Grizzlies for Christmas

The Grizzlies made their annual all-team Christmas visit to Primary Children's medical center where they visited patients. I think this is very nice of the Grizzlies because these kids need all the happy wishes they can get! So thanks to the Grizzlies!



Peace and go Grizzlies!

Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Thunder 2

What a stellar 3rd period by the Grizzlies. Tallying 4 goals and 22 SOG in the final 20 minutes allowed Utah to win the match and pick up a much needed 2 points.

The Grizzlies struck first only 6:36 into the 1st period when James Sixsmith knocked one in to extend his scoring streak and give Utah an early lead. With some amazing defense and goaltending, Beau Erickson and company held off the Thunder until 11:49 into the 2nd, when Stockton tied things up, 1-1.

Utah came out strong in the 3rd, tallying two back to back goals in the first 4 minutes of the period. The Thunder attempted a comeback, picking up another goal of their own to close the gap to a single goal, 3-2. However, Lance Galbraith quickly responded to the challenge, lighting the lamp with his second goal of the match, and Captain Kinasewich sealed the deal with an empty netter with 0:27 left in the game.

From the official post game:

The Utah Grizzlies (27-25-2-5) scored four third period goals to defeat the Stockton Thunder 5-2 Friday night at the E-Center before 5,111 fans. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Four Goal 3rd Period Lifts Utah over Stockton
highlights || Game Highlights 3/12/10 vs Stockton
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah 3/12/10
photos || 3/12/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder
interview || Kevin Colley 3/12/10 post game
interview || Dylan Hunter 3/12/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:

2nd period - Beau Erickson makes the save.

Additional Photos: [Flickr]




Videos: [YouTube]

Scoring Summary:

UTA J. Sixsmith (19), 6:36 1st period (Crowder, Aston); Grizzlies 1, Thunder 0
STK J. Bates (21), 11:49 2nd period (Vanoosten, Robinson); Grizzlies 1, Thunder 1
UTA L. Galbraith (14), 2:57 3rd period (MacMillan, Crowder); Grizzlies 2, Thunder 1
UTA S. McJannet (3), 3:17 3rd period (May); Grizzlies 3, Thunder 1
STK R. Constant (5), 4:49 3rd period (Hemingway, Eizenman); Grizzlies 3, Thunder 2
UTA L. Galbraith (15), 6:01 3rd period (Sixsmith, Crowder); Grizzlies 4, Thunder 2
UTA R. Kinasewich (34), EN 19:33 3rd period (Aston); Grizzlies 5, Thunder 2


What Worked Well: Shooting the puck.
When you're up against the 2nd leading goalie in SV%, you're going to have to shoot more to make it into the net. The Grizzlies did just that, tallying a crazy 47 SOG, with 22 of those in the 3rd period.

What Could Have Been Better: Power Play
While the boys did end up with a 20% conversion rate (1 out of 5) on the power play, they weren't able to capitalize on a 5-on-3. With a power play like Utah's this should have been no problem.

Who Made the Difference: Tim Crowder
While we do want to draw attention to Erickson's stellar goaltending, Tim Crowder was having an amazing game. Whenever he was on the ice, he was where the puck was. Tallying 3 assists and a 2nd star of the game performance, he definitely made a difference by being exactly where he needed to be to get the job done. A great game for Crowder.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - L. Galbraith
2. UTA - T. Crowder
3. UTA - J. Sixsmith


Additional Notes:

> Five Grizzlies had multipoint nights tonight: James Sixsmith (1g, 1a), Tim Crowder (3a), Peter Aston (2a), Malcolm MacMillan (2a), and Lance Galbraith (2g).
> Beau Erickson stopped 28 of 30 shots for the victory.
> James Sixsmith extended his scoring streak to 12 games - Nice.

Post Game: Grizzlies 7, Thunder 1

We had a feeling that the Grizzlies were going to sweep this series, we just didn't expect this kind of a margin.

The 1st period remained a tight match, with Stockton tallying 10 SOG over Utah's 8. However, the Grizzlies struck first early in the period and held their one-goal lead throughout the rest of the frame. In the 2nd, the Grizzlies packed on 3 more goals before Stockton tallied one of their own, but this would be the only time the Thunder would beat Beau Erickson. Utah responded with one more goal before the end of the period, 5-1.

