Utah Grizzlies: Vegas takes 1-0 lead on Grizz

Published: Monday, May 12, 2008 11:57 p.m. MDT
E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
LAS VEGAS — For the 11th straight time this season, the Utah Grizzlies could not beat National Conference regular-season-champion Las Vegas as the Wranglers made good use of uneven situations Monday, scoring two power-play goals and two short-handed goals to take Game 1 of the conference finals series in the 2008 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs.

It's the first time in these playoffs that Utah lost a Game 1 in a series. They had won opening games in their last two series, going on to defeat higher-seeded Fresno and Victoria, but they never led Monday night and fell 5-2.

The two teams play again tonight at 8 MDT at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

For the second time in the game, Utah had come back from a two-goal deficit early in the third period when Micheal Haley scored at 2:17 from Rob Sirianni and Sean Offers to give the Grizzlies a chance, down 3-2.

But at 14:29, Offers was called for high sticking, and just 20 seconds into the power play, Jason Jozsa scored to make it a two-goal again.

Utah got a power play chance at 18:53 and pulled goalie Mike Mole for a 6-on-4 attack, but Tyler Mosienko scored short-handed into Utah's empty net at 19:42.

Story continues below
Adam Cracknell scored with the extra man at 5:33 of the first period after Utah committed goaltender interference, and at 16:48 of the first, Curt Fraser put in his sixth playoff goal short-handed.

Utah's Tyler Haskins halved the lead with his fifth playoff goal at 7:40 of the second from Ryan Kinasewich. Vegas got its only even-strength goal of the game 11 minutes later when Shawn Limpright scored a backhander on a 2-on-1 rush. Haley's fifth playoff goal at 2:17 again trimmed the lead to just one goal before Las Vegas got the two uneven-strength goals to settle things.

Utah outshot the Wranglers 33-32.

The Grizzlies played without injured team captain Travis Rycroft.

ECHL PLAYOFFS

Utah at Las Vegas — Las Vegas 5, Utah 2
Utah at Las Vegas — Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Las Vegas at Utah — Thursday, 7 p.m.
Las Vegas at Utah — Friday, 7 p.m.
Las Vegas at Utah — Sunday, May 18, 4 p.m. (Game 5 — if necessary)
Utah at Las Vegas — Tuesday, May 20, 8 p.m. (Game 6 — if necessary)
Utah at Las Vegas — Wednesday, May 21, 8 p.m. (Game 7 — if necessary)/

2 comments

Recent comments

It would be nice if the D-News (and Trib) actually stuck a crowbar...

Steve | May 13, 2008 at 2:52 p.m.

What's wrong with Forbes, he's 6'7 and he couldn'...

FAN | May 13, 2008 at 12:46 p.m.