Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Reign 1

Grizzlies win. At last.

After the 1st period brawl, the boys played down and played some good hockey. Carroll's goal seemed to spark the Grizzlies offensively, and even though Ontario picked up their only goal of the night 42 seconds after, Utah kept their heads in the game. Talk about a game to get you prepped for Stockton - we hope the boys can remember to play hockey.

We have to give some major props to Ontario's Zacharias in this game. The kid stopped 43 of 48 shots thrown his way. We also have to give some mad props to Utah for not letting up after they grabbed the lead. Utah pulled away in the 2nd with 28 SOG to Ontario's 5. They also defended that lead beautifully through the 3rd, keeping on the forecheck for the most part and tallying May's 3rd of the evening for his trick.

Keep the momentum into Stockton, boys.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - T. May
2. UTA - K. Deeth
3. UTA - M. Clarke

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Beat Ontario 5-1
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 3/5/11
highlights || Game Highlights 3/5/11 vs Ontario
photos || 3/5/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign
interview || Kevin Colley 3/5/11 post game
interview || Hugo Carpentier 3/5/11 intermission

Post Game: Reign 3, Grizzlies 2

Grizzlies lose their 7th.

We ended up stuck in the massive ticket lines, so we missed the first goals by Utah and Ontario - and that's not to mention the Emmerson fight. The last 16 minutes of the period weren't that impressive, with the Reign picking up speed and the Grizzlies struggling to keep up and ending the period in a deficit. But that definitely changed in the 2nd when the boys racked up 25 SOG, taking over on the forecheck. We saw some great play from Utah in the middle 20. Regrettably, they couldn't get anything past Beau Erickson until the 3rd.

We though the boys still kept their heads in the game, even while picking up some penalties. Even though the Reign pushed back after Beau's injury and Hugo's clipping penalty (Rule 44.1 Clipping - Clipping is the act of throwing the body, from any direction, across or below the knees of an opponent. A player may not deliver a check in a “clipping” manner, nor lower his own body position to deliver a check on or below an opponent’s knees. - and yes, we had to look it up.) But once Ontario scored their third goal of the night, Utah started playing like they only needed to defend their lead rather than push for a tying goal and pressing every advantage.

We're not going to name names here, but there were some pretty obvious missed passes in the last two minutes of the game by players who should have known to have their sticks on the ice . . . Do it better.

Get the win tomorrow, boys.

Stars of the Game -

1. ONT - J. Hill
2. UTA - K. Deeth
3. UTA - H. Carpentier

Links -
post game || Ontario Beats Utah 3-2: Rematch Saturday
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 3/4/11
highlights || Game Highlights 3/4/11 vs Ontario
photos || 3/4/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign
interview || Kevin Colley 3/4/11 post game
interview || Kevin Deeth 3/4/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign

The Grizzlies are back in town this weekend, hosting the Ontario Reign at the Maverik Center. This begins a 6 game home stand where the Grizzlies really need all the points they can get. The playoffs are quickly approaching, and Utah has slowly slid down into 3rd in the Mountain Division. We can't even post our #2 sign anymore.

We're not quite sure what to make of this weekend's games. There has been a lot of turnover in the Grizzlies' lineup since the last time we saw them. We can quote all the statistics we want, but we don't know if any of them are applicable now. The truth of the matter is that when you change up guys on the team, you change the way they play. We're glad Coach Colley didn't trade himself, because now at least there's someone trying to get everyone on the same page. Anyway, it should be interesting to see how (and if) everything falls into place this weekend.

Something we can tell you is that while Utah has won 6 of 9 games against Ontario this season, only two of those wins has come at the Maverik Center. Conversely, the Reign have never beaten Utah in Ontario. Kind of an odd statistic. We don't know what it means. Probably nothing. Here's one that might be useful - the Reign currently lead the league in overtime wins with 8. Our advice - don't let it go to overtime. Utah needs 2 points out of these games.

The Grizzlies come into this weekend having only won 3 of their last 10 games. That's the worst past 10 in the Western Conference right now, with teams like Alaska winning 8 of 10, and Idaho winning 6 of 10 to pass them by. For a team that spent a good chunk of the season at the top of the conference, that's pretty disappointing. With only 16 games left in the regular season, Utah needs to start clicking again. A good weekend at home would spark that. They have a chance to make up 12 points in the next 2 weeks, and if they can get on a roll pushing into the playoffs, we'd be really happy. We're pretty sure Coach Colley would be too. He might even smile a little, or at least look less ticked off.

