Grizzlies Gameday: Military Night at Maverik Center

Kansas City Mavericks (27-28-3-1, 58 points, .492 Win %) at Utah Grizzlies (34-21-2-1, 71 points, .612 Win %)

Saturday, March 12, 2022. Maverik Center. 7:10 pm. Broadcast: Mixlr/FloSports

It is Military Night presented by Darren Bideaux RV as the Grizzlies go for the series sweep. For the Grizz 7 of their next 9 games are at home. Utah is 18-9 at home this season and have outscored the opposition 96 to 78. For Utah watch out for Miles Gendron, who has 7 goals and 4 assists in 15 career games vs Kansas City. Ben Tardif has the game winning goal in each of the first 2 games of the series.

First Place Grizzlies

Utah is in first place in the Mountain Division with a .612 points percentage. Saturday night is game 59 of 72 in the regular season. If the season ended today the .612 % would be the 5th best season in franchise history.

Best Points % in Team History

2019-20 season: .637 (Season cancelled on March 14, 2020)

1995-96 season: .622 (Turner Cup Champions).

1997-98 season: .622 (Lost in 1st round)

1999-2000 season: .622 (Lost in 2nd round)

2021-22 season: .612

Last Night: Metcalf, Tardif and Company Earn 3-1 Blue Collar Win

Garrett Metcalf saved 39 of 40 and Ben Tardif had 1 goal and 1 assist to lead the Grizz to a 3-1 win over Kansas City. Miles Gendron had 2 assists while playing forward. Mason Mannek put the cherry on top with an empty net goal with less than 1 second left. Utah went 1 for 5 on the power play and Kansas City was 1 for 6.

March 9: Tardif Delivers Overtime Game Winner

Ben Tardif won the game 2:14 into overtime as the Utah Grizzlies defeated the Kansas City Mavericks 5-4 on March 9 at Maverik Center. Miles Gendron scored 2 second period goals. Mason Mannek scored his 18th of the season 13:15 into the second and Charle-Edouard D’Astous gave Utah a 4-3 lead 15:43 in. Utah scored 3 goals in a 3 minute 48 second stretch to turn a 3-1 KC lead into a 4-3 Utah lead in the second period. Ben Johnson tied the game for Kansas City with a shorthanded goal 13:34 into the third.

Utah outshot KC 42 to 27. Both teams went 1 for 5 on the power play. Peyton Jones saved 23 of 27 to earn his 15th win of the season. Luka Burzan, Nate Clurman and Luke Martin each had 2 assists for Utah in the win.

Grizzlies Homestand

Wednesday, March 9, 2022 Kansas City 4 Utah 5 – Miles Gendron 2 goals. Mason Mannek and Charle-Edouard D’Astous added 2nd period goals. Ben Tardif won the game 2:14 into overtime. Peyton Jones saved 23 of 27. Burzan, Clurman and Martin each had 2 assists.

Friday, March 11, 2022 Kansas City 1 Utah 3 – Garrett Metcalf saved 39 of 40.

Saturday, March 12, 2022 Kansas City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Military Night Presented by Darren Bideaux RV.

Family Fun Zone is on the concourse for every Grizzlies home game.

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

Miles Gendron Dominates Against Kansas City

Miles Gendron has enjoyed some success against Kansas City. In 15 career games against the Mavericks, Gendron has 7 goals and 4 assists. Gendron is a +5 and has taken 28 shots for a shooting percentage of 25.0 % against the Mavericks all-time. This season Gendron has 5 goals with 4 of them coming against Kansas City. In fact 7 of his 12 goals in a Utah uniform have been against the Mavericks. Gendron has taken a leadership role on the team this season in his 2nd with the Grizz.

Grizzlies Are Winning the Close Ones

Utah won a one goal game on March 9 vs Kansas City. The Grizz are 13-4-2-1 in one goal games this season.

Grizz Win When Leading After 2

Utah led 4-3 after 2 periods on March 9 vs KC and went on to win in overtime. On March 11 The Grizz led 2-1 after 2 period and ended up winning 3-1. Utah is 23-1 when leading after 2 periods this season.

