik. So hop on over and get a pack of gum, ask for a receipt, and buy your seats already, because according to the Grizzlies' website, they're going fast.

Forward Riley Armstrong was suspended by the Grizzlies as of 11/13/2010. We haven't figured out what's going on with that situation yet. You can bet we'll keep our eye on it though. Our top guesses are 1) he's going overseas to play and the Grizzlies wanted to retain his rights, or 2) he let the air out of Colley's tires in the parking lot. (Hey, they're just guesses. We never said they were good ones.)

The Grizzlies' former NHL affiliate, the New York Islanders, fired head coach Scott Gordon today, and put Bridgeport head coach Jack Capuano at the helm. Former Grizzly and Sound Tiger Justin Bourne wrote about playing for "Cappy" in USA Today. We don't know much about coaching or anything, but man, check out the hair in that picture.

A couple of moves by Abbotsford: it looks like JP Lamoureux will soon be back in a Grizzlies jersey. Also, Brett Sutter is back with the Heat. Couldn't possibly have anything to do with him getting arrested in Phoenix, could it?

And just because we love an underdog, check out this guy in Reading - Ben Scrivens. He's beating the odds and doing it with a great attitude.

Home game in 5 days!

Penalty Minute Leaders and Other News

The Grizzlies are currently 2nd in their division, one point behind the Alaska Aces. The Grizzlies have the most penalty minutes in the division at 87. We're not sure whether that's newsworthy or not, but we're reporting it anyway. (Are we sure it's not that Dave Schultz?)

Deseret News had a Q&A session with J. P. Lamoreux.

The Grizzlies no longer have two sets of brothers on the roster. As of Sunday, October 24th, they released Ed Snetsinger from his contract. We're hoping someone in the division picks him up so Ed and Brad can play against each other on a regular basis. Maybe bet each other dinner, or bathroom cleaning or something.

This is the last week to get your vote in for the ECHL All-Decade team.

Not Grizzlies-related, but junior defenseman for the Miami RedHawks Will Weber was cut by a skate during a game on Saturday night, leaving him with a great look for Halloween. (Picture here - click at your own risk.) Weber has since been released from the hospital and is doing fine.

Post Game: Condors 5, Grizzlies 0

Well, no way to sugar coat it. This is not how we pictured the home opener. While the effort was there as demonstrated by the shot count, the talk of the night was the shots against vs goals allowed. As Colley called it in his post game, a couple of lucky bounces and a couple of minor breakdowns and the Grizzlies were down 4 goals.

And while we definitely missed the trademark Kinasewich slapper from the circle, we were much more impressed with the overall team effort. Since we bitched all last season about playing a full 60, it was more than a relief to see Gannon and the boys playing until the bitter end. Again, from Colley: "We can't be looking at the scoreboard and feeling sorry for ourselves that we're down 2-nil. We have to go to work." This has been Colley's message for the past few years and we feel like this season the Grizzlies have a team that can accomplish this.

And JP . . . Hey, buddy - it could be worse.


Stars of the Game -
Yeah . . . we're not posting these today (for Joni's sanity).

Game Photos -



Links -

post game || Condors Spoil Opening Night in Utah
gamesheet || Bakersfield at Utah - 10/22/10
interview || Kevin Colley 10/22/10 post game
photos || 10/22/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Bakersfield Condors

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Bakersfield Condors

And now, we bring you... the Maverik Center.

Okay, so it's been around a while now, but for Grizzlies fans, this will be the first hockey game played in the newly-named arena. We're guessing it will be pretty much the same as the old E Center, but we're still excited. Mainly just for hockey. It has been way too long.

The name of the arena isn't the only thing that has changed for the Grizzlies, and we're really excited to get a good look at the new team on home ice. This weekend will be our only chance for a while too, because the Grizz take off for 8 straight road games come next week. So if you're starved for hockey like we are, you'd better get down to the ice Friday and Saturday.

The Grizzlies face the Bakersfield Condors for their home opener. The Condors have only played one game against Las Vegas so far this season, which was a 3-4 loss, so they're looking for their first win. The Grizzlies have not lost in regulation yet, and hope to continue that streak in front of their home fans.

There is a lot of optimism about this year's team, especially from Head Coach Kevin Colley. In an interview with Deseret News's Dan Rasmussen he said, "Our back end should be just as good, if not better, than anybody else in the Western Conference." We're not going to comment on anyone's back end, but we do like what we've heard about how hard this team works. We saw it ourselves in training camp. Finally we get a home game to see how it all works together on ice.