Two games this weekend at the Maverik Center. Four points on the line. Puck drops at 7:05 pm.

Post Game: Reign 4, Grizzlies 3 (OT)

Grizzlies lose, but pick up a point.

We really have to give it to Ontario in this one. They kept up the pressure through the whole game, and with goalie Erickson making some amazing saves, the Reign earned every bit of those two points.

But Utah did pick up a point in the overtime loss, which we won't complain about . . . that much. They did push quite a few advantages in what could be considered a "high scoring" game for Utah; Brett Parnham brilliantly capitalized on a mental mistake of Erickson's for the Grizzlies' third goal. Yet the boys couldn't seem to keep up their consistancy to capture the win, especially through the overtime period where they didn't tally a shot on goal. That's not to say the boys' game needed massive work, but rather Ontario capitalized on the Grizzlies' mistakes just as often as Utah capitalized on the Reign's.

Grizzlies went 0 for 4 on the power play. Colley didn't sound too happy about that. Like the coach says, the boys just need to work on some capitalization. The power play is currently in 3rd, and we want to see that change.

Great job by Engelage in net. He stopped 33 of 37 in the loss and on two of those, we need to cite the defense for the lapse. Also May continues to ramp up, earning himself another goal to his tally.

Game Photos -



Stars of the Game -

1. ONT - P. Bowen
2. UTA - M. Clarke
3. UTA - T. May

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Settle For 5 of 6 Points And An Overtime Loss
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 1/31/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/31/11 vs Ontario
photos || 1/31/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign
interview || Kevin Colley 1/31/11 post game
interview || Nick Tuzzolino 1/31/11 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Reign 0

Grizzlies win.

Finally. This is the team that we'd gotten use to seeing. The discipline that Colley talked about during his pregame interview is exactly what we feel had been missing. But when the Grizzlies put their heads down and focus on playing smart hockey instead of the calls being made, you end up with a 3-0 game.

While we're glad to see Utah's chemistry re-emerging, we're not as happy about the 2nd period slump: 22-11 SOG in favor of Ontario. Man . . .

But that just goes to show the incredible game Engelage had tonight with his first shutout of the season. Nicely done. There really can't be enough said for his performance in the last two games. 31 saves in this one for the shutout - he earned every bit of it.

Also, there was more love for Carpentier on the scoring side of things. He helped Utah go 1/3 on the power play, which is a stat we really like to see. Thumbs up.

Last game of the Ontario series Monday.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - A. Engelage
2. UTA - T. May
3. UTA - S. Ferguson

Links -
post game || 8,150 Fans Watch Andrew Engelage Shutout Ontario 3-0
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 1/29/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/29/11 vs Ontario
interview || Kevin Colley 1/29/11 post game
interview || Brendan Milnamow 1/29/11 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Reign 2 (OT)

Grizzlies win in OT.

This was a fun one to watch. Well, after the tying goal it was a fun one to watch. Between that first Grizzlies goal and the second one, it was a little nervewracking, what with the penalties and the not scoring and the minutes ticking down. But score they did to tie the game and send things into overtime, where the boys picked up the two points.

Not that we were excited to see all the penalties thrown Utah's way, but the penalty kill - damn. Throughout this game there were some massive penalties killed, particularly some amazing 5-on-3 shifts. While Ontario did pick up one of their two goals while the Grizzlies were shorthanded, the shift on the kill right before the goal was nothing short of spectacular. There was also a solid 2 minute 5-on-3 that Utah was able to shut down with some player sacrifice from Chris Donovan. Even injured, Chris couldn't get off the ice until an Engelage save and he still kept making those sacrifices. Now that's hard core.

We also have to give Ontario props. They definitely deserved the point that they earned from their OT loss. We'd say better luck next time, but . . . not sure that we really want that.

Game Photos -

* Yeah, we're slackers . . .

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - H. Carpentier
2. UTA - A. Engelage
3. UTA - B. Wilson

Links -
post game || 8,530 See Grizzlies Stage Dramatic Comeback, OT Win
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 1/28/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/28/11 vs Ontario
photos || 1/28/11 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign
interview || Kevin Colley 1/28/11 post game
interview || Jake Gannon 1/28/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign

After a nice little All-Star break, the Grizzlies welcome the Reign to the Maverik Center this weekend. We hope they've got their heads all cleared out, and maybe had some good practices, because the Grizzlies are no longer at the top of the Western Conference.

Shocking. Absolutely tear-jerking.

