Mired in a miserable seven-game losing streak entering Monday night’s contest against the Idaho Steelheads, the Grizzlies were entrenched in a battle with their division foes. Tied at 2-2, neither team was able to muster a goal in overtime.
The Steelheads won in the shootout, handing the Grizzlies yet another gut-wrenching defeat, 3-2.
In what has become an unfortunate theme for Utah, the Grizzlies allowed a goal immediately following a face-off for the third time this season when Shane Hanna’s laser blazed past a surprised Kevin Carr to open the scoring for Idaho. Utah would rebound when Ryan Misiak threaded the needle to Ryan Olsen to level the contest at 1-1. Each club would split a goal in the second period and end the third scoreless.
Turning Point • Following the first period in which the team fired a total of 10 shots on net, Utah simply didn’t create enough scoring chances the rest of the way, recording just 13 shots in the remaining two periods.
These two clubs are prepared to have a heavy dose of each other in the coming days as five of the Grizzlies’ next 10 contests come against Idaho. Utah is going to need to find away to capture two points instead of one when they face off against Idaho yet again Wednesday.
First STAR • Steelheads defenseman Shane Hanna bulldozed his way through Utah’s defense throughout the night, scoring two goals.
Second STAR • Utah’s Ryan Olsen blazed his way up and down the ice the entire night, chasing down loose pucks, crashing opponents into the board, and delivering sharp passes to teammates in addition to his goal.
Third STAR • The Grizzlies’ Ryan Walters intercepted a pass deep in Idaho’s zone, turned and fired a bullet past Steelheads goalie Philippe Desrosier to tie the contest at 2-2.
Quoteworthy • “Normally we create a lot more scoring chances than we did tonight,” Utah coach Tim Branham said. “We hit the crossbar twice tonight and that’s been the story of our season. We simply aren’t scoring enough goals.”
What’s next • Steelheads at Grizzlies, 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Maverik Center.
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