Grizzlies Gameday: Monday Series Opener in the Black Hills

Grizzlies Gameday: Monday Battle in the Black Hills

Utah Grizzlies (17-8-1, 35 points, .673 Win %) at Rapid City Rush (11-12-1-2, 25 points, .481 Win %)

Monday, December 27, 2021. The Monument. 7:05 pm. Broadcast: Mixlr/FloSports

It’s the first of a 4 game series in the Black Hills. It’s the 3rd game of 12 regular season meetings between the clubs. Utah swept Rapid City in a 2 game series at Maverik Center on November 5-6. The Grizzlies are in first place in the Mountain Division with a .673 points percentage and the 35 standings points are the most in the league. Watch out for Brandon Cutler, who has a point in 16 of his last 17 games. Utah has won 6 games in a row and have outscored opponents 26 to 10 in that stretch.

Utah vs Rapid City Series

Utah is 17-2-2-1 in their last 22 meetings with Rapid City. Trey Bradley has 5 points in 2 games vs the Rush this season (1 goal, 4 assists). Last season Trey Bradley had 13 points vs RC (4 goals, 9 assists). Brian Bowen has 3 points in 2 games vs RC (1 goal, 2 assists).

• November 5, 2021 – Rapid City 2 Utah 5 – Trey Bradley 1 goal, 2 assists. Neil Robinson scored first pro goal 2:53 into the 3rd period to break a 2-2 tie. Brian Bowen and Robinson each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Brandon Cutler and Andrew Nielsen added goals in the win. Luke Martin had 2 assists and was a +3. Peyton Jones saved 25 of 25 to earn his 2nd win of the season.
• November 6, 2021 – Rapid City 3 Utah 4 – Utah got goals from Luke Martin, Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Brandon Cutler and Quinn Ryan. Utah outshot Rapid City 40 to 23. RC went 1 for 1 on the power play and Utah was 1 for 2. Peyton Jones saved 20 of 23 in the win.

Grizzlies Swept Wichita  

Utah won each of their 5 season meetings vs Wichita this season, outscoring the Thunder 22 to 6. Andrew Nielsen had 4 goals and 2 assists vs Wichita this season.

Grizzlies Sign Defenseman Ryan Orgel

Ryan Orgel was signed by the Grizzlies prior to the December 27th game vs Rapid City. Orgel played at the University of Denver from 2017-2019, where he was twice named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team. He transferred to UW-Stevens Point, where he played the last 2 seasons. His senior season in 2020-21 at Stevens Point was successful as he scored 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) in 10 games. Orgel will wear number 11 for Utah. 

Captain Trey Bradley Returns to Club

Captain Trey Bradley has 18 points (4 goals, 14 assists) in 13 games this season with Utah. He also has 4 assists in 10 games with the Eagles this season. Last year Bradley led Utah with 37 assists. Bradley is tied with Charle-Edouard D’Astous for the team lead with 6 multiple point games. Bradley has 2 or more points in 6 of his last 10 games and a point in 9 of his last 10. In 15 games vs Rapid City over the last season plus the captain has 18 points (5 goals, 13 assists).

Brandon Cutler Leading the Way

Cutler leads the team with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists). That point total leads all league rookies. Cutler has points in 16 of his last 17 games. He leads the team with 89 shots on goal, which also leads all league rookies. It’s been a solid first pro season for Cutler, who won the league’s Rookie of the Month award for November 2021. Cutler has a point in 19 different games this season, which leads the club.

Matthew Boucher Returns With Authority

Matthew Boucher returned to the Grizzlies lineup on December 15th for the first time since October 31st and didn’t skip a beat as he scored 1 goal and 1 assist in Utah’s 3-0 win. In the 4 game Wichita series Boucher had 5 goals and 3 assists. Boucher has a point in 8 straight games he’s played in dating back to October 24th. In 10 games this season Boucher has 15 points (7 goals, 8 assists) and a +11 rating. Last season Boucher led Utah and all league rookies with 25 goals and 52 points. Boucher has 5 multiple point games in the last 8 that he’s appeared in.  

