Grizzlies Playoff Preview: Game 1 at Allen Tonight

Western Conference Semifinals

#1 Allen Americans (45-23-4) vs. #4 Utah Grizzlies (35-26-11)Game 1 – Tuesday, June 8 at 7:05 p.m. CT at AllenGame 2 – Wednesday, June 9 at 7:05 p.m. CT at AllenGame 3 – Friday, June 11 at 7:10 p.m. MT at UtahGame 4 – Saturday, June 12 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Utah (If Necessary)Game 5 – Monday, June 14 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Utah (If Necessary)

Every game is available on Mixlr/FloSports.

#DontPokeTheBear

The Utah Grizzlies are in the playoffs for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons that ended with a postseason. Utah’s 11-4 record in May was instrumental to the playoff run.

Maverik Center Watch Party

There will be a Grizzlies Watch Party in the Centennial room on the 4th floor of Maverik Center for each of the 2 road games in the series. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

Matthew Boucher Named ECHL Rookie of the Year

Matthew Boucher was named the 2020-21 ECHL Rookie of the year. Boucher led all league first year pros and Grizzlies skaters in Goals (25) points (52) and shots on goal (209). Matthew was also the first Grizzlies player in team history to be named to the ECHL All-Rookie team. He is the first Utah player to receive an individual season award since the team joined the league prior to the 2005-06 season. Former Grizzlies trainer Cole Libby won the league’s Athletic Trainer of the year in 2017.

2020-2021 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals (league rankings)

Overall record: 35-26-5-6

Home record: 21-9-3-3. Utah has outscored opponents 122 to 102 at home.

Road record: 14-17-2-3

Win percentage: .563 (4th in Western Conference).

Streak: Won 1

Standings Points: 81

Last 10: 5-5.

Goals per game: 2.88 (Tied 10th). Goals for: 207

Goals against per game: 3.04 (10th). Goals against: 219

Shots per game: 32.40 (4th).

Shots against per game: 29.10 (3rd).

Power Play: 16.8 % - 47 for 280 (8th).

Penalty Kill: 84.2 % - 218 for 259 (5th)

Penalty Minutes: 1037 (14.40 per game).

Shorthanded Goals: 12 (Tied for 2nd) – Travis Barron had 5 shorthanded goals to tie for the league lead with Allen’s Corey Mackin.

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 10 (Tied 10th)

Players Used: 52.

Record When Scoring First: 22-9-2-1

Team Leaders (2020-21 season)

Goals: Matthew Boucher (25)

Assists: Trey Bradley (37)  

Points: Boucher (52)

Plus/Minus: Matt Abt (+8)

PIM: Teigan Zahn/Hayden Hodgson (86)

Games Played: Cedric Pare (67)

Power Play Points: Ryan Lowney (17)

Power Play Goals: AJ White (9)

Power Play Assists: Lowney/Ty Lewis (11)

Shots on Goal: Boucher (209)

Shooting Percentage: AJ White (14.2 %) – Minimum 45 shots.

Game Winning Goals: White (5)

Wins: Parker Gahagen (10)

Save %: Gahagen (.929) – Minimum 8 games

Goals Against Average: Gahagen (2.04). – Minimum 8 games

Utah vs Allen Season Series

The teams met 18 times during the regular season. Utah went 8-6-4 vs Allen. Les Lancaster led the Americans in the season series with 14 points (1g-13a) while Jake Paterson went 6-1-1 with a 2.46 goals-against average. The Grizz were led by Cedric Pare’s eight goals while Matthew Boucher (6g-5a) and Trey Bradley (2g-9a) shared the team lead with 11 points each. Utah won 6 of the last 8 meetings.

Allen 0 @ Utah 4 (May 23 2021) – Peyton Jones 28 save shutout. Sasha Mutala 2 goals. Utah 2-6 power play. AJ White had 1 goal and 1 assist.

Allen 1 @ Utah 2 (May 22 2021) OT – Cedric Pare GWG 57 seconds into OT. Utah outshot Allen 26-14.

Allen 1 @ Utah 4 (May 21 2021) – Ty Lewis 2 goals, 1 assist. Trey Bradley 3 assists.

Allen 5 @ Utah 3 (May 19 2021) – Wyatt McLeod first 2 pro goals. Allen scored last 5 goals in contest.

Utah 2 @ Allen 1 (Apr 25 2021) – Charlie Gerard GWG 4:48 into 3rd period.

Utah 2 @ Allen 4 (Apr 24 2021) – Charlie Gerard and Travis Barron got Utah’s goals.

Utah 4 @ Allen 2 (Apr 23 2021) – Lewis and Gerard each with 1 goal, 1 assist.

Utah 3 @ Allen 2 (Apr 3 2021) SO – Trey Bradley shootout game winner.