The fall from the top spot was a combination of the Grizzlies having a few not so great games, and Las Vegas really picking it up and winning 7 of their last 10. We know it's not the end of the world, and we're not all that upset - 2nd is still pretty good. But 1st is better than 2nd. Hence the numbering system. We're posting the sign until they're back from 2nd.

Anyway, the Reign are currently in last place in the conference, and have lost 6 of their last 10. So have the Grizzlies. Just an odd little congruency we thought we'd throw in for no particular reason. The Reign, however, are also last place in the league with only 28 points. This is exactly the kind of position that can make a team dangerous because they have nothing to lose. Sitting back and trying to hold their spot makes no sense, so they may as well go all-out and see what happens. Utah is going to want to keep this in mind, as sitting back is probably not their best option at this point either. There is still a lot of hockey to be played between now and April, and anything could happen. Oh, and keep an eye out for Ontario's lone All-Star representative, Aaron Lewadniuk - we hear he's got a great shot. Plus we really liked this feature on him.


According to Adrian Denny's game day blog, the Grizzlies should have their All-Star Captain (that has a nice ring to it), Jake Gannon, in the lineup tonight. It will be good to see him back on the ice here in Utah - we've missed him. We'll also see the two new guys - Brandon Milnamow and Maxime Tanguay. We're looking forward to seeing how they fit in. No updates on Andrew Engelage, which is maybe good news. We hope to see him uninjured and back in the net. The rest of the cast should be ready to play as well, and we're looking for them to rebound after some disappointing games last week. If you haven't yet read the article from Kyle Goon of the Salt Lake Tribune (no, we didn't make that up), check it out. Great article, and it really shows how these guys want to win together. A few little setbacks aren't going to cloud their overall goal - to win a championship.

With Friday being a "Pack the House Night" where all tickets are $5 with a Maverik receipt, we expect a great crowd to cheer the team on and start this weekend right. If you haven't got your tickets already, you'll want to hurry - they've gone fast in the past.

Games in town Friday, Saturday and Monday. Come see the Grizzlies claw their way back up to the top.

Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Reign 1

Win. And tied for first in the league with points.

We'll admit that we're quite spoiled with the Grizzlies power play percentage against Ontario, having 100% on the man advantage in their first 5 chances earlier this season against Ontario and going 3 for 5 last night. But honestly, any time you can pick up 3 power play goals in a game your really can't complain about your special teams and the work they do.

While we generally just assume Nick Tuzzolino as a given for awesomeness, but we really wanted to give him special notice for his work on the 4-on-3 in the 1st - that is until he broke his stick. Tuzzolino was everywhere the puck was and with his size, he made it virtually impossible for Ontario to get set up around the net. Tuzz also picked up an assist in the game. Nicely done.

And what can we say about Simon Ferguson. He earned every bit of that hat trick. After being genuinely skeptical at the first of the season of Simon, we've become quick fans of the winger. After his third goal was waved off, we weren't sure if we'd get to see Fergie get his reward, but like a pro, he went back to work and secured himself the hat trick. Congrats, Simon!

Also, wanted to give a shout out to James for chatting with us on the B2 during the game. Good times.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - S. Ferguson
2. UTA - A. Engelage
3. ONT - S. Collymore

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Roll 5-1 In Ontario
gamesheet || Utah at Ontario - 1/8/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/8/11 at Ontario
interview || Matt Sorteberg 1/8/11 intermission

Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Reign 3

Two points is two points. And we'll take it.

The Grizzlies did a good job of playing catchup after falling behind, then regaining the lead after allowing the game to be tied. When Utah pulled away with 2 quick goals in the 2nd, they seemed to have the game in hand. The 3rd period wasn't as slick as we're used to seeing with these boys, but they managed to hold on and secure the 5-3 win.

Hello, power play. After going 0/6 on Tuesday and 0/2 on Wednesday, Utah came back with some special teams magic. They went 3 for 5 on the power play in tonight's game with the PK earning itself another shorty goal. Though, the PK could have done a bit better job, but maybe we're just spoiled . . .

Nice shot by Crowder for his goal. In fact, nice job by Tim on the power play. He picked up an assist on the game winner as well.

All the usual suspects were shining tonight, but wanted to shout out to Carpentier for his TOI. He was on the ice for 4 of Utah's 5 goals, picking up an assist on the shorthanded one. Nice to have you back, Hugo.

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - T. Crowder
2. ONT - J. Morrison
3. UTA - S. Ferguson

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Beat Ontario 5-3
gamesheet || Utah at Ontario - 1/7/11
highlights || Game Highlights 1/7/11 at Ontario
interview || Giffen Nyren 1/7/11 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign

The Grizzlies take up arms tonight and Saturday against the Ontario Reign. They're going into this weekend on a 1 game winning streak, which isn't really a streak at all, but we're pretty sure they're planning on turning it into one, so we're going with it.

