ECHL hockey: Strong finish boosts Alaska to win over Utah Grizzlies

By Steve Luhm

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Feb 20 2013 10:28 pm • Last Updated Feb 20 2013 11:39 pm

West Valley City • Another late-game collapse by Utah left coach Kevin Colley is a sour mood Wednesday night.

Alaska scored four goals in the third period — three in the final 2:18 — and rolled to a 5-2 ECHL victory over the slumping Grizzlies at the Maverik Center.

It was Utah’s seventh loss in the last nine games and its third straight against the league-leading Aces.

"We need some guys who take it personal," Colley said. "For some guys, it’s OK in their head. But if they value their job, they are going to have to figure it out."

Grizzly goalie Adam Morrison was sharp during the first two periods, when he stopped 22 of 23 shots by Alaska.

Morrison struggled down the stretch, however, and his record since joining the club last week as an injury replacement for No. 1 goalie Andrew Engelage dropped to 1-2.

"You have to talk about ... two soft goals," Colley said. "I mean, come on. In this series, we’re putting up 30, 40, 50 shots and score one or two goals. It comes down to the goaltending."

In the three losses to the Aces, Utah was outscored in the third period, 9-1.

"They are men, and they are going to have to take some criticism," Colley said. "They are going to have to challenge themselves to be better. ... We can’t survive like this, and it starts with our goaltending. Guys have to be mentally tougher moving down the stretch."

Berkley Scott scored twice in the second period to give Utah a 2-0 lead. But Alaska’s Nick Mazzolini made it 2-1 only 31 seconds later to get the Aces back in the game and set up the Grizzlies’ third-period collapse.

"... Some guys had better start buying in," Colley said. "Do they want the opportunity? I don’t know. I’m just waiting for somebody to take charge, and nobody is."

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

About Reader Comments

---

Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, please alert us by clicking the arrow on the upper right side of the comment and selecting "Flag comment as inappropriate". If you've recently registered with Disqus or aren't seeing your comments immediately, you may need to verify your email address. To do so, visit disqus.com/account.
See more about comments here.