Utah 0 @ Allen 3 (Apr 2 2021) – Hayden Hawkey 25 save shutout for Allen.

Utah 2 @ Allen 3 (Apr 1 2021) – Boucher and Pare tally goals for Utah.

Allen 1 @ Utah 5 (Mar 14 2021) – Bradley, Boucher each had 1 goal, 2 assists.

Allen 5 @ Utah 4 (Mar 13 2021) OT – Cedric Pare 2 goals, Matt Hoover 1 goal, 1 assist. Utah had 3 goals in 1 minute 21 seconds late in 2nd period.

Allen 6 @ Utah 2 (Mar 12 2021) – Utah outshot Allen 33-22.

Utah 3 @ Allen 5 (Mar 3 2021) – Hunter Skinner 1 goal, 1 assist.

Utah 1 @ Allen 2 (Feb 9 2021) SO – Boucher 2nd period power play goal.

Allen 3 @ Utah 4 (Jan 31 2021) – Hunter Skinner scored first 2 pro goals.

Allen 3 @ Utah 2 (Jan 30 2021) SO – Kris Myllari & Pat Cannone scored goals.

Allen 5 @ Utah 2 (Jan 29 2021) – Utah went 2 for 4 on power play.

7 Have Double Digit Goal Seasons

Matthew Boucher (25), Charlie Gerard (20), Cedric Pare (17), AJ White (15), Ryan Lowney (11) Pat Cannone and Trey Bradley (10) each have a double digit goal season.

Grizzlies Record is Outstanding When Leading After 1st and 2nd

Utah was 13-4-0-1 when leading after 1 period and 22-4-1-1 when leading after 2.

Grizzlies Enjoying Maverik Center Surroundings

Utah outscored opponents 122 to 102 at home this season. The Grizz went 21-9-3-3 at Maverik Center, earning 48 standings points in 36 home games.

Many 1 Goal Games

35 of the 71 games Utah has played this season have been 1 goal contests. This season the Grizzlies have played in 18 games past regulation. Utah is 18-6-11 in 1 goal games.

Grizzlies Players with Championship Experience

Garrett Johnston was on the 2019 Kelly Cup Champion Newfoundland Growlers. Johnston appeared in 23 games in the 2019 playoffs, scoring 1 goal and 6 assists. Travis Barron was on the 2018 Kelly Cup Champion Colorado Eagles. Teigan Zahn won back-to-back championships with Colorado in 2017-2018.

Players With Previous Grizzlies Playoff Experience

Travis Barron, Ty Lewis and Teigan Zahn were each with the Grizzlies on their 2019 playoff series vs Idaho. Barron had 1 goal and Lewis had 3 assists.

Playoff Roster

Forwards

Travis Barron – (29 games, 8 goals, 8 assists, 16 points, 0 in +/-, 54 PIM, 2 power play goals, Tied for league lead with 5 SHG, 92 shots, 8.7 Shooting %). 3rd year pro. In 75 games with Utah over 3 seasons Barron has 21 goals and 30 assists. Barron has championship experience as he appeared in 20 playoffs games with Colorado, scoring 2 goals and 5 assists in their 2018 Kelly Cup run. Travis broke a franchise record by scoring 3 shorthanded goals in 1 game vs Rapid City on May 4, 2021.

Matthew Boucher – (59 games, 25 goals, 27 assists, 52 points, +6, 63 PIM, 4 power play goals, 7 power play assists, 2 game winning goals, 209 shots, 12.0 Shooting %). 2021 ECHL Rookie of the Year. Led Utah with 25 goals and 52 points. Boucher led the club with 209 shots on goal. His father, Philippe Boucher played in 748 NHL games over 16 seasons. Matthew was the league’s Rookie of the Month for March 2021, where he had 15 points in 12 games (7 goals, 8 assists). He was twice named ECHL Player of the Week. He tied for the team lead with 12 multi-point games. Played at the University of New Brunswick in 2019, 2020.

Trey Bradley – (65 games, 10 goals, 37 assists, 47 points, +2, 22 PIM, 2 power play goals, 7 power play assists, 2 game winning goals, 143 shots, 7.0 Shooting %) Led the team with 37 assists. He had 16 points (2 goals, 14 assists) and had a +8 rating in May. Bradley had 7 multi-point games in the last 18 games of the season. Last season Bradley had 34 points in 48 games for Newfoundland (14 goals, 20 assists). His father, Brian Bradley, was a 2 time NHL All-Star. His brother, Cody Bradley is also a pro hockey player. Scored the shootout game winner for Utah on April 3 at Allen. Played his college hockey at Colorado College from 2016-2019. Bradley won the league’s Player of the Week award from May 17-23, scoring 7 assists in a 4 game series vs Allen.

