Grizzlies Gameday: March 12, 2026 - Tulsa at Utah
Published on March 12, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Utah Grizzlies News Release
Tulsa Oilers (18-32-5, 41 points, .373 point %) @ Utah Grizzlies (21-28-7-1, 50 points, .439 point %)
Date: March 12, 2026 Venue: Maverik Center Game Time: 7:10 pm
Streaming: FloHockey - https://www.flohockey.tv/events/14334405-2026-tulsa-oilers-vs-utah-grizzlies
Audio: Grizzlies YouTube channel. - https://www.youtube.com/@THEUTAHGRIZZLIES
Next Game: March 14, 2026. Tulsa at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center.
Every Grizzlies game can be streamed on FloHockey and audio coverage is available on the Grizzlies YouTube channel. Tickets for every Grizzlies home game are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.
Thursday's Matchup
It's the opener of a three-game series between the Grizzlies and Oilers. It's a rare Thursday game as it's the second home game and third overall on a Thursday this season. Utah is 3-0 vs Tulsa this season and 45-25-7 all-time. Utah has outscored Tulsa 15 to 9 this season. Utah is 21 for 70 on the power play over their last 21 games. Utah has 75 goals in their last 21 games.
Danny Dzhaniyev is second in the league with 233 shots on goal. Dzhaniyev leads all league rookies in points (56) and assists (39) and power play assists (19). Reed Lebster is second in the league with 29 goals and is tied for 11th with 50 points. Tyler Gratton is second in the league with 10 power play goals. Aiden Hansen-Bukata is second among rookies with 33 assists and is also second among rookies with 18 power play assists. Evan Friesen has a goal in 8 of his last 15 games. Friesen has 3 power play goals in his last 6 games. Reilly Connors has 12 goals and 6 assists in his last 15 games.
Games This Week at Maverik Center
Thursday - Tulsa at Utah. 7:10 pm.
Saturday, March 14, 2026 - Tulsa at Utah. 7:10 pm. Military Night.
Sunday, March 15, 2026 - Tulsa at Utah. 3:10 pm. Postgame skate.
Games Last Week
March 6, 2026 - Utah 2 Bloomington 3 - Evan Friesen scored a power play goal. Dylan Gratton scored his first pro goal with the assist going to his older brother, Tyler Gratton, who had 2 assists. Bloomington got 2 goals from Mihail Abramov. Bloomington outshot Utah 34 to 25. Utah was 1 for 4 on the power play, Bison were 1 for 3. Kyle Keyser saved 31 of 34 in net for Utah.
March 7, 2026 - Utah 5 Cincinnati 0 - Evan Friesen had 2 goals and 1 assist. Danny Dzhaniyev had 3 primary assists. Aiden Hansen-Butaka also had 3 assists. Tyler Gratton had 1 goal and 1 assist. Hunter Miska earned a 32 save shutout. Utah went 2 for 4 on the power play and 1 for 1 on the penalty kill.
March 8, 2026 - Utah 2 Cincinnati 3 (Shootout) - Reilly Connors had 1 goal and 1 assist. Luc Salem scored a game tying third period goal. The game went to 20 rounds of a shootout, breaking a Grizzlies record. Kyle Keyser saved 35 of 37 and 17 of 20 in the shootout on his 27th birthday.
Longest Shootouts in ECHL History
On March 8 in Cincinnati the Grizzlies fell in 20 rounds of a shootout in a 3-2 loss. It was 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.
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.
Team Notes
Utah went to 20 rounds of a shootout at Cincinnati on March 8. It was the longest shootout in team history and the fourth time in league history where a shootout has gone 20 or more rounds. Utah scored 49 goals in 12 games in February. Utah went 5-4-3 in February. Utah is 21 for 71 on the power play over their last 21 games. The Grizzlies have played the most road games in the league (33). Utah has scored 123 goals on the road this season (3.72 per game). Utah is 6-3-1-1 over their last 11 road games. Utah is 16-13-3-1 on the road this season. Utah has scored 22 third period goals over their last 15 games. The Grizzlies have used 52 players this season.
