Grizzlies Gameday: Last Game of Long Road Trip

Grizzlies Gameday: Last Game of Nine-Game Road Trip 

Utah Grizzlies (14-22, 28 points, .389 Win %) @ Kansas City Mavericks (27-7-1, 55 points, .786 Win %) 

Date: January 20, 2024  Venue: Cable Dahmer Arena

Game Time: 5:05 pm. 

Streaming/TV: FloHockey - https://www.flohockey.tv/events/11054645-2024-utah-grizzlies-vs-kansas-city-mavericks 

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

Saturday’s Matchup

It’s the second of nine meetings this season between the Grizzlies and Mavericks. Utah was 7-1 vs Kansas City in the 2022-23 season. The Grizzlies are 3-5 on the current nine game road trip. The Grizz are 6-5 in their last 11 games.  Utah has been led by Brett Stapley, who has a point in 10 of his last 11 games. (6 goals, 8 assists). Stapley leads Utah in assists (23) and points (32). 2024 All-Star Kyle Mayhew has a point in 8 of his last 1 games. Dylan Fitze has 4 goals in 8 games in January. 

Kansas City has won 10 games in a row and they have outscored opponents 51 to 22 in that stretch. The Mavericks are in first place in the Mountain division with 55 standings points and a .786 points percentage. Kansas City is 4^th in the league in goals per game (4.11) and they lead the league in goals allowed per game at 2.66. 

Games This Week

Friday, January 19, 2024 – Utah 2 Kansas City 9 – Aaron Aragon scored both of Utah’s goals and he also had a +2 rating. KC was 4 for 8 on the power play. Utah was 0 for 3. KC outshot Utah 37 to 28. 14 of the 17 skaters for KC had at least 1 point. For the Mavericks they were led by Patrick Curry and Nolan Walker, who each had 3 assists. Cole Coskey, Jacob Hayhurst and Jeremy McKenna each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Justin Nachbaur had 2 third period goals. 

Saturday, January 20, 2024 – Utah at Kansas City. 5:05 pm. Cable Dahmer Arena. 

All Times Mountain. 

Games Next Week

Wednesday, January 24, 2024 – Rapid City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. Smith’s Family Night. 

Friday, January 26, 2024 – Rapid City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. AFCU Friday. 

Saturday, January 27, 2024 – Rapid City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. Guns N Hoses Night. 

All Times Mountain. 

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

Recent Transactions: Grizzlies Sign Sam Rossini and Jordan Stallard, Yoon Loaned to AHL

January 19 – Grizzlies claimed forward Jordan Stallard off waivers from Kansas City. Stallard made his Grizzlies debut on January 19 at KC, wearing number 54. 

January 19 – Grizzlies sign defenseman Sam Rossini. He played at the University of Minnesota for 5 seasons from 2017-2022. Rossini had 1 assist in his professional debut on Jan. 19. 

January 18 – Defenseman Bryan Yoon was loaned to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Yoon leads the Grizzlies with a +11 rating and is a +9 in his last 9 games. 

January 17 – Grizzlies defenseman Josh Wesley reassigned to Colorado (AHL). Wesley has 8 goals, which are tied for the league lead among defenseman. 

January 14 – Grizzlies release defenseman Zane Schartz – He played in 2 games with Utah and had 1 assist. 

Start of the Second Half of the Season

Saturday night is game 37 of 72 in the regular season as the Grizzlies begin the second half of the 2023-2024 campaign. Some highlights of the first half of the season….

• Mick Messner’s 2 shorthanded goals in the third period of Utah’s 6-3 win over Newfoundland on November 24, 2023. 
• Garrett Metcalf and Dante Giannuzi each got a 1-0 Sunday afternoon shutout victory over Tulsa. Metcalf saved all 35 shots he saw on October 22. Giannuzzi earned a 32 save shutout on December 31, 2023. 
• Brett Stapley had a 10-game point streak from December 29-January 14. Stapley leads Utah with 23 assists and 32 points. 
• Dylan Fitze scored a thrilling overtime game winner at Newfoundland on January 5, 2024. It was the only game Utah played past regulation in the first half of the season. 
• Utah went 11-6 at home in the first half of the season. Utah has outscored opponents 57 to 47 on Maverik Center ice. 
• Tyler Penner had 3 assists on January 10 at Allen in a game where the Grizzlies ironman appeared in his 200^th straight game (playoffs included). 
• Kyle Mayhew represented the Grizzlies in the 2024 All-Star Classic and had 1 goal in the league’s 18-11 win over Savannah on Jan. 15, 2024. 
• Brandon Cutler led Utah with 13 goals and 132 shots on goal in the season’s first half. Cutler leads Utah with 4 power play goals. 
• Cole Gallant has been solid in his first pro season, scoring 27 points (7 goals, 20 assists). 
• Bryan Yoon made his AHL debut with Hartford on January 19, 2024. Yoon was Utah’s best plus/minus player in the first half of the campaign at +11. He was a +9 in his last 9 games with Utah before getting the call from the AHL. 

