Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Salmon Kings 2

With a solid 3rd period, the Grizzlies were able to wrap up their regular season with a win and a home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Utah picked up an early lead 0:24 seconds into the initial frame with a goal from Dylan Hunter. Victoria responded 5 minutes later with one of their own and the game remained tied during the 1st, 1-1. The Grizzlies grabbed the lead again in the 2nd, with another goal from their top line, but the Salmon Kings tied it up again and the teams headed into the final frame 2-2.

In the 3rd, the Grizzlies dominated the period to wrap the game up nicely. Starting with a Kinasewich goal, Utah picked up 3 goals in this period to end the game 5-2 in their favor.

From the official post game:

Utah captain Ryan Kinasewich started a third period three-goal in 4:17 barrage as he took a setup from Dylan Hunter 3:42 into the frame to give Utah a 3-2 lead on his league-leading 48th goal of the season. 18 seconds later, Tim Crowder knocked in his tenth goal of the year to make it 4-2 as Utah capped off their fastest back-to-back goals this year. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzles Complete Season With 5-2 Third Period Win In Victoria
gamesheet || Utah at Victoria - 4/3/10
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

UTA D. Hunter (18), 0:24 1st period (Kinasewich); Grizzlies 1, Salmon Kings 0
VIC L. Morrison (4), 5:06 1st period (Southern, Walsky); Grizzlies 1, Salmon Kings 1
UTA A. Perry (30), 5:57 2nd period (Hunter, Kinasewich); Grizzlies 2, Salmon Kings 1
VIC O. Filion (12), 12:47 2nd period (Goldie); Grizzlies 2, Salmon Kings 2
UTA R. Kinasewich (48), 3:42 3rd period (Hunter, Clarke); Grizzlies 3, Salmon Kings 2
UTA T. Crowder (11), 4:00 3rd period (Sixsmith); Grizzlies 4, Salmon Kings 2
UTA S. McJannet (4), 7:59 3rd period (MacMillan, Galbraith); Grizzlies 5, Salmon Kings 2


What Worked Well: 3rd period
If the Grizzlies were looking to wrap the season up nice and tidy, they did with their domination of the 3rd period. 3 goals came in this final frame to give them the win, and the boys worked to keep the Salmon Kings from responding.

What Could Have Worked Better: Power Play
Going 0 for 4 on the power play, the boys had problems controlling the puck and allowed Victoria to tie things up with a short handed goal. Isn't Utah supposed to have the best power play in the league? Do it better.

Who Made the Difference: Mikko Koskinen
Utah would not have withstood the first 2 periods of this game without Mikko's help in the net. Not to mention his work stopping all 13 shots in the 3rd period of the game, which allowed Utah to grab the win.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - R. Kinasewich
2. VIC - E. Walsky
3. UTA - M. Koskinen

Additional Notes:

> Dylan Hunter extended his scoring streak to 13 games.
> Captain Ryan Kinasewich ends the regular season with 48 goals, 103 points, and 322 SOG.
> Utah gains home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs with the win.

Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Thunder 2

What a stellar 3rd period by the Grizzlies. Tallying 4 goals and 22 SOG in the final 20 minutes allowed Utah to win the match and pick up a much needed 2 points.

The Grizzlies struck first only 6:36 into the 1st period when James Sixsmith knocked one in to extend his scoring streak and give Utah an early lead. With some amazing defense and goaltending, Beau Erickson and company held off the Thunder until 11:49 into the 2nd, when Stockton tied things up, 1-1.

Utah came out strong in the 3rd, tallying two back to back goals in the first 4 minutes of the period. The Thunder attempted a comeback, picking up another goal of their own to close the gap to a single goal, 3-2. However, Lance Galbraith quickly responded to the challenge, lighting the lamp with his second goal of the match, and Captain Kinasewich sealed the deal with an empty netter with 0:27 left in the game.