At the top of the 3rd, Galbraith tallied his three goals for a hat trick, and May increased the gap with one of his own to end the game 7-1 in the Grizzlies' favor.

From the official post game:

The Utah Grizzlies (26-21-2-5) defeated the Stockton Thunder 7-1 Wednesday night at the E-Center as the Grizzlies completed the two-game in two-night series sweep of the Thunder. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Take Second-Straight from Stockton, 7-1
highlights || Game Highlights 2/24/10 vs Stockton
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah 2/24/10
photos || 2/24/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder
video || UtahGrizzBlog's Channel at YouTube
interview || Kevin Colley 2/24/10 post game
interview || Matt Sorteberg 2/24/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:

3rd period - Hugo Carpentier watches the game while he waits for a line change.

Additional Photos: [Flickr]



Videos: [YouTube]

Radke vs Bendfeld:

Radke vs Gongalsky:

Scoring Summary:

UTA V. Nikiforov (13), 3:28 1st period (Galbraith, Sorteberg); Grizzlies 1, Thunder 0
UTA L. Galbraith (11), 3:27 2nd period (Carpentier, Aston); Grizzlies 2, Thunder 0
UTA T. Romano (8), 4:24 2nd period (Crowder, Galbraith); Grizzlies 3, Thunder 0
UTA A. Perry (21), 11:06 2nd period (Galbraith, Sixsmith); Grizzlies 4, Thunder 0
STK M. Robinson (17), 11:45 2nd period (D'Alvise, Dacosta); Grizzlies 4, Thunder 1
UTA L. Galbraith (12), 14:18 2nd period (Romano, May); Grizzlies 5, Thunder 1
UTA L. Galbraith (13), 4:34 3rd period (Romano); Grizzlies 6, Thunder 1
UTA T. May (17), 17:39 3rd period (Wilson); Grizzlies 7, Thunder 1


What Worked Well: Special Teams
This game would have been a much different story if it weren't for the penalty kill, especially considering the strength of Stockton's power play. Utah killed all 6 of its shorthanded situations and also capitalized on 2/5 power play opportunities. The special teams have really been shining over the last few days.

What Could Have Been Better: erm . . . no.
Not a lot could have been better. The Grizzlies could have done a slightly better job staying out of the box, but with the penalty kill working the way it did, we didn't see a huge issue there, either.

Who Made the Difference: Lance Galbraith
With a hat trick, 3 assists, and a +4 coming out of this game, Galbraith certainly led the rest of the team with points, and effectively contributed to all but one goal of this game. What a great game for Lance; he definitely deserved the #1 star of the game with this performance. And, of course . . .

Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - L. Galbraith
2. UTA - T. Romano
3. UTA - B. Erickson


Additional Notes:

> Lance Galbraith ties with Ryan Kinasewich for the top scoring night in Grizzlies' history with 6 points (3g, 3a).
> Three Grizzlies had multipoint games: Lance Galbraith (3g, 3a), Tony Romano (1g, 2 a), and Tom May (1g, 1a).
> Beau Erickson saved 29 of 30 for the win.
> 11 Grizzlies made the scoring column during the match.
> The team is now something like 11-0 when Vladimir Nikiforov scores a goal.

Post Game: Salmon Kings 5, Grizzlies 2

After a long strech of shootouts between these two teams, this game ended in regulation. Victoria took the lead over the Grizzlies in the final frame, but unlike the previous games, Utah was not able to mount a comeback.

Both teams battled through the 1st, but remained scoreless until 16:58 when James Sixsmith buried Utah's first goal. However, the Salmon Kings responded with under a minute left in the period, ending the 1st in a tie, 1-1. Victoria took the lead in the top of the middle frame, and held the Grizzlies at bay until the final seconds of the period when AJ Perry tied things up for Utah, 2-2.

In the 3rd period, Victoria scored two unanswered goals to regain the lead, then sealed the deal with an empty net goal in the final minute of the game to end things 5-2 in the Salmon Kings' favor.

From the official post game:

West Valley City, Utah – The Victoria Salmon Kings (30-18-4-2) defeated the Utah Grizzlies (23-21-2-5) 5-2 Friday night at the E-Center before 5,910 fans.

