Grizzlies Gameday: Dec. 20, 2024 - Tahoe at Utah

Grizzlies Gameday: Dec. 20, 2024 Tahoe at Utah 

Tahoe Knight Monsters (16-6-1-1-, 34 points, .708 point %) @ Utah Grizzlies (5-16-3, 13 points, .271 point %) 

Date: December 20, 2024 Venue: Maverik Center Game Time: 7:10 pm. 

Streaming: FloHockey – https://www.flohockey.tv/events/12620146-2024-tahoe-knight-monsters-vs-utah-grizzlies?nav_id=75 

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

Next Home Game: December 21, 2024 - Tahoe @ Utah. 7:10 pm. Teddy Bear Toss and Ugly Sweater Night. 

Friday’s Matchup

It’s the second of a five game homestand for the Grizzlies as they take on the Tahoe Knight Monsters. It’s the seventh meeting this season between the clubs. Utah is 1-4-1 vs Tahoe this season.

Derek Daschke and Cole Gallant are each appearing in their 100^th professional games. Daschke has an assist in 8 of his last 9 games. Daschke has points in 13 of 17 games this season and he leads Utah with 16 assists. Gallant leads Utah forwards with 13 assists. 

Briley Wood has 5 goals in his last 6 games and 10 points (6g, 4a) in his last 9 games. Wood has a point in 6 straight games and 8 of his last 9. Andrew Nielsen has 6 assists in 7 games for Utah. Cole Fonstad has 5 assists in 6 games. Tahoe has scored 47 goals in their current 8 game winning streak. 

Grizzlies Team Notes 

Utah is 3-0 when leading after 2 periods. Utah is 2-1 when leading after 1 period. Utah is 4-2-2 when outshooting opponents. Utah is 2-1-3 in one goal games. Utah is 3-3-2 when scoring first. 33 of their 66 goals this season have come in the second period(s). Utah has 5 power play goals in their last 6 games. Utah is 5-1-1 when they score 4 or more goals. Utah has a second period goal in 10 straight games.

Games vs Tahoe in December

December 12, 2024 – Utah 2 Tahoe 8 – Aaron Aragon and Luke Manning each scored a goal for Utah. 13 of Tahoe’s 18 skaters had 1 or more points. Tahoe captain Luke Adam had 5 assists. Tahoe outshot Utah 39 to 38. 

December 14, 2024 – Utah 2 Tahoe 5 – Briley Wood and Dylan Fitze each scored a second period goal for Utah. Tahoe got 1 goal and 1 assist performances from Luke Adam, Jett Jones and Jake McGrew. Tahoe outshot Utah 38 to 26. 

December 15, 2024 – Utah 3 Tahoe 7 – Keaton Mastrodonato, Luke Manning and James Shearer each scored a goal for Utah. Tahoe got 3 goals from Sloan Stanick and Simon Pinard had 1 goal and 3 assists. Tahoe outshot Utah 30 to 27. Both teams went 1 for 2 on the power play. 

December 18, 2024 – Tahoe 7 Utah 6 – Utah got goals from 6 different forwards. Briley Wood got the tying goal with 3:54 left in the third period. Derek Daschke, Mick Messner and Andrew Nielsen each had 2 assists. Nielsen was a +2 to lead Utah. Utah outshot Tahoe 41 to 36. Utah went 1 for 2 on the power play, Tahoe was 1 for 1. 

December 20, 2024 – Tahoe at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. AFCU Friday. 

December 21, 2024 – Tahoe at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. Teddy Bear Toss, Ugly Sweater Night. 

Utah split a 2-game series vs Tahoe in November, winning 6-4 on Nov. 9 and losing 6-2 on Nov. 10. Dylan Fitze has 3 goals and 2 assists vs Tahoe. 

All Times Mountain. 

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. 

Recent Transactions

December 18 – Grizzlies sign defenseman Cody Corbett. 

December 15 – Forward Neil Shea reassigned to the Grizzlies from Colorado (AHL). 

December 12 – Grizzlies sign forward Brayden Nicholetts. 

December 12 – Grizzlies release defenseman Kyle Pow.

December 12 - Forward Keaton Mastrodonato reassigned to Utah from Colorado (AHL). 

December 9 – Goaltender Adam Scheel was recalled by Colorado (AHL). 

Milestones

Both Derek Daschke and Cole Gallant will be appearing in their 100^th professional games on Friday. Mick Messner has appeared in 102 professional games, all of them with the Grizzlies. Messner has played in 102 straight games since joining the club. 

Tahoe Knight Monsters

The Tahoe Knight Monsters are in their first season as a franchise. They have a record of 16-6-1-1. They have been a strong team at home (9-3-1-1) as well as being a good road team (7-3). The Knight Monsters have won 8 straight games and are 8-2 in their last 10. Tahoe is led by Simon Pinard, who is third in the league with 14 goals and tied for 6^th with 28 points. Sloan Stanick leads all league rookies with 26 points (12g, 14a) in 22 games. Bear Hughes is averaging a point per game with 20 points (5g, 15a) in 19 games. Tahoe is 13-3-1 when scoring first. The Knight Monsters have been a strong third period club as they have outscored opponents 36 to 22. Tahoe leads the league in goals per game at 4.21.  

