Victoria drops 2-0 decision in Utah to open 2011 calendar year

January 2, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Victoria Salmon Kings News Release


West Valley City, UT - In a Saturday night New Year's Day matchup the Victoria Salmon Kings took on the Utah Grizzlies in the second of a two-game series at the Maverik Center. Victoria's David Shantz started between the pipes, while Utah gave the call to J.P. Lamoureux.

The Salmon Kings entered tonight's contest with a shorthanded lineup of just nine forwards and six defensemen. The opening 10 minutes had plenty of flow as the teams engaged in end-to-end action with few stoppages. The Salmon Kings and Grizzlies exchanged power play opportunities in the middle of the frame. Both teams were able to create scoring chances from their respective man advantages but the goaltenders held their crease keeping the game scoreless. Victoria's best opportunity of the period came after Tim Kraus skated behind the net and fed the puck to Michael Wilson at the bottom the left face-off circle. The North Vancouver, BC native got a quick shot off, but Lamoureux made the save. Shantz was able to stop all 11 shots he faced, while Lamoureux also turned aside all 11 pucks thrown at him, as the game was scoreless after one.

The second period had both teams with chances to break the deadlock. The Grizzlies' best chance came after Simon Ferguson was sprung on a breakaway down the right side. Ferguson was able to get a shot off, but drew a hooking penalty on the play. The Salmon Kings got their best chance shorthanded after Chad Painchaud burst down the right side. The Salmon Kings' leading scorer from last year was unable to get his shot on net, as Grizzlies defender Matt Clarke got his stick on the puck. Victoria thought they had broken the deadlock late in the frame. On a 3-on-1 rush Painchaud threw the puck out in front of the net to Matt Siddall. The second year Salmon King was able to redirect the puck into the net, but also made contact with Lamoureux. The referee immediately called the goal back due to goaltender interference, but no penalty was assessed on the play. The game started to open up in the late stages of the period, but the teams remained locked in a stalemate heading into the third.

The scoreless game came to an end when Utah opened the scoring at 6:45 on the power play. Nick Tuzzolino blasted a slap shot from the high slot that went through a maze of bodies and off the bar past Shantz. The tally was Tuzzolino's seventh of the year. With the game moving into it's later stages the Salmon Kings pressed for the equalizer, but doing so allowed the Grizzlies scoring opportunities of their own. The Grizzlies' Chris Donovan was sprung on a breakaway, but Shantz got his left pad down to stop the backhander. Late in the frame the Kings got caught with five players forechecking, and the Grizzlies flipped the puck into the neutral zone. Marcus Carroll collected the puck and moved in with Donovan on a 2-on-0. Carroll came down the right side and passed the puck to Donovan who quickly fed it back to Carroll who fired it past Shantz for the 2-0 lead at the 17:18 mark. After the goal Shantz shot the puck down the ice into the Utah zone. Lamoureux collected the puck and fired it down the ice and into the Victoria net. Shantz, who had skated into the corner at the time of Lamoureux's shot, took exception to the Utah goalie's actions and skated towards the Utah end peeling his mask and gloves on the way. The officiating crew stopped Shantz at center and restored order. The final two minutes saw both teams take minor penalties negating any chance of a Victoria comeback. Grizzlies 2 Salmon Kings 0.

Victoria went 0/4 = 0.0% on the power play, while Utah was 1/9 = 11.1%. The Grizzlies outshot the Salmon Kings 39-27.

The Salmon Kings now return home to begin a five-game home stand on Wednesday January 5th with a three-game set versus the Stockton Thunder at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Puck drop for all three contests is 7:05 p.m. For tickets call 250-220-7777 or visit www.selectyourtickets.com.



ECHL Stories from January 2, 2011


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