Grizzlies Fall 3-2 in 20 Round Shootout
Cincinnati, Ohio – The Utah Grizzlies lost 3-2 to the Cincinnati Cyclones in a 20-round shootout on Sunday afternoon at Heritage Bank Center.
Cincinnati scored first as Luke Grainger delivered his 13th of the year 2:10 into the contest. Utah’s Reilly Connors tied it up 10:27 into the second period on a one-timer from a Danny Dzhaniyev cross-ice pass. The Cyclones retook the lead on Justin Vaive’s 11th of the campaign 19:17 into the second period. Luc Salem tied it up for Utah, scoring from the left point 11:12 into the third period.
Neither team scored in the last 8:48 of regulation or in the seven-minute overtime session where Utah outshot Cincinnati 5 to 3.
Neither team scored in the first nine rounds of the shootout as Utah goaltender Kyle Keyser and Cincinnati’s Ken Appleby each put on a show. Both clubs scored in the 10th and 11th rounds. Keyser and Appleby each stopped the next 8 shots they saw to send the game into the 20th round, where in the bottom of the 20th Cincinnati’s Ryan Kirwan scored to win it for the Cyclones.
Utah picked up 3 of a possible 4 standings points in the two-game series vs Cincinnati.
It’s the longest shootout in Grizzlies history. The longest shootout in ECHL history was 21 rounds, which has happened twice. It’s the fourth time in league history where a shootout has gone 20 rounds or longer and the fifth time in NHL, AHL or ECHL history where a game has gone into the 20th round of a shootout.
Longest Shootouts in ECHL History
42 shooters, 21 rounds: Evansville at Florida, Feb. 22, 2013 - Evansville won 5-4 when its 21st shooter, Andre Bouvet-Morrissette, scored
42 shooters, 21 rounds: Hampton Roads at Birmingham, Oct. 16, 1992 -Birmingham won 7-6 when its 21st shooter, Brett Barnett, scored
40 shooters, 20 rounds: Utah at Cincinnati, March 8, 2026 – Cincinnati won 3-2 when its 20th shooter, Ryan Kirwin, scored.
40 shooters, 20 rounds: Fresno at Phoenix, Nov. 5, 2008 -Fresno won 3-2 when its 20th shooter, Spencer Carbery, scored and Michael Ouzas stopped the 20th shooter for Phoenix.
The Grizzlies return to Maverik Center to begin a three-game series against the Tulsa Oilers on March 12, 14-15. Tickets for every Grizzlies home game are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.
3 stars
1. Ken Appleby (Cincinnati) – 27 of 29 saves, 18 of 20 in the shootout.
2. Justin Vaive (Cincinnati) – 1 goal, +1, 2 shots.
3. Reilly Connors (Utah) – 1 goal, 1 assist.
Honorable mentions: Kyle Keyser (Utah) – 35 of 37 saves, 17 of 20 in the shootout. It was Keyser’s 27th birthday.
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