The Grizz do have a lot of guys returning this season, but among the newcomers are previous ECHL Goaltender of the Year J. P. Lamoureux, and Stanley Cup winning defenseman Ric Jackman. (Read a little about Jackman's day with the Cup here.) They've also got a new assistant coach behind the bench - Leigh Mendelson. Welcome to all the newbies, and welcome back to all our guys from last season!

Don't forget - this Saturday is the annual Pink in the Rink promotion, where the guys wear pink jerseys in support of the fight against breast cancer, and the jerseys are auctioned off after the game. They also turn the ice pink, which makes it look kind of like the leftover milk after eating a bowl of Frankenberry cereal.

Home opener tonight - puck drops at 7:05 pm. See you there.

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Alaska Aces

It's finally opening night!

The Grizzlies are opening the 2010-2011 season this weekend on the road in Alaska against the Aces. We're pretty excited, and not just because we've been deprived of Grizzlies hockey for so long. We think this team has a lot of potential for an exciting season. They're also taller than last season's team. We don't know if that's relevant or not.

Anyway, after a couple of weeks of training camp they're ready to go, and even if they're not, it's too late now. We looked up last year's stats against Alaska, and it looks like they won 6 out of 8 games against the Grizzlies, so the Grizz have something to prove. Either that, or the Grizzlies won 6 of 8, but there's no guide on how to read the chart. We're pretty sure it was the former. We do remember a gigantic brawl against the Aces last season so we know it wasn't pretty.

The Aces have consistently been a tough team for the Grizzlies to play against, so this should be a good test. They are coming back, however, with former Alaska goaltender J. P. Lamoureux, who took the Aces all the way to game 7 in the Kelly Cup Finals in '08-'09. Our guess is he'd like to get back there. A guy with his experience could be a great asset for the Grizzlies.

Here's a fun fact - the Grizzlies will be icing two pairs of brothers (a pair of pairs?) this season. Ed and Brad Snetsinger have joined the team, along with Paul Crowder, brother of returning forward Tim Crowder. Timmy and Paulie are expected to start on a line together. We wonder how that worked out in the back yard back in the day. Guess we'll find out.

The Grizzlies have updated their website with some videos from training camp, interviews, and this great fact sheet about tonight's opener. If you haven't seen it already, we recommend checking it out. Both games this weekend (Friday and Saturday) can be heard on 1230 am with the pre-game show starting at 8:45 pm. Puck drops at 9:15 pm.

It's about time.

Just a brief Preseason Review

It was great to hear the slap of the puck and the scrape of skates on the ice once again as the Grizzlies took on the Idaho Steelheads in their two preseason games last weekend. Nothing is quite like the ECHL hockey season, especially when it's Grizzlies vs Steelheads. And while we're still out of practice from the off season, here's your preseason review!

Friday, October 8th:
The Grizzlies found themselves in a 4 goal deficit at the top of the 2nd, as Idaho packed on the points. However, Utah was able to cut the lead to a single goal before the end of the period, 4-3. But unfortunately, the Grizzlies weren't able to even the score before the end of the match, and Idaho picked up an empty net goal to end the game 5-3 in the Steelheads' favor.

This preseason game wasn't open to the public, but you can read the official postgame on the Grizzlies' site: Late Idaho Empty-Netter Ends Utah’s Preseason Comeback Effort.


Saturday, October 9th:
On our way to the game in Logan, we stopped by Le Nonne for some eats. We honestly just wanted to give these guys a shout out because their spinach ravioli is amazing. But now on to hockey . . .

The Grizzlies took the lead halfway through 1st with a goal by Parnham. And a beautiful goal it was. You could see it coming from the blueline. But our favorite part was the look on Riley Emmerson's face as the team jumped up to celebrate the goal. (We're still depressed we didn't get a picture of this.) 6'8" Riley got a goal of his own in the 2nd on a power play to increase the Grizzlies' lead to 2-0. Then Utah piled on another goal at the top of the 3rd to widen the gap, before Idaho struck back, 3-1. Both the Grizzlies and the Steelheads picked up additional goals to end the game 4-2 in Utah's favor.

You can check out the official postgame for Saturday's preseason game on the Grizzlies' site: Grizzlies Beat Idaho 4-2 To Complete Preseason.

It was nice to see JP Lamoureux in action for the Utah side. He stopped every shot he saw during the match.

One change we did see from last year's preseason game was the 3rd period. There was no coasting on the lead in the 3rd. The boys put in a lot of hard work for a full 60, which elated us to no end. We hope to see this trend continue and improve throughout the season.

Here's to a great 2010-11, Grizzlies!