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Grizzlies use sweep to move back to .500

February 27, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


The Utah Grizzlies moved back to the .500 mark for the season with a three-game sweep at Idaho last week, improving to 25-25-5 for 55 points. Utah is 4-2-0 through the first six games of its season-long 10 road trip.

Utah's week opened with a 4-3 shootout win on Wednesday. Four different Grizzlies scored in regulation, with Mitch Wahl and John Armstrong providing tallies in the shootout. Andrew Engelage stopped 33 shots during regulation and overtime, then turned aside five of six Idaho attempts in the shootout to record the win in goal.

The series continues on Friday with the Grizzlies skating away with another 4-3 win, this time in regulation. Kory Falite paced the Utah offense with two goals and an assist while Colin Vock chipped in with a pair of assists. Ryan Turek broke a 3-3 tie with the game-winning goal early in the third period and Jimmy Spratt picked up the win making 32 saves.

The Grizzlies completed the sweep with a 4-2 win on Saturday. After spotting the Steelheads an early 1-0 lead, Utah answered with three unanswered goals from Paul McIlveen, Matt Sorteberg and Nick Tuzzolino . Engelage keyed the victory between the pipes, stopping 41 of 43 Idaho shots.

McIlveen leads the club this season with 23 goals and 49 points, and his 10 power-play goals are tied for fourth in the league. Engelage is tied for sixth in the league with 18 wins, is ninth with a 2.64 goals-against average and is tied for ninth with a .911 save percentage.

Utah completes its road trip with four games this week, visiting Bakersfield on Tuesday and Ontario on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Sellouts in Toledo, Alaska and Colorado boost ECHL attendance

The ECHL enjoyed another strong week at the box office last week, as the league averaged nearly 4,500 fans for the 35 games on the schedule, increasing average attendance for the year to 4,178 per game.

Toledo, which leads the league with 6,138 per game, welcomed nearly 23,000 fans for three games at Huntington Center last weekend. The Walleye had a standing-room only crowd of 8,200 on Saturday against Wheeling and followed that up with another sellout of 7,503 on Sunday against Cincinnati giving the club an ECHL leading eight sellouts this season. The Walleye finished second in the league in attendance their inaugural season in 2009-10 and finished third last season.

Stockton had 6,323 for its game on Sunday against Bakersfield, marking the 13th time this season the club has had at 6,000 for a game. The Thunder rank third overall in the league with 5,746 per game.

Bakersfield had over 12,000 fans for two games against Stockton last week, increasing its season average to 5,005, which is sixth in the league.

Colorado extended its minor-league hockey record sellout streak to 338 with sellouts of 5,289 fans at Budweiser Events Center on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Alaska set a regular-season team record with a standing-room only crowd of 6,599 on Saturday against Las Vegas. The Aces rank eighth in the ECHL with an average of 4,338.

Kalamazoo welcomed its best crowd of the year, 4,855, on Wednesday for a School Day game against Toledo while South Carolina had its second largest crowd of the season on Saturday for its Pink in the Rink promotion as 6,114 fans were at North Charleston Coliseum.

Visit the Tickets Page on ECHL.com to purchase tickets for ECHL games.

Divisions

ATLANTIC DIVISION

- Dustin Gazley is on a 14-game point streak since Feb. 3 (8g-13a).

- The Jackals closed out stretch of 12 games in 17 days with a record of 7-4-1.

- Elmira hosts Wheeling on Wednesday, and Reading on Friday and Sunday, and travels to Reading on Saturday.

- Jussi Rynnas earned the Royals first shutout of the season with a 1-0 win against Greenville on Saturday.

- Reading has scored first in each of its last 10 games.

- The Royals travel to Elmira on Friday and Sunday and host the Jackals on Saturday.

- Dave Caruso is fourth with 1,001 saves.

- The Titans are the league's third-least penalized team with 14.05 penalty minutes per game.

