Grizzlies Preview: Tulsa at Utah, March 28, 2021

Tulsa Oilers (19-18-2-1, .526 Win %) at Utah Grizzlies (16-13-4-5 .551 Win%)March 28, 2021 | 1:10 PM | Game #40 | Maverik CenterReferee: Sean MacFarlaneLinesmen: Andrew Collins, Craig Peterson.  

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

2020-2021 Regular Season Totals (league rankings)

Overall record: 17-13-4-5

Home record: 11-5-2-3

Road record: 6-8-2-2

Win percentage: .551 (4th in Western Conference).

Streak: Won 1.

Standings Points: 43

Last 10: 4-5-1

Goals per game: 3.03 (5th). Goals for: 118

Goals against per game: 3.38 (13th). Goals against: 132

Shots per game: 32.77 (3rd).

Shots against per game: 29.72 (7th).

Power Play: 20.3 % - 32 for 156 (2nd).

Penalty Kill: 80.9 % - 110 for 136 (11th).

Penalty Minutes: 482 (12.36 per game).

Shorthanded Goals: 5 (3rd) Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 5 (Tied for 10th)

Players Used: 45. Hayden Hodgson made Grizzlies debut last night. Garrett Metcalf will probably make it 46 this afternoon.

Attendance: 35,540 (1,692 per game).

Record When Scoring First: 11-5-1. 

Team Leaders (2020-21 season)

Goals: Matthew Boucher (15)

Assists: Boucher (19)

Points: Boucher (34)

Plus/Minus: Jack Jenkins (+8)

PIM: Teigan Zahn (54)

Power Play Points: Pat Cannone/Ryan Lowney (11)

Shots on Goal: Matthew Boucher (121) 

Shooting Percentage: Nick Henry (20.0%) – Minimum 15 shots.

Game Winning Goals: Pat Cannone/Nick Henry/Matthew Boucher (2)

Wins: Brad Barone (5)

Save %: Parker Gahagen (.930)

Goals Against Average: Gahagen (2.12).

Current Roster

Forwards: Travis Barron, Matthew Boucher, Trey Bradley, Pat Cannone, Charlie Gerard, Hayden Hodgson, Matt Hoover, Christian Horn, Jack Jenkins, Ty Lewis, Mitch Maxwell, Cedric Pare, Jared Pike, Joe Wegwerth. AJ White.

Defenseman: Brandon Fehd, Miles Gendron, Alex Lepkowski, Ryan Lowney, Michael Prapavessis, Teigan Zahn.

Goaltenders: Kevin Carr, Trevor Gorsuch, Garrett Metcalf.

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

Friday, March 19th, 2021 – Utah 5 Rapid City 4 (Shootout) – Hunter Skinner scored shootout game winner. Charlie Gerard had 2 goals. Jack Jenkins and Matt Hoover added goals for the Grizz.

Saturday, March 20th, 2021 – Utah 0 Rapid City 7 – Utah had 30 shots on goal.

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

Wednesday, March 24th, 2021 – Tulsa 2 Utah 4. Matthew Boucher scored 3 goals in the 3rd period. Trevor Gorsuch stopped 30 of 32 Tulsa shots.

Friday, March 26th, 2021 – Tulsa 3 Utah 1. Mitch Maxwell scored his first goal of the season. Utah outshot Tulsa 35-25.

Saturday, March 27th, 2021 – Tulsa 3 Utah 6. 6 different Grizz forwards scored goals. Trevor Gorsuch saved 38 of 41 to get his 2nd win of the series. Matthew Boucher had 1 goal and 2 assists and Cedric Pare had 1 goal and 1 assist.

Sunday, March 28th, 2021 – Tulsa at Utah. 1:10 pm. Utah is 4-0 on Sundays at home.

Next Week’s Games

Friday, April 1st, 2021 – Utah at Allen. 6:05 pm.

Saturday, April 2nd, 2021 – Utah at Allen. 6:05 pm.

Sunday, April 3rd, 2021 – Utah at Allen. 6:05 pm.

All times Mountain.

The Match-up

It’s the last game of the big 4 game series vs Tulsa. It’s the Oilers only series in Maverik Center this season. It’s the 7th season meeting between the clubs. Goaltender Garrett Metcalf is expected to make his professional debut.  

Last Night: Boucher Leads Grizzlies Again

Matthew Boucher was the top star for the Grizzlies in a 6-3 win over the Oilers. Boucher had 1 goal and 2 assists. Cedric Pare had 1 goal and 1 assist. Ryan Lowney had 2 assists as everyone contributed to the win. 6 different forwards scored as Utah led 4-0 after 1 period and 5-0 after 2. Tulsa outshout Utah 41 to 25.

March 26th: Maxwell Scores in Grizz Loss

Mitch Maxwell scored 5:01 into the third period in the 3-1 loss to Tulsa on Friday night at Maverik Center. Tulsa’s Adam Pleskach and Matt Lane each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Tulsa goalie Devin Williams saved 34 of 35 to get his 6th win of the season. Utah’s Trevor Gorsuch saved 22 of 25.