From the official post game:

The Utah Grizzlies (27-25-2-5) scored four third period goals to defeat the Stockton Thunder 5-2 Friday night at the E-Center before 5,111 fans. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Four Goal 3rd Period Lifts Utah over Stockton
highlights || Game Highlights 3/12/10 vs Stockton
gamesheet || Stockton at Utah 3/12/10
photos || 3/12/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder
interview || Kevin Colley 3/12/10 post game
interview || Dylan Hunter 3/12/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:

2nd period - Beau Erickson makes the save.

Additional Photos: [Flickr]




Videos: [YouTube]

Scoring Summary:

UTA J. Sixsmith (19), 6:36 1st period (Crowder, Aston); Grizzlies 1, Thunder 0
STK J. Bates (21), 11:49 2nd period (Vanoosten, Robinson); Grizzlies 1, Thunder 1
UTA L. Galbraith (14), 2:57 3rd period (MacMillan, Crowder); Grizzlies 2, Thunder 1
UTA S. McJannet (3), 3:17 3rd period (May); Grizzlies 3, Thunder 1
STK R. Constant (5), 4:49 3rd period (Hemingway, Eizenman); Grizzlies 3, Thunder 2
UTA L. Galbraith (15), 6:01 3rd period (Sixsmith, Crowder); Grizzlies 4, Thunder 2
UTA R. Kinasewich (34), EN 19:33 3rd period (Aston); Grizzlies 5, Thunder 2


What Worked Well: Shooting the puck.
When you're up against the 2nd leading goalie in SV%, you're going to have to shoot more to make it into the net. The Grizzlies did just that, tallying a crazy 47 SOG, with 22 of those in the 3rd period.

What Could Have Been Better: Power Play
While the boys did end up with a 20% conversion rate (1 out of 5) on the power play, they weren't able to capitalize on a 5-on-3. With a power play like Utah's this should have been no problem.

Who Made the Difference: Tim Crowder
While we do want to draw attention to Erickson's stellar goaltending, Tim Crowder was having an amazing game. Whenever he was on the ice, he was where the puck was. Tallying 3 assists and a 2nd star of the game performance, he definitely made a difference by being exactly where he needed to be to get the job done. A great game for Crowder.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - L. Galbraith
2. UTA - T. Crowder
3. UTA - J. Sixsmith


Additional Notes:

> Five Grizzlies had multipoint nights tonight: James Sixsmith (1g, 1a), Tim Crowder (3a), Peter Aston (2a), Malcolm MacMillan (2a), and Lance Galbraith (2g).
> Beau Erickson stopped 28 of 30 shots for the victory.
> James Sixsmith extended his scoring streak to 12 games - Nice.

Transactions and other Utah Grizzlies news

There have been a few more changes to the Grizzlies' roster this week.


In:

• James Sixsmith rejoins the Grizzlies from his latest stint in the AHL. He played Monday night, but was not feeling well and did not travel with the team in Victoria.
• Steve McJannet was acquired from the Florida Everblades in exchange for future considerations. McJannet made himself at home with his first fight in a Utah jersey on Monday night.

Out:

• Chris Allen, who only played 3 games on Utah ice, has been traded to Bakersfield. He's the third defenseman this year to be traded to Bakersfield from Utah.
• Forward Ryan-James Hand has been placed on waivers. Looks like he was picked up yesterday by the Reading Royals.
• Patrick Asselin, who was picked up off waivers by Utah from Idaho, has been traded to Kalamazoo in exchange for future considerations.

Other Utah Grizzlies news

The Grizzlies made a visit to Shriners Hospital on January 27. Shriners Hospital was the chosen charity for the Guns & Hoses 2010 game which was played on January 30. The Grizzlies were scheduled to wear themed jerseys later that night and auction them for charity after the game, but the jerseys were delayed. The auction is scheduled to take place following the February 20 game.

A portion of ticket sales from Monday's game was donated to the Shoot for a Cure charity which promotes awareness about spinal injuries. We think this is pretty damn cool and wished we could have heard more about this than Gary Coleman dropping the puck

Former Utah Grizzlies goaltender Parker Van Buskirk has been loaned to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. He's been signed to a PTO and looks like he'll be playing backup.

The Grizzlies are in Victoria tonight. Puck drops at 8 pm.

