Grizzlies Gameday: Series Opener in the Black Hills

Grizzlies Gameday: Series Opener in the Black Hills 

Utah Grizzlies (28-30-3, 59 points, .484 Win %) @ Rapid City Rush (23-34-3, 49 points, .408 Win %) 

Date: March 22, 2024  Venue: The Monument

Game Time: 7:05 pm. 

Streaming/TV: FloHockey - https://www.flohockey.tv/events/11055423-2024-utah-grizzlies-vs-rapid-city-rush?nav_id=75 

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

Friday’s Matchup

It’s the opener of a three-game series between the Grizzlies and Rush. It’s the seventh meeting this season between the clubs. Utah is 4-1-1 vs RC. 

Brett Stapley has 18 points (4 goals, 14 assists) in his last 9 games. Stapley is tied for 5^th in the league with 44 assists and is tied for 6^th in the league with 64 points. Brandon Cutler has 7 goals and 6 assists in his last 9 games. Kyle Mayhew leads all league rookie defensemen with 45 points (12 goals, 33 assists). Mayhew has a point in 6 of his last 9 games. Josh Wesley has 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) in his last 9 games. Wesley has 16 goals this season, which leads all league defensemen. Dylan Fitze has scored 10 goals in his last 12 games. The Grizz are 14-0-1 when scoring first at home. Utah is 6-0-3 in games decided past regulation. The Grizz are 7-1-2 in one goal games at home. Utah is 11-2 at home when they score a power play goal. 

Games This Road Trip 

March 22, 2024 – Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm. The Monument. 

March 23, 2024 – Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm. The Monument. 

March 24, 2024 – Utah at Rapid City. 4:05 pm. The Monument. 

It will be the only time Utah will be at Rapid City during the regular season. Utah is 4-1-1 vs RC this season. 

Alex Beaucage has 3 goals and 7 assists vs RC this season. Brandon Cutler has 4 goals and 2 assists. Rapid City’s Logan Nelson has 5 goals and 5 assists vs Utah. Alex Aleardi has 2 goals and 5 assists vs Utah. 

Utah vs Rapid City This Season

Rapid City 5 @ Utah 1 (Mar 11 2024) 

Rapid City 4 @ Utah 5 (Mar 9 2024) OT 

Rapid City 3 @ Utah 2 (Mar 8 2024) OT

Rapid City 2 @ Utah 4 (Jan 27 2024) 

Rapid City 3 @ Utah 6 (Jan 26 2024) 

Rapid City 2 @ Utah 4 (Jan 24 2024)

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

All Times Mountain. 

Brandon Cutler Joins Grizzlies 30 Goal Club 

Brandon Cutler scored his 30^th goal of the season on March 18^th vs Norfolk. Cutler is the first Grizzly to reach 30-plus goals since Caleb Herbert tallied 32 goals for the 2018-19 club. Current Grizzlies Head Coach Ryan Kinasewich is the only player to have multiple 30 plus goal seasons in team history. 

Grizzlies 30+ Goal Club

Brandon Cutler – 30 (2023-24). 

Caleb Herbert – 32 (2018-19). 

Paul McIlveen – 30 (2011-12). 

Ryan Kinasewich – 48 (2009-10). 

AJ Perry – 30 (2009-10). 

Tom May– 31 (2008-09). 

Kinasewich – 39 (2005-06). 

John Purves – 36 (1999-2000). 

Sean Tallaire – 31 (1999-2000). 

Brad Lauer – 31 (1998-99). 

Kip Miller – 38 (1997-98). 

Mark Lawrence – 36 (1997-98). 

Brett Lievers – 36 (1995-96). 

Games Last Homestand 

Utah went 3-1-2 in the completed 6 game homestand. 

Friday, March 8, 2024 – Rapid City 3 Utah 2 (Overtime) – Nathan Burke had 1 goal and 1 assist. Kyle Mayhew had 1 goal for Utah. Utah outshot Rapid City 46 to 38. Rapid City got goals from Blake Bennett, Keanu Yamamoto and Logan Nelson. Nelson scored the game winner 3:20 into OT. Rush goaltender Connor Murphy saved 44 of 46. Utah’s Will Cranley stopped 35 of 38. It was the first time this season the Grizzlies played past regulation at home. 

