Grizzlies Win 7-3 on Teddy Bear Toss Night

Grizzlies Win 7-3 on Teddy Bear Toss Night 

West Valley City, Utah – The Utah Grizzlies got 2 goals and 1 assist from Nathan Burke and Mick Messner added 2 goals as they defeated the Allen Amercians 7-3 in front of a crowd of 7,644 on Ugly Sweater and Teddy Bear Toss Night at Maverik Center. 

Allen scored first as Hank Crone got his 4^th of the season 15:36 in. Kyle Mayhew tied the game as he scored the Teddy Bear Toss goal 16:47 in. A Grizzlies record 3,647 teddy bears and stuffed animals were thrown on the ice for the annual teddy bear toss. Mick Messner scored on a rebound from a Keoni Texeira shot 19:41 in as Utah took a 2-1 lead after 1 period. 

Josh Wesley scored 12 seconds into the second period to extend the Utah lead to 3-1. Nathan Burke made it 4-1 as he scored 1:53 in. Burke scored again 3:55 in to give the Grizz a 5-1 lead. Allen goaltender Mark Sinclair was pulled in favor of Chase Perry, who saved 20 of 22. Sinclair stopped 12 of 17. Allen’s Colby McAuley scored 7:54 in. McAuley and Hank Crone each had 1 goal and 2 assists. Utah’s Brandon Cutler made it a 6-2 game as he scored on a wrist shot from the right circle 13:08 in. Allen’s Jordan Ty Fournier made it 6-3 as he scored 14:34 in. The Grizz led 6-3 after 40 minutes of play. 

Mick Messner scored his second of the night 5:47 into the third period. Utah won 2 of 3 games in the series as their record goes to 8-11 on the season. Allen falls to 7-13-1 on the year. 

Utah goaltender Dante Giannuzzi stopped 25 of 28 as he earned his second win of the year. 

Brandon Cutler and Kyle Mayhew each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Cole Gallant, Dakota Raabe and Bryan Yoon each had 2 assists. Mayhew and Brett Stapley were each a +4 on the night. Burke and Yoon were each a +3. The 7 goals scored tonight for Utah is a season high. 

Utah heads to the road for 5 straight games, beginning on Wednesday, December 13^th at Cincinnati. Utah returns to Maverik Center on December 23^rd vs Idaho. Tickets for every Grizzlies home game are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000. 

3 stars

1. Nathan Burke (Utah) – 2 goals, 1 assist. +3, 7 shots. Burke has 4 games this season where he’s scored 3 points. 
2. Mick Messner (Utah) – 2 goals, +2, 5 shots. 
3. Kyle Mayhew (Utah) – 1 goal, 1 assist, +4, 4 shots.