Streak or not, Utah has won 7 of their last 10 games and has been getting excellent play from everyone on the team. They are still at the top of the Western Conference despite a tiny little setback in Idaho on Tuesday. No big deal - they aren't going to win every game, no matter how much voodoo or fairy dust we throw out there. (Just for the record, combining voodoo and fairy dust is a bad idea. Or so we've heard.) Still, we're keeping our standards high and expecting 4 points this weekend.

Ontario may only have 21 points in the standings to the Grizzlies' 44, and they may have only won two of their last 10 games, but the truth of the matter is they can be a tough team for Utah to play against. The two teams have matched up four times already this season, and Ontario has won twice, both on the Grizzlies' home ice. Utah needs to look at this weekend not as an easy four points, but as a chance for payback in Ontario. We're not too worried about this team taking a vacation though. Maybe toward the beginning of the season they were guilty of that on occasion, but they seem pretty determined to stay on top now. They don't want the curse of Coach Colley on their heads. Plus it looks like the weather in Ontario is going to be crappy this weekend. (Maybe that IS the curse of Coach Colley. We have no idea what kind of powers he has.) Anyway, the Reign are 7-1-1 when leading after 2 periods, so the Grizzlies will want to get to work early. No pulling a Russian World Junior this weekend. (Our sympathies to all our Canadian friends out there - hopefully no one jumped.) If we were coaching, we'd tell the team to get ahead in the first two periods and stay there. Useful advice, but that's pretty much the extent of our plan, so it's a good thing we're not coaching.

For the Grizzlies, Marcus Carroll and Chris Donovan currently have 4 game point streaks going, and Kevin Deeth has two mulitple point games in a row. Ontario has new goaltender Alex Petizian from Alaska/Portland. Brock Wilson has a 1 game streak without suspension.

If you happen to be in Ontario for the game, try to be one of the first 3,000 people in the arena - it's Bud Holloway bobblehead night.

Games start tonight at 8:00 pm MST. You can listen on 1230 KFAN. Second win of the latest win streak.

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

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign and Stockton Thunder

The Grizzlies are hitting the road again this weekend, and maybe it's a good thing. They can't seem to win anything at the Maverik Center, and last week's 1 of 6 points homestand did nothing for keeping them on top of the conference. They're currently sitting in second place in the Mountain Division, one point behind Idaho. Funny how once you get to that top spot, nothing else is good enough.

Anyway, not that we don't love our team, but the long distance relationship seems to be working out better for now. We have every confidence that things will turn around for the Grizzlies at home in the future. We just don't know how far in the future. We're hoping sometime this season.

The first stop on the map is Ontario, with whom the Grizzlies have a bone to pick after last weekend. Or at least in our mind they do. WE have a bone to pick with them for spoiling our home games, but we're kind of irrelevant in the hockey world.

We kind of wanted to say the Reign were on an upswing after they beat the Grizzlies twice (okay, once in overtime) last weekend, but then they went and got a butt whipping from Las Vegas on Wednesday, so there's really no excuse. Well, except that the Maverik Center is cursed, but we're not particularly superstitious so that's just silly. (Anyone know a good witch doctor? Preferably someone good at removing hexes. Email us.) All that aside, the record says the Reign have been struggling. They're lurking at the bottom of the Western Conference with 17 points (the Grizzlies have 26), which doesn't put them out of the running at all playoff-wise, but they're going to need a good ladder to start climbing out of the hole. Still, there's a lot of hockey to be played yet this season, and this could be the game they take the initiative to start climbing. Utah will have to be at the top of that ladder with a hose, making sure they don't get too close. That means not letting their guard down for a minute, even though Ontario doesn't look like the toughest opponent on paper. Last weekend - perfect example. (We just wanted to add another set of parenthesis to this paragraph.)

Stockton, on the other hand, currently has the same number of points in the standings as Utah. They just finished a sweep of three games against Victoria last week and have won 5 of their last 10 games. They play Bakersfield on Friday night before meeting up with Utah, and are in somewhat of the same situation the Grizzlies are - trying to pass up Idaho. With the top 3 in the conference being so close, any of them could end up on top by Monday. The battle is heating up already and it's only December. We like that.