March 24th: Boucher, Hoover and Gorsuch Play Key Roles in 4-2 Win

Matthew Boucher scored 3 goals in the third period to turn a 2-1 Tulsa lead into a 4-2 Grizzlies win. Boucher scored the game winning goal with 1:57 left in the third period on a pass from Jack Jenkins. Boucher’s hat trick is the 2nd hat trick by a Grizzlies skater this season. Matt Hoover scored a second period goal on a Cedric Pare pass. Trevor Gursuch made his home debut and saved 30 of 32.

Grizzlies Have Been Grooving on Sunday Afternoons

Utah is 4-0 at home on Sunday afternoon games. The most recent Sunday win was a 5-1 victory on March 14th vs Allen. Utah’s biggest margin of victory was on February 14th vs Wichita with a 6-1 win on a Sunday. The lord’s day also produced a 4-3 win over Rapid City on February 21st and a 4-3 win on January 31st vs Allen.

Hayden Hodgson Acquired from Wheeling, Made Grizz Debut

Hodgson made his team debut last night. He was acquired from the Wheeling Nailers in a trade for future considerations. Hodgson had 2 goals and 4 assists in 18 games for the Nailers. He has 41 games of AHL experience with the Cleveland Monsters in the 2017-18 season. He has experience in this league with Florida, Manchester, Wichita, Reading and Wheeling.

Boucher Should Be League Player of the Week, Rookie of the Year

Boucher has been named the game’s number 1 star in 2 of his last 3 games. He leads the team with 8 multiple point games. He also leads the team and all league rookies in goals (15), assists (19), points (34) and shots on goal (121).

This Week’s Transactions

Hayden Hodgson was acquired on March 27th from Wheeling for future considerations. He made his team debut last night, wearing number 39. Defenseman Hunter Skinner was loaned to the Hartford Wolf Pack on March 25th. Skinner, 19, has 7 goals and 10 assists in 25 games for Utah. Goaltender Brad Barone was traded to the Rapid City Rush on March 24th. Barone in 2 seasons with Utah had a record of 9-5-2-2 with a .903 save percentage and a 2.74 goals against average. Defenseman Garrett Johnston returns to the Grizzlies lineup on March 24th after being returned from a loan with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. Johnston has 3 assists in 33 games for Utah this season.

Local Boy in Net

Grizzlies signed goaltender Garrett Metcalf on March 16th. He was born in Salt Lake City on March 5th, 1996. Metcalf was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the 6th round, 179th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He played with Long Island University in the 2020-21 season and had a 2-7 record with a .901 save percentage and a 4.02 GAA. Metcalf also played in 2 seasons at Mercyhurst University in 2019 and 2020. Garrett has good size at 6’4” and 190 pounds.

Many April Road Games

After the 4 game series with Tulsa 12 of the next 15 games will be away from Maverik Center. The only 3 home games for Utah in April will be on the 14th, 16th-17th vs Kansas City.

Season Series vs Tulsa

It’s the 7th season meeting between the clubs. Tulsa swept Utah in a 3 game series on January 8th-10th at BOK Center. The Grizzlies originally had Tulsa on the schedule for December 18th and 19th at Maverik Center but the games were postponed due to COVID protocols. The December 18th game will be made up on March 26th and the December 19th game will be made up on March 27th. Charlie Gerard is a name to keep an eye on. He had 2 goals in the 3 game series in January. Brandon Fehd had 2 assists on March 24th. Fehd is playing against Tulsa with his 3rd different team. He appeared in 3 games vs Tulsa as a member of the Indy Fuel and 1 game with Rapid City. Utah will play at Tulsa on April 30th, May 1st and May 14th-16th.

Tulsa 3 @ Utah 6 (Mar 27 2021)

Tulsa 3 @ Utah 1 (Mar 26 2021)

Tulsa 2 @ Utah 4 (Mar 24 2021)

Utah 2 @ Tulsa 3 (Jan 10 2021) SO

Utah 0 @ Tulsa 1 (Jan 9 2021)

Utah 2 @ Tulsa 3 (Jan 8 2021) OT

Multiple Point games

8 - Matthew Boucher

5 - Trey Bradley, Riley Woods, Cedric Pare

4- Pat Cannone, Hunter Skinner.

3 - Miles Gendron, Charlie Gerard, Matt Hoover, Ryan Lowney.

2 - Ty Lewis, Diego Cuglietta, Nick Henry, Joe Wegwerth.

1 - AJ White, Jack Jenkins, Mitch Maxwell, Alex Lepkowski, Braylon Shmyr, Ian Scheid, Matt Abt, Ryker Killins, Josh Dickinson, Travis Barron, Brayden Gelsinger, Brandon Fehd.