Game 2: Steelheads 4, Grizzlies 3

This was a hard one to lose in the last few minutes of the final period, especially when we thought the Grizzlies had the go ahead. But it is nice to know that Utah's power play is alive and kicking and the boys can put up a respectable game against the Steelheads.

The Grizzlies struck first at 7:21 of the initial period on the power play. Idaho responded 4 minutes later, tying the game before the end of the 1st. The 2nd remained tied until Tom May tipped in a Ryan Kinasewich slapshot on the power play in the final minute of the period, and Utah took the lead once again, 2-1.

Idaho tied things again early in the 3rd, but Tom May regained the lead for Utah again at the halfway point of the period, 3-2. The Steelheads were quick to respond during a 4-on-3 situation, then took the lead for the first time of the night at 18:19 of the final frame to end the game 4-3 in Idaho's favor.

From the official post game:

The Idaho Steelheads broke a 3-3 tie with 1:41 left in regulation to defeat the Utah Grizzlies 4-3 Saturday night in Boise. Idaho takes a 2-0 series lead with games three, four and five if necessary headed back to the E-Center starting Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Idaho Takes Game Two 4-3 With Late Goal
highlights || Game Highlights 4/17/10 at Idaho
gamesheet || Utah at Idaho - 4/17/10
interview || Commissoner Brian McKenna 4/17/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

UTA L. Galbraith (2), 7:21 1st period (Kinasewich, Hunter); Grizzlies 1, Steelheads 0
IDH J. Swanson (2), 10:52 1st period; Grizzlies 1, Steelheads 1
UTA T. May (1), 19:07 2nd period (Kinasewich, MacMillan); Grizzlies 2, Steelheads 1
IDH M. McKnight (3), 2:22 3rd period; Grizzlies 2, Steelheads 2
UTA T. May (2), 10:53 3rd period (McJannet, MacMillan); Grizzlies 3, Steelheads 2
IDH E. Barlow (2), 12:25 3rd period (Milnamow, Friesen); Grizzlies 3, Steelheads 3
IDH J. Dickson (2), 18:19 3rd period (Barlow); Grizzlies 3, Steelheads 4


What Worked Well: Power Play
Two of Utah's goals came out of their 5 power play situations. Special teams can either make or break a game, and we think the boys did pretty well on the power play tonight. It was nice to see the boys able to set up on the man advantage and move in for the kill. Nicely done.

What Could Have Worked Better: Staying out of the box
Come on, boys. You're costing yourselves games.

Who Made the Difference: Ryan Kinasewich
While we do want to point out Tom May's work on two of the Utah goals (his first pro playoff goals, btw), we were excited to see the Captain's work on the power play. His slapshot that was tipped in by May on Utah's second goal was a thing of beauty with excellent timing. It really reminded us of the firepower Utah has going for it and what they can do on the man advantage.


Stars of the Game:

1. IDH - J. Dickson
2. UTA - T. May
3. IDH - E. Barlow


Additional Notes:

> Three Grizzlies had multiple point games: Ryan Kinasewich (2a), Malcolm MacMillan (2a), and Tom May (2g).
> Mike Morrison stopped 30 of 34 in the contest.
> Steven Tarasuk made his debut in a Grizzlies jersey. Welcome, Steve!
> James Sixsmith has 12 points (2g, 10a), a +6, and 18 SOG in the playoffs. Captain Kinasewich has 9 points (6g, 3a) and 34 SOG.
> We apologize for the delay; we went to Legends for the game, so it's slightly muddy in our recollection.

Game 1: Steelheads 7, Grizzlies 2

Against a team like Idaho, the Grizzlies just can't bank on that miracle 3rd period we've become accustomed to in the last half of the season.

The Steelheads picked up the first two goals of the game at 13:02 and 13:55 in the 1st. Utah responded before the end of the period with a goal of their own, 2-1. In the 2nd, Idaho struck at 13:02 again with another goal, then increased the deficit on the power play before the Grizzlies scored a power play goal of their own to make it 4-2 heading into the 3rd period.

In the 3rd period, Idaho scored 3 goals in approximately 1 1/2 minutes, which resulted in Morrison being replaced in net with Stehrenberger who stopped all 10 shots he saw. Utah struggled to close the 5 goal gap but to no avail. The game ended 7-2 in Idaho's favor.