The loss ends Utah's three-game home winning streak and their three-game unbeaten streak overall. Utah dropped to 4-2-0-3 in February with the defeat. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Fall to Victoria
highlights || Game Highlights 2/19/10 vs Victoria
gamesheet || Victoria at Utah 2/19/10
photos || 2/19/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Victoria Salmon Kings
video || UtahGrizzBlog's Channel at YouTube
interview || Kevin Colley 2/19/10 post game
interview || AJ Perry 2/19/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:

3rd period - Assistant Coach Pat Curcio gives Peter Aston feedback on his shift.

Additional Photos: [Flickr]



Videos: [YouTube]

Galbraith vs Davey:

Sorteberg vs Siddall:

Scoring Summary:

UTA J. Sixsmith (13), 16:58 1st period (Nikiforov); Grizzlies 1, Salmon Kings 0
VIC R. Gelech (16), 19:16 1st period (Siddall, Hamilton); Grizzlies 1, Salmon Kings 1
VIC A. Taylor (10), 5:09 2nd period (Brandt, Davey); Grizzlies 1, Salmon Kings 2
UTA A. Perry (20), 19:52 2nd period (Sixsmith, Crowder); Grizzlies 2, Salmon Kings 2
VIC A. Taylor (11), 4:13 3rd period (Brandt); Grizzlies 2, Salmon Kings 3
VIC A. Taylor (12), 7:34 3rd period (Brandt, Leitch); Grizzlies 2, Salmon Kings 4
VIC C. Painchaud (23), EN 19:28 3rd period (Siddall, Gelech); Grizzlies 2, Salmon Kings 5


What Worked Well: Sticking up for each other
Multitude of fights in this game, and a lot of them originated from bad or unnecessary hits on teammates. For us, it was really nice to see the boys sticking up for each other since it was almost ridiculous to expect it earlier in the season. Glad to see they've got each others' backs finally.

What Could Have Worked Better: Showing up to play
We didn't feel the same overall push from this game that we've been seeing over the last 10 games or so. The Grizzlies had their highs and lows during this game, but there wasn't an overall sense of consistancy in this match that we've been getting accustomed to over their past 10.

Who Made the Difference: Lance Galbraith
Again, we had a few to choose from in this game, but Galbraith's fight at the end of the 2nd really energized the troops, changed the momentum, and led to the Grizzlies second goal by AJ Perry.


Stars of the Game:

1. VIC - A. Taylor
2. VIC - A. Brandt
3. UTA - J. Sixsmith


Additional Notes:

> Beau Erickson stopped 35 out of 39 shots in the regulation loss.
> Utah tallied 23 minutes of penalty time from 7 infractions.

Post Game: Grizzlies 4, Wranglers 1

Utah wanted to duplicate the results of Saturday's game by hitting the scoreboard first in this rubber match and holding that lead.

The Grizzlies opened things up halfway through the 1st when AJ Perry buried one on the Las Vegas netminder. The Wranglers responded 28 seconds later with a goal of their own, but it would be the last they saw for the game. Vlady scored with a beauty of a shot 17:03 into the period to regain Utah's lead, and the boys never looked back. In the 2nd period, Galbraith increased the gap at 10:18, then Romano scored on the power play to pad Utah's lead to 4-1. At some point Tom May found the back of the net, but the goal was waved off as the Grizzlies were offside; we don't remember what period that was.

The 3rd period remained intense, but scoreless for both teams as Utah worked to defend their lead. Erickson and the Grizzlies were able to hold Vegas to a single goal and end the contest 4-1.

From the official post game:

In the second period, Utah added goals 1:38 apart from Lance Galbraith and then a power-play tally from Tony Romano to make the score 4-1. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Gary Coleman Drops Puck in 4-1 Utah Win
highlights || Game Highlights 2/1/10 vs Las Vegas (audio)
gamesheet || Las Vegas at Utah 2/1/10
interview || Kevin Colley 2/1/10 post game (audio)
interview || Steve McJannet 2/1/10 intermission (audio)
photos || 2/1/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers
video || 2/1/10 - Steve McJannet vs Chris Frank
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:


Brett Parnham waits for the puck to drop.
Additional Game Photos: [Flickr]



Video Clips: [YouTube]

Scoring Summary:

UTA A. Perry (17), 11:50 1st period (Hunter, Aston); Grizzlies 1, Wranglers 0
LV A. Orpik (7), 12:16 1st period (Miller, Lukacevic); Grizzlies 1, Wranglers 1
UTA V. Nikiforov (9), 17:03 1st period (Galbraith, Romano); Grizzlies 2, Wranglers 1
UTA L. Galbraith (5), 10:18 2nd period (May, Romano); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 1
UTA T. Romano (4), 11:56 2nd period (Nikiforov, Perry); Grizzlies 4, Wranglers 1


What We Think Worked Well: Vlady-Galby-Tony
This line just clicked. 7 game points from this line from 3 goals and 4 assists. It's really nice to see this coming from a second line. We knew the skill was there, we were just waiting for it to show up, and it did with cow bells on. Actually, we have to step back and applaud all the lines; we like who Colley put together and we're looking forward to seeing more out of all of them.

