Cap Wars: Goalies, Forwards, and fun with ECHL trades

Earlier this week, the Grizzlies made a few changes to their roster. We saw Paul and Tim Crowder traded for Wheeling's David Marshall, goalie Tyler Sims signing with Utah, Paul McIlveen completing the Dylan Hunter trade, and now joining the team - Shane Connelly. But with forwards Marshall in the AHL and McIlveen now suspended (we're assuming this means Europe for Paul as he played there last season), what did Utah end up with out of all this wheeling and dealing?


Well, two goalies - which is exactly what the Grizzlies were looking for. Rumor has it, the trade of the Crowder boys was mainly to free up money in the Grizzlies' salary cap so they could have bargaining power in finding new netminders, which is where Utah has been hurting lately. With defensemen able to step up into the offensive stratum if needed, missing four (Crowder, Crowder, Marshall, McIlveen) forwards may not make Colley as uneasy as going without the solid help in net the Grizzlies have relied on all season.

Of course, this is all just our speculation. But from some of these post game interviews, we get the impression that Colley is looking to his boys to start burying pucks on their opportunities, rather than looking for someone new to take on that role.

Let's take a look at the new goalie Shane Connelly. So far this season, Shane's played in games with 3 different ECHL teams (Utah will be his 4th), and for all statistical accounts he looks like a solid backup goalie to Tyler Sims. With the Devils, he comes to the Grizzlies with a 0.883 save percentage and 3.45 GAA. We found this awesome save from his college days to show you what this kid is made of:


Very nice.

We're interested to see which of the two goaltenders Colley decides to go with in net this Friday. Welcome, Shane!

Crowders to Wheeling for David Marshall (and what we think this means for the big picture)

So, the Crowder boys have been shipped off to Wheeling in exchange for David Marshall. In our opinion, we're not happy about this one but we're also not in charge. The Grizzlies' plan here is to prepare for the post season and they're looking to put together a team that can make a run against the likes of Stockton and Alaska - two rivals that Utah has had trouble with this year.


On the numbers end, we can see Utah's point. After ramping up at the end of 2009-10, Tim has had an inconsistent season this year without his catalyst of a brother Paul, who was injured between November and February. Tim led the Grizzlies' with overall points for a while, but currently comes in with 33 points (13g, 20a) in 55 games. And a recovering Paul is still adjusting back to game shape from his injury.

That being said, the boys seemed to spark in both games this weekend in their hometown of Victoria, as we expected. We were hoping to see the return of the Crowders and Carpentier in the same firepower line that began the Grizzlies' season, but sadly that was not to be.


So, let's look at the big picture - we're talkin' playoffs, baby.

Grizzlies made the trade for David Marshall who is currently playing with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL. With the Baby Pens, Marshall has picked up only 2 points in 8 games so not the heaviest hitter in that league. (His stats in the ECHL are pretty nice, though. You can check them out here.) Which means there's a good possibility that he'll be in Utah come playoff time.


That being said, it's necessary to take into account the upper leagues. Marshall's currently hanging out in WB/S, who has maintained the top spot in their division despite massive injuries and callups from the Pens, who have seen their own share of injuries and relied heavily on their farm teams this season. And even if the Pens don't make the playoffs this season, the Baby Pens are slated to make their run in the AHL. But with the injuries and callups to Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton needs bodies . . . and this is where it gets tricky for us as Grizzlies' fans.

Marshall has played in recent games for WB/S, so we know he's not riding the bench and will be in game shape when he joins Utah - or should we say, IF he joins Utah. Just today, the Baby Pens found out that three of their top scorers will not be cleared for the AHL playoffs due to NHL injuries. This could mean a spot on the playoff roster for Marshall who has AHL experience not only with WB/S but with two other teams this season.

Of course, it's not uncommon in the ECHL for a trade made in preparation for the playoffs to fall apart due to an AHL callup; this is what we saw with the Simon Ferguson trade last year after all. And honestly, more power to David Marshall if he can make the callup stick even though we want him here in Utah to help out our boys.

So, as for the Crowders? We're going to miss them terribly on a personal note. But we know that the boys will be guaranteed ice time as shorthanded Wheeling fights to hold onto their #2 position in the Eastern Conference's North Division. Tim was drafted by the Penguins in 2005, so it's somewhat fitting that he's joining their organization and playing with ECHL affiliate for the last push to the post season. And if this last weekend was any indicator of what the Crowders will take going into the Nailers, we may have to look out for them in the playoffs.

Aw, draft day!
Best of luck to the Crowders!

Post Game: Salmon Kings 6, Grizzlies 2

Grizzlies lose. Miserably.

