Grizzlies Gameday: Series Opener at Maverik Center vs Kansas City

Grizzlies Gameday: Wednesday Night Battle at Maverik Center

Kansas City Mavericks (49-11-4-2, 104 points, .788 Win %) @ Utah Grizzlies (31-33-3, 65 points, .485 Win %) 

Date: April 3, 2024 Venue: Maverik Center

Game Time: 7:10 pm. 

Streaming: FloHockey – https://www.flohockey.tv/events/11056467-2024-kansas-city-mavericks-vs-utah-grizzlies?nav_id=75 

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 Steelheads. It’s the 7^th of nine meetings this season between the clubs. For the Grizzlies it’s the fourth of a six game homestand. It’s the final homestand of the regular season. 3 of the final 5 games in the regular season will be at Maverik Center, where Utah is 21-10-2 on the season, outscoring teams 113 to 99. The Grizz are 17-0-1 at home when scoring first. Utah is 11-0 at home when leading after 1 period and 14-1 at home when leading after 2 frames. Utah is 8-1-2 at home in one-goal games. The Grizz have outscored opponents 48 to 31 in the third periods over their last 31 games.

Kyle Mayhew has a point in 7 straight games. Mayhew leads all league rookie defensemen with 54 points (15, 39 assists). Dylan Fitze has scored 11 goals and 8 assists over his last 18 games. Brandon Cutler has a point in 8 of his last 9 games (5 goals, 9 assists). 

Utah is 6-0-3 in games decided past regulation. Utah is 23-4-2 when scoring first this season.

It’s a potential first round playoff match-up in the Mountain Division playoffs as Kansas City clinched the division title on March 29^th. The Mavericks lead the league with a +94 goal differential on the season. They have 44 regulation wins this season, which leads the league. The next closest team in the league is Toledo with 36. 

The Mavericks are 26-3-2-1 on the road this season. 

Games This Week

Wednesday, April 3, 2024 – Kansas City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. Smith’s Family Night. 

Friday, April 5, 2024 – Kansas City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. AFCU Friday. 

Saturday, April 6, 2024 – Kansas City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. Fan Appreciation Night presented by Les Schwab. 

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

All Times Mountain. 

Grizzlies Player Notes 

#7 Brett Stapley had 22 points (7g, 15a) in 14 games in March. The 22 points in March tied for the league lead with Kalamazoo's Erik Bradford. Stapley has a point in 18 of his last 26 games. Stapley leads Utah with 46 assists and 69 points. He leads Utah with 17 multiple point games.

#8 Luke Manning - Scored his first pro goal on March 29 vs Idaho. Manning has a goal in 2 straight games. 

#10 Mick Messner has 3 points (1g, 2a) in his last 2 games. Messner is tied for the league lead among rookies with 3 shorthanded goals.  

#13 Dylan Fitze has 11 goals and 9 assists in his last 19 games. Fitze has a point in 7 of his last 9 games (4g, 6a).

#20 Josh Wesley leads all league defensemen with 17.  Wesley leads all league defensemen with 7 power play goals. Wesley is 4^th among league defenseman with 175 shots on goal. Wesley has 3 goals and 7 assists in his last 11 games.

#21 Tyler Penner has appeared in 211 consecutive regular season games for Utah, 235 if you include the playoffs. 

#24 Nathan Burke is 4^th on the club with 18 goals. 

#25 Cole Gallant has 9 points in 14 games in March (3g, 6a). Gallant has 7 different 2 assist games. Gallant is 3^rd on the club with 32 assists.

#26 Alex Beaucage scored 2 goals and 3 assists vs RC on March 8. Beaucage had 16 points (6g, 10a) in 13 games in March. Beaucage has 107 shots in 24 games. He has a point in 15 of his 24 games with Utah. Beaucage was the league’s Player of the Week for March 4-10, 2024.

#27 Kyle Mayhew had 19 points in 13 games in March (7g, 12a).  Mayhew leads all league rookie defenseman with 54 points (15g, 39a). The 15 goals are tied for 2nd in the league among league defensemen. Mayhew is 3rd among league rookies with 17 power play assists. Mayhew has a point in 7 straight games. 

