Post Game: Grizzlies 3, Salmon Kings 1

Although we don't have anything against shootouts, it was nice to see the Grizzlies win this one in regulation and earn their two points.

Both teams battled through the opening period, but neither would light the lamp during the initial 20 minutes. Victoria struck first during a 5-on-3 power play in the 2nd period. The Salmon Kings would hold this lead until 7:08 into the 3rd when Tony Romano buried one for Utah to tie things up and swing the momentum in the Grizzlies' favor. James Sixsmith captured the lead for Utah during a power play with what would be the game winning goal.

Lance Galbraith tacked on an empty netter with one second left in the game to end things 3-1 for Utah.

From the official post game:

West Valley City, Utah – The Utah Grizzlies (24-21-2-5) scored three third period goals to battle back from a 1-0 final period deficit and defeat the Victoria Salmon Kings (30-19-4-2) Saturday night at the E-Center before 5,235 fans and nearly 200 dogs for the team’s fourth-annual “Pooch on Pond” game. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies 3rd Period Pushes Them Past Victoria 3-1
highlights || Game Highlights 2/20/10 vs Victoria
gamesheet || Victoria at Utah 2/20/10
photos || 2/20/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Victoria Salmon Kings
interview || Kevin Colley 2/20/10 post game
interview || Lance Galbraith 2/20/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:

3rd period - AJ Perry passes the puck up to James Sixsmith in the neutral zone.

Additional Photos: [Flickr]




Scoring Summary:

VIC M. Siddall (17), 8:23 2nd period (Goldie, Painchaud); Salmon Kings 1, Grizzlies 0
UTA T. Romano (7), 7:08 3rd period (McJannet); Salmon Kings 1, Grizzlies 1
UTA J. Sixsmith (14), 11:35 3rd period (Clarke, Galbraith); Salmon Kings 1, Grizzlies 2
UTA L. Galbraith (9), EN 19:59 3rd period (Aston, Maxwell); Salmon Kings 1, Grizzlies 3


What Worked Well: Penalty Kill
Utah killed 7 of 8 penalties in the match, including a 5-on-3 situation. Victoria's only goal came from the other 5-on-3 situation, which means Utah killed every penalty where they were only shorthanded by one player. Not bad at all.

What Could Have Worked Better: Staying out of the box
The Grizzlies tallied 8 penalties, including those two 5-on-3 short handed situations which led to Victoria's only goal. And we all know that it's harder to score a goal when you're defending your own net, so . . . enough said.

Who Made the Difference: Tony Romano
Even though Sixsmith had a really amazing game, there's no denying the impact Tony's goal made on Utah. It completely changed the momentum of the game and paved the way for the Grizzlies to steal the win from Victoria in regulation. This was definitely the turning point of the match, and Romano was the one to find the hole and make that difference. Nice.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - J. Sixsmith
2. UTA - M. O'Keefe
3. UTA - T. Romano


Additional Notes:

> Mitch O'Keefe stopped 26 of 27 shots in this match.
> Lance Galbraith was the only Grizzly to tally a multipoint game (1 goal, 1 assist). Not a bad early birthday present for Lance who will be 30 on February 21.
> James Sixsmith continues his scoring streak, picking up hs 14 goal of the season.
> Utah collects 4 of 6 points in this series, winning 2 of the 3 contests.
> This year's Pooch on the Pond was host to 200+ dogs and their owners.