According to the AHL transaction report from yesterday, Jake Gannon was released from his PTO in Peoria. According to Adrian Denny's game day blog, the Grizzlies captain will be back in the line up tonight in Ontario. Having their captain back can only be good for the team. His experience can help them in situations where they may otherwise lose focus or intensity. Gannon has always been a hard worker and a good leader. Now we'll get to see where he can take the team. Also from Denny's blog, it looks like J. P. Lamoureux will be in the net for Utah tonight to start the weekend.

Tonight's game against Ontario starts at 8:00 pm MST and can be heard on 1230 KFAN on your AM dial. Tomorrow's game in Stockton starts at 8:30 pm. We're all about the away games these days.

Post Game: Ontario 3, Grizzlies 2 (OT)

Grizzlies lose, but this time in OT. Improvement.

Utah had a weak 1st period. The entire 2nd period was a brawl (seriously, 19 penalties in the middle frame). And the last 10 minutes of play is how we would have liked to see the Grizzlies playing the whole game. However, the boys did gain one point, and 1 point from 6 over the weekend is . . . still pretty damn bad. But we're going to take the comeback late in the 3rd as a sign that Utah's play at home is changing (please, please, please). Either way, the crowd was certainly into this game as were we.

One of the first things we noticed was the presence of Emmerson in a suit. During Grizzlies Live, Assistant Coach Mendelson had commented on the positive influence of Riley on the bench even if he wasn't playing shifts, so we were interested to see the effect #59 could bring to the game from the bench.

Michael Gergen looked pretty tough tonight. He fought for the puck during line changes and made an extra effort to take the puck coast to coast to control it Ontario's zone. We were excited when Denny mentioned this in his postgame interview with Colley as well. We also want to thank the blueliners for scoring tonight.

0 for 4 on the power play?

Not much else to say about this one. Grizzlies head back to California next weekend, so we expect to see some wins.

Game Photos -

*Still with the computer issues; we'll get it fixed this week.

Stars of the Game -

1. ONT - J. Corey
2. UTA - N. Tuzzolino
3. ONT - D. Collins

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Comeback In Third; Fall 3-2 In OT
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah - 12/4/10
highlights || Game Highlights 12/4/10 vs Ontario
photos || 12/4/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign
interview || Kevin Colley 12/4/10 post game
interview || Riley Emmerson 12/4/10 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

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers and Ontario Reign

No, they're not playing both teams at the same time, although we'd totally be up for 3-way hockey. Don't know where they'd put the extra net though...

The Grizzlies play Las Vegas on Thursday night, and then go two games with Ontario Friday and Saturday. And believe it or not, they're playing in the Maverik Center. Yes, we do actually have a team IN Salt Lake City, not just FROM Salt Lake City.

Unfortunately, the Grizzlies haven't had the best record on home ice so far this season. The good news there is that they haven't played many home games yet - in fact, only four - so they still have a lot of time to improve that record.

We can't complain about their record on the road so far. Much has been made about the recent road trip in which the Grizzlies went 4-0, playing those 4 games in 5 nights. Utah has won 6 of its last 10 games, and 7 of its last 10 road games. That top spot in the Western Conference is giving them a good view of their two weekend challengers - Las Vegas and Ontario - which may give them a little boost going into these next three games. We don't want them getting overconfident though. We mentioned before that we liked what Coach Mendelson during Grizzlies Live on Tuesday night: "By yourself you can look at the standings and smile, but as a team you need ot keep a clear mindset each night." In other words, just because they're on top right now doesn't mean they don't have to work hard every shift. Like Brian Burke says, "The minute you think you know all the answers you start falling behind." And since we're quoting people, "Keep the lead on the gas, Grizzlies!" (Okay, so we said that ourselves. It's still a quote.)

As fans, we're just focusing on enjoying this great run. We get to see our team in action live for the next three days, and we're really hoping the streak continues. We won't be seeing Ric Jackman, as he's off to Europe, but we'll get to see the debut of the 'Burgs - Matt Sorteberg and Brian Kilburg will be in the line up for the first time this season on Thursday. Looking forward to seeing those two back in action. Oh, and best of luck to Jackman in Europe!

The Wranglers have had some good winning streaks going recently, including a 4 game winning stretch in November that was only broken by a 7-1 schooling at the hands of Bakersfield. They learned something in that school because they then won three of their next four, the last game being a shootout loss to Ontario. (Did we mention the Grizzlies have won FOUR of their last four? Just checking.) Vegas will be a tough team for the Grizz to take on starting their weekend.

Ontario, on the other hand, has lost 6 of their last 10, including the game against Utah last Sunday. They're currently at the bottom of the Conference, which is all the more motivation for them to beat the team at the top. Hockey is a funny thing - just when you might think you've got an easy win coming your way, the hockey gods eat your lunch right in front of you. We'd rather not say anything that might get our lunch stolen. We kind of like eating.

