Grizzlies Gameday: Wednesday Night Series Opener in Texas

Grizzlies Gameday: Wednesday Night Series Opener at Allen 

Utah Grizzlies (12-19, 24 points, .387 Win %) @ Allen Americans (16-17-1, 33 points, .485 Win %) 

Date: January 10, 2024  Venue: Credit Union of Texas Event Center

Game Time: 12:30 pm. 

Streaming/TV: FloHockey - https://www.flohockey.tv/events/11054524-2024-utah-grizzlies-vs-allen-americans 

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

Wednesday’s Matchup

It’s the opener of a three-game series between the Grizzlies and Americans. It’s the fifth of seven meetings this season between the clubs.  Utah is 2-2 vs Allen this season. Utah has been led by Brett Stapley, who has 11 points in his last 6 games (3 goals, 8 assists) and 2024 All-Star Kyle Mayhew, who has a point in 6 straight games. Josh Wesley has a power play point in 4 straight games (2 goals, 2 assist). Utah is 4-2 in their last 6 games. Allen has been a hot club as of late as they have won 5 games in a row and they are 8-2 in their last 10 games. 

Games This Week

Wednesday, January 10, 2024 – Utah at Allen. 6:10 pm. 

Friday, January 12, 2024 – Utah at Allen. 6:10 pm. 

Saturday, January 13, 2024 – Utah at Allen. 3:10 pm. 

Sunday, January 14, 2024 – Utah at Wichita. 3:05 pm. 

All Times Mountain. 

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

Games Last Week 

Friday, January 5, 2024 – Utah 4 Newfoundland 3 (Overtime) – Dylan Fitze scored the game winner 5:09 into overtime. Aaron Aragon had 1 goal and 1 assist and Brett Stapley had 2 assists. Josh Wesley and Tyler Penner also scored a goal for Utah. Newfoundland was led by Jonny Tychonick, who had 1 goal and 1 assist. Dante Giannuzzi saved 37 of 40 in the win for Utah. Growlers goalie Dryden McKay saved 37 of 41. 

Saturday, January 6, 2024 – Utah 1 Newfoundland 3 – Brett Stapley scored Utah’s lone goal 16:22 into the first period. Will Cranley saved 35 of 38 for Utah. Newfoundland outshot Utah 38 to 29. Growlers were 2 for 4 on the power play, Utah was 1 for 6. 

Sunday, January 7, 2024 – Utah 2 Newfoundland 6 – Kyle Mayhew and Brandon Cutler each scored a goal for Utah. Newfoundland outshot Utah 32 to 29. Newfoundland was 2 for 4 on the power play. Utah was 1 for 5. 

Gianni Fairbrother and Trent Miner Reassigned to Utah

Defenseman Gianni Fairbrother and Goaltender Trent Miner were each reassigned to the Grizzlies from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Both players have NHL entry level contracts with the Colorado Avalanche. 

Fairbrother has played in 5 games with Utah this season and has 2 assists, 2 penalty minutes and 5 shots on goal. Fairbrother has appeared in 1 game with Colorado (AHL) this season. 

Miner has been a standout performer for the Colorado Eagles this season, where he has appeared in 7 games and has a 2-3-1 record with a .925 save percentage and a 2.17 GAA. Miner earned a 22 save shutout vs Coachella Valley on December 17, 2023. He has 12 professional shutouts, including a franchise best 10 with the Grizzlies. In 8 games with Utah this year the third-year pro has a 4-4 record with a 2.52 GAA and a .916 save percentage. In 73 games with Utah since the start of the 2021-22 season Miner has a record of 37-31-3 with a .911 save percentage and a 2.86 GAA. 

Player Notes 

Brett Stapley has 11 points in his last 6 games (3 goals, 8 assists). Stapley leads Utah in assists (23), points (29) and multiple point games (9). Stapley has a 6 game point streak. 

Kyle Mayhew has a point in 6 straight games (1g, 5a).  Mayhew is tied for 2nd among all league defenseman with 7 goals. 

Josh Wesley has a power play point in 4 straight games (2g, 2a). 

Aaron Aragon had 1 goal and 1 assist vs Newfoundland on January 5. 

Brandon Cutler leads Utah with 11 goals, 51 penalty minutes and 109 shots on goal. 

Cole Gallant had 16 points (5g, 11a) in 15 games in December. 

Bryan Yoon leads Utah with a +6 rating. 

Mick Messner has 6 goals in his last 15 games. He is 3^rd on the club with 9 goals. 

Tyler Penner has appeared in 175 straight regular season games, 199 if you include the playoffs. Wednesday night will be his 200^th straight game for Utah (Including the playoffs). 

Dylan Fitze scored the game winner 5:09 into overtime on Jan. 5 at Newfoundland. 

Bear Bites: Grizzlies Team Notes

Utah is 9-3 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 4 shorthanded goals this season. Utah outshot its opponents 332 to 291 in the third period. Utah is 7-2 when leading after 1 period and 9-2 when leading after 2 periods. Utah is averaging 6,801 fans over their last 5 home games. Utah is 9-7 when scoring a power play goal this season. Utah has won 4 of their last 6 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. Utah went 3-3 vs Newfoundland this season. 