What Could Have Worked Better: Not a whole hell of a lot?
There was a slight breakdown in defense after the first goal which lead to Vegas scoring and another low conversion rate on the power play, but minus some tweaking we felt like this was a great game. Even though the Grizzlies only went 1/4 on the power play, the first two chances were beautifully executed even though no goal was scored. We expect to see the conversion pick up drastically over the next few games.

Who Made the Difference: Vladimir Nikiforov
We have to agree with Colley and say that this is probably the best game we've seen from Tony Romano since he hit Utah ice. That being said, we have to highlight Vlady's performance and puck handling skills in this contest. Stick in the the fun statistic that Utah stands at 8-0 when Nikiforov scores a goal, and we feel safe in naming him our difference maker for this game.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - V. Nikiforov
2. UTA - T. Romano
3. UTA - L. Galbraith


Additional Notes:

> Steve McJannet joins the team from the Florida Everblades for his first game in Utah colors.
> James Sixsmith also rejoins the team from the AHL, and Tom May returns from the IR.
> Four Grizzlies had multipoint nights: Perry (1 goal, 1 assist), Nikiforov (1 goal, 1 assist), Romano (1 goal, 2 assists), and Galbraith (1 goal, 1 assist).
> Hunter, Perry, Romano, and Galbraith build on their scoring streaks, gaining points in consecutive games.
> Erickson stopped 25 out of 26 shots for the win.

> Captain Kinasewich was held off the scoresheet this game; he was awarded a penalty shot, but it looks like it went wide of the net. Anyone know? We're adding that here for our blog readers below:

Post Game: Reign 5, Grizzlies 3.

Ontario drew first blood with a short handed goal 1:44 into the 1st. Utah was able to hold the Reign's tally to a single goal through the rest of the period, then opened the 2nd with two goals of their own to take the lead. However, a minute later, the Reign tallied two goals to tie it, then regain the lead. Late in the 2nd, Ontario added an additional goal to end the period 4-2.

Utah attempted to battle back but was not able to bridge the 2 goal gap, even with the help of a 5-on-3 power play. Both Ontario and Utah scored on power plays late in the 3rd to end the game in Ontario's favor, 5-3.

From the official post game:

The Grizzlies had 1:21 of five-on-three power-play time to start the third period, but were unable to score and the Grizzlies then preceded to commit three minors, one of which was taken advantage of by the Reign who buried a goal to extend their lead to 5-2 at 11:15 of the third period. [utahgrizzlies.com]


post game || Ontario defeats Grizzlies 5-3
gamesheet || Ontario at Utah 1/23/10
photos || 1/23/09 - Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign
highlights || Game Highlights 1/23/10 vs Ontario
interview || Ryan Kinasewich 1/23/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog

Photo of the Game:


Additional Game Photos/Video:

Bobby Hughes vs Michael Pelech
(not our best work, but whatevs.)

Scoring Summary:

ONT C. Curran (2), 1:44 1st period ; Reign 1, Grizzlies 0
UTA R. Kinasewich (27), 2:47 2nd period (Perry, Hunter); Reign 1, Grizzlies 1
UTA A. Perry (16), 5:36 2nd period (Kinasewich, Maxwell); Reign 1, Grizzlies 2
ONT M. Howe (3), 6:04 2nd period (Pelech, Martens); Reign 2, Grizzlies 2
ONT T. Voce (10), 6:40 2nd period (Francisco, O'Connor); Reign 3, Grizzlies 2
ONT T. Voce (11), 17:03 2nd period (Starling, Francisco); Reign 4, Grizzlies 2
ONT G. Hogeboom (20), 11:15 3rd period (Lenes, Walker); Reign 5, Grizzlies 2
UTA R. Kinasewich (28), 18:33 3rd period (Hunter); Reign 5, Grizzlies 3


What We Think Worked Well: Perry-Hunter-Kinasewich
This line was responsible for all goals scored during this game, 7 of the 8 points earned by the Grizzlies, and 11 out of 31 SOG. We can't deny (nor would we want to) that this line works incredibly well together.