Typically this season, the Grizzlies have been able to control the game and the scoring by dominating the puck on the forecheck, but we didn't see any of this tonight. Utah only tallied 6 SOG in the 1st, 8 in the 2nd, and 5 in the 3rd - totaling 19 against Victoria's 39. The boys basically spent their time chasing the Salmon Kings around the ice, ineffectively hoping to get some wood on the puck. It was painful to watch, and we hope to see the hard work that everyone credits to these boys to come out tomorrow night.

Our prediction of the Crowder boys getting a goal in their hometown proved correct with Paul scoring the Grizzlies first goal and Tim picking up the second assist. We want to see the family effort kept up.

Welcome back, Meyers. Welcome to the Grizzlies, Grantham.

Links -
post game || Grizzlies Fall In Victoria
gamesheet || Utah at Victoria - 2/25/11
highlights || Game Highlights 2/25/11 at Victoria
interview || Tamio Stehrenberger 2/25/11 intermission

Game Day - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers

There seems to be a shortage of games this week, and nothing at home for the Grizzlies. Hopefully you've already pulled out your Costco card and picked up your rations to make it through the famine. ($2.50 off a giant tub of cookie dough with coupon until the end of the month.) They'll make up for it next week, when they have 4 home games in 5 days. But for now, there's only one game, and it's tonight in Vegas, baby.

The Las Vegas Wranglers currently lead the Western Conference by 4 points. The Grizzlies are in 2nd... still. Utah has its next three games against, Vegas while the Wranglers have a couple of games this weekend against Victoria sandwiched in the middle. So again, the Wranglers come out with the upper hand, having more chances to get points than Utah. That makes these games against Vegas all the more important. The Grizzlies can't just worry about earning points, they've got to be about keeping Las Vegas from getting them. NO OVERTIME!!! Just our suggestion.

Another suggestion would be to not let the Wranglers score first. They have a record of 21-3-3 when they get the first goal in a game. This is kind of a weird statistic and we don't really know what it means, but they always report so it must be important. We are all for getting the first goal anyway. Or not letting your opponent score first. Either way works for us.

We know that Andrew Engelage has been stellar in net for the Grizzlies, and again earned Goalie of the Week honors, but Las Vegas recently got Michael Ouzas back from Peoria. Oddly enough, this is where Utah just sent captain Jake Gannon. We're kind of confused about this, but then again, we're confused about most things to do with moving players around, so everything is status quo. Anyway, Ouzas is currently ranked 6th in the league in GAA (goals against average). Engelage is 3rd in that statistic. We're thinking that last meeting between the two where Engelage got a shutout and Ouzas gave up 5 goals may have had something to do with that. We'd like to see a repeat performance. However, we think Vegas might still remember that, and might possibly be ticked, so we'll settle for a win. In regulation.

The Grizzlies will get Paul Crowder back in the lineup tonight. This is perfect timing - before he went out with injuries, he had two goals and two assists in two games against the Wranglers in November. It would be great if he picked up right where he left off. We're sure Timmy will be happy to see Paulie back in the game. Especially if they're also roommates, because having to watch your brother play while you can't has got to make a guy kind of cranky.

Only game of the week tonight. Puck drops at 8:05 pm. Hang with Adrian Denny on 1230 KFAN while you inventory your toilet paper and cookie dough.

Cheap food and other news

You know what cheap food means? Long lines at the concession stands. This weekend, hotdogs, corndogs, tacos and beer will be cheap at the Maverik Center for the weekend home-stand. ($0.50 hotdogs! $2 beer if you're into that sort of thing)

Anyways, onto the real news.

Congratulations to Brett Parnham, our newest player of the week! That's right, fans, two Grizzlies have been named the ECHL player of the week already this season. Parnham's nomination could have something to do with the hat trick he scored during last weekend's awesome round of games.

The Grizz are currently second in the league for scoring on the power play. The team has been doing amazing this season, so keep up the hard work for this weekend, boys!

Players missing from the line up for a game or two: Paul Crowder and Brent Gauvreau were placed on the injured reserve. Send these two good vibes to aid their healing. Chris Donovan was suspended for a game. He'll miss Thursday's game against Las Vegas.

Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 2 (OT)

Utah wins. Huzzah!

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

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

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

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

Stars of the Game -

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


Links -

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

Pink in the Rink 2010-11 Jersey Auction

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

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

Auction Photos -

Captain Gannon is first up.



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



Tim Crowder and Brad Stensinger hang out in the back.



Paul Crowder up for auction.



More milling about - Carpentier is up next.



Tim Crowder waits for his picture with a fan.



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