- Trenton is at Gwinnett on Friday and Sunday and at Greenville on Saturday.

- Chris Barton is third among rookies with 49 points (25g-24a).

- Wheeling is first with 34.51 shots per game.

- The Nailers are at Elmira on Wednesday, Toledo on Friday, Cincinnati on Saturday and Chicago on Sunday.

NORTH DIVISION

- Tyler Donati recorded his 150th career ECHL assist on Friday in Kalamazoo.

- The Express came back from a three-goal first period deficit on Friday in Kalamazoo to win 4-3 in regulation.

- Chicago hosts Toledo on Wednesday and Saturday, is at Cincinnati on Thursday and hosts Wheeling on Sunday.

- Mathew Sisca is tied for third among rookies with 19 goals.

- Cincinnati is first with two shorthanded goals against.

- The Cyclones host Greenville on Tuesday, Chicago on Thursday and Wheeling on Saturday.

- Joe Charlebois played in his 200th career game on Sunday.

- The K-Wings lead the league with eight penalty shots attempted (1-for-8).

- Kalamazoo is at Florida on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

- Mike Thomas has four goals and two assists in 12 games with Toledo.

- Toledo has had eight sellouts this season including back to back games this weekend.

- The Walleye are at Chicago on Wednesday and Saturday and host Wheeling on Friday and Cincinnati on Sunday.

SOUTH DIVISION

- Rylan Galiardi is tied for third among rookies with six power-play goals.

- The Everblades are fourth on the power play at 21.4 percent (54-for-252).

- Florida hosts Kalamazoo on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

- Sean Berkstresser has five goals in his last seven games.

- Greenville is 13-5-0 when scoring two or more power play goals in a game.

- The Road Warriors are at Cincinnati on Tuesday and host South Carolina on Friday and Trenton on Saturday.

- Bryan Brutlag is tied for ninth among rookies with 35 points (14g-21a).

- The Gladiators are 22-7-3 when scoring first.

- Gwinnett hosts Trenton on Friday and Sunday and South Carolina on Saturday.

- Zach Tarkir is tied for first among ECHL defensemen with four game-winning goals.

- South Carolina is 19-3-2 when scoring first.

- The Stingrays are at Gwinnett on Wednesday and Saturday and at Greenville on Friday.

MOUNTAIN DIVISION

- Adam Courchaine is tied for fourth with 19 wins and is fourth with a 2.37 goals-against average.

- The Aces are the league's least-penalized team with 13.67 penalty minutes per game.

- Alaska is at Stockton on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

- Chad Costello leads the league with 69 points (25g-44a).

- Colorado is third on the power play at home at 23.1 percent (28-for-121).

- The Eagles host Bakersfield on Thursday and Saturday.

- Michael Neal has set new career highs in assists (14) and points (20) and tied his career high in goals (6).

- Idaho is 8-for-32 (25.0 percent) on the power play in its last six games.

- The Steelheads host Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday.

- Paul McIlveen is third with 207 shots.

- The Grizzlies are fourth on the penalty kill at 84.8 percent (234-for-276).

- Utah is at Bakersfield on Tuesday and at Ontario on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

PACIFIC DIVISION

- Tyler Helfrich is tied for fifth among rookies with 24 assists.

- The Condors are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.

- Bakersfield hosts Utah on Tuesday and is at Colorado on Thursday and Saturday.

- Joe Fallon leads the league with 29 wins and is fifth with a 2.42 goals-against average.

- Las Vegas is 15-5-5 in one-goal games.

- The Wranglers are at Idaho on Friday and Saturday.

- Kyle Kraemer is on a 14-game point streak since Jan. 31 (10g-13a).

- Ontario scored an ECHL season high six power-play goals on Friday at Colorado.

- The Reign host Utah on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

- Mike Little is tied for second among rookies in plus-minus at +16.

- The Thunder are 9-2-1 in their last 12 home games.

- Stockton hosts Alaska on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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