Grizzlies Gameday: Game 4 at Tulsa

Game 4: Wednesday, April 27, 2022. 6:05 pm. Utah Grizzlies at Tulsa Oilers. Utah leads series 2-1.  

Broadcast: https://mixlr.com/utah-grizzlies-hockey/FloHockey

It’s game 4 of the first round best of 7 series at Tulsa’s BOK Center. Utah went 3-1-1 at Tulsa this season. The winner of the Utah – Tulsa series will face the winner of the Rapid City – Allen set with RC leading the series 2-1. Ben Tardif leads Utah and the league with 8 playoff points (1 goal, 7 assists) and Charle-Edouard D’Astous leads all league skaters with 5 playoff goals.

#1 Utah Grizzlies (42-27-3) vs. #4 Tulsa Oilers (36-30-6) Game 1 – Tulsa 3 Utah 6 – Trey Bradley 2 goals, 2 assists. Ben Tardif 1 goal, 3 assists. Charle-Edouard D’Astous 1 goal 2 assists. Zach Tsekos scored first pro goal 9:40 into the third period. That tally turned out to be the game winner. Peyton Jones saved 27 of 30. Utah was 3 for 7 on the power play and scored a shorthanded goal. The Grizz were 7 for 7 on the penalty kill. Tulsa got goals from Alex Gilmour, Joe Garreffa and Jackson Leef. Utah outshot Tulsa 36 to 30.Game 2 – Tulsa 5 Utah 3 – Charle-Edouard D’Astous scored 2 goals. Tarun Fizer scored first pro goal. Tulsa got goals from 5 different skaters. Utah outscored Tulsa 34 to 28. Utah went 2 for 4 on the power play. Tulsa was 1 for 4.Game 3 – Utah 2 Tulsa 1 – Charle-Edouard D’Astous scored both of Utah’s goals. Trent Miner saved 32 of 33. Tulsa outshout Utah 33 to 25. Utah went 1 for 3 on the power play and was 5 for 5 on the penalty kill. Ben Tardif had an assist in both of Utah’s goals.Game 4 – Wednesday, April 27 at 6:05 p.m. Utah at TulsaGame 5 – Thursday, April 28 at 6:05 p.m. Utah at TulsaGame 6 – Monday, May 2 at 7:10 p.m. Tulsa at Utah (If Necessary)Game 7 – Wednesday, May 4 at 7:10 p.m. Tulsa at Utah (If Necessary)

All Times Mountain.

Big Time Players Coming Up Big in Postseason

Ben Tardif has 8 points in 3 games this series (1 goal, 7 assists). Tardif had 1 goal and 3 assists in the game 1 win. Tardif had 2 assists in both games 2 and 3. Ben led Utah with 19 multiple point games and has a multiple point game in all 3 playoff contests. Charle-Edouard D’Astous has also made his presence felt in the first 3 games of the series. Charle has 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists) in 3 games. D’Astous had 1 goal and 2 assists in game 1. He followed it up with 2 first period power play goals in game 2 and in game 3 he scored both of Utah’s goals in a 2-1 triumph. D’Astous was 2nd on the team with 17 multiple point games.

Captain Trey Bradley made an impact in the first 2 games of the series. Trey had 2 goals and 2 assists and was the number 1 star of game 1. Bradley had 1 assist in game 2.

Tardif and D’Astous have multiple point games in all 3 in the playoff series.

Special Teams Has Played a Big Role in Series

Through 3 games this series Utah is 6 for 14 on the power play and 15 for 16 on the penalty kill. Charle-Edouard D’Astous has a point in all 6 of Utah’s power play goals (4 goals, 2 assists) and that’s not a surprise considering that D’Astous led Utah in power play goals (9), assists (14) and points (23). Ben Tardif has 5 power play assists in 3 games in the series. Trey Bradley has 4 power play points in the series (1 goal, 3 assists). Dylan Fitze has 2 power play points (1 goal, 1 assist) and Luke Martin has 1 power play assists.

In the regular season Utah was 6 for 28 on the power play vs Tulsa (22.2 %) and was 19 for 23 on the penalty kill (82.6 %).

Fizer and Tsekos Score First Pro Goals in Playoffs

Zach Tsekos scores his first pro goal 9:40 into the third period in game 1 to give Utah a 4-3 lead in a game the Grizz won 6-3. Tsekos appeared in 3 regular season games with Utah where he had 1 assist. Scoring goals is nothing new for Tsekos, who had 15 goals and 16 assists in 35 games this season for Clarkson University.

Tarun Fizer scored 9:25 into the second period in game 2 to tie the game 3-3 in a contest the Oilers won 5-3. Fizer is coming off a stellar season with the Victoria Royals in the WHL, where he scored 17 goals and 34 assists in 35 games.