What Could Have Worked Better: Power Play
The Grizzlies have a sizzling power play when they're on, but when it's off, it's completely past the mark. Both Ontario and Utah went 1/6 on the power play and neither were able to capitalize on 5-on-3 situations. However, the Grizzlies had a hard time controling the puck, keeping it in, and even allowed a shorty during their first power play of the night. Maybe we've been spoiled, but compared to the last few games, this definitely could have worked much better for the Grizzlies.

Who Made the Difference: Brock Wilson
Even though we really can't say enough about Captain Kinasewich's star-of-the-game performance in this game, we have to give props to Brock Wilson for his crazy, long-ass, helmet-less shift. He played a good game and took care of business. Check it out:

Definitely in the top 3 best game moments for us (other two: the first Kinasewich goal, Hughes sticking up for himself). Props to Brock.


Stars of the Game:

3. UTA - R. Kinasewich


Additional Notes:

> Ryan Kinasewich, Dylan Hunter, and AJ Perry all racked up multipoint nights.
> Overall, the Grizzlies tallied 31 SOG; Ryan Kinasewich led the team with 8 of the 31.

Media updates: Flickr, YouTube, Facebook

We finally got our Flickr account up and running. We're still adding more pictures, but we have a few up for you to see already from 12/31/09. Since we take exponentially more photos than we post in our blogs (500+ from New Year's Eve alone), we decided to upload the decent ones to Flickr for people to view. This will be a slow process, but you should start seeing additional game albums pop up over the next few weeks.
Also, just added the two Galbraith fights from the same 12/31/09 game against the Salmon Kings to our YouTube channel. (Yes, they're in B&W. We're still figuring out the new camera.) Here's one of them:

And we finally did some updates to our Facebook profile so you can follow us or friend us there as well.

Enjoy!

Utah Grizzlies vs. Idaho Steelheads Post Game: 11-6-09

Well, the Grizzlies lost. Miserably.

Though for some reason, we didn't find it too painful to watch. The name of the game was turnovers and penalties.

Seriously. That should have been the name of the game. Someone could write an epic Greek tragedy with the title, that is if there hadn't been so much bathos (which, for the non-Greek speakers, is an attempt to perform in a serious, dramatic fashion that fails and ends up becoming comedy) Kinasewich would obviously be the epic hero with both goals . . .

Anyway, the Grizzlies' official postgame is at their site, and the gamesheet is at ECHL.com. Trust us, you'll need it. Our post game is below.


PreGame Stuff: Anthem:



FIRST PERIOD

Grizzlies come out looking a little too hyped up.

Bartley gets the first penalty about 2 minutes in.
Idaho capitalizes. 1-0.
Vic does the skate of shame.

Under a minute later, Snatch ties it up.
His 10th of the season.
Not sure what career goal. One billionth or something.
Points on the assists to Hunter and Friesen on this one.




Coolest part about that goal: it was the first SOG of the game for the Grizzlies.
One shot, one goal.
We sense next year's theme . . .

Boys pick up speed and start playing like a real team.




This is what we call our May series:
Here's May in front of the net.



Then he tries to start a fight.



Vlady-Sixsmith-May for the face off. May's talking to Rome about something . . . involved.



Then Idaho gets a 5-on-3.
Perry goes to the box. Snatch follows him :30 seconds later.
Idaho capitalizes.
Boo.

But there's still hope, right?

End of first. 2-1, Idaho.



First Intermission: Totally unaware of the complete and utter destruction that lay ahead, we went out and got some pictures of fans. Check 'em out.

This girl had a Mole shirt. Awesome.




SECOND PERIOD

Parker starts out the 2nd in the net for Utah.



Early in the 2nd, the boys start out with a 5-on-3 power play situation.
Idaho racks up more penalties.
We love the outrage in the pic below.


Classic.
We can't even remember who was down on the ice there.

This is a freakin' long 5-on-3.


And the boys still can't capitalize.
Damn.

Idaho was a mass of blue around their net.
Awesome defense on their part.