From the official post game:

The Idaho Steelheads broke open a 4-2 third period score and defeated the Utah Grizzlies 7-2 Friday night in Boise in game one of the National Conference semifinals. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Drop Game One In Boise
highlights || Game Highlights 4/16/10 at Idaho
gamesheet || Utah at Idaho - 04/16/10
interview || Brock Wilson 4/16/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

IDH M. McKnight (1), 13:02 1st period (Tousignant); Steelheads 1, Grizzlies 0
IDH M. McCutcheon (1), 13:55 1st period (Flichel, Milnamow); Steelheads 2, Grizzlies 0
UTA M. MacMillan (2), 18:06 1st period (Clarke, May); Steelheads 2, Grizzlies 1
IDH J. Swanson (1), 13:02 2nd period (Dickson); Steelheads 3, Grizzlies 1
IDH M. McCutcheon (2), 15:29 2nd period (Barlow); Steelheads 4, Grizzlies 1
UTA R. Kinasewich (6), 19:31 2nd period (Hunter, Sixsmith); Steelheads 4, Grizzlies 2
IDH E. Barlow (1), 5:54 3rd period (Dawson); Steelheads 5, Grizzlies 2
IDH M. McKnight (2), 6:35 3rd period (DeVergilio); Steelheads 6, Grizzlies 2
IDH J. Dickson (1), 7:27 3rd period (Flichel); Steelheads 7, Grizzlies 2


What Worked Well: Penalty Kill
The penalty kill was one of the only times the Grizzlies looked alive on the ice during this match. Killing a 5-on-3 and only dropping 1 out of 8, the PK put up some amazing defense to kill off the shorthanded situations Utah continually found themselves in. If Utah had this sort of determination during 5-on-5 situations, this would have been a different game.

What Could Have Worked Better: Staying out of the box
The high penalty count seems to be happening on a pretty regular basis. We don't like it. It takes the boys away from the business of scoring goals and leaves them - for the most part - stuck in their own end. Clean it up, please.

Who Made the Difference: Mike Morrison
While Mike did get pulled in the 3rd, we're guessing it was not soley because of the 7 goals, but to give the poor kid a rest. Morrison stood on his head in the match and made plenty of amazing saves. He's the reason the score was only 4-2 going into the 3rd and considering some of those saves, we're honestly surprised there were only 7 goals allowed rather than 14.


Stars of the Game:

1. IDH - M. McCutcheon
2. IDH - M. McKnight
3. IDH - M. Tousignant


Additional Notes:

> Mike Morrison stopped 35 out or 42 in the match. Stehrenberger stopped 10 of 10 that he saw.
> We really can't think of any additional notes here . . .

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs Idaho Steelheads

Part two of the Kelly Cup saga begins tonight for the Grizzlies in Idaho and continues Saturday. We're not usually into sequels, but we can't wait for the next installment on this one. We're also pretty excited about the opportunity to make more potato jokes.

The Grizzlies put down the Las Vegas Wranglers in an impressive game five on Tuesday, and we're hoping they've stayed riled up as they go into the second round. The Potatoheads have been resting up for 13 days, so we're hoping they'll be a little rusty to start. Of course, they just got some players back from the AHL (Friesen, DerVergilio, Bachman) who have been playing and expect to be sharp.

Now, we all know that the Grizz can't do anything the easy way. To stir things up a bit, Jake Gannon, who was only in town for game 5, and Mikko Koskinen were both called up to Bridgeport again. That leaves Utah down a goalie, and Morrison has not faced Idaho yet. We're not worried so much about the not playing Idaho thing, but with no backup, we're hoping he doesn't get hurt. As much as we'd pay to see Colley in goal, we just don't think it's a good idea. Grizzbee would take up more space anyway, and he's already got the padding.

Idaho has a 10-3-0-1 record against the Grizzlies in the regular season, but come playoff time, all that doesn't matter. It's like the points on Whose Line Is It Anyway. As of right now, Idaho's win record against the Grizzlies is a big, fat zero. The Grizzlies' win record against Idaho is also zero, but theirs has awesomesauce on top.

Coach Colley had this to say about playing Idaho:

"Obviously, we are the underdog. We finished 30 points back of (Idaho). In our minds, we're not, but everyone sees us as the underdog."