Speaking of eating, if you haven't heard already, the Grizzlies are offering all kinds of ridiculous deals on concessions this weekend. You can probably double the amount of food you ate over Thanksgiving for a fourth of the price. And if you're feeling a little paunchy by Saturday, stop in to the team store and pick up a Grizzlies jersey to go with your fat pants. It's remarkable what those things can hide.

Three games, three nights, two opponents, and one spot at the top of the Western Conference. It all starts tonight at 7:05 pm.

Post Game: Grizzlies 7, Reign 3

Woo, Parnham!

The Grizzlies really dominated this game. The speed ran much slower than the previous games on the trip, so Utah was able to keep control at the pace they wanted. In fact, the Grizzlies were so dominant that we fell asleep for a bit in the 2nd period, but let's talk about the power play.

The boys were able to score on 5 of the 7 man-advantage situations awarded to them, which is phenomenal, particularly since those goals were on successive power plays. In the situations where they scored, the boys looked completely in control of play for the duration. Two of Brett Parnham's three goals came on the power play, and Jackman picked up three assists as well. Beautifully done.

And of course, we need to mention that Brett Parnham picked up the Grizzlies second hat trick of the season. His angle on the Grizzlies second goal was nothing short of brilliant: from one knee, while moving, right to the back of the net. Highlight reel, anyone? Congrats to Brett!

The Grizzlies bench showed up on Ontario's Kiss Cam last night. Matt Clarke seemed overly excited, and ended up pointing and waving like any other fan who found themselves on the jumbotron would do - we were amused. Most players don't notice when they're on the jumbotron; Ontario still takes the cake for puckering up on the Grizzlies' Kiss Cam a few seasons back.

Now bring some wins back home for us, boys!

Stars of the Game -

1. UTA - B. Parnham
2. UTA - R. Jackman
3. ONT - S. Collymore

Links -

post game || Grizzlies Finish Trip 4-0: Beat Ontario 7-3
gamesheet || Utah at Ontario - 11/28/10
highlights || Game Highlights 11/28/10 at Ontario
interview || Tyler Ruegsegger 11/28/10 intermission

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs State of California

The Grizzlies got a solid win in Bakersfield on Wednesday, had a quick Thanksgiving break, and tonight they'll pick up right where they left off. Well, maybe not right where they left off, since they'll be in Stockton on Friday, back to Bakersfield on Saturday, and make a stop in Ontario on Sunday before heading back to Utah. If you Mapquest that, it's about 1280 miles, so the guys should all have plenty of travel time to write letters to their families.

First up for the weekend on Friday is Stockton, and they currently lead the Western Conference by one point. The Grizzlies are actually only one point behind them, but so are Alaska and Idaho. There is probably a way the Grizz could come out on top of the Conference by the end of this road trip, but it would involve some combination of other teams winning and losing, and quite frankly we're too lazy to figure it out. We do know, however, that beating Stockton would fit nicely into that combination. The Thunder have lost their last three games (one in a shootout) so they're not unbeatable, but they're also not going to give up the points without a good fight. Utah hasn't played Stockton yet this season, so they'll have to really keep their focus if they want a shot at the top spot in the west.

On Saturday, the Grizzlies show up in Bakersfield again looking for their second win there this week. Only two days ago, Brett Parnham scored twice for Utah in the first period, the second of which held up to be the game winner. We're hoping for a little deja-vu tomorrow. We figure Parnham has some make-up work to do for being out with injuries for so long. And we'll never complain about one of the Grizzlies scoring two goals in one game. Anyway, it's two more points in the standings toward that top spot, which we also won't complain about. So it looks as if two is the lucky number for the second game of the weekend.

Finally, the Grizz round out the California tour with a visit to the Ontario Reign. This will be the first time Utah plays Ontario this season. The next time will be next weekend in Utah, so the team could use this as a chance to get used to the Reign before they play again at home. We're sure we speak for all the fans when we say we'd really like to see a win at the Maverik Center. Anyway, the Reign are currently last in the conference, and have only won 3 of their last 10. However, like the Grizzlies, they play a pretty full schedule this weekend and will have two home games against Vegas before they host Utah on Sunday. And like the Grizzlies, we don't really know what their record will be by Sunday, so this should be an interesting match. Could this be the game that pushes the Grizzlies to the top of the Western Conference? We'd keep our fingers crossed, but that makes it hard to type, among other necessary things.

