Grizzlies Catch Fire in 6-3 Friday Night Victory
West Valley City, Utah – The Utah Grizzlies overcame a 3-2 deficit to score 4 unanswered goals, including 3 in the third period to defeat the Rapid City Rush 6-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 8,572 on a Friday night at Maverik Center.
Aaron Aragon gave the Grizzlies a 1-0 lead 1:52 into the contest. Rapid City tied it up 17:02 in as Brett Gravelle got his 12th of the campaign. 33 seconds later Ryan Sandelin gave Utah a 2-1 lead.
Rapid City tied it up 5:32 into the second period as Logan Nelson got his 14th of the season and 57th in a Rapid City Uniform. The Rush scored shorthanded 16:16 to take a 3-2 lead as Will Riedell got his 2nd of the season. Utah tied it up as Josh Wesley scored with 14 seconds left in the period.
Aragon got his second goal of the night in what turned out to be the game winner 2:11 into the third. Ryan Sandelin added some insurance 12:21 in. Brandon Cutler completed the scoring 15:28 in as Utah picked up their third win in a row. The Grizz have now won 5 straight home game and they are 9-5 in their last 14 games.
Aaron Aragon and Ryan Sandelin each had 2 goals. Grizzlies captain Josh Wesley had 1 goal and 2 assists. Alex Beaucage, Dylan Fitze and Cole Gallant each had 2 assists. Sandelin led Utah with 8 shots on goal. Sandelin has 17 shots over his last 2 games.
Rapid City outshot Utah 48 to 38. Grizzlies goaltender Trent Miner was outstanding in net as he stopped 45 of 48. Rapid City’s Connor Murphy stopped 32 of 38 in the loss as his record falls to 5-9.
The Grizzlies homestand concludes with Guns N Hoses night at Maverik Center. Charity games begin at 12:30 pm and go on all afternoon leading up to the Grizzlies game at 7:10 pm. Tickets are available at utahgrizzlies.com.
3 stars
- Josh Wesley (Utah) – 1 goal, 2 assists, +3.
- Aaron Aragon (Utah) – 2 goals, +1, 3 shots.
- Ryan Sandelin (Utah) – 2 goals, +2, 8 shots.