Grizzlies Weekly: Grizz Battle for a Playoff Spot in the Final Homestand of the Regular Season

Grizzlies Weekly: Final Homestand of Regular Season 

West Valley City, Utah – The Utah Grizzlies host the Kansas City Mavericks for the final homestand of the regular season on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Face-off all 3 nights will be at 7:10 pm. Tickets are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000. 

The Grizzlies took 2 out of 3 games last week against the division rival Idaho Steelheads. Kyle Mayhew

has a point in 7 straight games. He leads all league rookie defensemen with 54 points (15 goals, 39 assists). Grizzlies captain Josh Wesley leads all league defensemen with 17 goals as well as 7 power play goals. 

Utah went 7-5-2 in the month of March. It’s the third straight month where the Grizzlies finished with a .500-point percentage or better. The Grizz are tied with Tulsa for third place in the Mountain division and they do own the tie-breaker over Tulsa as they have 25 regulation wins and Tulsa has 23. 

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. 

Games Last Week - Utah went 2-1

Wednesday, March 27, 2024 – Idaho 6 Utah 2 – Aaron Aragon and Kyle Mayhew each scored a goal for Utah. Idaho was led by Jake Murray, who had 1 goal and 2 assists. Jordan Kawaguchi and Ty Pelton-Byce each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Utah was 0 for 2 on the power play. The Grizz did not commit any penalties in the game. Utah outshot Idaho 34 to 23. 

Friday, March 29, 2024 – Idaho 4 Utah 5 – Luke Manning and Mick Messner each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Manning scored the game winner with his first professional goal 13:44 into the third period on the power play. Adam Berg had 2 third period assists. Cole Gallant, Tyler Penner and Brett Stapley added goals for Utah. Idaho outshot Utah 37 to 25. Dante Giannuzzi stopped 33 of 37 in the win. Both teams were 2 for 5 on the power play. Idaho got 2 goals from Francesco Arcuri and 1 goal and 2 assists from Wade Murphy. 

Saturday, March 30, 2024 – Idaho 1 Utah 4 – Brandon Cutler scored 2 power play goals. Luke Manning and Kyle Mayhew added goals in the Utah win. Will Cranley saved 23 of 24. Utah went 3 for 9 on the power play, Idaho was 0 for 4. 

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 – 65 games played, 28-34-2-1 record – 59 Points. 7 games left, 5 home, 2 away (1 at Wichita, 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 – 65 games played, 24-33,7-1 record – 56 Points. 7 games left (3 vs Tulsa – 2 home, 1 away, 1 vs Allen, 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). 

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). 

Players Who Have Appeared in Every Game 

There are 3 players who have appeared in all 67 games for the Grizzlies this season. They are forwards Brandon Cutler, Mick Messner and Tyler Penner. 

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) 

Multiple Point Games 

17 – Brett Stapley 

15 – Brandon Cutler 

12 – Cole Gallant

8 – Nathan Burke, Dylan Fitze, Kyle Mayhew, Mick Messner. 

7 – Josh Wesley. 

4 – Alex Beaucage, Adam Berg

3 – Aaron Aragon, Dakota Raabe, Bryan Yoon. 

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

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

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)