Grizzlies Player Notes 

#3 Craig Armstrong scored his first professional goal vs Kansas City on December 7^th. Armstrong is a +2 in 3 different games this season. Armstrong has 11 shots in his last 6 games. 

#4 Bryan Yoon has a point in 6 of his first 11 games this season (3g, 3a). Yoon has a 15.0 shooting % (3 for 20). Yoon returned to the lineup on Dec. 18 after missing 13 straight games due to injury. Utah is 5-4-2 when Yoon plays.  

#5 Derek Daschke leads the team in assists (16) and is tied for the club lead in points (19). Daschke leads Utah defensemen with 54 shots on goal. Daschke is averaging more than a point per game with 19 points (3g, 16a) in 17 games. Daschke has an assist in 8 of his last 9 games and a point in 13 of his 17 games. Daschke is tied for the club lead with 5 power play points (1g, 4a). Daschke has 3 or more shots in 10 of 17 games. In 99 career professional games he has 20 goals and 44 assists. 

#6 Andrew Nielsen last wore number 6 with the AHL’s Stockton Heat in the 2019-2020 season. Nielsen had 3 assists in 4 games vs Utah this season when he was a member of the Allen Americans. In 7 games with Utah this season he has 6 assists. In 90 career games with Utah he has 17 goals and 57 assists. Nielsen has appeared in 361 north American professional games and 46 games overseas in 3 different countries. 

#8 Keaton Mastrodonato was reassigned to Utah from Colorado (AHL) on Dec. 12. He has 2 goals, 1 assist and 18 shots on goal in 5 games. In 87 career professional games he has 30 goals and 19 assists. 

#10 Mick Messner leads Utah in shots on goal with 72 (3.00 per game). Messner has a point in 9 of his 24 games. In 102 games with the Grizzlies, he has 20 goals and 30 assists. Messner is tied for the club lead with 5 power play points (2g, 3a). 

#11 Cameron Buhl was the number 1 star on Nov. 9 vs Tahoe as he scored the game tying and game winning goals in the third period. Buhl has 3 goals this season, all of them assisted by Dylan Fitze. Buhl has 44 shots in 22 games. 

#12 Blake Wells was injured on opening night at Idaho (October 18^th) and is out with an upper body injury. 

#13 Dylan Fitze scored three points in the third period on November 9 vs Tahoe (1 goal, 2 assists). Fitze has assisted in all 3 of Cameron Buhl’s goals. Fitze was a +2 on Dec. 4 vs KC. Fitze has 6 points (4g, 2a) in 6 games vs Tahoe this season. Fitze has appeared in 286 professional games, scoring 74 goals and 71 assists. 

#14 Briley Wood has 8 points (5g, 3a) in 7 games in December. Wood has a point in 6 straight games and 8 of his last 9. He leads Utah with 3 power play goals. Wood has a respectable 14.8 shooting percentage. 

#15 Aaron Aragon has 5 goals and 1 assist in his last 11 games. Aragon had 1 goal and 1 assist vs Tahoe on Dec. 18. Aragon missed the last 2 games due to injury. In 85 career ECHL games Aragon has 18 goals and 13 assists.

#16 Luke Manning is tied second on the club with 3 power play assists. Manning has 3 or more shots in 9 different games this season. Manning has a goal in 3 of his last 4 games.

#17 Reed Lebster has 2 or more shots in 15 of his 20 games with Utah and 3 or more shots in 11 different games. Lebster scored 2 goals, took 4 shots and was a +2 in Utah’s game on Nov. 29 vs Indy. 

#19 Adam Berg scored a goal in his first shift in his return to the club 3:08 into the first period on Nov. 15 at Allen. Berg has missed the last 5 games due to a lower body injury.  

#22 Neil Shea has a goal in 5 of his 7 games and a point in 6 of 7 with Utah. In 86 professional games Shea has 25 goals and 26 assists. Shea has played in 8 games with Colorado (AHL) this season, scoring 1 goal and 2 assists. 

#23 Kade Jensen scored his first pro goal at Rapid City on October 25, 2024. That night Jensen had 1 goal and 1 assist. Jensen has 2 goals and 4 assists in 23 games this season. 

#24 Gianni Fairbrother has 6 goals, which all Utah defensemen. 5 of his 6 goals this season have come against Allen. Fairbrother had 2 goals, 1 assist and 8 shots on goal vs Allen on Nov. 2. He 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). In 61 professional games (29 AHL 32 ECHL-Grizzlies) he has 8 goals and 14 assists. 

#25 Cole Gallant leads Utah forwards in assists (13). He had 3 assists at Allen on November 16 and 2 helpers vs Wichita on November 20. Gallant has 35 shots in his last 19 games. 

