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ECHL Utah Grizzlies

9,304 E-Center Fans Watch Grizzlies Blank Las Vegas 4-0

November 20, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Utah Grizzlies News Release


West Valley City, Utah - The Utah Grizzlies improved to 9-4 with a 4-0 shutout win over the Las Vegas Wranglers Friday night at the E-Center before 9,304 fans.

The crowd was the largest for a Grizzlies game since February 20, 2004 when Utah entertained 9,417 in a 4-1 win over Chicago.

Mitch O'Keefe (5-1) stopped 10 Las Vegas shots in the first ten minutes of the game to keep the contest scoreless and halted 21 shots total in the game for his second shutout in less than two weeks and his fifth-straight win.

The Utah power-play built a 3-0 lead by going three for their first three and three-for-five total in the game; while the penalty kill went four-for-four, stopping two big Las Vegas power-plays early, including 24 seconds down five-on-three early in the scoreless first period.

Utah jumped up 1-0 on the power-play 15:43 into the first period and just 10 seconds into a power-play. Bobby Hughes, playing in his first Utah game after being assigned by the Islanders earlier in the day, won the draw to newcomer Jadren Beljo who fired on Las Vegas goaltender Michael Ouzas before Brett Parnham hacked in his own rebound for his first pro goal in his first pro game.

The Grizzlies made it 2-0 3:36 into the second period as Tom May kept the play alive before Dylan Hunter and AJ Perry fed him in the slot for his second goal of the year. Utah made it 3-0 on a tic-tac-toe pass to Hunter in the right-wing circle from Tim Maxwell and Perry with 2:06 left in the period.

Hunter (one goal, one assist) and Perry (two assists) both finished with multiple-point nights.

Vlady Nikiforov finished the scoring off as he buried a penalty-shot with just 2:11 remaining for his third goal and 12th point of the year.

The Grizzlies and Las Vegas continue their three-game-in-three-night series Saturday (7:05 p.m.) and Sunday (4:05 p.m.) at the E-Center.

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