You could feel the frustration on the ice.
Snatch took a half-assed swing at the puck from the blue line.
It was probably the closest shot they had.
Sad.

Snatch and Rome talk to the ref about penalties, a common sight of the second.


Though the boys are able to keep the ISH in check until late in the period.

Shea is escorted to the box for idiot-slapping an Idaho player.
Your chariot, sir.

Unfortunately, Idaho capitalizes.

Shea does the skate of shame.

3-1, Idaho.

Later, Kotsy gets a slashing minor.

Face off.

And Idaho capitalizes.

Kotsy skate-of-shames it.

4-1.

30 seconds later, Idaho gets another one.

It was bad.

There was a bit of a flub up by Parker over whether or not to cover up.

He chose poorly.

Sad.

Parker gets pulled.

O'Keefe is in.

Then, Idaho gets a penalty.

Kinasewich works it.

And he buries it.

Goal #2 of the night.

We wish we would have snapped a pic of this, but we were busy cheering.

5-2.

Nearing the end of the second . . .

FISTICUFFS!

Gannon and a bunch of Idaho punks. Rome gets 3rd man in.

Misconduct for Rome. Aseeya!

We think Kotsy's about to go with Idaho punk #3.

But the refs keep them apart.

Words.

30 seconds left in the period.

Then at the blue line, one second before the end of the period, Kotsy pulls #3 down.

And stands over him as the buzzer goes.

With this expression that says, "Well, whatcha gonna do 'bout it?"

Accompanied by a brief shrug of the shoulders.

This made the game.

Seriously.

Nice to see Kotsy back.

End of second. 5-2, Idaho.


Second Intermission: We mostly sat around. The Grizzlies got told their intermissions were too long, so they didn't put on a show either. More fan photos below.

Thauwald jersey! She didn't know we were taking this . . .

THIRD PERIOD

So . . . We kind of stopped taking notes at this point.

This is why:

Need we say more?

But here's your basic rundown of the period:

Idaho goal.

Penalties.

Penalties. Penalties.

Idaho goal.

Penalties. Penalties. Penalties.

Penalties.

Fights.

And, oh yeah -

Penalties.

For details, read the gamesheet. Which apparently was a bugger to fill out.

And, of course, our favorite picture comes from the 3rd.

This was preceded by our favorite moment. Perry getting a slashing call for sitting on the puck.

Then laughing like a little girl on the way to the box.

We got just as much glee out of that as he did.

Game.

7-2, Idaho.

Stars of the Game:

Who cares - obviously not us.

NOTES

Nothing to declare.

Except . . .

Can one really call 3 wins a streak? Isn't a streak more like 5+?

Isn't winning 3 games just good hockey?

Anyway . . .

Go Grizzlies!

Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads Post Game: 10-24-09

Even though the Grizzlies couldn't pull off their 4th straight Pink in the Rink win, this game still made some Grizzlies headlines. Kinasewich scored his 112th goal during the game, making him the top goal scorer in Utah Grizzlies' history.

Finally. We're ecstatic, but also a little relieved. Even though it's just been two games, it feels like this has been hanging in the air forever.

Don't believe us? Just Google it.

As per usual, the official post game is up at the Utah Grizzlies site, and the official gamesheet at ECHL.com. Ours is below.

PreGame Introductions: We were late for these.

There was a ceremonial puck drop, but it was as we were taking our seats. We missed who dropped it.

The rink is pink.

FIRST PERIOD

Puck drops.

Under 2 minutes into the first, Kotsy drops the gloves with Idaho #3.

5 for fighting.

Perry mouths off in front of the net.

Idaho gets a penalty.

Grizzlies can't capitalize.

We look for Guthrie, but Idaho's on him like flies on poo.

Idaho gets another penalty.

Nothing.

Some Idaho schmuck gets bulldozed.

Kotsy gets a breakaway but nothing.

End first. 1-0, Idaho.

First Intermission: We got some good pictures of fans. Check this out.

Jen and her hockey posse. From left to right: Jessica, Emily, Amanda, Megan, Jen, and Judy in front.

Jerseys from past Pink in the Rink years:

This lady does a Cancer Awareness Golf match, but also comes out to support the Grizzlies:

SECOND PERIOD

Grizzlies come out looking for some goals.

Idaho penalty. Face off in Idaho's zone.

Hunter picks up a power play goal early in the 2nd. Nice. Tied, 1-1.

