Grizzlies Gameday: Hispanic Heritage Night at Maverik Center

Grizzlies Gameday: Hispanic Heritage Night at Maverik Center 

Allen Americans (0-4-1, 1 point, .100 point %) @ Utah Grizzlies (3-1, 6 points, .750 point %) 

Date: November 2, 2024 Venue: Maverik Center Game Time: 7:10 pm. 

Streaming: FloHockey – https://www.flohockey.tv/events/12609744-2024-allen-americans-vs-utah-grizzlies?nav_id=75

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

Saturday’s Matchup

It’s the last of a two game weekend series as the Utah Grizzlies host the Allen Americans. It’s the second of nine regular season meetings between the clubs. Utah has won 3 in a row as they got a 5-1 victory over Allen on Friday night. Neil Shea has led the Utah attack early in the season as he has scored a goal in each of his first 4 games. Shea leads Utah with 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists). Mick Messner has 3 goals in 4 games this season. Luke Manning leads Utah with 4 assists. Bryan Yoon has a point in all 4 games this season (1 goal, 3 assists). Adam Scheel has won 3 games in a row in net. Former Grizzlies defenseman Andrew Nielsen is on the Allen roster. Nielsen was a 2023 ECHL all-star with Utah. In 83 games with Utah, Nielsen had 17 goals and 51 assists. 

Games This Homestand 

November 1, 2024 – Allen 1 Utah 5 – Neil Shea led Utah with 1 goal and 2 assists. Adam Scheel saved 25 of 26 in the win. Cade Neilson and Briley Wood each scored their first pro goals. Wood had 1 goal and 1 assist. Mick Messner and Gianni Fairbrother each added a goal. 

November 2, 2024 – Allen at Utah. 7:10 pm. Dia De Los Muertos (Hispanic Heritage Night). 

November 9, 2024 – Tahoe at Utah. 7:10 pm. Pucks and Pups (Bring your dog to the game). 

November 10, 2024 – Tahoe at Utah. 3:10 pm. 

Tickets for every Grizzlies home game are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000. Every Grizzlies game can be streamed on FloHockey and audio coverage is available on the Grizzlies YouTube channel. 

Games Last Week

Friday, October 25, 2024 – Utah 4 Rapid City 3 (Shootout) – Neil Shea, Bryan Yoon and Reed Lebster each scored a goal for Utah. Lebster added the shootout game winner. Utah outshot RC 45 to 35. Utah went 1 for 3 on the power play, Rapid City was 1 for 2. Adam Scheel saved 32 of 35 and 3 of 4 in the shootout. 

Saturday, October 26, 2024 – Utah 5 Rapid City 2 – Kade Jensen had 1 goal and 1 assist, Luke Manning had 2 assists and the Grizz also got goals from Cameron Buhl, Derek Daschke, Mick Messner and Neil Shea. Adam Scheel saved 33 of 35 in the win. 

Save That Puck, It’s Their First Pro Goal

For the second straight game there were a pair of Grizzlies players who scored their first professional goals. In the home opener on November 1^st Briley Wood lit the lamp 3:59 into the third period. Wood had 28 goals in the WHL last season as well as 6 goals in 6 games in the 2024 WHL playoffs. Later in the third period Cade Neilson scored his first pro goal 18:54 in. 

Last weekend in Rapid City there were three different instances where a player scored his first professional goal. Reed Lebster scored a third period goal as well as the shootout game winner in Utah’s 4-3 win at Rapid City on October 25^th. Lebster was acquired in a trade with Florida on October 20^th. Cameron Buhl and Kade Jensen each found the back of the net for the first time as professionals in Utah’s 5-2 win at Rapid City on October 26^th. Buhl signed with Utah on October 24^th and he made a strong first impression in 2 games last week. Jensen had 1 goal and 1 assist in the Saturday night victory. October 26^th as also the night where Craig Armstrong and Kabore Dunn each scored their first pro points with an assist. 