Season Series vs Kansas City

It’s the last game of 9 season meetings between the clubs. Utah is 5-3 vs KC this season. KC won 5-2 on November 19. Utah won 4-2 on both November 20 and 21. The Grizz lead the goal margin with KC 26 to 23 this year. 10 of Utah’s 26 goals have been scored on the power play. Utah is 10 for 40 vs KC on the power play this season. Charle-Edouard D’Astous leads Utah with 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists). Mason Mannek has 4 goals and 3 assists in 8 games vs KC. Peyton Jones is 3-0 vs Kansas City, allowing just 8 goals in 3 games. Luka Burzan has 6 points in 5 games vs KC (2 goals, 4 assists).

Welcome Back Connor McDonald

Defenseman Connor McDonald returned to the Grizzlies lineup on March 11 vs Kansas City. McDonald got hurt on February 9 at Iowa and missed 12 games. McDonald has 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) in 43 games.

Charle-Edouard D’Astous Continues to Produce.

Defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous has 2 goals and 1 assist in the first 2 games of the series vs KC. D’Astous lead all league defenseman with 22 goals and is 2nd with 47 points. He leads the team in power play goals (8), power play points (18) and shots among defenseman (156). has a point in 30 different games this season, which leads the club. D’Astous also leads all league defenseman with 6 game winning goals and that doesn’t include the shootout game winner at Rapid City on March 4. D’Astous also has a penalty minute in 10 of his last 12 games.

Gotta Get to 3

Getting to 3 goals may be the magic number for the Grizzlies. When they score 3 or more goals in a game they are 32-6-3-1. When they score less than 3 goals this season, they are just 2-15. Utah is 20-1 when allowing less than 3 goals.

Grizzlies Among League Leaders

Trent Miner is tied for the league lead with 4 shutouts. Charle-Edouard D’Astous leads all league defenseman with 22 goals and is 2nd with 47 points. D’Astous leads all defenseman with 6 game winning goals. Brian Bowen is among league leaders with 192 shots. Ben Tardif leads all league rookies with 7 shorthanded points. Tardif is 2nd among rookies with 30 assists. Mason Mannek is tied for 4th in points among rookies with 42.

Grizzlies Roster

Forwards: Matthew Boucher, Brian Bowen, Trey Bradley, Luka Burzan, Taylor Crunk, Nick Henry, Mason Mannek, Tyler Penner, Zac Robbins, Quinn Ryan, Christian Simone, Benjamin Tardif.

Defenseman: Nate Clurman,Joey Colatarci, Austin Crossley, Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Miles Gendron, Shane Kuzmeski, Luke Martin, Connor McDonald, Kyle Pouncy, Jordon Stone.

Goaltenders: Peyton Jones,Garrett Metcalf, Trent Miner.

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

Overall record: 34-21-2-1

Home record: 18-9. Utah has outscored opponents 96 to 78 at home.

Road record: 16-12-2-1.

Win percentage: .612. Best win % in Mountain Division.

Streak: Won 2.

Standings Points: 71. 

Last 10: 5-5.

Goals per game: 3.34 (9th) Goals for: 194.

Goals against per game: 3.21 (12th) Goals Against: 186.

Shots per game: 32.66 (8th)

Shots against per game: 31.78 (15th)  

Power Play: 32 for 184 – 17.4 % (22nd)

Penalty Kill: 182 for 239- 76.2 % (Tied 24th)

Penalty Minutes: 805. 13.88 per game.

Shorthanded Goals: 18 (1st).

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 9.

Record When Scoring First: 15-8-0-1. Utah has scored first in 24 of 58 games this season. Utah is 19-13-2 when the opposition scores first.

Record in One Goal Games: 13-4-2-1. 20 of the 58 games have been decided by 1. 14 games have been decided by 2. Utah is 10-6 in 2 goal games. 

Team Leaders (2021-22 season)

Games: Mason Mannek/Tyler Penner (58).

Goals: Charle-Edouard D’Astous (22).

