Utah Grizzlies vs Ontario Reign Post Game 12/4/09

After the harsh game on Wednesday, we entered the E-Center with minimal expectations of a win.

Man, were we wrong.

Solid win by the Grizzlies.

The boys looked good on the ice and played as a team for the entire 60 minutes. May had a 4 point night (1 goal, 3 assists), Shea racked up 2 goals, Snatch was all over the PK, Kotsy picked up 2 assists, and Beljo scored his first professional goal. Nice.

But we've gotta say as far as opponents go, we like Ontario.

Any visiting team that will pucker up for the jumbotron Kiss Cam is down in our book.

UtahGrizzlies.com has the official post game for you. ECHL.com has the gamesheet. And ours is below.

Pregame Warmup: A shot of the warmup.

This is just kind of a cool thought.

We didn't get any good anthem pics, but the group that sang was the best rendition of the anthem we've heard in a long time. Bravo!

Hunter is a scratch; he has the flu.

FIRST PERIOD

Ontario scores 19 seconds in. 1-0.

Damnit.

But Beljo answers 6 minutes later. 1-1.

Kotsy and May get the assists on that.

Ontario takes the puck in the neutral zone.

The plexiglass popped out of frame.

Technical difficulties.

Clarke got the first penalty of the game for roughing.

Faceoff in Grizzlies' end.

Killed.

Ontario puts the pressure on Vlady in the neutral zone.

Ontario goes to the box, and Utah capitalizes.

Shea gets the power play goal. 2-1.

Both Kotsy and May rack up their second points of the night on the assists.

Maxwell takes a tour for tripping.

Snatch is all over the penalty kill.

Ontario gets a hooking call on them at the end of the period.

So Grizzlies will start the 2nd with a power play.

End of first. 2-1, Grizzlies.

SECOND PERIOD

Grizzlies start out on the power play but can't do anything with it.

However, 30 seconds after the power play . . .

May gets a beauty. 3-1.

Unassisted.

May crashes the net.

Shea made one of the best plays of the night during the 2nd.

He checks a guy, grabs the puck, then gets tripped up.

But he holds on to the puck, then gets hit and face plants.

THEN he jumps up, recovers the puck again, and makes a solid pass.

During this entire sequence, he was the only player to touch the puck.

Awesome.

Ontario's netminder Darling makes the save. And 35 other saves, too.

Ontario gets a penalty.

Parnham takes the faceoff in Ontario's zone.

Nothing.

Ontario gets another penalty, and Shea gets his second power play goal of the night.

4-1.

We actually ended up with a shot of the goal right before it went in.

Nice!

Points to Snatch and Bartley on the assists.

Then, Utah gets a penalty and Ontario scores.

Hogeboom, again.

End of second. 4-2, Grizzlies.

THIRD PERIOD

The boys warm up on the ice.

The Grizzlies need to hold their lead.

In fact, our fan chant of the game is: "Don't give up your lead! Don't give up your lead!"

This was from some guy sitting behind us.

We laughed - sure. But we agreed.

Beljo along the boards.

Ontario gets some penalties.

Nothing.

Action in the neutral zone.

Kotsy gets in a fight.

Nice.

O'Keefe makes the save.

Then Vlady gets one. 5-2.
May picks up his 4th point of the night on the assist.

Ontario battles, but they can't get it past Utah's defense.
Man, check out that awesome defense.

Perry gets the empty netter.
Assists to Parnham and O'Keefe on that.
Excellent.

Game.

6-2, Grizzlies.

Stars of the Game:

1. May

2. Shea

3. Kotsy

Nice to see some new stars of the game! (Not that we'd complain either way . . .)

NOTES

Meh. We had some earlier, but then we went to the Festival of Trees.
And the game starts in 90 minutes, so . . .

Go Grizzlies!