#29 Brandon Cutler has 21 points in 14 games in March (9g, 12a). He has a point in 12 of his last 15 games and 2 or more points in 6 of his last 15 games. Cutler is 2^nd in the league with 254 shots on goal and is tied for 3rd with 33 goals. Cutler leads Utah with 9 power play goals. Cutler has 15 multiple point games this season. 

Grizzlies Team Notes 

Utah went 7-5-2 in the month of March. They scored 52 goals in 14 games in March. It was the third straight month where Utah had a .500 point percentage or better. The Grizzlies are home for 3 of their last 5 games. Utah has won 13 of their last 19 home games (13-4-2 record). Utah is 21-10-2 at home this season, outscoring opponents 113 to 99. Utah is averaging 6,714 fans per game over their last 21 home games. Utah has had 8 home games with over 7,600 fans. Utah is averaging 5,904 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 23-4-2 when scoring first this season. Utah has scored 5 shorthanded goals this season. Utah is 16-2 when leading after 1 period and 18-2-1 when leading after 2 periods. Utah is 12-0 at home when leading after 1 period. Utah has outscored opponents 48 to 31 in the third periods over their last 31 games. The Grizz are 10-12-1 in their last 23 road games. 

Scoreboard Watching

Utah is currently tied with Tulsa for third place in the Mountain division. The Grizz have a 6-point lead over fifth place Allen. 

Tied for 3^rd. Utah – 67 games played, 31-33-3 record – 65 points. 5 games left (3 home vs Kansas City, 2 away at Idaho). 

Tied for 3^rd. Tulsa – 66 games played, 29-30-6-1 record – 65 Points. 6 games left (2 home, 4 away). (3 vs Wichita – 1 home 2 away. 3 vs Allen – 1 home 2 away). 

5^th. Allen – 66 games played, 29-34-2-1 record – 61 Points. 6 games left, 5 home, 1 away (3 vs Adirondack, 3 vs Tulsa – 2 home, 1 away). 

6^th. Rapid City – 66 games played, 27-35-4 record – 58 Points. 6 games left, 3 home, 3 away (3 at Idaho, 3 vs Wichita). 

7. Wichita – 66 games played, 24-33,8-1 record – 57 Points. 6 games left (3 vs Tulsa – 2 home, 1 away, 3 at Rapid City). 

March Offensive Stars 

Utah had a record of 7-5-2 in March. It is the third straight month where the Grizzlies have a .500 or better point percentage. The Grizzlies have had a good offensive month, scoring 52 goals in 14 games (3.71 goals per game). Brett Stapley was tied with Kalamazoo’s Erik Bradford for a tie among league skaters with 22 points in March. Stapley is also tied with 2 other skaters for the league lead with 15 assists in March. Brandon Cutler had 8 goals and 13 assists in March and Dylan Fitze had 7 goals in March. Kyle Mayhew had 19 points in March (7 goals, 12 assists) and ended the month with a point in 7 straight games. 

Grizzlies March 2024 Team Leaders

Points: Brett Stapley (22). 

Goals: Brandon Cutler (9) 

Assists: Stapley (15) – Tied for league lead in March. 

Shots: Alex Beaucage/Cutler (55) 

Plus/Minus: Fitze (+7). 

Grizzlies Sign Defenseman Connor Mayer

The Utah Grizzlies have signed defenseman Connor Mayer. In a separate roster move the Grizzlies released forward Max Neill. Mayer played at Colorado College for 5 seasons from 2019-2024. In the 2023-24 season he tied for the team lead in plus/minus among defenseman at +11. He appeared in 159 games at Colorado College, where he scored 32 points (7 goals, 25 assists). Mayer was a member of the NCHC all-academic team for four straight seasons from 2021-24. Mayer majored in Economics at CC. Mayer is a native of Champlin, Minnesota. He will wear number 6 for the Grizzlies. 

Recent Transactions: 

April 2 – Grizzlies sign defenseman Connor Mayer.

April 1 – Grizzlies release forward Max Neill. 

March 29 – Grizzlies sign forward Blake Wells. 

March 28 – Grizzlies sign defenseman Luc Salem

March 22 – Grizzlies sign defenseman Cody Corbett.

March 20 – Grizzlies sign defenseman Liam Dennison.

March 20 – Grizzlies released forward Dean Yakura.