Goaltending in the Series

Peyton Jones got the victory in game 1 as he saved 27 of 30. It was Peyton’s first pro playoff game. Jones at times has been stellar for the Grizzlies. He had a 9 game stretch from the end of January to the start of March where he had a .939 save percentage and a 2.35 goals against average. Peyton led the Grizzlies with 17 wins this season. In 50 games with Utah over the last 2 seasons the Penn State product has a 25-15-4 record with a .898 save percentage and a 3.21 goals against average.

Trent Miner saved 23 of 28 in the game 2 loss but bounced back in game 3 with a stellar performance, stopping 32 of 33 in a 2-1 victory. Miner led the league with 7 shutouts and was 1 away from tying the single season league record, set by 3 goalies. Miner is the 11th different goaltender in league history to have at least 7 shutouts in a season.

Shot Count in the Series

Utah outshot Tulsa 70 to 58 in the 2 playoff games at Maverik Center. In game 3 Tulsa outshot Utah 33 to 25. Utah outshot their opponents 33 times in the regular season and had a record of 22-10-0-1 when they had the shot edge. Utah was outshot 36 times and had a record of 18-16-2 in those games. There were 3 times where the shots were even.

It’s not all that common for Tulsa to be outshot in back-to-back games as they were outshot in only 18 of their 72 regular season games.

Playoff League Leaders

Ben Tardif leads the league in points (8) and assists (7). Tardif leads the league with 5 power play assists. Charle-Edouard D’Astous leads the league with 5 playoff goals, with all of them coming on the power play. Trey Bradley is among league leaders with 3 power play assists. Tarun Fizer is 2nd among rookies with 12 shots on goal.

Grizz Are a Successful Road Team

Utah is now 1-0 on the road in the 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs. If the Grizzlies are going to go far in the playoffs, they will need to play well on the road. This season Utah was 3-1-1 at Tulsa. Utah went 19-14-2-1 on the road. The 19 wins ties a Grizzlies ECHL era record with the 2010-11 club and is tied for the 3rd most in club history. Utah ended up with the most road wins in the Mountain Division this season.

Most Road Wins in Team History

1999-2000: 23

1995-96: 22 (Turner Cup Champions)

1997-98, 2001-02, 2010-11, 2021-22: 19. (This season is the 4th time Utah has won 19 on the road).

Mountain Division Champions

The Grizz won their first ever division championship and finished with a bang as they won 4 of their last 5 games.

Grizzlies Pro Playoff Experience

There are 6 Grizzlies players with previous professional playoff experience heading into the quest for the 2022 Kelly Cup.

Trey Bradley – 3 games with Utah in 2021. Bradley had 1 goal and 1 assist vs Allen.

Luka Burzan – 1 game with Colorado (AHL) in 2021.

Dylan Fitze – 9 games with Orlando in 2019. Fitze had 2 assists.

Miles Gendron – 3 games with Utah in 2021.

Nick Henry – 2 games with Colorado (AHL) in 2019.

Luke Martin – 8 games with Greenville in 2021. Martin had 2 assists.

D’Astous Named League Defenseman of the Year

Charle-Edouard D’Astous won the ECHL Defenseman of the Year award. D’Astous led all league defenseman with 26 goals, 9 power play goals and 7 game winning goals. D’Astous was 2nd among league d-men with 57 points and 190 shots on goal. He is the 6th different defenseman in league history to score at least 26 goals in a single season and only the 2nd since 2000.

MOST GOALS, DEFENSEMAN, SEASON 

28 - Jay Neal (Toledo, 1994-95) 

27 - Chris Valicevic (Louisiana, 1999-2000) 

26 - Charle-Edouard D'Astous (Utah, 2021-22)

26 - Les Lancaster (Allen, 2020-21) 

26 - Rick Corriveau (Toledo, 1994-95)

26 - Joe Cook (Columbus, 1993-94) 

Grizzlies All-League Team  *ECHL era

Charle-Edouard D’Astous – 1st team all-ECHL – 2021-22.

Tim McGauley – 2nd team all-ECHL – 2019-20.

Caleb Herbert – 1st team all-ECHL – 2018-19.

Nick Tuzzolino – 2nd team all-ECHL – 2012-13.

Ryan Kinasewich – 1st team all-ECHL – 2009-10. Kinasewich was 2nd team all-ECHL in 2005-06.

Martin and Tardif Named to All-Rookie Team

Defenseman Luke Martin and Forward Ben Tardif were each named to the ECHL All-Rookie team on April 13. Martin ranks second among all league rookies with 32 assists and 42 points and is tied for seventh with 10 goals. Luke has produced on the power play as he has 13 power play points. Martin played his college hockey at the University of Michigan from 2016-2020. Last season he split time with Texas (AHL) and Greenville (ECHL) but kept his rookie status by playing in less than 25 pro games. Luke was a 2nd round pick (52nd overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2017 NHL Draft.

