Grizzlies Gameday: Final Saturday Home Game of 2023

Grizzlies Gameday: Saturday Night Battle at Maverik Center 

Tulsa Oilers (13-11-3, 29 points, .537 Win %) @ Utah Grizzlies (9-17, 18 points, .346 Win %) 

Date: December 30, 2023  Venue: Maverik Center

Game Time: 7:10 pm. 

Streaming/TV: FloHockey - https://www.flohockey.tv/events/11054405-2023-tulsa-oilers-vs-utah-grizzlies 

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

Saturday’s Matchup

The Utah Grizzlies are back at Maverik Center for the second of a 3-game series against the Tulsa Oilers. Utah is 3-2 vs Tulsa this season. It’s the sixth of 10 regular season meetings between the clubs. The Grizzlies have been good on home ice this season as they are 9-6 and have outscored the opposition 51 to 45 at Maverik Center. The Grizz are 7-0 at home when they score first. Utah is led by Brett Stapley, who has 21 points this season (5 goals, 16 assists). Stapley had 2 goals and 1 assist in Utah’s 3-2 win last night. Brandon Cutler leads Utah with 10 goals on the season. Kyle Mayhew has 6 goals this season, tied for 2^nd among league defensemen. Tulsa is led by Michael Farren and Tyler Poulsen, who are tied for the Oilers lead with 11 goals. 

Outstanding Crowds at Maverik Center

Utah had a season high crowd of 7681 at Maverik Center on December 29^th vs Tulsa. Over the last 3 home games Utah has a combined crowd of 22,072, an average of 7,357 per game. For the season Utah is averaging 5,060 fans per game. 

Games This Week

Friday, December 29, 2023 – Tulsa 2 Utah 3 – Brett Stapley led Utah with 2 goals and 1 assist. Brandon Cutler scored a power play goal. Cole Gallant had 2 assists. Will Cranley saved 25 of 27 in his Maverik Center debut as he earned his first win for Utah. 

Saturday, December 30, 2023 – Tulsa at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. 

Sunday, December 31, 2023 – Tulsa at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. 

All Times Mountain. 

Tickets for every Grizzlies home game is available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000. 

Games Next Week

Friday, January 5, 2024 – Utah at Newfoundland. 3:30 pm. Mary Brown’s Centre. 

Saturday, January 6, 2024 – Utah at Newfoundland. 3:30 pm. Mary Brown’s Centre. 

Sunday, January 7, 2024 – Utah at Newfoundland. 12:30 pm. Mary Brown’s Centre. 

Cutler Gets to Double Digits

Brandon Cutler scored his 10^th goal of the season 2:36 into the third period. Cutler leads the club in goals and is second in points this season (19). He leads Utah with 5 power play goals and 87 shots on goal. 

Cranley Earns First Win for Utah 

Grizzlies’ goaltender Will Cranley saved 25 of 27 in his Maverik Center debut. It’s his second professional win as he won with Reading against Norfolk on November 8, 2023. Cranley has saved 77 of 87 in 3 games for Utah. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. Cranley is currently on an NHL deal with the Blues. 

Grizzlies Player Notes

Brett Stapley has 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists) in 13 games in December. Stapley has 6 multiple point games this season. Stapley has 6 power play points (2 goals, 4 assists) and is tied for the club lead with 2 game winning goals. 

Kyle Mayhew is tied for 3^rd in the league for goals among defensemen with 6. 

J.C. Campagna has 1 goal and 3 assists in 5 games with Utah after signing with them on December 16. 

Quinn Wichers has 1 goal and 2 assists as well as a +1 rating in 6 games with Utah. 

Tyler Penner has appeared in 170 straight regular season games for Utah, 194 if you count the playoffs. Penner has 2 goals in his last 6 games. 

Cole Gallant has 14 points (4g, 10a) in 13 games in December.  

Brandon Cutler has 6 goals and 2 assists in his last 10 games. Cutler has 4 power play goals in his last 8 games. Cutler leads Utah with 4 power play goals and 87 shots on goals. 

Mick Messner has 5 goals in his last 10 games. Messner leads all rookies with 2 shorthanded goals. 

Jacob Semik had 1 goal and 1 assist at Idaho on December 22. Semik got the main assist in Utah’s game winning goal 12:05 into the third period on December 29. 

Bear Bites: Grizzlies Team Notes

Utah is 7-3 when scoring first. Utah is 7-0 at home when scoring first. Utah is the only team in the league who has not played a game past regulation. Utah is 9-6 at home this season, outscoring opponents 51 to 45. Utah has 4 shorthanded goals this season. Utah has outshot opponents 284 to 252 in the third period. Utah is 5-2 when leading after 1 period and 7-2 when leading after 2 periods. Utah has had 22,072 fans combined over their last 3 home games. Utah had a season high crowd of 7681 on December 29 vs Tulsa. 

Could We Finally See an Overtime Game? 

The Grizzlies are the only team in the league who have yet to play a game past regulation. The Tulsa Oilers have appeared in 6 games past regulation this season, where he have a record of 3-3. Last season the Grizzlies had 9 games decided past regulation. They were 3-4 when the game ended in OT and 2-0 when it ended in a shootout. 

Penner Played in 170^th Straight Regular Season Game 

On December 29^th the Grizzlies Ironman, Tyler Penner, played in his 170^th straight regular season game. Penner has appeared in every regular season and playoff game for Utah since the start of the 2021-22 season. The streak is currently 170 regular season contests and 194 games if you include the postseason. Penner’s consecutive game streak is the longest for the Grizzlies in the 21^st century. Penner has 28 goals and 33 assists in his Grizzlies career. 

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

Overall record: 9-17

Home record: 9-6

Road record: 0-11

Win percentage: .346

Streak: Win 1

Standings Points: 18

Last 10: 3-7

Goals per game: 2.77 (6^th) Goals for: 72

Goals against per game: 3.46 (Tied 20^th) Goals Against: 90

Shots per game: 30.73 (20^th)

Shots against per game: 32.96 (20^th)

Power Play: 13 for 81 – 16.0 % (24^th)

Penalty Kill: 57 for 81 – 70.4 % (28^th)

Penalty Minutes: 275. 10.58 per game. 

Shorthanded Goals: 4 

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 4.   

Record When Scoring First: 7-3.  

Opposition Scores First: 2-14. 

Record in One Goal Games: 3-6. 

SCORING         1ST       2ND               3RD               OT/Shootout      TOTAL                      

Utah Grizzlies     17         30                   25                   0                               72

Opposition          28         32                   30                   0                               90

Team Leaders 

Goals: Brandon Cutler (10) 

Assists: Brett Stapley (16)

Points: Stapley (21)

Plus/Minus: Kyle Mayhew (+3)

PIM: Burke (39)

Power Play Points: Cutler/ Stapley (6)

Power Play Goals: Cutler (4) 

Power Play Assists: Stapley (4) 

Shots on Goal: Brandon Cutler (87) 

Shooting Percentage: Cole Gallant (14.6 %) - Minimum 20 shots.  

Game Winning Goals: Cutler/Stapley (2) 

Wins: Trent Miner (4)

Save %: Miner (.916) 

Goals Against Average: Miner (2.52) 

Shutouts: Metcalf (1)