Saturday, March 9, 2024 – Rapid City 4 Utah 5 (Overtime) – Alex Beaucage had 2 goals and 3 assists, including the game winner 2:53 into OT. Brandon Cutler had 2 goals and 1 assist. Brett Stapley had 1 goal and 2 assists. Utah was 2 for 5 on the power play, Rapid City was 1 for 3. 

Monday, March 11, 2024 – Rapid City 5 Utah 1 – Tyler Penner scored Utah’s lone goal. RC outshot Utah 31 to 24. Grizz were 6 for 6 on the penalty kill. Blake Bennett had 1 goal and 1 assist for RC. 

Saturday, March 16, 2024 – Norfolk 4 Utah 5 (Overtime) – Josh Wesley scored 2 goals and 1 assist, including the OT game winner. Kyle Mayhew had 1 goal and 2 assists. Cole Gallant had 1 goal and 1 assist. Brett Stapley had 3 assists. Dylan Fitze had 1 goal. Utah outshot Norfolk 37 to 22. The Grizz were 3 for 6 on the power play. Norfolk was 1 for 5. The Grizz scored 3 goals in a 68 second stretch late in the third period to tie the game 4-4. 

Sunday, March 17, 2024 – Norfolk 2 Utah 5 – Dylan Fitze led Utah with 2 goals. Brandon Cutler had 1 goal and 1 assist. Adam Berg and Cole Gallant added goals for the Grizz. Tyler Penner, Brett Stapley and Quinn Wichers each had 2 assists. Will Cranley stopped 28 of 30 in the win. Norfolk got goals from Thomas Caron and Stepan Timofeyev. 

Monday, March 18, 2024 – Norfolk 5 Utah 4 (Overtime) – Brett Stapley had 2 goals and 2 assists for Utah. Brandon Cutler had 1 goal and 1 assist. Norfolk outshot Utah 50 to 27. Utah was 1 for 3 on the power play and 5 for 5 on the penalty kill. Mark Liwiski led Norfolk with 2 goals. Stepan Timofeyev scored the game winner 45 seconds 

Recent Transactions

March 20 – Grizzlies sign defenseman Liam Dennison. 

March 20 – Grizzlies released forward Dean Yakura. 

March 18 – Grizzlies sign goaltender Jarrett Fiske. 

March 16 – Grizzlies sign forward Luke Manning. 

Grizzlies Sign Defenseman Liam Dennison

On March 20^th the Utah Grizzlies signed defenseman Liam Dennison. He recently completed a 5 year college career at Merrimack College, where he scored 4 goals and 15 assists. He was an assistant captain at Merrimack in his senior season (2023-24), where he appeared in all 35 games and was second on the team with 49 blocked shots. He blocked 138 shots in his college career. Prior to playing at Merrimack he spent 2 years in the USHL with the Youngstown Phantoms, where he scored 6 goals and 27 assists. Dennison majored in Business Administration at Merrimack. Dennison will be number 22 for the Grizzlies. 

Grizzlies Sign Goaltender Jarrett Fiske 

The Utah Grizzlies have signed goaltender Jarrett Fiske. This season at Niagara University Fiske had a 16-11-2 record with a .912 save percentage and a 2.73 goals against average. Fiske started his college career at American International College (A.I.C). Fish was outstanding for AIC in the 2022-23 season, where he had a record of 10-8-6 with a 2.38 Goals Against Average and a .923 save percentage. Fiske also played for the AIC men’s lacrosse team for two seasons (2022,2023). Fiske was named the AHA Goaltender of the Year for the 2022-23 season. He was a nominee for the 2023-24 Hobey Baker Award. Fiske is wearing number 35 for the Grizzlies. 

