GRIZZLIES WEEKLY: UTAH WON 2 OF 3 ON WEEKEND SERIES

West Valley City, Utah – The Utah Grizzlies are on the road for the next 2 weeks as they begin a 6 game road trip at Wheeling for a 3 game series on February 26th-28th. It will be the 3rd straight season where the Grizzlies have made a trip to Wheeling. It will also be the only 3 games this season where Utah will face an Eastern Conference opponent.

The Utah Grizzlies completed a 6 game homestand in style as they took 5 out of 6 standings points against the Rapid City Rush, capped off by a thrilling overtime win on February 20th as Nick Henry scored 50 seconds into the extra session. The next afternoon Henry scored 3 goals and 1 assist to lead Utah to a 4-3 Sunday win. On February 20th Henry, Ty Lewis, Miles Gendron and Kevin Carr were each reassigned to the Grizzlies from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Lewis had 5 assists in the 2 games he played on the weekend. Carr picked up 2 wins on the weekend as he stopped 46 of 49 Rapid City shots.

It was an outstanding week for Ryan Lowney, who was the number 1 star last Saturday with 2 goals and 2 assists. His pass to Nick Henry led to the game winning goal. Lowney had 2 power play goals last Saturday and didn’t take his time on the man advantage as he scored 9 seconds and 16 seconds into the power play. The next afternoon Lowney had 2 more power play assists in the 4-3 Sunday afternoon win. Lowney leads the club with 9 power play points (3 goals, 6 assists).

The power play was mighty for the Grizz last weekend, going 6 for 15 in the 3 games. Utah has a power play goal in 18 of the 25 games. On the season Utah is the number 1 power play unit in the league at 24.5 percent.

All 3 games last weekend were decided by 1 goal. That’s not unusual for the Grizz, who have played in 16 – 1 goal games this season. Utah has a standings point in 20 of 25 games.

Next homestand for the Grizzlies sees the Allen Americans come to Maverik Center for a 3 game set on March 12th-14th. Tickets every home game this season is available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000. Capacity is limited to 1800 with social distancing and masks required. For continuing updates on the Grizzlies and the 2020-21 season, follow the Grizzlies on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

FloHockey is the live streaming home for the ECHL and the Utah Grizzlies. Get the FloSports iOS and Android apps to watch the event live and on-the-go. For more information go to https://www.flohockey.tv/. Audio streaming for every Grizzlies game is available on Mixlr. (https://mixlr.com/utah-grizzlies).

Last Week’s Games

February 19th, 2021 – Rapid City 3 Utah 2 (Shootout) – Braylon Shmyr and Jack Jenkins scored goals for Utah. Utah outshot Rapid City 43 to 28. Evan Buitenhuis stopped 25 of 27.

February 20th, 2021 – Rapid City 4 Utah 5 (Overtime) – Nick Henry scored game winner 50 seconds into OT in his Grizzlies home debut. Ryan Lowney had 2 goals and 2 assists. Ty Lewis and Mitch Maxwell each had 2 assists.

February 21st, 2021 – Rapid City 3 Utah 4 – Nick Henry 3 goals and 1 assist. Ty Lewis 3 assists. Ryan Lowney 2 assists. Utah was 3 for 7 on the power play.

This Week’s Games (All games can be seen on Flohockey.tv and Mixlr)

Friday, February 26th, 2021 – Utah at Wheeling. 5:10 pm.

Saturday, February 27th, 2021 – Utah at Wheeling. 5:10 pm.

Sunday, February 28th, 2021 – Utah at Wheeling. 2:10 pm.

All times Mountain.

Recent Transactions

Utah traded Defenseman Kris Myllari to the Kansas City Mavericks for future considerations. Myllari had 1 goal and 2 assists in 17 games. On February 20th  Forward Diego Cuglietta was traded to the Indy Fuel for the rights to Defenseman Connor McDonald, who is currently with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Last Saturday Utah added Forwards Nick Henry, Ty Lewis, Defenseman Miles Gendron and Goaltender Kevin Carr as they were all reassigned from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.

Lots of Close Games

16 of the 25 games Utah has played this season have been 1 goal contests.

Grizzlies Among League leaders

Brad Barone is 3rd in the league in save percentage at .935. Matthew Boucher leads all rookies with 19 points and his 12 assists are tied for 2nd among rookies. Boucher’s 77 shots on goal lead all rookies and Cedric Pare is 3rd in shots among rookies with 58.

Forwards: Matthew Boucher, Trey Bradley, Pat Cannone, Nick Henry, Matt Hoover, Christian Horn, Jack Jenkins, Ty Lewis, Mitch Maxwell, Cedric Pare, Jared Pike, Braylon Shmyr, Yuri Terao, Joe Wegwerth. AJ White.

Defenseman: Brandon Fehd, Miles Gendron, Garrett Johnston, Ryker Killins, Alex Lepkowski, Ryan Lowney,  Hunter Skinner, Teigan Zahn.

Goaltenders: Brad Barone, Evan Buitenhuis. Kevin Carr.  

2020-2021 Regular Season Totals (league rankings)

Overall record: 12-5-3-5

Home record: 8-3-1-3

Road record: 4-2-2-2

Win percentage: .640 (4th in Western Conference).

Streak: Won 2.

Standings Points: 32

Last 10: 6-1-0-3

Goals per game: 3.12 (6th in the league). Goals for: 78

Goals against per game: 3.00 (9th). Goals against: 75

Shots per game: 32.76 (3rd).

Shots against per game: 29.40 (5th).

Power Play: 24.5 % – 24 for 97 (1st). – Utah is 10 for 33 in the last 8 games.

Penalty Kill: 82.6 % – 71 for 86 (9th).

Shorthanded Goals: 4 (Tied for 3rd) Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 4 (Tied for 10th)

Record When Scoring First: 8-2-1.  Utah has scored first in 11 of the 25 games.

Team Leaders (2020-21 season)

Goals: Matthew Boucher (7)

Assists: Boucher (12)

Points: Boucher (19)

Plus/Minus: Jack Jenkins (+8)

PIM: Teigan Zahn (37)

Power Play Points: Ryan Lowney (9)

Shots on Goal: Matthew Boucher (77)

Shooting Percentage: Braylon Shmyr (20.0%) – Minimum 10 shots.

Game Winning Goals: Pat Cannone (2)

Wins: Peyton Jones/Brad Barone (4)

Save %: Brad Barone (.935)

Goals Against Average: Barone (1.93).