Four players have appeared in all 57 games this season: Danny Dzhaniyev, Evan Friesen, John Gelatt and Reed Lebster. Utah is 16-9-3 when scoring first and 13-2-2 when leading after 2 periods. Utah is 17-4-4 when leading or tied after 2 periods. Utah is 20-8-3 when scoring 3 or more goals. 5 different Grizzlies goaltenders have registered a win this season. Utah has used 8 different goaltenders this season. 12 Grizzlies skaters have scored their first professional goals this season. Utah is 9-0-1 when allowing less than 3 goals. Utah has had 10 games where they have scored 6 or more goals. Four different goaltenders have earned a shutout this season. It's the first time that's happened in Utah's ECHL era.
Grizzlies Power Play Has Been Strong
The Grizzlies are 21 for 70 on the power play over their last 20 games. Utah is 6th in the league on the power play at 22.3 percent (44 of 197). Tyler Gratton leads Utah with 10 power play goals and has 17 power play points (10g, 7a). Aiden Hansen-Bukata has 18 power play assists, which is 2nd among all league rookies and is 5th overall in the league. Danny Dzhaniyev has 21 power play points (2g, 19a). Reed Lebster has 14 power play points (6g, 8a). Evan Friesen has 6 goals and 4 assists. Friesen has 3 power play goals in his last 6 games. Stepan Timofeyev has 3 goals and 3 assists.
Grizzlies Ironmen
There are four players who have appeared in all 57 games this season: Danny Dzhaniyev, Evan Friesen, John Gelatt and Reed Lebster.
Two Pairs of Brothers on the Grizzlies
John and Mike Gelatt are only the second pair of brothers to be teammates in Grizzlies history. Paul and Tim Crowder each played for Utah during the 2010-11 season. Dylan Gratton signed with Utah on February 25th as he joined his brother, Grizzlies captain Tyler Gratton. The Gratton brothers were teammates at Penn State University for one season (2022-23).
Grizzlies Sign Forward Nicholas Niemo
Salt Lake City, Utah - The Utah Grizzlies have signed forward Nicholas Niemo.
Niemo played at Niagara University during the 2025-26 season, scoring 3 goals and 7 assists. Prior to this season he played for two seasons at the University of Maine, scoring 5 goals and 5 assists. He was at Bentley University during the 2022-23 season, scoring 22 points (8 goals, 14 assists) and a +7 rating. He was selected to the NCAA (AHA) all-rookie team after the 2022-23 season. Niemo is from Middlebury, Virginia. He is 5'11" and 180 pounds.
Grizzlies Sign Defenseman Josh Zinger
Zinger began his college career at Northern Michigan University from 2022-2024, scoring 6 goals and 30 assists. He was on the NCAA (CCHA) 2022-23 all-rookie team. He was named to the CCHA second all-star team during his 2023-24 sophomore season.
Zinger played at St. Cloud State for two seasons from 2024-2026, appearing in 69 games, scoring 5 goals and 10 assists. In the 2025-26 season at St. Cloud State, he scored 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) in 36 games. Zinger majored in finance at St. Cloud State. He is a native of Red Deer, Alberta.
Recent Transactions
March 12 - Goaltender Kyle Keyser recalled to Colorado (AHL).
March 12 - Grizzlies sign forward Josh Zinger.
March 10 - Grizzlies sign forward Nicholas Niemo.
March 2 - Forward Neil Shea was recalled to Colorado (AHL). Shea was released from Colorado and he signed with Greenville.
Utah Grizzlies 2025-2026 Roster
Forwards (14): Maxim Barbashev, Michael Colella, Reilly Connors, Danny Dzhaniyev, Evan Friesen, John Gelatt, Mike Gelatt, Tyler Gratton, Rilen Kovacevic, Reed Lebster, Luke Manning, Nicholas Niemo, Stepan Timofeyev, Yaroslav Yevdokimov.
