Grizzlies Preview: Utah at Allen, January 13th, 2020

Utah Grizzlies (19-11-6) at Allen Americans (26-7-7). Allen Events Center. Monday January 13, 2020. 6:00 pm MST.  Classic Country 1370, 104.3 FM HD-2. ECHL.TV.  

Allen, Texas – The Utah Grizzlies continue their 3 states, 4 games in 5 days trip tonight in the Lonestar State against the first-place Allen Americans.

The Grizzlies had their biggest comeback win of the season last Saturday in Tulsa, overcoming a 3-0 deficit with 5 unanswered goals to win 5-3. Yuri Terao led the team with 2 goals, while Jack Jenkins, Griffen Molino, and Ty Lewis each notched a goal for the Grizzlies. Molino and Lewis are tied for the team lead with 15 goals.

Forward Josh Dickinson returns to the Grizzlies lineup as he was reassigned from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Dickinson was the October 2019 Player of the Month for the ECHL after scoring back to back hat tricks on October 16th vs Wichita and October 18th at Allen.

It’s the third season meeting between the clubs. The Grizzlies had a historic 10-4 win at Allen on October 18th. It was the most goals scored by the Grizzlies in a game since November 15th, 1995 vs Chicago when they were apart of the IHL.

The Grizzlies have standings points in 15 of their last 18 games. They are 6th in the league in goals per game (3.44) and 4th in goals allowed (2.78). They are the only team in the league to be in the top 6 in both categories.  

Tonight will be quite a test as the Americans have the league’s second-best winning percentage at .738. They lead the league with 155 goals and standings points with 59. They are led by forwards Tyler Sheehy, who is 3rd in the league with 43 points, and Gabriel Gagne, who leads the league in goals (22). He scored the game-winning goal in a 5-4 win over Utah on October 20th, the last time these teams met.

Former Grizzlies defenseman Turner Ottenbreit is on the Allen roster. He had 11 goals and 12 assists in 58 games for Utah last season. This year he has split time with Allen and the AHL’s Iowa Wild. With Allen, he has 1 goal and 10 assists in 15 games and has a plus-15 rating.

Face-off for tonight’s game is at 6:00 PM MST. You can stream the game live on ECHL.TV or by listening to Classic Country 1370. Follow the Utah Grizzlies on social media to stay up to date on all the action as well. The next home game will be on Friday, January 17th vs Wichita. Tickets are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.

2019-2020 Regular Season Totals

Overall record: 19-11-4-2

Home record: 11-5-2-1. Utah has outscored opponents 64 to 48 at home this season.

Road record: 8-6-2-1.

Last 10 games: Utah is 7-2-0-1

Goals per game: 3.44 (6th in the league).

Goals against per game: 2.78 (4th). 

Shots per game: 32.03 (12th).

Shots against per game: 27.83 (3rd). 

Power play: 20.0 % (7th).  

Penalty Kill: 84.2 % (Tied 7th). 

Scoring By Period

First Period: Utah 28 Opponents 30.

Second Period: Utah 49 Opponents 36.

Third Period: Utah 42 Opponents 28.

Total Scoring: Utah 124 Opponents 100.

Record When Scoring First: 13-2-1 (.844 win %).

Team Leaders

Goals: Griffen Molino/Ty Lewis (15)

Assists: Tim McGauley (29) – Tied for league lead

Points: McGauley (42) – 5th in league.

Plus/Minus: McGauley (+30) – Leads league. Molino 2nd in league (+27)

PIM: Patrick McGrath (86)

Power Play Points: Travis Barron (10) Richart and McGauley each have 9 points.

Shots on Goal: Taylor Richart (110)

Game Winning Goals: Yuri Terao (4)

Wins: Martin Ouellette (10)

Save %: Hunter Miska (.947) 

Goals Against Average: Miska (1.62)