Military Night Miracle at Maverik Center 

On March 16^th the Utah Grizzlies overcame a 4-1 deficit late in regulation as they scored 3 goals in 68 seconds to tie the game. Kyle Mayhew scored a 5 on 3 power play goal 17:03 in. 48 seconds later Dylan Fitze scored a 5 on 4 power play goal to make it a one goal game. Just 20 seconds later it was Grizzlies captain Josh Wesley who scored on a one-timer from the slot to tie the game 18:11 in. Wesley scored the overtime game winner on a power play 1:30 in. An outstanding crowd of 8562 saw the game on Military Night presented by Mountainland Supply Company. Josh Wesley scored 2 goals and 1 assist on the night. Kyle Mayhew had 1 goal and 2 assists. Cole Gallant had 1 goal and 1 assist. Brett Stapley had 3 assists, including the main assist on the overtime game winner. 

Great Crowds at Maverik Center 

A big crowd of 8562 on Military Night saw the Grizzlies win a 5-4 overtime thriller. It was the 6^th time this season the Grizzlies had a crowd of over 8000. Utah has had 8 games with over 7600 fans at Maverik Center. For the season Utah is averaging 5,868 fans per game and they are on pace to have the largest average attendance since the 2002-03 season when the AHL’s Grizzlies averaged 6,353 per game. 

Grizzlies Among League Leaders

Brett Stapley is tied for 6^th in the league with 64 points. Stapley is tied for 5^th in the league with 44 assists. Brandon Cutler 2^nd in the league with 229 shots on goal. Cutler is 6^th in the league with 30 goals. Josh Wesley leads the league in goals among defensemen with 16. Wesley leads league defensemen with 7 power play goals and is 3^rd among defensemen with 160 shots on goal. Kyle Mayhew is tied for 5^th among league defensemen with 45 points. The 45 points for Mayhew leads all rookie defensemen. Mayhew is 3^rd among league rookies with 15 power play assists. 

Grizzlies Head Coaching Wins

With the March 17^th win over Norfolk, Grizzlies Head Coach Ryan Kinasewich passed Don Hay for fourth place all-time for wins in team history. 

Tim Branham – 284

Butch Goring – 178

Kevin Colley – 157

Ryan Kinasewich - 105

Don Hay – 104

Jason Christie - 90

Bob Bourne – 83

Pat Conacher - 23

Grizzlies Player Notes 

#7 Brett Stapley has 18 points (4g, 14a) in his last 9 games. Stapley has a point in 15 of his last 20 games. Stapley leads Utah with 44 assists and 64 points. He leads Utah with 16 multiple point games. 

#13 Dylan Fitze has 10 goals and 2 assists in his last 12 games. 

#20 Josh Wesley leads all league defensemen with 16.  Wesley leads all league defensemen with 7 power play goals. Wesley is 3rd among league defenseman with 160 shots on goal. Wesley has 5 goals and 4 assists in his last 9 games. 

#21 Tyler Penner has appeared in 205 consecutive regular season games for Utah, 229 if you include the playoffs. 

#24 Nathan Burke is tied for 2nd on the club with 18 goals. Burke has missed the last 3 games for Utah. 

#25 Cole Gallant has 2 goals and 6 assists in his last 8 games. Gallant has 7 different 2 assist games. Gallant has a point in 3 straight games. 

#26 Alex Beaucage scored 2 goals and 3 assists vs RC on March 8. Beaucage has 7 points (2g, 5a) in his last 5 games and 9 points (4g, 5a) in his last 7 games. Beaucage has 87 shots in 18 games. He has a point in 10 of his 18 games with Utah. Beaucage was the league’s Player of the Week for March 4-10, 2024. 

#27 Kyle Mayhew has 11 points in his last 9 games (4g, 7a). Mayhew leads all league rookie defenseman with 45 points (12g, 33a). Mayhew is 3rd among league rookies with 15 power play assists. 

#29 Brandon Cutler has 7 goals and 6 assists in his last 9 games. Cutler is 2^nd in the league with 229 shots on goal and is 6^th with 30 goals. Cutler leads Utah with 7 power play goals. Cutler has 13 multiple point games this season. 

