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.