Pat Cannone – (36 games, 10 goals, 18 assists, 28 points, +2, 16 PIM, 4 power play goals, 9 power play assists, 2 GWG, 78 shots, 12.8 Shooting %). Played in 497 AHL games over 8 seasons and had 106 goals and 174 assists. Cannone played in 3 NHL games with the Minnesota Wild in the 2016-17 season. Pat was captain of the Chicago Wolves in the 2015-16 campaign. Played his college hockey at Miami (Ohio) from 2008-2011.

Charlie Gerard – (49 games, 20 goals, 14 assists, 34 points, -11, 33 PIM, 3 GWG, 183 shots, 10.9 Shooting %). Gerard led the club by scoring the teams first goal 6 different times. He scored 4 goals in the regular season finale vs Fort Wayne. Charlie played at Minnesota State-Mankato from 2017-2020, scoring 70 points in 4 seasons (30 goals, 40 assists). Gerard was 2nd in the league in goals (20) and shots on goal (183) among rookies, trailing only teammate Matthew Boucher in both categories. Charlie played in 8 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles this season and had 1 goal.

Hayden Hodgson – (44 games, 18 with Wheeling, 26 with Utah, 8 goals, 10 assists, 18 points, -18, 127 PIM, 98 shots, 8.2 Shooting %). Hodgson was acquired in a trade from Wheeling on March 26, 2021. Hodgson has also played with Reading, Wichita, Manchester and Florida in the ECHL and 41 games with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters in 2017-18. He scored the game winning goal with 1:55 in regulation vs RC on May 8.

Matt Hoover – (56 games, 6 goals, 13 assists, 19 points, -6, 75 PIM, 104 shots, 5.8 Shooting %). Played at Canisius College from 2017-2020 and scored 47 goals and 52 assists. His father, Ron Hoover, was a pro hockey player for 9 seasons and played in NHL games with Boston and St. Louis.

Jack Jenkins – (60 games, 6 goals, 11 assists, 17 points, +6, 21 PIM, 108 shots, 5.6 Shooting %). 2nd year pro out of Notre Dame. Played in 52 games with Utah in the 2019-2020 season, scoring 7 goals and 18 assists. Jenkins has a +9 rating in 2 seasons with Utah.

Ty Lewis – (42 games, 8 goals, 19 assists, 27 points, -3, 10 PIM, 11 power play assists, 141 shots, 5.7 Shooting %). Lewis led Utah with 25 goals in the 2019-2020 season. In 93 games over 3 seasons with Utah, Lewis has 91 points (38 goals, 53 assists) and a +7 rating. In 5 playoff games in 2019, Lewis had 3 assists. Lewis played in 5 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles this season. Lewis has appeared in 68 games with Colorado over his first 3 pro seasons.

Mason Mannek – (9 games, 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, -1, 10 PIM, 12 shots). Mannek played with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks from 2018-2021. This season with Portland he had 17 points (10 goals, 7 assists) in 24 games. Mannek was born and raised in Herriman, Utah and was 1 of 3 local players to play for the Grizzlies this season.

Sasha Mutala – (6 games, 3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points, -5, 8 PIM, 19 shots, 15.8 Shooting %). Mutala scored 2 goals vs Allen on May 23. He played in 19 games with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans this season and had 20 points (6 goals, 14 assists) in 19 games. Sasha also played in 6 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, scoring 1 assist.

Cedric Pare – (67 games, 17 goals, 23 assists, 40 points, -2, 34 PIM, 4 power play goals, 7 power play assists, 3 GWG, 166 shots, 10.2 Shooting %). Pare had 2 overtime game winners this season (March 28 vs Tulsa and May 22 vs Allen). He was drafted in the 6th round (173rd overall) by the Boston Bruins in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Last season with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic he had 88 points (37 goals, 51 points) in 64 games. Pare is known for his lethal one-timer. Cedric led the Grizz in games played and was 3rd on the team with 17 goals and 40 points.

AJ White – (60 games, 15 goals, 25 assists, 40 points, -8, 18 PIM, 9 power play goals, 4 power play assists, 5 GWG, 106 shots, 14.2 Shooting %). White led the team in Power Play goals (9), Game Winning Goals (5) and shooting percentage among players who had 45 or more shots (14.2 %). White was captain of the Idaho Steelheads in 2019 and 2020. He was a +9 since May 5 and had 19 points in his last 16 games (6 goals, 10 assists). AJ had 4 assists in the regular season finale vs Fort Wayne.

Defenseman

Luke Bafia – (56 games – 37 with KC/19 with Utah, 4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points, -5, 55 PIM, 50 shots, 8.0 Shooting %). Bafia played in 37 games with the Kansas City Mavericks and had 3 goals and 4 assists. His first professional goal was an empty netter on January 18, 2021 at Utah. Luke played his college hockey at Western Michigan University from 2017-2020, where he twice led the team in blocked shots.

