Grizzlies Win 5-2 in the Black Hills
Rapid City, South Dakota – Reed Lebster had 2 goals, 1 assist, Tyler Gratton had 3 assists and Dominic Basse stopped 35 of 37 shots to lead the Utah Grizzlies to a 5-2 victory over the Rapid City Rush on a Friday night at The Monument.
Reilly Connors got Utah on the board as the scored off a rebound from a John Gelatt shot 16:02 into the contest. Just 13 seconds later Evan Friesen scored from the right wing to give Utah a 2-0 lead.
Late in the second period Aiden Hansen-Bukata scored a 3 on 5 shorthanded goal on a beautiful backhand shot 18:31 into the frame. It was Utah’s fifth shorthanded tally of the season.
Reed Lebster scored on a power play from a Danny Dzhaniyev centering pass 12:50 into the third period. Utah was 1 for 7 on the power play. Rapid City scored power play goals from Ryan Wagner 16:58 in and Brady Keeper 18:19 in to make it a 4-2 game. Lebster scored an empty netter from a Gratton pass 19:22 in to complete the scoring.
Dominic Basse earned his first ECHL win as he stopped 35 of 37. He’s the fifth Utah goaltender to register a win this season. Rapid City’s Connor Murphy stopped 33 of 37 in the loss.
Luke Antonacci made his Grizzlies and professional debut. He was paired up with Hansen-Bukata for most of the night.
Maxim Barbashev was recalled to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners on Friday afternoon. Barbashev had 3 goals and 6 assists in 20 games with Utah this season.
The Grizzlies get their first win of the 2026 calendar year as they ended an 8 game losing streak. Rapid City has now lost 4 in a row. Utah is now 6-2-1 on Friday road games this season.
The series continues in Frigid Rapid City on Saturday night at 7:05 pm. The next homestand for the Grizzlies is a three-game set vs Greenville on January 28, 30-31. Face-off all three nights are at 7:10 pm and tickets are available at utahgrizzlies.com.
3 stars
- Reed Lebster (Utah) – 2 goals, 1 assist, +3, 3 shots.
- Reilly Connors (Utah) – 1 goal, +1, 5 shots.
- Brady Keeper (Rapid City) – 1 goal, 1 assist, -3, 2 shots.
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