The Grizzlies have been up and down as of late, winning 5 of their last 10 games. They really haven't been able to get a solid streak going all season long. With a good win under their belts from Wednesday, and three more games in one weekend, maybe that streak is due. As Adrian Denny comments in his blog, the Grizzlies have had some really nice goaltending this season that has really helped them out in the standings. They may need it. Even though Stockton lost their last game, they outshot their opponent 43-13. Utah's defense will need to be on their toes if the team wants to start the weekend off right.

Tonight's game against Stockton starts at 8:30 pm. Tomorrow night's game in Bakersfield has an 8:00 pm puck drop, and Sunday's game will start at 6:00 pm. Here's hoping the Grizzlies make the Friday after Thanksgiving pretty black for California.

Post Game: Reign 3, Grizzlies 1

This was a tight match the whole 60 minutes through, and we honestly thought that the Grizzlies would pull out one of their 3rd period 19:00 goals. Unfortunately, the boys had no such luck.

Utah scored first on the power play at 1:53 of the 1st with a goal from Vlady Nikiforov. This would be the only time the Grizzlies would see the back of Ontario's net in the contest. Four minutes later, the Reign tied things up with one of their own. The match remained tied until Ontario scored midway through the 2nd to gain the lead.

Though the Grizzlies battled, the Reign held their one-goal lead through the 3rd, then tacked on an empty netter to end things 3-1, Ontario.

From the official post game:

The Ontario Reign defeated the Utah Grizzlies (26-23-2-5) 3-1 Saturday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Reign added a late empty-netter to seal the contest and break the 2-1 score.

Utah had three power-plays in the third period but was unable to beat Reign goaltender Curtis Darling who stopped 28 of 29 Grizzlies shots. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Fall 3-1 in California
highlights || Game Highlights 2/27/10 at Ontario
gamesheet || Utah at Ontario 2/27/10
interview || USA/Canada Gold Medal 2/27/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

UTA V. Nikiforov (14), 1:53 1st period (Perry, Sixsmith); Grizzlies 1, Reign 0
ONT J. Francisco (13), 5:34 1st period (Voce, Pelech); Grizzlies 1, Reign 1
ONT M. Egener (6), 11:57 2nd period (Pelech, Jackson); Grizzlies 1, Reign 2
ONT M. Howe (5), EN 19:18 3rd period (Francisco); Grizzlies 1, Reign 3


What Worked Well: Penalty Kill
Special teams were on it again. Even though Utah stayed out of the box for the most part, the few penalties the Grizzlies did allow, they killed off with style. Nice job once again by the PK units.

What Could Have Been Better: 5-on-5 Play
While we're completely impressed by how Utah's special teams have been working, Ontario wasn't. The driving force behind both contests was really 5-on-5 play, and the Grizzlies, while we know they can do it, didn't really match up to the Reign on this.

Who Made the Difference: Tim Maxwell
Beau Erickson in net was amazing and we saw some great puck handling from Sixsmith and Vlady, but Maxwell just had a really good game. He was a real boost to special teams, particularly on the PK and also rallied on the 5-on-5. One of the things we really like about Maxwell is that he has this uncanny ability to keep the puck in, and he showed off that talent superlatively.


Stars of the Game:

1. ONT - C. Darling
2. ONT - M. Egener
3. UTA - V. Nikiforov


Additional Notes:

> James Sixsmith continues his scoring streak tallying an assist in the contest.
> Utah is now 11-1 when Vladimir Nikiforov scores a goal.
> Beau Erickson stopped 29 out of 31 in the loss.

Post Game: Reign 7, Grizzlies 3

We suppose turnabout is fair play. Just two nights after scoring 7 goals against the Stockton Thunder, the Grizzlies allowed 7 goals against the Reign in this losing attempt.

For the first two periods of play, the game remained relatively tight. Ontario grabbed the first and only goal in the intial frame, and extended their lead at the top of the 2nd. The Grizzlies responded at 8:07 of the period when James Sixsmith put Utah on the scoreboard. The Reign responded, increasing the gap to 3-1, but the Grizzlies were able to light the lamp one final time in the 2nd with one second left in the frame, 3-2.

Entering the 3rd, the Reign were on a mission and Utah wasn't able to stop them. While the Grizzlies started the period with a goal of their own to tie the game once again, 3-3. But Ontario responded, tallying 4 more to regain the lead and end the game 7-3 in their favor.