Brandon Fehd – (49 games – 12 with RC/4 with Indy and 33 with Utah, 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points, -6, 57 PIM, 32 shots). Fehd played in 100 games with Rapid City for 3 seasons, including 12 this year. He appeared in 4 games with Indy and had 5 assists in 33 games with the Grizz. He had 2 assists on March 24 vs Tulsa.

Miles Gendron – (46 games, 7 goals, 8 assists, 15 points, -14, 25 PIM, 2 power play goals, 5 power play assists, 64 shots, 10.9 Shooting %). Gendron had 2 goals at Kansas City on February 6. Miles played in 15 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles this season and had 2 goals, 1 assist and a +4 rating. Gendron was selected in the 3rd round (70th overall) by the Ottawa Senators in the 2014 NHL Draft. He also has pro experience with Brampton, Reading and Newfoundland of the ECHL and Belleville in the AHL.

Garrett Johnston – (60 games, 2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points, -3, 12 PIM, 51 shots, 3.9 Shooting %). Johnston was a member of the 2019 Kelly Cup Champion Newfoundland Growlers, scoring 7 points in the 2019 playoffs (1 goal, 6 assists). He played in 96 regular season games with the Growlers over 2 seasons (2019, 2020).

Alex Lepkowski – (40 games, 1 goal, 10 assists, 11 points, +3, 37 PIM, 61 shots, 1.6 Shooting %). Alex played at Acadia University from 2017-2020. He played with the Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL in the 2014-15 season, scoring 1 goal and 7 assists in 62 games. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 5th round (137th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.

Ryan Lowney – (57 games, 11 goals, 25 assists, 36 points, +2, 22 PIM, 6 power play goals, 11 power play assists, 2 GWG, 107 shots, 10.3 Shooting %). Led the team in power play points (17). Led Utah in goals, assists, points among d-men. Played in Played in 146 games with Fort Wayne from 2017-2019, scoring 70 points (13 goals and 57 assists). Played his college hockey at Ferris State from 2014-2017.

Wyatt McLeod – (15 games, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points, +3, 10 PIM, 12 shots, 16.7 Shooting %). Wyatt played with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades this season and had 15 points (3g, 12a) and a +8 rating in 24 games. Spent 4 seasons with Edmonton of the WHL and had a +28 rating. Scored his first 2 pro goals on May 19 vs Allen.

Teigan Zahn – (44 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points, -8, 86 PIM, 52 shots, 1.9 Shooting %). Captain of the Grizzlies in the 2018-19 season. Played in 188 games with Utah over 4 seasons (12 goals, 24 assists). He’s 4th all time in Utah history in PIM with 520. Zahn was drafted twice, Chicago 5th round 2008 and Tampa Bay 7th round 2010.

Goaltenders

Parker Gahagen (10-4-1-2 record, 2.04 goals against average, .929 save percentage in 17 games) – Parker led the team with 10 wins. He earned 2 shutouts this season, May 5 vs Rapid City and June 5 vs Fort Wayne. Parker became the first Grizzlies goaltender to earn back-to-back ECHL Goalie of the Week honors by himself from May 3-9 and May 10-16. Gahagen won the league’s Goaltender of the Month award for May 2021. Last season he had a 10-4 record with 2 shutouts and a .939 save % in 15 games with the Newfoundland Growlers. This season Parker played in 3 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles and had a 2-0 record with a .939 save percentage and a 2.09 GAA. Gahagen played at Army from 2014-2017.

Peyton Jones – (8-6-2-1 record, 3.12 goals against average, .886 save percentage in 18 games) – Jones earned a 28 save shutout on May 23 vs Allen. Jones started at Penn State University for 4 seasons from 2017-2020. His brother, Nolan Jones, is a professional baseball player who is currently in AAA with the Columbus Clippers. Jones ranks No. 1 all-time for Penn State goaltenders in games played/started (133), minutes played (7866:20), victories (76), and saves (3,685) while ranking second in both goals against average and save percentage at 2.88 and .907, respectively. His 42 career Big Ten victories are a conference record while his eight tournament victories rank second all-time.

Garrett Metcalf (4-4 record, 2.33 goals against average, .915 save percentage in 9 games) – Metcalf was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the 6th round (179th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft. Garrett won the ECHL Goaltender of the Week award for April 19-25.

About the Allen Americans

The Americans earned the top seed in the Western Conference thanks to a season-ending six-game winning streak to finish 45-23-4, including a league-leading 26 home wins on the season. All-ECHL First Team honoree Les Lancaster led the Americans and ECHL defensemen with 64 points (26g-38a) on the season while Corey Mackin had a team-leading 30 goals, which was second in the league. Jake Paterson’s 18 wins were tied for fifth in the league and he was second with three shutouts and a .927 save percentage and tied for second with a 2.31 goals-against average.