Post Game: Grizzlies 4, Wranglers 1

Utah wanted to duplicate the results of Saturday's game by hitting the scoreboard first in this rubber match and holding that lead.

The Grizzlies opened things up halfway through the 1st when AJ Perry buried one on the Las Vegas netminder. The Wranglers responded 28 seconds later with a goal of their own, but it would be the last they saw for the game. Vlady scored with a beauty of a shot 17:03 into the period to regain Utah's lead, and the boys never looked back. In the 2nd period, Galbraith increased the gap at 10:18, then Romano scored on the power play to pad Utah's lead to 4-1. At some point Tom May found the back of the net, but the goal was waved off as the Grizzlies were offside; we don't remember what period that was.

The 3rd period remained intense, but scoreless for both teams as Utah worked to defend their lead. Erickson and the Grizzlies were able to hold Vegas to a single goal and end the contest 4-1.

From the official post game:

In the second period, Utah added goals 1:38 apart from Lance Galbraith and then a power-play tally from Tony Romano to make the score 4-1. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Gary Coleman Drops Puck in 4-1 Utah Win
highlights || Game Highlights 2/1/10 vs Las Vegas (audio)
gamesheet || Las Vegas at Utah 2/1/10
interview || Kevin Colley 2/1/10 post game (audio)
interview || Steve McJannet 2/1/10 intermission (audio)
photos || 2/1/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers
video || 2/1/10 - Steve McJannet vs Chris Frank
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:


Brett Parnham waits for the puck to drop.
Additional Game Photos: [Flickr]



Video Clips: [YouTube]

Scoring Summary:

UTA A. Perry (17), 11:50 1st period (Hunter, Aston); Grizzlies 1, Wranglers 0
LV A. Orpik (7), 12:16 1st period (Miller, Lukacevic); Grizzlies 1, Wranglers 1
UTA V. Nikiforov (9), 17:03 1st period (Galbraith, Romano); Grizzlies 2, Wranglers 1
UTA L. Galbraith (5), 10:18 2nd period (May, Romano); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 1
UTA T. Romano (4), 11:56 2nd period (Nikiforov, Perry); Grizzlies 4, Wranglers 1


What We Think Worked Well: Vlady-Galby-Tony
This line just clicked. 7 game points from this line from 3 goals and 4 assists. It's really nice to see this coming from a second line. We knew the skill was there, we were just waiting for it to show up, and it did with cow bells on. Actually, we have to step back and applaud all the lines; we like who Colley put together and we're looking forward to seeing more out of all of them.

What Could Have Worked Better: Not a whole hell of a lot?
There was a slight breakdown in defense after the first goal which lead to Vegas scoring and another low conversion rate on the power play, but minus some tweaking we felt like this was a great game. Even though the Grizzlies only went 1/4 on the power play, the first two chances were beautifully executed even though no goal was scored. We expect to see the conversion pick up drastically over the next few games.

Who Made the Difference: Vladimir Nikiforov
We have to agree with Colley and say that this is probably the best game we've seen from Tony Romano since he hit Utah ice. That being said, we have to highlight Vlady's performance and puck handling skills in this contest. Stick in the the fun statistic that Utah stands at 8-0 when Nikiforov scores a goal, and we feel safe in naming him our difference maker for this game.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - V. Nikiforov
2. UTA - T. Romano
3. UTA - L. Galbraith


Additional Notes:

> Steve McJannet joins the team from the Florida Everblades for his first game in Utah colors.
> James Sixsmith also rejoins the team from the AHL, and Tom May returns from the IR.
> Four Grizzlies had multipoint nights: Perry (1 goal, 1 assist), Nikiforov (1 goal, 1 assist), Romano (1 goal, 2 assists), and Galbraith (1 goal, 1 assist).
> Hunter, Perry, Romano, and Galbraith build on their scoring streaks, gaining points in consecutive games.
> Erickson stopped 25 out of 26 shots for the win.

> Captain Kinasewich was held off the scoresheet this game; he was awarded a penalty shot, but it looks like it went wide of the net. Anyone know? We're adding that here for our blog readers below: