Grizzlies Preview: Wichita at Utah Feb. 12, 2021

Wichita Thunder (11-4-1, .719 Win%) at Utah Grizzlies (9-4-3-3, .632 Win %)February 12, 2021 | 7:10 PM | Game #20 | Maverik CenterReferees: Logan Gruhl (#29)Linesmen: Andrew Collins (#49), Craig Peterson (#58). 

Where to See and Hear the Game  

You can catch every game on Flohockey.TV, the new home for ECHL.TV. The games can also be heard on Mixlr, the new broadcast home for Grizzlies hockey.Watch Live:  https://www.flohockey.tv/Listen Live: https://mixlr.com/utah-grizzlies

The Match-up

It’s a first of a three game weekend series at Maverik Center. It’s the first season meeting between the clubs. Utah went 6-1 against the Thunder last season. Wichita is in 2nd place in the Western Conference with a record of 11-4-1. The Thunder have a team save percentage of .932. The Grizzlies will face Wichita 9 times this season but this weekend is the only series played at Maverik Center.

Games on Recent Road Trip

Utah picked up 5 out of a possible 6 points in the trip.

February 9th, 2021 – Utah 1 Allen 2 (Shootout) – Matthew Boucher 2nd period power play goal. Brad Barone saved 23 of 24. Utah outshot Allen 32 to 25.

February 5th, 2021 – Utah 4 Kansas City 2 – Riley Woods had 2 goals and 1 assist. Pat Cannone had 2 assists. Utah went 2 for 4 on the power play. Brad Barone saved 38 of 40.

February 6th, 2021 – Utah 3 Kansas City 2 – Miles Gendron had 2 goals. Pat Cannone game winner with 33 seconds left in the 2nd period. Barone saved 29 of 31 for his 4th win of the season.

Power Play is Number 1 in the League

Utah is 9 for 34 on the power play over the last 8 games. Pat Cannone leads the club with 8 power play points (3 goals, 5 assists). Utah has a power play goal in 13 of their 19 games this season. They have also scored 2 goals that were within 5 seconds after a power play ended. Utah is the number 1 power play unit in the league at 21.9 percent.

Transaction

Kevin Carr Signs 2 Way Contract, Returns to Utah

Carr signed a 2 way AHL deal on February 11th. Kevin has started 2 games for Utah this season. He has 210 games of professional experience, spending time in the ECHL with the Tulsa Oilers, Alaska Aces and Grizzlies and the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers.

Point Streaks and Trends

Pat Cannone has a point in the last 6 games he’s played as he missed the February 9th game. Cannone has a point in 12 of his 16 games. Hunter Skinner has a point in 6 of his 8 pro games. Ryan Lowney has a point in 6 of his last 8 games. Matthew Boucher has a point in 8 of his last 11 games, including 4 multi-point games. AJ White has a point in 7 of his last 10 games. Diego Cuglietta has a point in 7 of his 8 games.

Last Homestand’s Games

Miles Gendron, Riley Woods, Pat Cannone and Hunter Skinner each had 3 points last weekend to lead the club. Brad Barone started 2 games last weekend. Barone stopped 30 of 32 on January 30th and the next afternoon picked up his 2nd win of the season by saving 25 of 28. In 3 games this season, Barone has a 2-0-0-1 record with a 2.26 Goals Against Average and a .921 save percentage.

January 29th, 2021- Allen 5 Utah 2 – Riley Woods and Ryan Lowney scored power play goals for Utah. Miles Gendron had 2 assists.

January 30th, 2021- Allen 3 Utah 2 (Shootout) – Kris Myllari scored first pro goal. Pat Cannone tallied a power play goal to tie the game with 9:33 left in the third period. Brad Barone saved 30 of 32. Both teams had 1 power play goal.

January 31st, 2021- Allen 3 Utah 4 – Hunter Skinner had 2 goals. Matthew Boucher had 1 goal, 1 assist and Brad Barone saved 25 of 28 in the win.

Lots of Close Games

11 of the 18 games Utah has played this season have been 1 goal contests. 5 of the last 7 games have been decided by 1 goal.