Transactions

January 9 – Goaltender Trent Miner and Defenseman Gianni Fairbrother were each reassigned to Utah from Colorado (AHL). Both players have NHL contracts with the Colorado Avalanche. 

January 2 – Cory Thomas traded to Trois-Rivieres. Defenseman Cory Thomas was traded to the Trois-Rivieres Lions to complete a trade where the Utah Grizzlies received forward Cole Gallant for future considerations. 

Thomas played in 20 games with Utah this season and had 3 assists. In the 2022-23 season he had 7 assists in 40 games for Utah. He also had 1 assist in 4 games in the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs.  

January 2 – Nathan Burke returns from loan with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Burke played in 1 game with Ontario and had 1 shot on goal on Dec. 31, 2023 vs Henderson. 

Utah vs Allen This Season

Allen 3 @ Utah 7 (Dec 9 2023) 

Allen 5 @ Utah 3 (Dec 8 2023) 

Allen 2 @ Utah 5 (Dec 6 2023) 

Utah 2 @ Allen 3 (Dec 1 2023)

Nathan Burke (4g, 3a) and Cole Gallant (2g, 5a) each have 7 points in 4 games vs Allen. Mick Messner has 4 goals in 4 games vs Allen. Brett Stapley has 5 assists. Brandon Cutler and Josh Wesley each have 2 goals vs Allen this season. Allen is led by Colby McAuley, who has 2 goals and 5 assists vs Utah. 

Penner to Appear in 200^th Straight Game for Utah

On Wednesday night Grizzlies forward Tyler Penner will appear in his 200^th straight game for the Grizzlies, including the playoffs. Penner has appeared in every regular season and playoff game for Utah since the start of the 2021-22 season. The streak is currently 175 regular season contests and 199 games if you include the postseason. Penner’s consecutive game streak is the longest for the Grizzlies in the 21^st century. Penner has 29 goals and 33 assists in his Grizzlies career. 

Players Who Have Appeared in Every Game 

There are 6 players who have appeared in all 31 games for the Grizzlies this season. They include defensemen Kyle Mayhew and Bryan Yoon. Forwards Brandon Cutler, Cole Gallant, Mick Messner and Tyler Penner have also played in every game.

Cutler Leads Grizzlies With 11 Goals

With his 3^rd period goal 3:56 in against Newfoundland on January 7^th Brandon Cutler now leads the Grizzlies with 11 goals this season. Cutler also leads Utah in shots on goal (109), power play goals (4) and penalty minutes (51). 

Brett Stapley Remains Red Hot

It has been a great stretch for Brett Stapley, who has 3 goals and 6 assists in his last 5 games. Stapley had 2 goals and 1 assist and was the number 1 star of Utah’s 3-2 win vs Tulsa on December 29. The next night he had 2 assists in Utah’s 5-2 victory. On December 31^st he had the main assist in Utah’s 1-0 win to complete the weekend sweep. Stapley had 2 assists in Utah’s 4-3 overtime win at Newfoundland on January 5^th. Stapley leads Utah with 21 assists and 27 points this season. He had an outstanding month of December, where he scored 16 points (2 goals, 14 assists) in 15 games. Stapley leads Utah with 8 multiple point games this season. 

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

Overall record: 12-19

Home record: 11-6

Road record: 1-13

Win percentage: .387

Streak: Lost 2

Standings Points: 24

Last 10: 4-6

Goals per game: 2.74 (Tied 27^th) Goals for: 85

Goals against per game: 3.35 (Tied 17^th) Goals Against: 104

Shots per game: 30.87 (17^th)

Shots against per game: 33.32 (20^th)

Power Play: 18 for 104 – 17.3 % (21^st)

Penalty Kill: 70 for 99 – 70.7% (28^th)

Penalty Minutes: 378. 12.19 per game. 

Shorthanded Goals: 4 

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 4.   

Record When Scoring First: 9-3. 

Opposition Scores First: 3-16. 

Record in One Goal Games: 5-6. 

SCORING          1ST       2ND               3RD               OT/Shootout      TOTAL                      

Utah Grizzlies     22         34                   28                   1                               85

Opposition           34         37                   33                   0                               104

Team Leaders 

Goals: Brandon Cutler (11) 

Assists: Brett Stapley (23)

Points: Stapley (29)

Plus/Minus: Bryan Yoon (+6)

PIM: Cutler (51)

Power Play Points: Stapley (11)

Power Play Goals: Cutler (4) 

Power Play Assists: Stapley (8) 

Shots on Goal: Cutler (109) 

Shooting Percentage: Cole Gallant (14.9 %) - Minimum 30 shots.  

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

Wins: Dante Giannuzzi (5)

Save %: Miner (.916) 

Goals Against Average: Miner (2.52) 

Shutouts: Giannuzzi/Metcalf (1)