Points to Friesen and Snatch for the assists.

3 minutes later, Idaho scores, 2-1.

Grizzlies are looking about the same as in the 1st.

Boo.

Stoflet loses his helmet.

Penalties. Some for Idaho. One for May.

Nothing.

Friesen takes a killer hit from Idaho, but drops the puck behind to a teammate.

Slick move, Friesen!

Talk about taking one for the team.

Then, Pavli drops the gloves with some joke from Idaho.

Both go to the box for 5.

Ahem. Replay, please?

Well, we did our best. We were across the rink and cheering, so it's not the greatest - but it'll have to do.

The boys gain some momentum.

Snatch joins Pavli in the box for slashing a couple of minutes later.

Killed.

Then, Kinasewich gets his goal.

He becomes the top goal scorer in Grizzlies history with 112 goals.

They stop play to give him props. Very cool.
Standing ovations. Rejoicing.

Awesome.

Points to Caria for the assist.

Two minutes later, Snatch decides to do it again.

3-2, Grizzlies.

Points to Friesen and Caria for the assists.

O'Keefe makes some sexy saves.

We somehow manage to get pictures of none of them.

Fail.

Hunter is injured. Damnit.

End of second. 3-2, Grizzlies.

Second Intermission: Snack time. And a Colley jersey sighting.

THIRD PERIOD

Grizzlies come out looking like the 1st period version of themselves.

Crap.

Kotsy goes to the box for hooking.

Idaho capitalizes, 3-3.

Grizzlies get a power play, but can't capitalize.

Pavli is on fire. He somehow manages to keep the puck away from two defenders and pass it to Perry who's right in front of the net.

Unfortunately, Perry was being so stealthy, he didn't even notice himself and missed the pass.

Damnit.

Then, Idaho gets another one, 4-3.

Sixsmith almost knocks it in, but gets punched in the face.

Perry gets in someone's face.

End of the third, Caria and Idaho punk #13 go to the box for roughing.

Grizzlies pull their goalie.

Idaho gets an empty net goal. Boo.

Grizzlies hang on to the puck for the last few minutes, but can't get another one in.

Game.

5-3, Idaho.

#1 star of the game is Kinasewich with 2 goals and one assist.
Nice.

Caria and Friesen pick up 2 points a piece.

NOTES

It's obvious that we're as skilled, if not more, than Idaho. The Grizzlies just seem to have a hard time keeping it together for some reason.

Basically, we here at GrizzBlog feel that we won the game for Idaho last night.

As to how to fix that? We don't know. We'll leave that to Colley and Curcio who know what they're doing.

Even though Snatch totally stole the show for the Grizzlies tonight (and well deserved - hear, hear), we wanted to highlight our two fave moves of the night:

Dustin Friesen taking a hard hit from Idaho to save the puck from their clutches. Friesen passed the puck back to one of his forwards before taking a killer hit and stalling Idaho from getting at the puck. Those few seconds helped the Grizzlies play the puck down to the Idaho zone.

Mark Pavli controlling the puck as he passed behind the ISH net with two Idaho punks all over him. After taking it to the far right of Idaho's zone and drawing the goalie's attention, he makes a clear, solid pass to Perry directly in front of the net. Also, +5 props to Mark for the fight.

That's it for now.

Go Grizzlies!

Pics and Videos - Day 3

Okay, it's late and we're tired, but we promised to give you some media from today's practice, so here we go...

We're not sure if this is shot blocking or what. Looks cool though.

Red team brings it...

Here's some video from red team - they're pretty fast.

Another red team video...

The team discusses whose turn it is to pick up the pucks.

A quick shot on goal - sorry, we don't know who that is.

Coach watches some of the play in front of the net.

We like this one just because of the snow.

Are they listening, or thinking about lunch?

Goalie snow = awesome.

Faster than... our camera! (Sorry, don't know who that is either.)

The purpose of this drill is to not fall down. Or something. We don't know what happens if you take out the cone.

Random red hat guy watches the practice with his cammo buddy. We weren't the only stalkers... er, fans today. Bonus.

In other news, we just heard via Twitter that former Grizzly Joel Rechlicz has returned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. We figure he'll be back in the NHL before the season is over, if only because he has a cool name.

We're hoping to make it back to the rink tomorrow for more pictures, videos, and news. Two more days until the first pre-season game in Logan.

Go Grizzlies!