Assists: Ben Tardif (30)

Points: Charle-Edouard D’Astous (47)

Plus/Minus: D’Astous (+22)

PIM: Andrew Nielsen (114) Mason Mannek leads active Grizzlies with 86.

Power Play Points: D’Astous (18)

Power Play Goals: D’Astous (8)

Power Play Assists: Tardif (11).

Shorthanded Goals: Trey Bradley/Matthew Boucher (4)

Shots on Goal: Brian Bowen (192)

Shooting Percentage: Quinn Ryan (12 for 70). 17.1 %. – Minimum 60 shots.

Game Winning Goals: D’Astous (6).

Wins: Peyton Jones (15).

Save %: Garrett Metcalf (.916).

Goals Against Average: Metcalf (2.58)

Bear Bites: Grizzlies Team Stats

Utah is 18-9 at home and have outscored opponents 96 to 78. Utah has scored a league tying 18 shorthanded goals. The Grizz are 12-4 when scoring a shorthanded goal. Utah is outscoring opponents 78 to 55 in the 2nd periods. Utah is 23-1 when leading after 2 periods. Grizz are 20-8-0-1 when outshooting opponents.  Utah is 19-13-2 when the opposition scores first. Utah is 32-6-2-1 when scoring 3 or more goals. Utah is 27-12-1-1 vs Mountain Division opponents. Utah is 20-1 when allowing less than 3 goals. The Grizz are 13-4-2-1 in one goal games. Utah is 9-13-2 when trailing after 1 period. The 9 wins when trailing after 1 is tied for the most in the league.

Multiple Point games (2021-2022)

15: Ben Tardif

13: Charle-Edouard D’Astous

12: Trey Bradley,

10: Brian Bowen.

9: Mason Mannek, Luke Martin

6: Matthew Boucher,Brandon Cutler. Andrew Nielsen.

5: Luka Burzan, Tyler Penner.

3: Miles Gendron, Gehrett Sargis.

2: Nate Clurman, Christian Simeone.

1: Neil Robinson, Bailey Conger, Zac Robbins, Quinn Ryan, Connor McDonald, Nick Henry.

Active Streaks (2021-2022 Season)

Goal Streaks: Charle-Edouard D’Astous (3) Mason Mannek, Ben Tardif (2).

Assist Streaks: Martin, Tardif (2)

Point Streaks of 2 or more: Bradley, D’Astous (4) Gendron, Mannek, Martin, Tardif (2)

Grizzlies Player Trends

Brian Bowen: Bowen has a point in 4 of his last 5 games (1 goal, 4 assists). Bowen has a point in 10 of his last 16 games. Bowen leads the team with 192 shots on goal. Brian has taken 5 or more shots in 19 different games.  Bowen averages 3.55 shots per game.

Charle-Edouard D’Astous has a point in 31 different games this season. He leads all league defenseman in goals (22) and game winning goals (6). He is 2nd among all league defenseman in points (47) and shots (160). D’Astous has a point in 4 straight games and 8 of his last 11. D’Astous has a penalty minute in 11 of his last 13 games. D’Astous has 13 points in his last 11 games (7 goals, 6 assists).

Ben Tardif has a point in 10 of his last 15 games (7 goals, 9 assists). Tardif has 31 shots in his last 8 games. Tardif averages 3.75 shots per game. Tardif has 8 games of 2 or more assists. Ben has 21 games of 4 or more shots on goal. Tardif leads the team with 15 multiple point games and a point in 25 different games this season.

Luka Burzan has 12 points in his last 11 games (5 goals, 7 assists). Burzan has a point in 7 of his last 9 games.

Shane Kuzmeski has 5 assists in his last 9 games.Nate Clurman set a pro career single game high with 6 shots vs Rapid City on March 6. Clurman has 10 assists in his last 16 games.

Luke Martin took a career high 8 shots on goal vs Kansas City on March 9. Martin has 3 assists in his last 2 games. Martin has 26 shots in his last 6 games.

Mason Mannek has 19 goals this season. 12 of them have come on the road.