Grizzlies Weekly: Road Trip Continues in Kansas City
West Valley City, Utah – The longest road trip of the season continues for the Grizzlies as they are at Kansas City for games on Friday at 6:35 pm and Saturday at 5:05 pm.
The Grizzlies are 3-4 through 7 games of the nine-game trip. They won 2 out of 3 games vs Allen last week, winning 6-2 on January 12th and 4-2 on January 13th.
The Grizzlies return to Maverik Center for a big 3 game series vs Rapid City. Wednesday, January 24th is the opener of the homestand. Saturday, January 27th is Guns N Hoses Night with charity games starting at around 12:30 pm leading up to the Grizzlies game at 7:10 pm. Tickets for every Grizzlies home game are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.
Games Last Week
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 – Utah 4 Allen 5 – Dakota Raabe had 2 goals and Tyler Penner had 3 assists to lead the Utah attack. Both teams had 41 shots on goal. Trent Miner saved 36 of 41 for Utah. Allen’s Leevi Merilainen stopped 37 of 41. Allen got 2 goals from Grant Hebert and 1 goal and 1 assist from Hank Crone & Mikael Robidoux.
Friday, January 12, 2024 – Utah 6 Allen 2 - Dylan Fitze had 2 goals and 1 assist. Brett Stapley had 2 goals. Adam Berg and Josh Wesley added goals for Utah. Grizz outshot the Americans 29 to 27. Utah went 1 for 4 on the power play and 2 for 2 on the penalty kill. Dante Giannuzzi got the win in net as he stopped 25 of 27. Cole Gallant had 2 assists.
Saturday, January 13, 2024 – Utah 4 Allen 2 – Utah overcame a 2-1 second intermission deficit as they scored 3 unanswered goals in the third period. Bryan Yoon, Mick Messner, Adam Berg and Josh Wesley each scored a goal for the Grizz. Nathan Burke and Jacob Semik each had 2 assists. Messner’s goal was his 3rd shorthanded goal of the season. Utah’s Will Cranley saved 30 of 32 in the win. Utah outshot Allen 22 to 5 in the third period and 46 to 32 for the game. The 46 shots are the 3rd most for Utah in a game this season.
Sunday, January 14, 2024 – Utah 3 Wichita 6 – Michal Stinil had 3 goals and 1 assist to lead Wichita. Utah got goals from Brandon Cutler, Brett Stapley and Quinn Wichers. Adam Berg and Bryan Yoon each had 2 assists. Utah outshot Wichita 45 to 26. The Grizzlies did not commit a single penalty in the game. Utah was 0 for 1 on the power play.
Games This Week
Friday, January 19, 2024 – Utah at Kansas City. 6:35 pm. Cable Dahmer Arena.
Saturday, January 20, 2024 – Utah at Kansas City. 5:05 pm. Cable Dahmer Arena.
All Times Mountain.
Tickets for every Grizzlies home game are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.
Kyle Mayhew Represented Grizzlies at All-Star Classic
Grizzlies defenseman Kyle Mayhew scored 1 goal in the 2024 All-Star Classic where team ECHL defeated the Savannah Ghost Pirates 18-11 on January 15th.
Grizzlies Player Notes
Brett Stapley has a current 10 game point streak, where he has 14 points in 10 games (6 goals, 8 assists). 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 7 of his last 9 games (1g, 6a). Mayhew is tied for 3rd among all league defensemen with 7 goals. Mayhew is 2nd among all league rookie defensemen with 21 points. He is tied for the club lead with 9 power play points (2 goals, 7 assists). Mayhew is going to the 2024 All-Star Classic in Savannah, Georgia.
Josh Wesley is tied for the league lead for goals among defenseman (8). Wesley has 4 goals in his last 8 games. He leads Utah in shots on goal in January with 33. Wesley has a power play point in 4 of his last 9 games.
Brandon Cutler leads Utah with 13 goals, 53 penalty minutes and 129 shots on goal.
Cole Gallant is 2nd on the club with 26 points (7 goals, 19 assists). Gallant leads Utah with 6 assists in the month of January.
Bryan Yoon leads Utah with a +11 rating and a +10 in his last 9 games. Yoon was a +10 in 7 games vs Allen.
Mick Messner is tied for 2nd on the club with 10 goals. He is 3rd on the club with 94 shots on goal. Messner leads all league rookies with 3 shorthanded goals.
Tyler Penner has appeared in 179 straight regular season games, 203 if you include the playoffs. Penner had 3 assists at Allen on January 10. He has 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in 7 games in January.
Dylan Fitze scored the game winner 5:09 into overtime on Jan. 5 at Newfoundland. Fitze has 4 goals in 7 games in January.
Dakota Raabe scored 2 goals at Allen on Jan. 10. Raabe had 2 goals and 5 assists vs Allen this season.
Will Cranley got his second win in a Utah uniform on January 13 as he saved 30 of 32.
Star Performers on the Road Trip
The Grizzlies are 3-4 on the current nine-game road trip. There have been many great individual performances on the trip. Brett Stapley has a point in all 7 games as his point streak is now at 10 games. Stapley leads Utah with 8 games on the road trip (4 goals, 4 assists). Dylan Fitze leads Utah with 4 goals. Josh Wesley has 3 goals and he leads Utah with 33 shots in the last 7 contests. Cole Gallant leads Utah with 6 assists in the 7 games. Bryan Yoon has the best plus/minus in January at +7. 12 different Grizzlies players have scored a goal in the 7 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 387 to 320 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 10 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.
2023-2024 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals (league rankings)
Overall record: 14-21
Home record: 11-6
Road record: 3-15
Win percentage: .400
Streak: Lost 1
Standings Points: 28
Last 10: 6-4
Goals per game: 2.91 (Tied 25th) Goals for: 102
Goals against per game: 3.40 (17th) Goals Against: 119
Shots per game: 31.94 (12th)
Shots against per game: 33.11 (20th)
Power Play: 19 for 117 – 16.2 % (25th)
Penalty Kill: 78 for 108 – 72.2 % (28th)
Penalty Minutes: 407. 11.97 per game.
Shorthanded Goals: 5.
Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 4.
Record When Scoring First: 10-3.
Opposition Scores First: 4-18.
Record in One Goal Games: 5-7.
SCORING 1ST 2ND 3RD OT/Shootout TOTAL
Utah Grizzlies 25 41 35 1 102
Opposition 37 43 39 0 119
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 (129)
Shooting Percentage: Cole Gallant (13.0 %) - 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)
Multiple Point Games
8 – Brett Stapley
7 – Cole Gallant
5 – Nathan Burke, Brandon Cutler.
3 – Mick Messner, Dakota Raabe, Bryan Yoon.
2- Adam Berg, Kyle Betts, Dylan Fitze, Jordan Martel, Kyle Mayhew, Jacob Semik.
1 – J.C. Campagna, Gianni Fairbrother, Tyler Penner, Keoni Texeira, Josh Wesley.
Streaks
Goals: Brandon Cutler, Brett Stapley, Quinn Wichers (1)
Assists: Adam Berg, Josh Wesley, Bryan Yoon (1)
Points (2 or more) – Stapley (10) Wesley, Yoon (4) Berg (3)