#26 Tyson Upper scored his first pro goal vs Indy on Nov. 27. Upper has been out of the lineup each of the last 3 games. 

#27 Cade Neilson scored a goal in his pro debut on Nov. 1^st vs Allen. Neilson got into a fight halfway through the first period on Nov. 2. Neilson got his first north American pro assist on Nov. 9 vs Tahoe. Neilson had 1 assist in 4 games with the EIHL’s Glasgow Clan this season. Neilson has a point in 9 of his 21 games with Utah. Nielsen has 3 goals on 14 shots (21.4 shooting %). 

#28 Kabore Dunn scored his first pro goal 16:30 into the first period at Wichita on Nov. 22. Dunn was a +3 and had 1 assist for Utah on Nov. 29 vs Indy. 

#35 Vincent Duplessis made his first appearance of the season on November 21 at Wichita, stopping 29 of 32 in a 4-1 loss. Duplessis made his first pro appearance at Maverik Center on November 29 vs Indy and stopped 29 of 33. 

#39 Jake Barczewski has appeared in 6 games with Utah this season, 3 of them coming in relief. Barczewski got in a fight with KC’s Victor Ostman on December 7, 2024.

#41 Cody Corbett signed with Utah on Dec. 17. Corbett has played in 95 career AHL games, scoring 8 goals and 17 assists and 198 ECHL games and has 17 goals and 59 assists.   

#51 Brayden Nicholetts signed with Utah on Dec. 12 and make his pro debut on Dec. 14. He was a college teammate with Cade Neilson at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

#61 Dilan Savenkov has 1 assist and 4 shots on goal in 5 games. He fought Daniel Amesbury on Dec. 7. 

#74 James Shearer has 3 assists this season. He has been paired up with Gianni Fairbrother to start the season. In 83 career games with Utah he has 10 goals, 28 assists and a +3 rating.  

Utah Grizzlies 2024-2025 Roster

Forwards (17): Aaron Aragon, Craig Armstrong, Adam Berg, Cameron Buhl, Dylan Fitze, Cole Fonstad, Cole Gallant, Reed Lebster, Luke Manning, Keaton Mastrodonato, Mick Messner, Cade Neilson, Brayden Nicholetts, Neil Shea, Tyson Upper, Blake Wells, Briley Wood. 

Defenseman (9): Cody Corbett,Derek Daschke, Kabore Dunn, Gianni Fairbrother, Kade Jensen, Andrew Nielsen, Dilan Savenkov, James Shearer, Bryan Yoon. 

Goaltenders (2): Jake Barczewski, Vincent Duplessis. 

2024-2025 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals 

Overall record: 5-16-3

Home record: 2-7-2

Road record: 3-9-1

Win percentage: .271

Standings Points: 12

Last 10: 0-8-2

Streak: 0-12-2

Goals per game: 2.75 (15^th)  Goals for: 66

Goals against per game: 4.79 (29^th) Goals Against: 115

Shots per game: 31.13 (12^th) 

Shots against per game: 35.00 (28^th)

Power Play: 12 for 72 – 16.7 % (21^st) 

Penalty Kill: 33 for 60 – 55.0 % (29^th)

Penalty Minutes: 257. 10.71 per game. 

Shorthanded Goals: 1.  

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 1. 

Record When Scoring First: 3-3-2.

Opposition Scores First: 2-13-1. 

Record in One Goal Games: 2-1-3 

Games Decided Past Regulation: 2-0-3 

Team Leaders 

Goals: Briley Wood (8) 

Assists: Derek Daschke (16) 

Points: Daschke/Wood (19) 

Plus/Minus: Reed Morison (+1) 

PIM: Andrew Nielsen (30) 

Power Play Points: Daschke/Mick Messner (5)

Power Play Goals: Briley Wood (3) 

Power Play Assists: Daschke (4)

Shots on Goal: Mick Messner (72) 

Shooting Percentage: Briley Wood (14.8%) - Minimum 35 shots. 

Game Winning Goals: Cameron Buhl/Derek Daschke/Gianni Fairbrother/Kade Jensen (1) 

Wins: Adam Scheel (5)

Save %: Scheel (.885) 

Goals Against Average: Scheel (3.98) 

Streaks 

Goals: Aaron Aragon, Luke Manning, Keaton Mastrodonato (2) Dylan Fitze, Reed Lebster, Briley Wood (1)

Assists: Derek Daschke (3) Andrew Nielsen, Wood (2) Aragon, Cole Fonstad, Cole Gallant, Mick Messner, Neil Shea (1)

Points (2 or more): Wood (6) Daschke (3)

Multiple Point Games

5 – Derek Daschke

4 – Mick Messner, Briley Wood

2 – Aaron Aragon, Cole Gallant, Reed Lebster, Luke Manning, Andrew Nielsen, Neil Shea. 

1 – Cameron Buhl, Gianni Fairbrother, Dylan Fitze, Cole Fonstad, Kade Jensen, Cade Neilson.