Tardif leads all league rookies with 39 assists and is 2nd with 59 points. Tardif is 7th among rookies with 13 power play assists and is 8th with 182 shots on goal. Benjamin leads the Grizzlies with 19 multiple point games. He is 2nd in the league with 8 shorthanded points. Tardif was the QMJHL Playoff MVP in 2021, leading Victoriaville to the championship.

Regular Season Series vs Tulsa

Utah went 4-3-1 vs Tulsa this season. Mason Mannek led Utah with 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 8 games. Luke Martin had 7 assists vs Tulsa. Utah went 1-2 at home vs Tulsa and 3-1-1 at BOK Center, the site of games 3-5. Trent Miner went 2-2 with a 2.42 GAA vs Tulsa this season. Utah was 6 for 27 (22.2 %) on the power play and 19 for 23 (82.6 %) on the penalty kill vs Tulsa.

The Oilers leading scorer vs Utah in the regular season was Jack Doremus, who had 9 points (6 goals, 3 assists). Adam Pleskach had 5 assists vs Utah.

Grizzlies Roster

Forwards: Kyle Betts,Trey Bradley, Luka Burzan, Dylan Fitze, Tarun Fizer, Nick Henry, Mason Mannek, Tyler Penner, Dakota Raabe, Benjamin Tardif, Zach Tsekos, Johnny Walker.

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

Goaltenders: Peyton Jones,Trent Miner, Thomas Sigouin.

Team Leaders (2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs)

Goals: Charle-Edouard D’Astous (5) – D’Astous led Utah with 26 regular season goals.

Assists: Ben Tardif (7) – Tardif led Utah with 39 regular season assists.

Points: Tardif (8) – Tardif led Utah with 59 regular season points.

Plus/Minus: Many tied at 0.

Penalty Minutes: D’Astous (8).

Power Play Points: D’Astous (6)

Power Play Goals: D’Astous (4)

Power Play Assists: Tardif (5)

Shots on Goal: Tarun Fizer (12)

Shooting Percentage: D’Astous (50.0 %) 5 for 10.

Goaltending Wins: Peyton Jones/Trent Miner (1)

Save %: Miner (.902)

Goals Against Average: Jones (3.01)

Team Stats (2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs)

Goals For: 11 (3.67 per game)

Goals Against: 9 (3.00 per game)

Goal Differential: +2.

Shots on Goal: 95. 31.67 per game

Shots Against: 91. 30.33 per game.

Power Play: 6 for 14. 42.9 %.

Penalty Kill: 15 for 16. 93.8 %.

Penalty Minutes: 47. 15.67 per game.

Scoring First: Utah has scored first in 1 of the 3 games in the playoffs. Utah is 1-0 when scoring first and 1-1 when Tulsa scores first.  

Team Leaders (2021-22 Regular season)

Games: Mason Mannek/Tyler Penner (72).

Goals: Charle-Edouard D’Astous (26). – Most by Grizzlies defenseman in a single season.

Assists: Ben Tardif (39)

Points: Tardif (59)

Plus/Minus: Luke Martin (+23)

PIM: Andrew Nielsen (114) Mason Mannek led active Grizzlies with 102.

Power Play Points: D’Astous (23)

Power Play Goals: D’Astous (9)

Power Play Assists: D’Astous (14).

Shorthanded Goals: Trey Bradley/Matthew Boucher/Tardif (4)

Shots on Goal: Brian Bowen (201)

Shooting Percentage: Bradley (18 for 113). 15.9 %. – Minimum 100 shots.

Game Winning Goals: D’Astous (7).

Wins: Peyton Jones (17).

Save %: Garrett Metcalf (.918).

Goals Against Average: Metcalf (2.63)

Shutouts: Trent Miner (7) – Broke Grizzlies Single Season Shutout Record.

Minutes: Jones (1729)

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

Overall record: 42-27-2-1

Home record: 23-13. Utah outscored opponents 130 to 107 at home.

Road record: 19-14-2-1. – Most Grizz road wins since the 2010-11 season.

Win percentage: .604. Mountain Division Champions.

Streak: Won 3.

Standings Points: 87. 

Last 10: 6-4.

Goals For per game: 3.33 (Tied 9th) Goals for: 240.

Goals Against per game: 3.13 (Tied 10th) Goals Against: 225.

Goal Differential: + 15. Best goal differential in the Mountain Division.

Shots per game: 31.86 (11th)

Shots against per game: 32.08 (16th)  

Power Play: 39 for 227 – 17.2 % (Tied 21st)

Penalty Kill: 217 for 279- 77.8 % (Tied 24th)

Penalty Minutes: 959. 13.32 per game.

Shorthanded Goals: 20 – Led League.

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 10.

Record When Scoring First: 22-9-0-1. Utah has scored first in 32 of 72 games this season. Utah went 20-18-2 when the opposition scores first.

Record in One Goal Games: 15-7-2-1. 25 of the 72 games were decided by 1. 20 games were decided by 2. Utah went 12-8 in 2 goal games.