Mavericks Defeat Grizzlies 3-2 in Series Opener
West Valley City, Utah – Aaron Aragon and Cade Neilson each had 1 goal and 1 assist for the Utah Grizzlies but it wasn’t enough as the Kansas City Mavericks held on for a 3-2 win in the series opener at Maverik Center.
Kansas City scored first as Nolan Sullivan got an unassisted goal 6:25 into the contest. The Mavericks are now 10-1-0-1 when scoring first. KC led 1-0 after 20 minutes of play.
Utah tied it up 6:32 into the second period as Cade Neilson scored his third of the year. Less than a minute later Cade Borchardt scored on a centering pass from Casey Carreau as the Mavericks retook the lead 7:16 in. The Mavericks extended their lead on a power play goal from Damien Giroux 13:34 in. Kansas City went 1 for 2 on the power play as they led 3-1 after 2 frames.
Utah’s Aaron Aragon scored on a scramble play 7:25 into the third period with Neilson and Dilan Savenkov getting the assists. That cut the KC lead to 3-2, which they held on to as the Mavericks earned the one goal win.
KC goaltender Jack LaFontaine stopped 28 of 30 in the win as his record goes to 4-2-0-1 on the season. Utah’s Adam Scheel saved 25 of 28 in the loss.
Cole Fonstad had 4 shots on goal in his Grizzlies debut. He was reassigned to the Grizzlies from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles earlier in the day. Andrew Nielsen had 1 assist and 1 shots on goal in his first game back in a Utah uniform as he was acquired in a trade with the Worcester Railers.
The series continues on Friday and Saturday nights with Healthcare Appreciation Weekend presented by U of U health. Face-off both evenings are at 7:10 pm. Tickets are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.
3 stars
- Damien Giroux (KC) – 1 goal, 3 shots.
- Jack LaFontaine (KC) – 28 of 30 saves.
- Nolan Sullivan (KC) – 1 goal, +1, 2 shots.
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