Bear Bites: Grizzlies Team Notes 

The Grizzlies are home for 6 of their last 11 games. Utah has won 11 of their last 16 home games (11-3-2 record). Utah is 19-9-2 at home this season, outscoring opponents 102 to 88. Utah is averaging 6,789 fans per game over their last 18 home games. Utah has had 8 home games with over 7,600 fans. Utah is averaging 5,868 fans per game and is on pace for their largest average attendance since the 2002-03 season when the Grizz averaged 6353 fans per game when the club was in the AHL. Utah is 6-3 in games past regulation this season. Utah is 20-3-2 when scoring first this season. Utah has scored 5 shorthanded goals this season. Utah is 15-2 when leading after 1 period and 16-2-1 when leading after 2 periods. Utah is 10-0 at home when leading after 1 period. Utah has outscored opponents 39 to 24 in the third periods over their last 25 games. The Grizz are 9-10-1 in their last 20 road games. 

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

Overall record: 28-30-3

Home record: 19-9-2 

Road record: 9-21-1 

Win percentage: .484

Streak: Lost 1. 

Standings Points: 59

Last 10: 4-4-2

Goals per game: 3.21 (Tied 14^th) Goals for: 196

Goals against per game: 3.61 (23^rd) Goals Against: 220

Shots per game: 31.23 (16^th) 

Shots against per game: 34.02 (23^rd) 

Power Play: 38 for 194 – 19.6 % (17^th )

Penalty Kill: 145 for 194 – 74.7 % (28^th) 

Penalty Minutes: 656. 10.75 per game. 

Shorthanded Goals: 5. 

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 7. 

Record When Scoring First: 20-3-2. 

Opposition Scores First: 8-27-1. 

Record in One Goal Games: 11-8-3. 

Games Decided Past Regulation: 6-0-3

Team Leaders 

Goals: Brandon Cutler (30)  

Assists: Brett Stapley (44) 

Points: Stapley (64) 

Plus/Minus: Bryan Yoon (+11) 

PIM: Cutler (73) 

Power Play Points: Stapley (19) 

Power Play Goals: Brandon Cutler (7) 

Power Play Assists: Mayhew (15) 

Shots on Goal: Cutler (229) – 2^nd in the league. 

Shooting Percentage: Nathan Burke (14.8 %) - Minimum 55 shots. 

Game Winning Goals: Cutler/Stapley (4) 

Wins: Dante Giannuzzi (12) 

Save %: Trent Miner (.917) 

Goals Against Average: Miner (2.75) 

Shutouts: Giannuzzi/Garrett Metcalf (1) 

Multiple Point Games 

16 – Brett Stapley 

13 – Brandon Cutler 

12 – Cole Gallant

8 – Nathan Burke. 

7 – Dylan Fitze, Mick Messner. 

6 - Kyle Mayhew, Josh Wesley. 

3 – Aaron Aragon, Alex Beaucage, Adam Berg, Dakota Raabe, Bryan Yoon. 

2- Kyle Betts, Jordan Martel, Tyler Penner, Jacob Semik. 

1 – Jeremiah Addison, J.C. Campagna, Gianni Fairbrother, Ryan Sandelin, Robbie Stucker, Keoni Texeira, Quinn Wichers, Dean Yakura. 

Streaks 

Goals: Brandon Cutler (2) Kyle Mayhew, Brett Stapley (1)

Assists: Cutler, Stapley (3) Adam Berg, Cole Gallant (1)

Points (2 or more): Cutler, Gallant, Stapley (3) Berg (2)

Utah Grizzlies 2023-2024 Roster

Forwards (13): Aaron Aragon, Alex Beaucage, Adam Berg, Nathan Burke, Cody Caron, Brandon Cutler, Dylan Fitze, Cole Gallant, Luke Manning, Mick Messner, Max Neill, Tyler Penner, Brett Stapley.

Defenseman (10): Liam Dennison, Kade Jensen, Kyle Mayhew, Jacob Semik, Jordon Stone, Robbie Stucker, Keoni Texeira, Michael Underwood, Josh Wesley, Quinn Wichers. 

Goaltenders (3): Will Cranley, Jarrett Fiske, Dante Giannuzzi.