ECHL Utah Grizzlies

Grizzlies Fall Again in Rematch with Wolves

February 14, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Utah Grizzlies News Release


It may have been a Happy Valentine's day for some, but not for the Grizzlies who got their hearts broken in the rematch against the Wolves. Chicago outplayed the Grizzlies for the better part of the game and made the most of their power play opportunities, going 2-7 and beating Utah 4-2.

Utah wasted no time lighting the lamp in the first period. At the 1:41 mark, David Gosselin set up Eric Landry beautifully with a lead pass from the near blue line and hit Landry's stick as he beat his man, streaking down the far side. Landry chipped the puck past Chicago goalie Milan Hnilicka high on the far side giving the Grizzlies the early 1-0 lead. It was Landry's 20th goal of the season (20-22-42). After that, things got physical as both teams started body checking and throwing cheap shots at each other. Chicago got the equalizer at the 14:46 mark on the power play. Wolves Forward Rob Brown found teammate Simon Gamache at the doorstep of the Utah net and Gamache raised the puck high over Jason Bacashihua, making it a 1-1 game. At the end of 20 minutes, Utah managed 11 shots on net while Chicago had 12.

The second period began with the Grizzlies converting on the power play only 23 seconds into the stanza. Jim Montgomery passed the puck from the far corner of the Chicago zone setting up Jon Sim camping out in the slot. Sim let loose a hard wrister that beat Hnilicka low on the glove side, giving the Grizzlies the lead, 2-1. With the assist, Montgomery becomes the first Grizzly to reach the 50-point mark and leads the team in assists with 34 (16-34-50). A few minutes later the Wolves came back, just as a Utah penalty had expired. Chicago defenseman Luke Sellars found Steve Maltais at the side of the Utah net and banked home the puck, tying the game at 2-2 at 4:15 of the second. The Grizzlies didn't learn their lesson and got lazy as the Wolves dumped the puck in the Utah zone, Bacashihua and defenseman Matthieu Descoteaux failed to stop the puck behind the net and the biscuit made its way out front where Zdenek Blatny drilled it into the open net. With Bacashihua out of position and Blatny in the right spot at the right time, Chicago made the go-ahead goal look way too easy, going up 3-2. After 40 minutes of play the Grizzlies trailed the Wolves with shots on net, 22 to 29.

Things didn't get any better for the Grizzlies in the third. At the 2:53 mark, the Wolves added to their lead on the power play, which proved to be the Grizzlies killer. The AHL's hardest slap shot recipient Kurtis Foster, proved the title wasn't a fluke when he blasted a slap shot from the blue line that beat a screened Bacashihua and went through the webbing of the net. It took the officials a moment to review the play, but the redirection of the puck as it entered the Utah net and miraculously hit the boards behind, was enough to keep the goal official. After a short deliberation, the goal stood and the Wolves increased their lead, 4-2. The Grizzlies never could recover or mount any offensive strike to get back into the game. Chicago outshot Utah, 39-28 and handed the Grizz their third straight loss. The Grizzlies finished their five-game home stand 1-3-0-1.

Three Stars: 1. Simon Gamache (CHI) 1 goal, 1 assist 2. Steve Maltais (CHI) 1 goal, 1 assist 3. Steve Gainey (UT)

Next Game: The Grizzlies travel to Texas to take on the Houston Aeros tomorrow night. Game starts at 7:30 PM.

Check out the Utah Grizzlies Statistics



ECHL Stories from February 14, 2003


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