Grizzlies Are Getting All the Shorties

Utah leads the league with 9 shorthanded goals this season. Brandon Cutler has 3 shorthanded goals this season. Tyler Penner, Matthew Boucher, Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Ben Tardif, Mason Mannek and Trey Bradley have the other shorthanded goals. Utah is also the only team who has not allowed a shorthanded goal this season.

Tons of Shots for Utah

The Grizzlies had 154 shots in the 4 game series vs Wichita (38.5 per game). Utah is 6th in the league in shots per game at 32.85. The Grizz had 77 shots vs Rapid City in 2 games on Nov. 5-6.

Goaltenders Are Getting the Job Done

All 3 goaltenders who played in the Wichita series did a great job. The Grizz used 3 different goaltenders in the series vs Wichita. Trent Miner saved all 28 shots he saw on Wednesday night. 2 days later Peyton Jones saved 31 of 33 in a 4-2 win. On December 18th Garrett Metcalf saved 28 of 29, including the last 26 shots he saw in a 7-1 win. Jones returned on December 19th and saved 44 of 47 in a 5-3 win. As a team the Grizzlies have a .910 save percentage and a 2.79 goals against average.

Grizzlies Among League Leaders

Charle-Edouard D’Astous (Now with Colorado AHL) – leads all defenseman in goals (12) and power play goals (4). Brandon Cutler leads all rookies with 27 points. Cutler leads all rookies with 89 shots on goal and 17 assists. Trent Miner leads the league with 4 shutouts.

Many Players Playing the Hero Role

In the 17 Grizzlies wins there have been 13 different players who have scored the game winning goal. Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Brian Bowen, Quinn Ryan and Tyler Penner each have 2 GWG’s and 10 others have 1 GWG. Penner got the GWG with 2:54 left in regulation on Dec. 19 vs Wichita.

Last Week’s Games (Utah was off last week)

Wednesday, December 15, 2021 – Wichita 0 Utah 3 – Trent Miner 28 save shutout. Matthew Boucher had 1 goal and 1 assist. Ben Tardif had 2 assists. Andrew Nielsen and Mason Mannek each scored a first period goal. Utah outshot Wichita 52 to 28.

Friday, December 17- 2021 – Wichita 2 Utah 4 – Brian Bowen and Andrew Nielsen each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Peyton Jones saved 31 of 33.

Saturday, December 18, 2021 – Wichita 1 Utah 7 - Matthew Boucher had 2 goals, 1 assist. Andrew Nielsen, Trey Bradley and Tyler Penner each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Ben Tardif and Brandon Cutler each had 2 assists. Garrett Metcalf saved 28 of 29 in net. Utah outshot Wichita 37 to 29.

Sunday, December 19, 2021 – Wichita 3 Utah 5 – Matthew Boucher had 2 goals. Tyler Penner 1 goal, 1 assist, GWG with 2:54 left in regulation. Peyton Jones saved 44 of 47. Wichita outshot Utah 47 to 37. Trey Bradley scored a shorthanded goal. Brian Bowen scored a goal for the 3rd straight game.

This Week’s Games

Monday, December 27, 2021 – Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm.

Wednesday, December 29, 2021 – Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm.

Friday, December 31, 2021 – Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm.

Saturday, January 1, 2022 – Utah at Rapid City.

All times Mountain. Every game can be seen on FloHockey and heard on Mixlr.

Ironmen: 2 Have Played in all 26

The Grizzlies have played in 26 games this season. Only 2 players have appeared in all 26. Forwards Mason Mannek and Tyler Penner have appeared in every game. Mannek has been a consistent performer this season as he is 4th on the club with 19 points (8 goals, 11 assists). Penner has 1 goal and 1 assist in each of his last 2 games. Penner has 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) and has been a steady presence all season. Quinn Ryan and Andrew Nielsen have appeared in 25 of the 26 games. Connor McDonald has played in 24 of the 26 games.

Grizzlies Roster

Forwards: Matthew Boucher, Brian Bowen, Trey Bradley, Luka Burzan, Taylor Crunk, Brandon Cutler, Mason Mannek, Tyler Penner, Zac Robbins, Neil Robinson, Quinn Ryan, Gehrett Sargis, Christian Simone, Benjamin Tardif.

