ECHL Utah Grizzlies

First Round Playoff Preview: Series Opens Tuesday in Ontario

Published on April 1, 2013 under ECHL (ECHL)
Utah Grizzlies News Release


Game 1: Tuesday, April 2: Utah at Ontario, 8 p.m.

Game 2: Wednesday, April 3: Utah at Ontario, 8 p.m.

Game 3: Friday, April 5: Ontario at Utah, 7:05 p.m.

Game 4: Saturday, April 6: Ontario at Utah, 7:05 p.m.

Game 5** Tuesday, April 9: Ontario at Utah, 7:05 p.m.

Game 6** Friday, April 12: Utah at Ontario, 8 p.m.

Game 7** Saturday, April 13: Utah at Ontario, 7 p.m.

**If Necessary, All Times Are Mountain

All games will be broadcast live on 1320 KFAN, 1320KFAN.com, iHeart Radio by searching "1320 KFAN" and for $9 PPV at UtahGrizzlies.com.

The Situation

The Grizzlies and Ontario meet in the playoffs for the first time after the two teams went past regulation in three of their five meetings during the 2012-2013 season, with Utah finishing 2-1-1-1.

Strong Finish

After making 3 trades and adding goaltender Ben Meisner, Utah finished the regular season at 8-3-1-5, picking up points in 14 of their final 17 games starting on February 26. It marked the second-straight regular season that Utah has finished among the hottest teams in the league after last year's 8-3-0-1 mark going into the playoffs.

Best In The West

From March 8 on, no team recorded more standings points in the Western Conference than Utah did with 17 and a 6-1-1-4 mark. Only Florida and Reading had more standings points in the ECHL than did the Grizzlies, each having 19 since March 8.

Individuals Finish Strong

Adam Estoclet (five goals, 15 assists) was second in ECHL scoring after March 9. Colin Vock was fifth in scoring over the final 11 games of the regular season with nine goals and nine assists. The two linemates tied each other for third in the league with a plus-eight during that stretch to finish the year.

San Francisco Newcomers Contribute Late

Jordan Clendenning, acquired from San Francisco on March 5, had five goals and six assists for 11 points in 12 games with Utah and also led the entire ECHL with a plus-10 after March 9 during Utah's strong finish. Defenseman Martin Lee, acquired from San Francisco on February 19, was tied for fourth in the ECHL with a plus-seven after March 9.

In Goal

After finishing college and joining Utah on March 13, rookie Ben Meisner went unbeaten in seven of eight games with Utah, going 3-1-0-4 with a 2.63 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage. In his eight starts, he allowed one goal twice, two goals three times and three goals once.

Small Sample

Utah and Ontario played their only five games of the regular season between December 28 and February 2.

Power-Plays Turned It On

Utah's power-play went 8-27 against the Reign in the regular season for a blistering clip of 30-percent. Ontario's power-play was also active against Utah going 7-25.

Wild Games

Utah blew a two goal lead at least once in three of the five contests and came from behind down three in another game against the Reign this year. The only game this season that each team didn't lead in was a 3-0 Utah win on February 2 in the final game of the regular season. In that game, Utah leading goal scorer Colin Vock had his second-straight hat trick, while Utah goaltender Andrew Engelage recorded Utah's second shutout of the year, stopping all 24 Ontario shots. Engelage however suffered an injury in that game and didn't appear for Utah again in 2012-2013.

Head Coaches

Utah Head Coach Kevin Colley was Utah's Assistant Coach in 2007-2008 when current Ontario Head Coach Jason Christie led the Grizzlies to the conference finals in his last season behind the Utah bench. On September 3, 2008, it was announced that Christie was leaving Utah for the AHL. The very next day at age 29, Colley was named Utah's Head Coach and remained the youngest Head Coach in the league until August of 2011. He has led Utah to five-straight playoff appearances since taking over and driven the Grizzlies to the second round in two of the last three years.

Check out the Utah Grizzlies Statistics

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ECHL Stories from April 1, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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