West Valley City • Paul McIlveen and the Utah Grizzlies gave 7,186 fans at the Maverik Center a nice going-away present Wednesday night.
McIlveen scored twice, including the tiebreaker midway through the third period, to lead Utah to a 3-1 win over Las Vegas.
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Utah 3, Las Vegas 1
Paul McIlveen scores two goals as the Grizzlies defeat Las Vegas 3-1.» Utah plays its next 10 games on the road before returning home March 5.
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On the road for their next 10 games, the Grizzlies rallied from an early 1-0 deficit and defeated the team with the second-best point total in the ECHL.
Coach Kevin Colley called Las Vegas "a premier team," which added to the significance of the well-earned victory.
"That was definitely a fun game to be part of," Colley said. "It’s been three months since we had a game like that. …
"It’s just all about being a hockey player — going out there and just being a man, competing and doing what’s best for the team."
The Grizzlies, who played with a full roster for the first time in weeks after a season filled with injuries and call-ups, improved to 4-4 in their last eight games.
Even with a difficult road stretch ahead, Colley hopes the determined victory will be the launching pad for a strong finish.
"Guys should feel good about themselves, but that’s one game," Colley said. "So the big question is, what do we do from here?"
In the game, Las Vegas jumped to a 1-0 lead before Utah goalie Andrew Engelage stopped the Wranglers’ next 31 shots.
After McIlveen quickly tied it, 1-1, he scored the eventual game-winner with 10:22 remaining. He took a pass from the corner by Justin Dowling and rifled a shot past Mitch O’Keefe, who played for the Grizzlies two years ago.
"That’s my old goalie," McIlveen said. "So I kind of knew where to beat him. I lucked out."
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