"We just have to take out all the positives from Game 5 and build on it. We can't look back at Game 4 or Game 1. We build on Game 5; that was our best game of the series, and that was our last game of the series."

We're kind of hoping by building on game 5, he means that Malcom MacMillan will add to his post-game dance when they win.

The next step on the road to the Kelly Cup starts tonight in Idaho. Puck drops at 7:10 pm.

Game 1: Wranglers 6, Grizzlies 4

It was said last night that every goalie has a bad game, and Mikko sure picked a bad time to have his. While we agree, with this, we can't heap the loss solely on Koskinen. Outside of some random officiating, the team we saw in the 3rd period was not the same team we saw in the 1st.

The Grizzlies dominated the 1st, starting the scoring just 0:35 into the period with a goal from MacMillan. The Wranglers tied things up later to end the initial frame 1-1. Utah gained the lead in the 2nd with two quick goals to make it 3-1, but Las Vegas responded with 4 straight of their own, which ended with Mikko being replaced by Morrison in net. Morrison stopped a penalty shot and ended the period without allowing another goal, 5-3.

In the 3rd, the Grizzlies attempted to decrease the deficit with an early goal, but it was waved off for high sticking. Morrison stopped another penalty shot allotted to the Wranglers, but later Vegas increased their lead to 6-3. Utah added one more goal to stop the bleeding, but the game still ended in the Wrangler's favor, 6-4.

From the official post game:

The Grizzlies made it 3-1 just 1:23 later at 1:43 as Sixsmith fed Matt Clarke in the circle again. Clarke’s shot was redirected home by Tim Crowder and Utah had a 3-1 lead. However, starting at the 5:16 mark, Las Vegas rattled off four-straight scores to take a 5-3 lead. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Las Vegas Takes Game One 6-4
highlights || Game Highlights 4/6/10 at Las Vegas
gamesheet || Utah at Las Vegas 4/6/10
interview || Dylan Hunter 4/6/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

UTA M. MacMillan (1), 0:35 1st period (McJannet); Grizzlies 1, Wranglers 0
LV A. Bourret (1), 5:25 1st period (Lawrence, Miller); Grizzlies 1, Wranglers 1
UTA T. Maxwell (1), 0:20 2nd period (Sixsmith, Hunter); Grizzlies 2, Wranglers 1
UTA T. Crowder (1), 1:43 2nd period (Clarke, Sixsmith); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 1
LV K. Hagel (1), 5:16 2nd period; Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 2
LV C. Neiszner (1), 5:27 2nd period (Hagel, Goers); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 3
LV K. Hagel (2), 9:55 2nd period (Frank); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 4
LV J. Prudden (1), 12:11 2nd period (Madill, Switzer); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 5
LV R. Weston (1), 10:18 3rd period; Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 6
UTA T. Maxwell (2), 11:32 3rd period (May, Sixsmith); Grizzlies 4, Wranglers 6


What Worked Well: 1st period
The Grizzlies absolutely dominated the first period. The boys played strong and kept control of the puck; they were playing to win. If they could have kept up this pace for the full 60, we would have seen a very different game.

What Could Have Worked Better: Staying out of the box
Yes, we agree that the officiating was not the best, but really. The Grizzlies racked up 8 penalties to the Wranglers' 4. While the PK took care of business, the 16 minutes of of penalty time didn't help Utah when it came to adding on their lead.

Who Made the Difference: James Sixsmith
While we do want to comment on the the great game that Tim Maxwell had, James Sixsmith showed up to win all three periods. Setting up some great goals, Sixer ended the game with 3 assists and looked alive out there for the full 60 minutes. Nicely done.


Stars of the Game:

1. LV - K. Hagel
2. LV - R. Weston
3. UTA - T. Maxwell


Additional Notes:

> Two Grizzlies had multiple point games tonight: Tim Maxwell (2g) and James Sixsmith (3a).
> Dylan Hunter continues his scoring streak from the regular season.
> Mike Morrison stopped 8 of 9 shots as well as both penalty shots that he saw.
> While we don't mean to pick on anyone in particular, we just have to say: Kinasewich, the next time you have 0:26 left in a power play, please don't waste 0:10 of that dilly-dallying in your own end. You had open ice and you have the speed (not to mention a wicked shot), please use it.