Defenseman (11): Luke Antonacci, Mathieu Boislard, Aiden Hansen-Bukata, Colby Enns, Noah Ganske, Dylan Gratton, Andrew Noel, Luc Salem, Robbie Stucker, Saige Weinstein, Josh Zinger.
Goaltenders (3): Hunter Miska, Jacob Mucitelli, Anson Thornton.
2025-2026 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals
Overall record: 21-28-7-1
Home record: 5-15-4
Road record: 16-13-3-1
Win percentage: .439
Standings Points: 50
Last 10: 3-4-2-1
Streak: 1-0-0-1
Goals per game: 3.23 (8th) Goals for: 184
Goals against per game: 3.63 (28th) Goals Against: 207
Shots per game: 31.79 (11th) Total Shots: 1812
Shots against per game: 31.53 (20th) Total Shots: 1797
Power Play: 44 for 197- 22.3 % (6th)
Penalty Kill: 136 for 173 - 78.6 % (23rd)
Penalty Minutes: 571. 10.02 per game.
Shorthanded Goals: 5.
Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 6.
Record When Scoring First: 16-9-3.
Opponent Scores First: 5-19-4-1.
Record in One Goal Games: 5-6-7-1
Games Decided Past Regulation: 2-0-7-1
Attendance per game: 4,504.
Team Leaders
Goals: Reed Lebster (29)
Assists: Danny Dzhaniyev (39)
Points: Dzhaniyev (56)
Plus/Minus: Stepan Timofeyev (+6)
PIM: Mathieu Boislard (54)
Power Play Points: Danny Dzhaniyev (21)
Power Play Goals: Tyler Gratton (10)
Power Play Assists: Dzhaniyev (19)
Shots on Goal: Danny Dzhaniyev (233)
Shooting Percentage: Reilly Connors (16.5 %) - Minimum 60 shots
Game Winning Goals: Lebster (5)
Wins: Dylan Wells (7)
Save %: Hunter Miska (.935) - Minimum 2 games.
Goals Against Average: Hunter Miska (2.11) - Minimum 2 games.
Shutouts: Kaskisuo, Keyser, Miska, Wells (1)
ECHL Stories from March 12, 2026
- Walleye Hold off Ghost Pirates 5-3 - Savannah Ghost Pirates
- Walleye Collect Sixth Straight Win with 5-3 Victory in Savannah - Toledo Walleye
- Blades Respond with 4-1 Win over Atlanta - Florida Everblades
- Ethan Leyh Returns to Greensboro from Chicago - Greensboro Gargoyles
- ECHL Transactions - March 12 - ECHL
- Gargoyles Sign Blake Dangos to SPC - Greensboro Gargoyles
- Ghost Pirates Sign Defenseman Mason Reiners - Savannah Ghost Pirates
- Caiden Gault Signs First Pro Conrtact; Rego Returns from Ontario - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Cyclones Sign Forward Max Helgeson to Standard Player Contract - Cincinnati Cyclones
- ECHL Announces Fines, Suspensions - ECHL
- Grizzlies Gameday: March 12, 2026 - Tulsa at Utah - Utah Grizzlies
- Bison Sign Forward Grant Porter in Series of Transactions - Bloomington Bison
- Wichita Inks College Forwards Best, Mitchell - Wichita Thunder
- Railers Sign Defenseman Xavier Jean-Louis to ECHL Contract - Worcester Railers HC
- Maine Mariners Look for 12th Win in a Row Friday Night, Wild Blueberries Return Saturday - Maine Mariners
- Oilers Ink Rookie Offensive Defenseman Jackson Niedermayer - Tulsa Oilers
- Defenseman Mike Brown Inks Deal with Stingrays - South Carolina Stingrays
- Utah Grizzlies Sign Josh Zinger - Utah Grizzlies
- Rush Game Notes: March 12, 2026 vs. Wichita Thunder - Rapid City Rush
- Blades and Gladiators Clash for Final Time this Season - Florida Everblades
- Knight Monsters Fetch a Win against Mavericks on Pucks and Paws Knight - Tahoe Knight Monsters
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