Grizzlies Weekly: Utah hosts Wichita This Weekend

Grizzlies Weekly: Utah Hosts Wichita This Weekend

West Valley City, Utah – The Utah Grizzlies are home for a 3 game series against the Wichita Thunder on February 12th, 13th and 14th. Friday and Saturday will be 7:10 pm face-offs while Sunday the 14th will start at 1:10 pm.

Utah began the week with a game tomorrow at Allen to complete the 3 game road trip. The Grizzlies swept the Kansas City Mavericks in a 2 game weekend series, winning 4-2 on February 5th as Riley Woods scored 2 goals and 1 assist. Pat Cannone had 2 assists and Brad Barone saved 38 of 40. The next night Miles Gendron scored 2 goals in the second period. The difference in the game was Pat Cannone’s power play goal with 33 seconds left in the second period on a pass from Trey Bradley. Barone saved 29 of 31 to take his record to 4-0-0-1 on the season. Barone has a .931 save percentage and a 2.16 goals against average for Utah this season.

It's been a great season for Pat Cannone, who had 1 goal and 2 assists last week in the 2 game sweep. Cannone has a point in 12 of 16 games and leads the team with 8 power play points (3 goals, 5 assists). Riley Woods has also been a standout this season, scoring 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 8 games with Utah. Woods had 4 multi-point games and has a point in 6 of the 8.

Hunter Skinner scored a goal last Friday 1:02 into the first period. Skinner has 3 goals and 5 assists in 7 pro games. Ryan Lowney had an assist in both games last weekend. Lowney has a point in 6 of his 8 games this season (2 goals, 4 assists). AJ White also had an assist in both games at KC. White has a point in 7 of his last 10 games.

The power play has been great so far this season for Utah. They have a power play goal in 12 of their 18 games this season. They have 7 power play goals in the last 5 games. Utah’s power play is number 1 in the league at 21.1 percent.

The Wichita Thunder come to town on February 12th-14th and the Rapid City Rush the following weekend on February 19th-21st. Tickets every home game this weekend 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 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.

Lots of Close Games

11 of the 18 games Utah has played this season have been 1 goal contests.

Point Streaks and Trends

Riley Woods has a point in 6 of the 8 games played. Woods has 4 multi-point games in the 8 he’s played. Pat Cannone has a point in 6 straight games. Cannone has a point in 12 of his 16 games. Hunter Skinner has a point in 3 straight games and a point in 6 of his 7 pro games. Ryan Lowney has a point in 6 of his last 7 games. Matthew Boucher has 4 multi point games in his last 10 contests.

Grizzlies Among League leaders

Pat Cannone is tied for 10th in points with 16. Cannone’s 6 game point streak is tied for the 2nd best current streak in the league. Brad Barone is 2nd in the league in save percentage at .931. Matthew Boucher is tied for 3rd in assists among rookies (9). Miles Gendron is tied for the league lead for goals among defenseman (4).

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, Riley Woods.

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

Goaltenders: Brad Barone, Evan Buitenhuis.

2020-2021 Regular Season Totals (league rankings)

Overall record: 9-4-3-2

Home record: 5-2-1-1

Road record: 4-2-2-1

Win percentage: .639 (3rd in Western Conference).

Streak: Won 3.

Standings Points: 23

Last 10: 5-2-2-1. Standings points in 9 of last 11.

Goals per game: 3.11 (5th in the league).

Goals against per game: 3.06 (10th). 

Shots per game: 31.94 (6th).

Shots against per game: 29.83 (3rd).

Power Play: 21.1 % - 15 for 71 (1st). – Utah has 7 power play goals in the last 5 games. 

Penalty Kill: 80.9 % - 55 for 68 (11th).

Shorthanded Goals: 4 (Tied for 2nd) Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 3 (Tied for 9th)

Record When Scoring First: 7-2-1.  Utah has scored first in 10 of the 18 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 (44) 

Shooting Percentage: Ian Scheid (18.8 %) Ryan Lowney (18.2 %) leads active Grizzlies.

Game Winning Goals: Pat Cannone/Cedric Pare (2)

Wins: Peyton Jones/Brad Barone (4)

Save %: Brad Barone (.931)

Goals Against Average: Parker Gahagen (2.12).