Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Thunder 4

It was another regulation win for Utah, earning them a much needed two points. Special teams were key in this win as the Grizzlies shut down all 4 of the Thunder's power play opportunities, and grabbed two power play goals of their own.

Utah opened up the scoring with an early goal by Tom May just 1:35 into the 1st, then followed up 5 minutes later when Kinasewich found the back of the net. The Thunder responded in fashion tying things up with two of their own before the end of the period. At the top of the 2nd, Stockton took the lead to make it 3-2 in their favor. The Grizzlies responded with a power play goal to tie things up, then added another to regain the lead nearing the end of the middle frame, 4-3.

The Thunder tied it once again, but one minute later, Utah regained the lead with a power play goal to end the game 5-4.

From the official post game:

In a game that went back and forth, Utah took a 2-0 lead 6:04 into the game as Tom May (16) and Ryan Kinasewich (33) scored for Utah. Tom May ended an eight-game scoreless drought as Ryan Kinasewich, in his return after two weeks in the AHL got his three-point night started. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Beat Stockton 5-4; Meet Again Wednesday at 7
highlights || Game Highlights 2/23/10 vs Stocton
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah 2/23/10
photos || 2/23/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder
interview || Kevin Colley 2/23/10 post game
interview || Tom May 2/23/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:


1st period - James Sixsmith prepares for the faceoff. Mark Pavli is ready for the Thunder.


Additional Photos: [Flickr]




Scoring Summary:
UTA T. May (16), 1:35 1st period (Sorteberg, McJannet); Grizzlies 1, Stockton 0
UTA R. Kinasewich (33), 6:04 1st period (Perry, Sixsmith); Grizzlies 2, Stockton 0
STK J. Dacosta (3), 11L48 1st period (D'Alvise, Bates); Grizzlies 2, Stockton 1
STK J. Cauldron (14), 17:41 1st period (Eizenman, Czuy); Grizzlies 2, Stockton 2
STK M. Robinson (16), 3:13 2nd period (Marcoux, Bates); Grizzlies 2, Stockton 3
UTA P. Aston (4), 7:53 2nd period (Kinasewich, Sixsmith); Grizzlies 3, Stockton 3
UTA J. Sixsmith (15), 19:02 2nd period (Kinasewich, Perry); Grizzlies 4, Stockton 3
STK D. Marcoux (2), 5:46 3rd period (Young, Gongalsky); Grizzlies 4, Stockton 4
UTA L. Galbraith (10), 6:46 3rd period (Sixsmith, Aston); Grizzlies 5, Stockton 4


What Worked Well: Special Teams
Both the power play and penalty kill looked good tonight. Converting 2/4 on the power play and killing all 4 penalties in this game, the special team combinations were looking increasingly better as the game progressed. We don't know if they've looked this great in a while (not to say they looked bad, but . . .); nice job.

What Could Have Worked Better: Puck Handling
The puck handling wasn't terrible, but it could definitely use some tweaking. There were quite a few spaz-tastic moves that resulted in silly turnovers, but we didn't see much to correct from the full 60 minutes.

Who Made the Difference: James Sixsmith
While it was nice to the captain back in the line up and the effect he had on the game, James Sixsmith's drive to the net continutally generated chances, which led to some nice goals. Sixsmith picked up 1 goal, 3 assists, the #1 star of the game, and extended his scoring streak to 6 games. We said this about Perry a few games ago, but if you're picking up that many assists, then you're where you need to be, doing exactly what you need to be doing. Colley referred to Sixer as the goal spark plug, and we have to agree. Awesome performance.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - J. Sixsmith
2. UTA - R. Kinasewich
3. UTA - P. Aston


Additional Notes:

> James Sixsmith extends his scoring streak to 6 games.
> Four Grizzlies picked up mulitpoint games tonight: James Sixsmith (1g, 3a), Ryan Kinasewich (1g, 2a), AJ Perry (2a), and Peter Aston (1g, 2a).
> Four Grizzlies led the rest of the team with 4 SOG each: Tim Crowder, Peter Aston, Hugo Carpentier, and Lance Galbraith.
> Mitch O'Keefe stopped 24 out of 28 for the win.
> Mark Pavli returned to E Center ice with Stockton for the first time since being traded by Utah in January. We miss you, Pavli!