Grizz Win 4-3 in a Night of Firsts

Grizz Win 4-3 in a Night of Firsts

Tulsa, Oklahoma – 3 different Utah Grizzlies skaters scored their first professional goals and Peyton Jones saved 32 of 35 as the Grizz defeated the Tulsa Oilers 4-3 on Thursday night at BOK Center.

Utah’s Brian Bowen got a 5 minute boarding major 3:03 into the contest. While Utah was shorthanded Ben Tardif scored off a Tulsa turnover as he scored his first goal as a pro unassisted 6:55 in. Utah leads the league with 7 shorthanded goals this season. Utah led 1-0 after 1 period, outshooting Tulsa 13 to 9.

Tardif’s 2nd of the game came on the power play with Luke Martin getting the assist. Utah went 1 for 2 on the power play and Tulsa was 0 for 1. Kyle Pouncy scored his first pro goal 7:48 into the second as Utah took a 3-0 lead. Joey Colatarci and Andrew Nielsen got the assists. Nielsen has a point in 7 of his last 9 games. Tulsa’s Alex Gilmour scored his 7th of the year from the left circle 11:50 into the second. Utah led 3-1 after 2 periods.

Tulsa’s Jack Doremus scored his 9th of the year 3:28 into the third period. It stayed a 3-2 Utah lead until Martin fired a long range pass that connected to Zac Robbins, who scored his first pro goal with 2:55 left in regulation. Robbins became the 3rd Grizzlies skater in the game and the 15th player for Utah to score their first professional goal. Robbins goal turned out to be the game winner as Alex Gilmour scored his 2nd of the game for Tulsa with 1:11 left in regulation. Utah withstood a Tulsa rally in the last minute to hold on to their 12th victory of the season.

Tulsa outshot Utah 26 to 11 in the final 2 period to outshoot Utah 35 to 24 for the game. Utah is now 9-0 when leading after 2 periods. They are also 12-4-1 when scoring 3 goals or more.

Peyton Jones picked up his 2nd win at Tulsa this season and 5th victory on the season. Tulsa’s Kai Edmonds saved 20 of 24 in the loss. Luke Martin had 2 assists for Utah. Martin now has 4 multiple point games this year.

The Grizzlies will have 2 days off in Tulsa before the rubber match of the 3 game set, which will be at 3:05 pm mountain time at BOK Center. Utah is 2-1-1 vs Tulsa this year. The next homestand will be a 4 game series vs Wichita on December 15th, 17-19. Tickets for every Grizzlies home game are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.

3 stars

1. Ben Tardif (Utah) – 2 goals, 6 shots.
2. Jack Doremus (Tulsa) – 1 goal, 1 assist, +3.
3. Peyton Jones (Utah) – 32 of 35 saves.