Post Game: Steelheads 7, Grizzlies 5

After losing a quick, one goal lead in the 1st, Utah mounted quite the comeback, but it ended up being too little too late. Still, a decent effort by the boys.

The Grizzlies opened things up with a power play goal 1:26 into the 1st. Idaho responded 1:30 later, then tacked on another to end the period 2-1. The Steelheads continued to dominate in the 2nd period, and after two back to back Steelhead goals, Colley called a time out to let the boys know what he thought. The team responded 20 seconds later with a goal by Nikiforov, but Idaho scored on the power play, prompting O'Keefe to be replaced by Erickson in net. Utah continued to mount a comeback, grabbing two more goals before the end of the 2nd to bring the boys within one goal of the Steelheads, 5-4.

Idaho increased the deficit halfway through the final frame, and the Grizzlies struggled to respond. Utah picked up one more goal before the Steelheads sealed the deal with another of their own to end it 7-5 in their favor.

From the official post game:

Utah took a 1-0 lead just 1:26 into the contest on a Peter Aston power-play goal but that lead would last just 1:30 before Idaho tied the game at 2:56 and took their first lead of the night 6:37 into the opening frame at 2-1. Idaho would never look back as they extended the score to 4-1 and 5-2 before the Grizzlies started to mount a comeback. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Fall 7-5 in Boise
highlights || Game Highlights 3/16/10 at Idaho
gamesheet || Utah at Idaho - 3/16/10
interview || Peter Vandermeer 3/16/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

UTA P. Aston (6), 1:26 1st period (Perry, Sixsmith); Grizzlies 1, Steelheads 0
IDH B. Milnamow (3), 2:56 1st period (Derlago, Spurgeon); Grizzlies 1, Steelheads 1
IDH E. Barlow (29), 6:37 1st period (DeVergilio, Rome); Grizzlies 1, Steelheads 2
IDH A. Huxley (7), 2:05 2nd period (Derlago, Flichel); Grizzlies 1, Steelheads 3
IDH M. Derlago (37), 3:37 2nd period (McCutcheon); Grizzlies 1, Steelheads 4
UTA V. Nikiforov (15), 3:57 2nd period (Wilson, Clarke); Grizzlies 2, Steelheads 4
IDH M. McCutcheon (12), 12:34 2nd period (Swanson, Rome); Grizzlies 2, Steelheads 5
UTA A. Perry (24), 15:26 2nd period (Kinasewich, Hunter); Grizzlies 3, Steelheads 5
UTA V. Nikiforov (16), 16:34 2nd period (MacMillan); Grizzlies 4, Steelheads 5
IDH J. Swanson (17), 10:36 3rd period (Derlago, McCutcheon); Grizzlies 4, Steelheads 6
UTA P. Aston (7), 11:44 3rd period (MacMillan); Grizzlies 5, Steelheads 6
IDA E. Barlow (30), 12:58 3rd period (Flichel, Spurgeon); Grizzlies 5, Steelheads 7


What Worked Well: Shooting the puck.
The Grizzlies picked up 30 SOG in the loss and tallied 5 goals from the 30. Ryan Kinasewich once again lead the team with 8 of those 30 with Peter Aston tallying 5 and Sixsmith close behind with 4.

What Could Have Been Better: Goaltending
We typically look to Mitch O'Keefe to be pretty solid for the Grizzlies. Tonight was not the case. O'Keefe allowed 5 goals from 15 shots, and Erickson was only slightly better with 2 goals from 13 shots. Pick it up.

Who Made the Difference: Vlady Nikiforov
While Peter Aston had an incredible night with 2 goals and 5 SOG, we can't help but highlight the way Vlady responded to Colley's time out, and the timing of his second goal, which brought the Grizzlies back to a one-goal deficit before the end of the period. While Vlady did miss a few opportunities, his drive and the timing of his goals propelled the team toward the effort we saw in the final frame.


Stars of the Game:

1. IDH - E. Barlow
2. UTA - P. Aston
3. IDH - M. Derlargo


Additional Notes:

> Both Vlady Nikiforov and Peter Aston picked up 2 goals in the contest.
> Four Grizzlies had multipoint nights: Peter Aston (2g), Vlady Nikiforov (2g), AJ Perry (1g, 1a), and Malcolm MacMillan (2a).
> Newcomer Malcolm MacMillan has picked up 5 points (5a) in his last 4 games.

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!