From the official post game:

The Ontario Reign scored four unanswered goals to break a 3-3 third period tie and defeated the Utah Grizzlies (26-22-2-5) 7-3 Friday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena to snap the Grizzlies three-game winning streak. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Third Period Dooms Utah in 7-3 Loss
highlights || Game Highlights 2/26/10 at Ontario
gamesheet || Utah at Ontario 2/26/10
interview || Lance Galbraith 2/26/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

ONT G. Hogeboom (26), 7:47 1st period (Kraus); Reign 1, Grizzlies 0
ONT M. Egener (5), 5:32 2nd period (Kraus); Reign 2, Grizzlies 0
UTA J. Sixsmith (16), 8:07 2nd period (Aston); Reign 2, Grizzlies 1
ONT T. Voce (17), 2nd period (Pelech, Jackson); Reign 3, Grizzlies 1
UTA T. May (18), 19:59 2nd period (Sixsmith); Reign 3, Grizzlies 2
UTA P. Aston (5), 3:25 3rd period (Sixsmith); Reign 3, Grizzlies 3
ONT G. Hogeboom (27), 5:46 3rd period (Kraus, Egener); Reign 4, Grizzlies 3
ONT R. Pearce (5), 14:51 3rd period (Stsrling, Walker); Reign 5, Grizzlies 3
ONT G. Hogeboom (28), 16:47 3rd period (Kraus, Egener); Reign 6, Grizzlies 3
ONT T. Voce (18), 17:44 3rd period (Pelech); Reign 7, Grizzlies 3


What Worked Well: Staying out of the box
Utah only allowed one shorthanded situation during the game, which the Grizzlies' PK unit aptly took care of. This is what we like to see: staying out of the box to create more offensive chances.

What Could Have Been Better: Defense
We aren't sure if the defense was off or if O'Keefe was just having a really bad night. Everyone looked pretty decent out on the ice . . . until Ontario scored. We're going to let Colley take care of this one.

Who Made the Difference: James Sixsmith
Instrumental in all three Utah goals, James Sixsmith was clearly the difference maker of the game. With one goal, two assists, and 4 SOG, Sixsmith was able to get the boys on the board 3 times and earn himself the 3rd star of the game performance, showing once again that he is the "goal spark plug" of the team. Amazing job.


Stars of the Game:

1. ONT - G. Hogeboom
2. ONT - T. Kraus
3. UTA - J. Sixsmith


Additional Notes:

> Two Grizzlies had multipoint nights tonight: James Sixsmith (1g, 2a), and Peter Aston (1g, 1a).
> James Sixsmith, Tom May, and Peter Aston continue their scoring streaks.

Weekend Preview 2/26/2010 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign

This weekend, the Grizzlies head off to sunny California for a couple of games against the Ontario Reign.



Or not.


[Insert "Ontario Rain" joke here]

All weather aside, we expect this will be an exciting match-up. The Reign currently have a 3 game win streak going and will be looking for another good weekend. The Grizzlies also have a 3 game win streak, complete with that big 7-1 win on Wednesday night. If we're looking at momentum, the edge would probably have to swing in the Grizzlies' favor, because the Reign haven't played since Sunday. But that means they'll be a little more rested going into this game.

Totally off the topic, but what exactly is the proper way to refer to the Reign as a team? Do you pluralize them because there are several players on the team? ("...the Reign haven't played since Sunday.") Or do you refer to them as one all-encompassing body? ("...the Reign hasn't played since Sunday.") This baffles us. It baffles us every time we write about the Abbotsford Heat too. If you can shed any light on the topic, we'd appreciate it. Thank you for indulging our grammatical musings. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Ontario's power play was key in their last win as they went 5 for 12 (that's a ridiculous 41.7%) with the man advantage. It would be a good idea for the Grizzlies to stay out of the box. Also, remember Ontario fan favorite Peter Lenes from the All-Star Game? (Yeah, the "fun-size" guy.) He recently went 12 games without scoring a goal, but had goals in back-to-back games against Idaho last weekend, and feels he's getting that scoring touch back. Might be good to keep an eye on him. Those little guys can be sneaky.

Of course, Utah had their own guy to watch out for in Lance Galbraith on Wednesday. Can he duplicate his near Sittler-like 6 points in one game? We'd love to see it. Heck, we'd love to see any of the Grizzlies duplicate that. Maybe Coach Colley can use that as a motivator - if anyone gets six points in one game, Frosties for everyone on him.

Tonight's game starts at 8:00 pm if you're in Utah, and will be broadcast on 1230 AM by the most excellent Adrian Denny. He also mentions in his game day blog that on KSL-5 after the Olympic coverage, there will be a feature news story on the team with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.