Mountain Division Champion Kansas City Mavericks 

Kansas City leads the league in goals per game at 4.23 and they are 3^rd in goals allowed per game at 2.80. The Mavericks have outscored opponents 109 to 55 in the third period this season. Kansas City is 26-3-2-1 on the road this season. They are led by Patrick Curry, who is 2^nd in the league in goals (35) and points (79). Max Andreev is 3^rd in the league with 51 assists. Nolan Walker has a 32.6 shooting percentage on the season (31 goals on 95 shots). 

Grizzlies Among League Leaders 

Brandon Cutler is tied for 3^rd in the league with 33 goals this season. He is 2^nd in shots on goal with 254.

Brett Stapley is tied for 9th in the league with 69 points (23 goals, 46 assists). The 46 assists are tied for 8^th best in the league. 

Josh Wesley leads the league in goals among defensemen with 17. Wesley leads all league defensemen with 7 power play goals and is 4^th among defensemen with 175 shots on goal. Kyle Mayhew is tied 4^th among league defensemen with 54 points. The 51 points for Mayhew lead all rookie defensemen. Mayhew is 3^rd among league rookies with 17 power play assists.

Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots, Everybody (Lil Jon’s Voice) 

The Grizzlies took a season high 58 shots, including 28 in the third period in their 4-3 loss against the Rapid City Rush. The 58 shots tie for a league lead in a game this season (Idaho had 58 shots on November 15, 2023). The 28 shots in the third period is the most Utah has taken in a single period this season. The previous high in a game this season was a 51-shot effort in a 3-2 loss at Allen on December 1. Utah is 12-9-1 when outshooting opponents this season and they are 19-22-2 when they have been outshot. 

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 Single Season Goals Leaders

Ryan Kinasewich – 48 (2009-10). 

Kinasewich – 39 (2005-06). 

Kip Miller – 38 (1997-98). 

Mark Lawrence – 36 (1997-98). 

Brett Lievers – 36 (1995-96). 

John Purves – 36 (1999-2000). 

Brandon Cutler – 33 (2023-24). 

Caleb Herbert – 32 (2018-19). 

Tom May– 31 (2008-09). 

Sean Tallaire – 31 (1999-2000). 

Brad Lauer – 31 (1998-99). 

Paul McIlveen – 30 (2011-12). 

AJ Perry – 30 (2009-10). 

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 5,904 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. 

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

Overall record: 31-33-3

Home record: 21-10-2 

Road record: 10-23-1 

Win percentage: .485

Streak: Won 2.   

Standings Points: 65

Last 10: 5-4-1

Goals per game: 3.22 (12^th) Goals for: 216

Goals against per game: 3.61 (23^rd) Goals Against: 242

Shots per game: 31.63 (12^th) 

Shots against per game: 33.69 (23^rd) 

Power Play: 44 for 219 – 20.1 % (Tied 13^th)

Penalty Kill: 157 for 210 – 74.8 % (28^th) 

Penalty Minutes: 716. 10.69 per game. 

Shorthanded Goals: 5. 

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 7. 

Record When Scoring First: 23-4-2. 

Opposition Scores First: 8-29-1. 

Record in One Goal Games: 12-9-3. 

Games Decided Past Regulation: 6-0-3

Team Leaders 

Goals: Brandon Cutler (33)  

Assists: Brett Stapley (46) 

Points: Stapley (69) 

Plus/Minus: Bryan Yoon (+11) 

PIM: Cutler (77) 

Power Play Points: Kyle Mayew/Stapley (21) 

Power Play Goals: Brandon Cutler (9) 

Power Play Assists: Mayhew (17) 

Shots on Goal: Cutler (254) – 2^nd in the league. 

Shooting Percentage: Nathan Burke (14.3 %) - Minimum 55 shots. 

Game Winning Goals: Cutler (5) 

Wins: Dante Giannuzzi (13) 

Save %: Trent Miner (.917) 

Goals Against Average: Miner (2.75) 

Shutouts: Giannuzzi/Garrett Metcalf (1) 

Streaks 

Goals: Luke Manning (2) Brandon Cutler, Kyle Mayhew (1)

Assists: Alex Beaucage (2) Brandon Cutler, Messner (2). 

Points (2 or more): Mayhew (7) Manning (3) Messner, Stapley (2)