Grizzlies Gameday: Friday Night Showdown at Maverik Center

Grizzlies Gameday: Pooch on the Pond Night at Maverik Center 

Wichita Thunder (4-5-1, 9 points, .450 Win %) at Utah Grizzlies (2-3, 4 points, .400 Win %) 

Date: November 10, 2023  Venue: Maverik Center. 

Game Time: 7:10 pm. 

Streaming/TV: FloHockey - https://www.flohockey.tv/events/11053003-2023-wichita-thunder-vs-utah-grizzlies

Audio/Radio: Utah Grizzlies YouTube channel. - https://www.youtube.com/@THEUTAHGRIZZLIES

Tonight’s Matchup 

The Utah Grizzlies host the Wichita Thunder for the second of a 3 game series. It’s the annual Pooch on the Pond night as well as Pride Night and AFCU Friday. Utah is 2-3 on the season with all 5 games being played at Maverik Center. Tonight is game 6 of a 7 game homestand for the Grizzlies. Utah is 10-1 vs Wichita in the Ryan Kinasewich era. Utah is 20-3 all-time vs Wichita at Maverik Center. Brandon Cutler has a point in 4 of his 5 games this season. Nathan Burke and Cutler are tied for the club lead with 5 points. Burke’s 3 goals lead the team. 

Games This Week

Wednesday, November 8, 2023 – Wichita 4 Utah 2 - Wichita goaltender Trevor Gorsuch stopped 29 of 31. Thunder forwards Peter Bates and Connor MacEachern each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Jordan Martel had 1 goal and 1 assist for Utah. Nathan Burke added his 3^rd goal of the season. Utah outshot Wichita 31 to 28. Utah’s Trent Miner saved 24 of 27. Utah was 0 for 3 on the power play. Wichita was 0 for 2.

Friday, November 10, 2023 – Wichita at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. Third Annual Pride Night. Pooch on the Pond. AFCU Friday. 

Saturday, November 11, 2023 – Wichita at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. 

Multiple Point Game for “The Rooster” 

Jordan Martel scored 1 goal and 1 assist on Wednesday night in the 4-2 loss. It was his first multiple point game of the 2023-24 campaign. Last season Martel was 2^nd on the club with 14 multiple point games. Martel has 2 goals and 1 assist in 5 games this season. He is tied for the club lead with a +1 rating. Last year Martel had 18 goals and 26 assists in 45 games with Utah after being acquired in a trade with Fort Wayne. 

Transactions – Kyle Betts Loaned to Belleville 

November 9 – Forward Kyle Betts was loaned to the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Betts is tied for the club lead with 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists). Last season Betts played in 40 games with Belleville. 

November 6 – Goaltender Trent Miner reassigned from Colorado to Utah. 

November 3 - Goaltender Trent Miner was recalled by the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on November 3. 

October 31 - Brett Stapley was reassigned to the Grizzlies from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Last season Stapley spent his first year as a professional with the ECHL’s Trois-Rivieres Lions, where he scored 52 points (11 goals, 41 assists) in 57 games.  Stapley signed an AHL contract with the Colorado Eagles for the 2023-2024 season.

October 30 - Defenseman Gianni Fairbrother and forward Ryan Sandelin were recalled to Colorado (AHL). 

Individual Notes 

Garrett Metcalf got his first professional shutout on October 22 in Utah's 1-0 win. Metcalf won the ECHL Goaltender of the Week award. Brandon Cutler has a point in 4 of his first 5 games of the season. Cutler leads the Grizzlies with 23 shots on goal. Tyler Penner has appeared in 149 straight regular season games since the start of the 2021-22 season. Cole Gallant scored his first goal in a Utah uniform on October 28. Dean Yakura scored an assist on October 28. At 38 years old he is the oldest player in Grizzlies history to score a point. Cory Thomas registered Utah’s first fighting major of the season as he battled with Wichita’s Xavier Pouliot. 

Bear Bites (Grizzlies Team Notes)

Utah is the only team in the league who have not played a road game this season. Utah had a crowd of 6526 in their regular season opener on October 21. Utah is home for 10 of their first 13 games in the regular season. Utah has outshot opponents 53 to 47 in the third period(s). Utah is 10-1 vs Wichita over the last 2 plus seasons. Utah is averaging a league low 6.20 penalty minutes per game. 

2023-2024 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals (league rankings) 

Overall record: 2-3

Home record: 2-3

Road record: 16-16-4 (2022-2023) – Grizz first road game is on November 15 at Iowa. 

Win percentage: .400

Streak: Lost 3

Standings Points: 4

Last 10: 2-3

Goals per game: 2.60 (24^st)  Goals for: 13

Goals against per game: 3.20 (Tied 12^th) Goals Against: 16

Shots per game: 30.20 (16^th)

Shots against per game: 34.00 (19^th)

Power Play: 2 for 16 – 12.5 % (25^th)

Penalty Kill: 10 for 12 – 83.3 % (Tied 8^th)

Penalty Minutes: 31. 6.20 per game. (fewest in the league) 

Shorthanded Goals: 1 

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 1.  

Record When Scoring First: 2-0. Utah was 24-7-1 last year. 

Opposition Scores First: 0-3. Utah was 11-26-3 last year.   

Record in One Goal Games: 1-1. Last year Utah played in 23 one goal games and had a 13-6-4 record.

SCORING         1ST       2ND               3RD               OT/Shootout      TOTAL                      

Utah Grizzlies     3           4                      6                      0                               13         

Opposition          4           5                      7                      0                               16

Team Leaders 

Goals: Nathan Burke (3) 

Assists: Kyle Betts (4)

Points: Betts/Burke/Brandon Cutler (5).

Plus/Minus: Many at +1

PIM: Cory Thomas (5)

Power Play Points: Many tied with 1 

Power Play Goals: Mayhew/Texeira (1)

Power Play Assists: Betts/Cutler/Gianni Fairbrother/Fitze (1). 

Shots on Goal: Cutler (23). 

Shooting Percentage: Kyle Betts/Kyle Mayhew (25.0 %)    

Game Winning Goals: Cutler, Mayhew (1) 

Wins: Garrett Metcalf/Trent Miner (1)

Save %: Metcalf (.931) 

Goals Against Average: Metcalf (2.52) 

Shutouts: Metcalf (1)

Multiple Point Games 

Kyle Betts: 2 

Nathan Burke: 1

Brandon Cutler: 1 

Gianni Fairbrother:1

Jordan Martel: 1 

Streaks 

Goals: Nathan Burke/Jordan Martel (1)

Assists: Brandon Cutler/Martel/Dakota Raabe/Bryan Yoon (1)

Points – 2 or more: 0