Grizzlies Gameday: First Saturday Home Game of Season

Rapid City Rush (1-0, 2 points, 1.000 Win %) at Utah Grizzlies (0-1, 0 points, .000 Win %)  

Saturday, October 22, 2022. 7:10 pm. Arena: Maverik Center. 

Broadcast: FloHockey.TV  https://www.flohockey.tv/events/7759426-2022-rapid-city-rush-vs-utah-grizzlies

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/c/THEUTAHGRIZZLIES

West Valley City, Utah – It’s the second and final game of the weekend series at Maverik Center. It’s Hispanic Heritage Night. The Grizzlies are looking for their first win of the season.

Games This Week

Friday, October 21, 2022 – Rapid City 5 Utah 3 – Zach Tsekos, Dakota Raabe and Tarun Fizer each scored a goal for Utah.

Saturday, October 22, 2022 – Rapid City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. 

Last Night: Rush Rain on Grizzlies Opening Night Party

Rapid City defeated Utah 5-3 in the regular season opener at Maverik Center. The Rush took a 3-0 lead in the first period on goals by Matt Marcinew, Jon Martin and Rory Kerins. Utah scored 3 unanswered goals in the second period to tie the game. Rush forward Logan Nelson scored the game winner 9:43 into the third period. Calder Brooks added an empty netter with 17 seconds left. Grizzlies outshot the Rush 37 to 26. Rapid City was 1 for 3 on the power play. Utah was 0 for 4.

Fizer, Tsekos and Raabe Each Lit the Lamp

Zach Tsekos, Tarun Fizer and Dakota Raabe each have a few things in common. All 3 of them joined the Grizzlies late in the regular season and were a big part of the Grizzlies 2022 playoff run. All 3 are starting their first full seasons as professionals and all 3 scored a second period goal on opening night.

Grizzlies/Rush Connections

Grizzlies goaltender Lukas Parik was the starting goaltender for the Rapid City Rush last season, where he went 14-8-8 with a .915 save percentage and a 2.69 Goals Against Average. In 7 regular season games against Utah, the 21-year-old went 3-2-1-1 with a .919 save % and a 3.14 GAA. Parik earned a 46 save shutout vs Utah on December 27, 2021. He also got a shutout vs Utah in game 5 of the 2022 Mountain Division Finals, saving all 43 shots to extend the series to a 6th game.

Rapid City head coach Scott Burt was a teammate with Grizzlies head coach Ryan Kinasewich in the 2007-08 season. Both guys were tied for the club lead with 60 points. Burt had 27 goals and 33 assists in 70 games. Kinasewich had 23 goals and 37 assists in only 44 games.

Rapid City captain Kenton Helgesen played in 69 games with the Grizzlies for a 2 year stretch from 2015-2017. Helgeson had 5 goals and 13 assists for the Grizz. Forward Garrett Klotz played in 35 games with Utah in the abbreviated 2019-2022 season. Klotz had 4 goals and 5 assists in Utah. Garrett begins his 5th season with the Rush.  

Last Grizzlies Home Game for a While

After the Rapid City series the Grizzlies are on the road for 8 straight games. Utah is at Idaho on October 28-29. Then the Grizz travel to Kansas City for a 3 game set on November 1, 4-5. Utah is at Allen on November 9, 11-12. Utah returns home for a 3 game series vs Idaho on November 17-18, 20 and the following week the Trois-Rivieres Lions are at Maverik Center on November 25-27.

Utah Grizzlies 2022-2023 Roster

Forwards (13): Kyle Betts, Dylan Fitze, Tarun Fizer, Keaton Jameson, Tyler Penner, Dakota Raabe, Neil Robinson, Christian Simeone, Cam Strong, Ben Tardif, Zach Tsekos, Johnny Walker, Cameron Wright.

Defenseman (9): Victor Bartley, Nate Clurman, Joey Colatarci, Brycen Martin, Connor McDonald, Andrew Nielsen, Kyle Pouncy, James Shearer, Jordon Stone.

Goaltenders (3): Garrett Metcalf, Trent Miner, Lukas Parik.