11 Players Made Ther Grizzlies Maverik Center Debuts

In the home opener on November 1^st there were 11 players who were making their Grizzlies Maverik Center debuts: Craig Armstrong, Cameron Buhl, Derek Daschke, Kabore Dunn, Reed Lebster, Cade Neilson, Nick Pastorious, Adam Scheel, Neil Shea, Tyson Upper, Briley Wood. 

It was not the first visit to Maverik Center for Neil Shea, who had 2 goals for Newfoundland at Utah on November 25, 2023, a game the Growlers won 2-0. Adam Scheel appeared in 3 games at Maverik Center in the 2022-23 season against Utah when he was a member of the Idaho Steelheads. Scheel also appeared in 1 game at Utah in the 2021-22 season. 

Recent Transactions 

October 24 – Utah signed forward Cameron Buhl. Buhl scored his first pro goal on October 26^th at Rapid City. Buhl played at St. Lawrence University for five seasons from 2019-2024. He scored 23 goals and 29 assists in 139 games. Buhl led St. Lawrence in assists (10) and points (15) in 17 games in the 2020-21 season and was a key piece to St. Lawrence's 2020-21 ECAC Championship club. Buhl led St. Lawrence with six power play goals in the 2022-23 season. Buhl was on the Kalamazoo Wings training camp roster prior to the 2024-25 season.  

October 20 – Utah acquired forward Reed Lebster and futures considerations as well as the playing rights to forward Matthew Wedman from the Florida Everblades for the playing rights of forward Kyle Betts. 

Lebster appeared in 5 playoff games for the 2024 Kelly Cup champion Everblades. Lebster played at UMass-Amherst for four seasons from 2019-2023, scoring 28 goals and 29 assists. Lebster transferred to Michigan State University for the 2023-24 season, scoring 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists) in 35 games. 

Grizzlies/Americans Connections 

Allen defenseman Andrew Nielsen spent 2 seasons with the Grizzlies. He scored 27 points (8 goals, 19 assists) in 36 games with Utah in the 2021-22 season. The following year he was named to the 2023 ECHL All-Star team and he scored 41 points (9 goals, 32 assists) and had 166 penalty minutes in 47 games for Utah in the 2022-23 season. 

Grizzlies goaltender Adam Scheel and Allen forward Harrison Blaisdell were teammates at the University of North Dakota for two seasons from 2019-2021. Allen defenseman Ryan Gagnon played at the University of Calgary, where he was a teammate with Grizzlies defenseman James Shearer for 3 seasons and forward Tyson Upper for 1 year. Allen forward Nolan Orzeck and Utah defensemen Chase Hartje and Kyle Pow were teammates with the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice during the 2019-20 season.

Big Time Scoring Defenseman

The Grizzlies have had quite a few high goal scoring defensemen in recent years. Josh Wesley led all league defensemen with 18 goals during the 2023-24 season. New Grizzlies D-man Derek Daschke was tied for 2^nd in the league with 16 goals last year for Kalamazoo as a first-year pro. Daschke scores his first goal with Utah on October 26 at Rapid City. 

In the 2021-22 season Charles-Edouard D’Astous had 26 regular season goals, which ranks tied for 3^rd most in league history for a single season. D’Astous had a legendary run in the 2022 playoffs, scoring a league record 19 goals in 18 games. It took D’Astous only 14 playoff games to break the single season record. D’Astous also broke the record for power play goals in a single postseason with 11. 

Taylor Richart was a big scoring defenseman in his time with the Grizzlies. Richart had 12 goals in the shortened 2019-2020 season. Richart tied for the league lead for goals among defensemen with 17 goals during the 2017-18 campaign. 

Grizzlies Player Notes 

#4 Bryan Yoon has a point in all 4 games this season (1g, 3a). 

#10 Mick Messner has 3 goals in 4 games this season. Messner had 15 goals in 72 games during the 2023-24 season.

#11 Cameron Buhl made his pro debut on October 25 at Rapid City and he scored his first pro goal on October 26 at Rapid City. 

