Game 5: Grizzlies 5, Wranglers 1

The Grizzlies needed this win to advance, and they deserved every moment of their victory. 12 more wins to the Cup, indeed!

Utah started the scoring 7:36 into the 1st with a goal from Captain Kinasewich. They never looked back. In the 2nd, The Grizzlies tacked on 3 goals in a 2 1/2 minute time span to increase their lead over the Wranglers, 4-0.

James Sixsmith picked up a goal 6:50 into the 3rd, and Las Vegas grabbed their first and only goal of the night on the power play to end the game 5-1 in the Grizzlies favor.

From the official post game:

The Utah Grizzlies defeated the Las Vegas Wranglers 5-1 Tuesday night at the E-Center to win the best-of-five quarterfinal series three games to two. Utah advances to the second round where they will face the Idaho Steelheads in a best-of-seven series that will begin Friday in Boise. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Advance With 5-1 Win Over Las Vegas
highlights || Game Highlights 4/13/10 vs Las Vegas
gamesheet || Las Vegas at Utah - 4/13/10
photos || 4/13/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers
interview || Kevin Colley 4/13/10 post game
interview || Justin Suda 4/13/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:

2nd period - Ryan Kinasewich congratulates his teammates on their goal.

Additional Photos: [Flickr]



Video: [YouTube]

Lance Galbraith vs John Schwartz:




Scoring Summary:

UTA R. Kinasewich (4), 7:36 1st period (Perry, Suda); Grizzlies 1, Wranglers 0
UTA A. Perry (2), 2:57 2nd period (Gannon, Suda); Grizzlies 2, Wranglers 0
UTA T. Crowder (4), 3:11 2nd period (Gannon, Galbraith); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 0
UTA R. Kinasewich (5), 5:05 2nd period (Sixsmith, Perry); Grizzlies 4, Wranglers 0
UTA J. Sixsmith (2), 6:50 3rd period (Perry, Crowder); Grizzlies 5, Wranglers 0
LV M. Lawrence (1), 8:45 3rd period (Krischuk, Pollastrone); Grizzlies 5, Wranglers 1


What Worked Well: You name it
Too much worked well in this game to single out anything in particular. Defense was kick ass, goaltending was beyond steller, offense pushed it to the limit, special teams were on the ball, and the boys stuck up for each other. Ah, the fights. Overall, a game of epic proportions.

What Could Have Worked Better: Pfft . . .
Not even gonna bother with this one today.

Who Made the Difference: Jake Gannon
All of the boys worked their guts out this game and we definitely want to give special attention to AJ Perry for his work on 4 of the 5 Grizzlies' goals and Mikko Koskinen for his astounding 38 saves. But Jake Gannon really set the tone for the team in the 1st by putting the pressure on the Wranglers and not letting up. And that made all the difference in the world. Nicely done.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - A. Perry
2. UTA - M. Koskinen
3. UTA - R. Kinasewich


Additional Notes:

> Six Grizzlies had multiple point games: Ryan Kinasewich (2g), AJ Perry (1g, 3a), Tim Crowder (1g, 1a), James Sixsmith (1g, 1a), Jake Gannon (2a), and Justin Suda (2a).
> Mikko Koskinen stopped 38 of 39 for the win.
> Matt Clarke led the team with 6 SOG. Sixsmith and Kinasewich tied for second with 5 SOG a piece.

Weekend Preview: Stockton Thunder

The last time Stockton met up with the Grizzlies at the E-Center, Utah swept the series, ending with a 7-1 victory. We're thinking this is how the Thunder felt during that loss (yes, that's Bates in the net):


However, we think Stockton's going to be a little more prepared to meet the Grizzlies at the E-Center this time around. The Thunder are coming off of a nice break backed by a 7-3 win over Victoria on 3/6 and are looking to keep the Grizzlies from creeping up on them in the standings. Stockton's Perugini is still holding strong at 2nd in the league with a 0.916 SV% and ties for 3rd in the GAA category with 2.70, while James Bates continues to be the most lethal Thunder player against the Grizzlies.

Coming off of a 4 game road losing streak, the Grizzlies have to be pretty happy to be back at home where they are 6-1-0 in their last 7 on their own ice. James Sixsmith continues to lead the pack with an 11 game scoring streak. We'd love to see him extend it tonight, and we're pretty sure he would, too.

The Grizzlies also welcome some new players tonight and hail a returning favorite. Dylan Hunter rejoins the Grizzlies from the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals where he's been since February 11. Welcome back, Hunts! We learned today from Adrian Denny's blog that Friday will be the first full game Snatch, Sixer, and Hunts have played together since November 14. That's a lot of firepower to watch out for.


Three players make their debut on E-Center ice tonight: Peter Vandermeer has been assigned to the Grizzlies by the AHL's Heat, while center Malcolm MacMillan and defenseman Justin Suda have been acquired in a trade with the Toledo Walleye for forward Tony Romano. Tony Romano picked up 4 points (1g, 3a) against the Stockton Thunder in the February 24, 7-1 win, so it will be interesting to see how the new players fill that void. Tony picked up 4 assists and 2 PIM in his first game with the Walleye. Luck, Tony!


Utah will be busy this weekend with three back to back home games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (remember Sunday's game starts at 4:05). And if that wasn't enough to look forward to, the Grizzlies will be auctioning their 3rd jerseys after Friday night's game to benefit St. Jude Children's hospital. Sounds like we're in for a pretty sweet hockey weekend.

Best of luck, boys!