Defenseman: Joey Colatarci, Austin Crossley, Miles Gendron, Connor McDonald, Andrew Nielsen, Ryan Orgel, Kyle Pouncy, Jordon Stone.

Goaltenders: Peyton Jones, Garrett Metcalf.  

2021-2022 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals (league rankings)

Overall record: 17-8-1

Home record: 10-4. Utah has outscored opponents 52 to 32 at home.

Road record: 7-4-1

Win percentage: .673. 1st Place in Mountain Division

Streak: Won 6

Standings Points: 35. The most standings points by any team in the league

Last 10: 7-3.

Goals per game: 3.65 (5th) Goals for: 95.

Goals against per game: 2.81 (8th) Goals Against: 73.

Shots per game: 32.85 (6th)

Shots against per game: 31.19 (13th)   

Power Play: 16 for 82 – 19.5 % (14th)  

Penalty Kill: 87 for 110- 79.1 % (17th)

Penalty Minutes: 411. 15.81 per game.

Shorthanded Goals: 9 (1st). Brandon Cutler has 3 shorthanded goals.

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 0. – Utah is the only team in the league who has not allowed a shorthanded goal.

Record When Scoring First: 9-4. Utah has scored first in 13 of 26 games this season.

Team Leaders (2021-22 season)

Goals: Charle-Edouard D’Astous (12)

Assists: Brandon Cutler (17)

Points: Cutler (27)

Plus/Minus: Cutler (+15)

PIM: Andrew Nielsen (71)

Power Play Points: D’Astous (8)

Power Play Goals: D’Astous (4)

Power Play Assists: D’Astous/Luke Martin/Cutler/Bradley (4).

Shots on Goal: Brandon Cutler (89) – 5th in the league.

Shooting Percentage: Quinn Ryan (7 for 34). 20.6 %. – Minimum 30 shots.

Game Winning Goals: Brian Bowen/D’Astous/Ryan/Tyler Penner (2).

Wins: Peyton Jones/Trent Miner (7).

Save %: Garrett Metcalf (.932).

Goals Against Average: Garrett Metcalf (1.78)

Next 5 Games

December 27, 2021 – Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm.

December 29, 2021 – Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm.

December 31, 2021 – Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm.

January 1, 2022 – Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm.

January 5, 2022 – Utah at Idaho. 7:10 pm.

All times Mountain

Active Streaks (2021-2022 Season)

Goal Streaks:  Brian Bowen, Trey Bradley (3), Matthew Boucher, Tyler Penner Zac Robbins (2)

Assist Streaks: Brandon Cutler (4) Andrew Nielsen (3) Penner, Pouncy, Ben Tardif (2) Austin Crossley, Connor McDonald, Christian Simeone (1).

Point Streaks of 2 or more: Boucher (8), Cutler (7) Nielsen (4) Bowen, Bradley (3) Robbins, Tardif (2).

Brandon Cutler has a point in 16 of his last 17 games. Cutler has 1 scoreless game since November 1st.  Cutler has 19 different games where he’s scored a point.

Matthew Boucher has 2 or more points in 5 of his last 8 games.  Boucher missed 16 games for Utah due to an injury from Nov.5 – Dec. 12. Boucher had a 7 game assist streak end on December 19th but he scored 2 goals in that same game.

Trey Bradley has a point in 9 of his last 10 games, including 6 multiple point games. Bradley has a goal in 3 straight.  

Andrew Nielsen has a point in 11 of his last 14 games.

Mason Mannek has a point in 4 of his last 5 games.

Kyle Pouncy has a point in 5 of his last 6 games (3 goals, 2 assist). Pouncy is a +6 in his last 5 games.

Ben Tardif has 2 or more points in 5 of his last 7 games.

Brian Bowen has a goal in 3 straight games.

Luka Burzan has a point in 4 of his last 5 games (3 goals, 4 assists).

Grizzlies Holding on to Leads

Utah is 12-0 when leading after 2 periods.

Gotta Get to 3

Utah is 17-4-1 when scoring 3 or more goals. They are 0-4 when scoring less than 3 goals in a game.