Grizzlies Player Notes

Brett Stapley had a 10-game point streak end on Jan. 19. He still has a point in 10 of his last 11 games. Stapley leads Utah in assists (23), points (32) and multiple point games (8). He also leads Utah forwards with 9 power play points (3 goals, 6 assists).

Kyle Mayhew has a point in 8 of his last 10 games (1g, 7a).  Mayhew is tied for 3rd among all league defensemen with 7 goals. Mayhew is 2^nd among all league rookie defensemen with 22 points. He is tied for the club lead with 9 power play points (2 goals, 7 assists). Mayhew represented Utah in the 2024 All-Star Classic. 

Josh Wesley is tied for the league lead for goals among defensemen (8). Wesley was reassigned to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on January 17. 

Brandon Cutler leads Utah with 13 goals, 53 penalty minutes and 132 shots on goal. 

Cole Gallant is 2^nd on the club with 27 points (7 goals, 20 assists). Gallant leads Utah with 7 assists in the month of January. 

Mick Messner is tied for 2^nd on the club with 10 goals. He is 3^rd on the club with 98 shots on goal. Messner leads all league rookies with 3 shorthanded goals.

Tyler Penner has appeared in 180 straight regular season games, 204 if you include the playoffs. Penner had 3 assists at Allen on January 10. He has 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in 8 games in January.

Dylan Fitze scored the game winner 5:09 into overtime on Jan. 5 at Newfoundland. Fitze has 4 goals in 8 games in January. 

Dakota Raabe scored 2 goals at Allen on Jan. 10. Raabe had 2 goals and 5 assists vs Allen this season. Raabe is currently out of the Utah lineup due to injury. 

Adam Berg has a point in 3 of his last 4 games (2g, 2a). Berg has 5 points (2g, 3a) in his last 6 games. 

Bear Bites: Grizzlies Team Notes

Utah is 10-3 when scoring first and 9-0 when scoring first at home. Utah is 11-6 at home this season, outscoring opponents 57 to 47. Utah has 5 shorthanded goals this season. Utah outshot its opponents 397 to 328 in the third period. Utah is 8-2 when leading after 1 period and 10-2 when leading after 2 periods. Utah is averaging 6,801 fans over their last 5 home games. Utah is 10-7 when scoring a power play goal this season. Utah has won 6 of their last 11 games. They appeared in overtime for the first time all season on January 5 at Newfoundland and they won 4-3 on a Dylan Fitze game winner. Utah is 1-0 in overtime this season.  

Players Who Have Appeared in Every Game 

There are 4 players who have appeared in all 36 games for the Grizzlies this season. They include forwards Brandon Cutler, Cole Gallant, Mick Messner and Tyler Penner. Defenseman Bryan Yoon missed a game for the first time this season as he was loaned to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack on Jan. 19. 

Outstanding Crowds at Maverik Center

Utah had a season high crowd of 7681 at Maverik Center on December 29^th vs Tulsa. On December 30^th a crowd of 7346 saw Utah won 5-2. Over the last 4 home games Utah has a combined crowd of 34,005, an average of 6,801 per game. For the season Utah is averaging 5,167 fans per game. 

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

Overall record: 14-22

Home record: 11-6

Road record: 3-16

Win percentage: .389

Streak: Lost 2

Standings Points: 28

Last 10: 5-5

Goals per game: 2.89 (Tied 24^th) Goals for: 104

Goals against per game: 3.56 (22^nd) Goals Against: 128

Shots per game: 31.83 (12^th)

Shots against per game: 33.22 (20^th)

Power Play: 19 for 120 – 15.8 % (27^th)

Penalty Kill: 82 for 116 – 70.7 % (28^th)

Penalty Minutes: 423. 11.75 per game. 

Shorthanded Goals: 5. 

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 4.   

Record When Scoring First: 10-3. 

Opposition Scores First: 4-19. 

Record in One Goal Games: 5-7. 

SCORING         1ST       2ND               3RD               OT/Shootout      TOTAL                      

Utah Grizzlies     25         43                   35                   1                              104

Opposition          39         46                   43                   0                               128

Team Leaders 

Goals: Brandon Cutler (13) 

Assists: Brett Stapley (23)

Points: Stapley (32)

Plus/Minus: Bryan Yoon (+11)

PIM: Cutler (53)

Power Play Points: Kyle Mayhew/Stapley (9)

Power Play Goals: Cutler (4) 

Power Play Assists: Mayhew (7) 

Shots on Goal: Cutler (132) 

Shooting Percentage: Aaron Aragon (14.3 %) - Minimum 35 shots.   

Game Winning Goals: Cutler/Dylan Fitze/Stapley/Josh Wesley (2) 

Wins: Dante Giannuzzi (6)

Save %: Miner (.911) 

Goals Against Average: Miner (2.80) 

Shutouts: Giannuzzi/Metcalf (1)