#14 Briley Wood scored his first pro goal and registered his first multiple point game with Utah as he scored 1 goal and 1 assist vs Allen on November 1.

#16 Luke Manning leads Utah with 4 assists in 4 games this season. 

#17 Reed Lebster scored a goal in his regular season pro debut on October 24 at Rapid City. Lebster also scored the shootout game winner on October 24 at Rapid City. 

#22 Neil Shea has a goal in all 4 games in the regular season. Shea has scored goals in 4 different ways (empty net 5 on 6, 5 on 5, 5 on 4 power play and 4 on 5 shorthanded). Shea leads Utah with 4 points (3g, 1a). 

#23 Kade Jensen scored his first pro goal at Rapid City on October 25, 2024. That night Jensen had 1 goal and 1 assist.  

#24 Gianni Fairbrother was named Grizzlies Captain on October 23rd. It's the third straight season that a defenseman has been named Grizzlies captain (Josh Wesley 2023-24, Connor McDonald 2022-23). Fairbrother scored a goal which turned out to be the game winner in his first game as Utah’s captain on Nov. 1. 

#27 Cade Neilson scored a third period goal in his north American pro debut on November 1. 

#34 Adam Scheel has won 3 straight games and is 5^th in the league with 122 saves. 

Grizzlies Team Notes 

Utah's home opener was on November 1 vs Allen. It is the first time in team history that the home opener will take place in the month of November. The Grizzlies went 21-12-3 at home during the 2023-24 season. Utah is 2-1 on the road this season. Utah has the fewest penalty minutes in the league with 25 (6.25 per game). Utah is 3 for 16 on the power play this season. Utah has outscored opponents 7 to 4 in the second periods. 

2024-2025 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals 

Overall record: 3-1

Home record: 1-0 (Utah was 21-12-3 in the 2023-24 season).   

Road record: 2-1

Win percentage: .750 

Standings Points: 6

Last 10: 3-1 

Goals per game: 4.00 (Tied 5^th) Goals for: 16

Goals against per game: 3.25 (22^nd) Goals Against: 13

Shots per game: 34.25 (4^th)  

Shots against per game: 33.75 (24^th)

Power Play: 3 for 16 – 18.8% (Tied 14^th) 

Penalty Kill: 7 for 9 – 77.8 % (Tied 20^th) 

Penalty Minutes: 25. 6.25 per game. 

Shorthanded Goals: 1.  

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 1. 

Record When Scoring First: 2-0 (Utah was 23-5-4 last year when scoring first).  

Opposition Scores First: 1-1. 

Record in One Goal Games: 1-0 (Utah was 12-9-5 last season).  

Games Decided Past Regulation: 1-0 (Utah was 6-0-5 last season). 

Team Leaders 

Goals: Neil Shea (4) 

Assists: Luke Manning (4) 

Points: Shea (7) 

Plus/Minus: Cole Gallant (+4) 

PIM: Nick Pastorious (9) 

Power Play Points: Derek Daschke/Manning (2)

Power Play Goals: Reed Lebster/Mick Messner/Shea (1) 

Power Play Assists: Daschke/Manning (2)

Shots on Goal: Shea (23) 

Shooting Percentage: Messner (27.3 %) - Minimum 8 shots. 

Game Winning Goals: Gianni Fairbrother/Kade Jensen (1) 

Wins: Adam Scheel (3)

Save %: Adam Scheel (.904) 

Goals Against Average: Scheel (3.16) 

Shutouts: (0)

Streaks 

Goals: Neil Shea (4) Mick Messner (2) Gianni Fairbrother/Cade Neilson/Briley Wood (1)

Assists: Cole Gallant/Luke Manning (3) Bryan Yoon (2) Neil Shea/James Shearer/Briley Wood (1)

Points (2 or more): Shea/Yoon (4) Daschke/Gallant/Manning (3) Daschke/Messner (2)

Multiple Point Games

2 – Neil Shea

1 – Derek Daschke, Kade Jensen, Luke Manning, Briley Wood.