Grizzlies knock off best in the West twice
Published on December 20, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Utah Grizzlies News Release
The Utah Grizzlies went into the week knowing they had to face the two top teams in the Western Conference in Grand Rapids and Milwaukee. Omitting the first period of the first game Wednesday night versus the Griffins the Grizzlies won every period. In the game on Wednesday, the Griffins jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one period against David LeNeveu. Utah would battle back with two goals in the second period, one scored by Fredrik Sjostrom and the other by Peter White. The Grizzlies stayed a goal behind until the Griffins scored an empty-net goal finishing the game with a 4-2 victory. Utah would bounce back on Friday night versus the Griffins with Peter White scoring an early goal and Erik Westrum scoring a shorthanded goal giving Utah a 2-1 lead. Westrum would add an empty-net goal and Jean-Marc Pelletier made 37 saves earning the victory. On Saturday versus Milwaukee, the Grizzlies jumped out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Erik Westrum, Dustin Wood and Justin Cox. The defending champs answered the bell with three straight goals making the score 3-3. Martin Sonnenberg, returning after missing the previous 10 games with an ankle injury, scored a power play goal in Utah's only man advantage chance of the evening. The Grizzlies final mark came shorthanded with Fredrik Sjostrom stealing the puck and going in on a breakaway for his seventh goal of the season. Pelletier stopped 35 shots winning his fourth straight game.
Dec. 15 Grizzlies 2 Grand Rapids 4 Matthew Spiller had a pair of assists
Dec. 17 Grizzlies 3 Grand Rapids 1 Jean-Marc Pelletier made 37 saves
Dec. 18 Grizzlies 5 Milwaukee 4 Martin Sonnenberg had goal and an assist
WEST DIVISION STANDINGS: GRIZZLIES THREE STARS OF THE WEEK
Grand Rapids 18-9-1 37 pts. 1. Erik Westrum (3G, 1A, +3)
Milwaukee 17-6-2-1 37 pts. 2. Fredrik Sjostrom (2G, 1A, +3)
Chicago 16-9-3-1 36 pts. 3. Jean-Marc Pelletier (2-0, 2.50 GAA)
Houston 14-10-2-1 31 pts.
San Antonio 11-12-2-4 28 pts.
Cincinnati 11-17-0-2 24 pts.
Utah 8-18-0-2 18 pts.
WESTY RUNNING WILD:
~Erik Westrum had quite a week leading the Grizzlies to back-to-back victories. In three games, Westrum had three goals and an assist and was a +3. In Friday's 3-1 victory, the first-year Grizzly scored his team-leading second shorthanded goal and the game-clinching empty-netter preserving the team's 3-1 victory. On Saturday night, Westrum picked off a pass and started the scoring for Utah with his seventh goal of the season. On the year, Westrum has 16 points (7-9 â16).
VIRTUE HITS MILESTONE:
~Defenseman Terry Virtue played in his 800th AHL game on Saturday night versus Milwaukee and he helped in the outcome notching an assist and a +1. Virtue has recorded an assist in each of Utah's last five games and is a +5 since joining the Grizzlies. His five-game assist streak is the third longest active streak in the AHL.
TWO DIVISIONAL GAMES CARRY GRIZZLIES TO CHRISTMAS:
~Utah will host Milwaukee on Monday night and San Antonio on Wednesday night, both games at the âE' Center, before heading into the Christmas break. Utah defeated Milwaukee on Saturday night marking the first time in five games this season Utah has come out on top of the Admirals. Monday's game will be the final showdown of the season at the âE' Center between Utah and the defending champs. On Wednesday, San Antonio makes their third appearance in Utah this year. Overall, the teams have met five times with the Rampage owning a 3-2 advantage.
Upcoming Schedule:
Dec. 20 â Utah vs. Milwaukee Final regular season meeting in the âE' Center
Dec. 22 â Utah vs. San Antonio Grizzlies won last match-up 3-2 on Dec. 10
American Hockey League Stories from December 20, 2004
- Milwaukee crushes Grizzlies, 6-1 - Utah Grizzlies
- Banged Up Sound Tigers Lose 3-1 To Worcester - Bridgeport Islanders
- Bulldogs Continue Western Road-Trip - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Grizzlies Release Dana Lattery from PTO - Utah Grizzlies
- Offensive sparks have Penguins flying - AHL
- Bayrack & Morlang Sign with Sound Tigers - Bridgeport Islanders
- Wolves Weekly - Chicago Wolves
- Falcons Prepare for Second Half in Community - Springfield Falcons
- Providence Bruins begin 'Tip-A-Bruin' tonight - Providence Bruins
- Penguins' Beech named CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week - AHL
- River Rats have holiday deja vu with Binghamton - Albany River Rats
- Shkotov reassigned - Worcester IceCats
- Center Kris Beech named CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Admirals down Manchester, struggle in Texas - Norfolk Admirals
- Edinger Named PDA GSL Player of the Month - Springfield Falcons
- Penner Records Shutout in Debut - Syracuse Crunch
- Monarchs Report - Manchester Monarchs
- Ellis and Larrivee to rejoin Bulldogs - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Monarchs Assign James To Bakersfield - Manchester Monarchs
- Griffins to host holiday feast with Ducks - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Grizzlies and Wendy's Team Up For Wendy's Pack-The-Arena Night - Utah Grizzlies
- Sound Tigers Up Home Win Streak To Four - Bridgeport Islanders
- Grizzlies knock off best in the West twice - Utah Grizzlies
- Phantoms Weekly - Adirondack Phantoms
- Barons Weekly Report - Cleveland Barons
- Grizzlies Look to Win Three In a Row Tonight at the 'E' Center - Utah Grizzlies
- B-Sens Weekly - Binghamton Senators
- Bears host Norfolk Sunday to kick off post-holiday schedule - Hershey Bears
- Aeros Weekly Report - Houston Aeros
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.