Grizzlies Among League leaders

Pat Cannone is tied for 3rd in power play points with 8. Brad Barone is 2nd in save percentage at .935. Matthew Boucher is 3rd in assists among rookies with 9. Boucher’s 49 shots on goal are 2nd among rookies. Cedric Pare has 45 shots on goal, tied for 3rd most among rookies.

Wichita Series

Utah went 6-1 vs Wichita last season. The most memorable game from the Grizzlies perspective was an 8-2 win on December 17th, 2019 where Ty Lewis had 4 goals and 2 assists and Tim McGauley had 1 goal, 6 assists and 7 points. McGauley broke the single game franchise record for assists and points but was not the number 1 star of the game as Lewis and his 6 point performance earned him the top star of the game.

Utah is 12-0 all-time vs Wichita at Maverik Center. This weekend is the only time the Thunder will visit Maverik Center during the regular season. If the playoffs started today, Utah would face Wichita in the first round.

Feb. 12 Wichita at Utah 7:10 pm

Feb. 13 Wichita at Utah 7:10 pm

Feb. 14 Wichita at Utah 1:10 pm

Mar. 5 Utah at Wichita 6:05 pm

Mar. 6 Utah at Wichita 6:05 pm

Apr. 9 Utah at Wichita 6:05 pm

Apr. 10 Utah at Wichita 6:05 pm

Apr. 11 Utah at Wichita 3:05 pm

Apr. 28 Utah at Wichita 6:05 pm

Last Week’s Games

February 5th, 2021 – Utah 4 Kansas City 2 – Riley Woods had 2 goals and 1 assist. Pat Cannone had 2 assists. Utah went 2 for 4 on the power play. Brad Barone saved 38 of 40.

February 6th, 2021 – Utah 3 Kansas City 2 – Miles Gendron had 2 goals. Pat Cannone game winner with 33 seconds left in the 2nd period. Barone saved 29 of 31 for his 4th win of the season.

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

Tuesday, February 9th, 2021 – Utah at Allen. 6:05 pm.

Friday, February 12th, 2021 – Wichita at Utah. 7:10 pm.  

Saturday, February 13th, 2021 – Wichita at Utah. 7:10 pm.

Sunday, February 14th, 2021 – Wichita at Utah. 1:10 pm.

2020-21 Roster

Forwards: Matthew Boucher, Trey Bradley, Pat Cannone, Diego Cuglietta, Matt Hoover, Christian Horn, Jack Jenkins, Mitch Maxwell, Cedric Pare, Jared Pike, Yuri Terao, Joe Wegwerth. AJ White.

Defenseman: Garrett Johnston, Ryker Killins, Alex Lepkowski, Ryan Lowney, Kris Myllari, Hunter Skinner, Teigan Zahn.

Goaltenders: Brad Barone, Evan Buitenhuis, Kevin Carr

2020-2021 Regular Season Totals (league rankings)

Overall record: 9-4-3-3

Home record: 5-2-1-1

Road record: 4-2-2-2

Win percentage: .632 (3rd in Western Conference).

Streak: Lost 1.

Standings Points: 24

Last 10: 4-2-2-2. Standings points in 10 of last 12.

Goals per game: 3.00 (5th in the league). Total Goals: 57

Goals against per game: 3.00 (8th). Total Goals Allowed: 57

Shots per game: 31.95 (6th).

Shots against per game: 29.58 (3rd).

Power Play: 21.9 % - 16 for 73 (1st). – Utah has 8 power play goals in the last 6 games. 

Penalty Kill: 81.4 % - 57 for 70 (10th).

Shorthanded Goals: 4 (Tied for 2nd) Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 4 (Tied for 12th)

Record When Scoring First: 7-2-1.  Utah has scored first in 10 of the 19 games.

Team Leaders (2020-21 season)

Goals: Pat Cannone (6)

Assists: Cannone (10)

Points: Cannone (16)

Plus/Minus: Matt Abt/Jack Jenkins (+8)

PIM: Teigan Zahn (26)

Power Play Points: Cannone (8)

Shots on Goal: Matthew Boucher (49) 

Shooting Percentage: Ian Scheid (18.8 %) Joe Wegwerth (18.2 %) leads active Grizzlies.

Game Winning Goals: Pat Cannone (2)

Wins: Peyton Jones/Brad Barone (4)

Save %: Brad Barone (.935)

Goals Against Average: Barone (1.93).