Strong 3rd Period Leads to 5th Straight Win
West Valley City, Utah – The Utah Grizzlies scored 3 unanswered goals in the third period to turn a 2-2 tie into a 5-2 victory over the Rapid City Rush on Friday night at Maverik Center. The Grizzlies extend their winning streak to 5.
Rapid City led 1-0 after 20 minutes as Stephen Baylis scored on a power play. Utah’s Trey Bradley tied the game as scored 2:53 into the second period for his first goal of the season. Bradley was the game’s number 1 star as he scored 1 goal and 2 assists. Bradley leads the league with 8 assists. Later in the second period Andrew Nielsen scored on a blast from the right circle during a Grizzlies 5 on 3 power play. Utah outshot RC 16 to 8 in the second period as they led 2-1 after 2 periods.
Rapid City tied the game 40 seconds into the third period as Alec Butcher scored on the power play. The Grizzlies retook the lead for good as Neil Robinson scored on a great pass out in front from Bradley as Robinson scored his first professional goal. Brian Bowen added an insurance goal 7:01 into the third as he redirected a Luke Martin shot. Brandon Cutler completed the scoring 13:41 into the third period for his 2nd of the season.
Rapid City went 2 for 3 on the power play while Utah went 1 for 6. Utah goaltender Peyton Jones picked up his first win of the season as he saved 25 for 27 for the Grizzlies, who have a .714 winning percentage 7 games into the season. Brian Bowen and Neil Robinson each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Luke Martin had 2 assists and a +3 rating. Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Bradley were also a +3.
Austin Crossley made his professional debut and had 1 assist and got in a fight with 4:54 left in regulation. Baily Conger also made his debut with Utah and had 1 assist and was a +2. Defenseman Kyle Pouncy also appeared in his first game of the season.
The Grizzlies host the Rush on Saturday night to complete the 2 game weekend set. It’s Pooch on the Pond where fans can bring their dog to the game. Face-off will be at 7:10 pm and tickets are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.
3 stars.
- Trey Bradley (Utah) – 1 goal, 2 assists, +3, 2 shots.
- Neil Robinson (Utah) – 1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 2 shots.
- Luke Martin (Utah) – 2 assists, +3, 6 shots.
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