WEST VALLEY CITY -- Off to their worst start in franchise history, the Utah Grizzlies were looking forward to getting healthy this month during their longest homestand of the season.
But even on home ice the Grizz couldn't come away with a victory Friday night in the first of seven straight games in the E Center. The Michigan K-Wings edged the Grizzlies, 3-2, in a shootout."That's not good enough," said an obviously agitated Grizz coach Butch Goring. "We wait and wait to get home and we don't win the damn game."
Utah fell to 7-12-4 on the year with its second consecutive shootout loss. The Grizzlies will get a chance for revenge against the K-Wings tonight, as a rematch is set for 7 in the E Center.
Actually, the Grizz were less than 2 1/2 minutes away from not earning a point in the standings for forcing a shootout. The K-Wings took a 2-1 lead at the 9:15 mark of the final period when Michigan's Aaron Gavey got the puck past new Grizz goalie Steve Vezina.
But Utah defenseman Jeff Sharples tied the game with 2:26 to play off assists by Micah Aivazoff and Yan Kaminsky to force the shootout.
The first three Grizzlies in the shootout -- John Purves, Kaminsky and newly acquired Don Biggs -- scored to give Utah a 3-2 lead. But the next three Grizz shooters failed to score. Jamie Wright, Michigan's sixth shooter, netted what proved to be the game winner.
The loss left Goring more disgusted than he's been after any loss all season.
"At the end of the night we have to have two points (for a victory)," Goring said. "Having to come back to tie the game is not good enough . . . I don't think we understand the urgency of the situation we have here. We have a big homestand and we can't wish our way back in it. We've got to get back in the hunt or we'll be making summer vacation plans in January."
Utah has the seventh-best record in the Western Conference. Only the top six teams will qualify for the playoffs. Las Vegas, which won on the road Friday night, is the only team in the conference behind Utah. The Thunder are now just one game behind the Grizz.
The Grizzlies were the more aggressive team early on in Friday's game -- yet they were still scored on first. Utah took eight of the first nine shots of the game. The 10th shot -- off the stick of Michigan's Brad Lukowich -- got past new Utah goalie Steve Vezina to give the K-Wings a 1-0 lead at the 9:31 mark of the fist period.
That was not a good sign for the Grizzlies. The K-Wings are now 8-0-1 in games in which they've scored the first goal. Michigan improved to 12-11-2.
Utah quickly knotted the score when Kaminsky netted an unassisted goal from straight on about 10 feet in front of Michigan goalie Marty Turco at the 14:06 mark of the opening period. Utah finished the period with a 12-4 advantage in the shot department, but the score was knotted at 1-1.
The score remained tied until the third when each team scored a goal, sending it into the shootout.
Goring, who made a big trade sending Fred Knipscheer to Cincinnati for Biggs, threatened more changes after the game unless his team starts to win.
GAME NOTES -- Tonight's game will be the annual Toys for Tots night with the Grizz, as fans are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to be donated to needy children . . . Friday's game was Sharples' 400th in the IHL during his long career . . . The crowd of 6,234 was one of the smallest of the season for Utah. The Grizzlies entered the game averaging 8,260 fans, which is third best in the 16-team league . . . Utah has now had six different goalies on the team. Vezina came to Utah by way of the San Diego Gulls of the WCHL. He's been signed to a 25-game tryout.