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!

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: Aces 5, Grizzlies 4 (OT)

Grizzlies lose in OT, pick up a point.

Unfortunately, we called this one. Sitting in 121 with the 3rd goal just under the Grizzlies belts and half the game left to play, I leaned over to fellow blogger Joni and muttered, "These boys have a tendency to lose their lead. 4-4 going into overtime."

It is a little disheartening to watch a 3-0 lead go down the drain. We've seen it happen before, where the other team takes advantage of simple mistakes that Utah makes. One of Alaska's goals formulated on a 3-on-1, where defense was just not in position. It happens. Sometimes the Grizzlies get lucky when they take an on-ice breather. But when the opposing team pushes the advantage, it makes Utah's miscalculation that much more apparent. Assistant Coach Leigh Mendleson articulated on this in his post game, stating "We haven't learned our lesson yet. We haven't learned that once you get a lead going you don't sit back, you don't play the scoreboard, you don't feel good about things. You put your work boots on a little tighter and you finish the game."

But now for the good. The Crowder boys lit things up again, with 3 points (1g, 2a) for Tim and 2 for Paul (2a). Kevin Deeth, playing with the Crowder line, also lit up the scoreboard with 2 points (1g, 1a) of his own.

We also wanted to shine on Jason Fredricks. We'd actually been commenting on Fredricks' defense throughout the night. He was always where the puck was and from that was able to generate his first goal of the season with the Crowder line. Nicely done. Andrew Engelage made some amazing saves through the night, stopping 32 of 37. After all of his hard work, it was difficult to see the game go on such an easy goal, which we're sure he'd love to have back. And Riley Emmerson picked up his first point of the season with an assist and added another fight to his resume. Overall, it was an entertaining game for the 7,887 fans in attendance.

Rematch tonight at the Maverik Center @ 7:00pm.

Stars of the Game -

1. AK - B. Miller
2. UTA - T. Crowder
3. AK - K. Falite

Game Photos -



Links -
post game || 7,887 See Alaska Take Overtime Contest In Utah
gamesheet || Alaska at Utah - 11/19/10
highlights || Game Highlights 11/19/10 vs Alaska
photos || 11/19/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Alaska Aces
interview || Leigh Mendleson 11/19/10 post game
interview || Kevin Deeth 11/19/10 interview