Cyclones 3, Grizzlies 2
WEST VALLEY CITY — The Utah Grizzlies didn't win Saturday night's hockey game, but they still earned a victory of sorts. And it wasn't just one of those nice, fuzzy moral ones, either.
By forcing an unlikely overtime and ensuing shootout against the Cincinnati Cyclones, the Grizz managed to earn one point even though they eventually lost the game in the extra session, 3-2.
On the bright side for the Grizz, that's exactly one more point than it appeared they would get.
Trailing by a goal near the end of regulation, the Grizz looked dead on the ice. They got a bit of life when Cincinnati's Craig McDonald made an ill-advised interference penalty with 4:21 left.
Shortly after that, Utah coach Bob Bourne took a timeout and a pretty big gamble. After meeting with his players, Bourne put goalie Rick Tabarraci in the box and sent out an extra skater to give the Grizz a 6-on-4 man advantage.
The plan couldn't have worked better.
Utah forwards John Purves and Greg Leeb worked the puck around the Cyclones' zone until defenseman Richard Jackman ended up with it just inside the blue line. Jackman then uncorked a wicked slapshot from the point. It whizzed into the goal to even the game at 2-all with 3:08 left.
The Grizzlies (11-9-2) and Cyclones failed to score in the four-on-four five-minute overtime period. Cincinnati then beat Utah 2-0 in the best-of-three shootout session, giving the Cyclones (11-12-2) the two points in the standings.
The Grizz's late-game power play was the only one on the night that went the way it was supposed to. In an unusual twist of events, this was not a game in which the team with the extra man had the advantage as the Grizz and Cyclones played spoilers on each other's power plays.
Utah center Eric Houde got Utah off to a great start with his short-handed score just 2 1/2 minutes after the first faceoff. That was the Grizzlies' first short-handed goal of the season.
Cincinnati tied the game on Erik Cole's even-strength goal later in the first period. The Cyclones took their first lead on a Utah power play, when player/assistant coach Gilbert Dionne tipped in a rebound at 9:48 in the third period.
A goalie Grizz fans used to call their own made them pay in his first game back in the E Center.
Netminder Corey Hirsch, who was 9-5-1 with a 2.69 goals-against average with Utah last year, had an excellent game between the posts for the Cyclones. He made 36 of 38 saves to improve his record to 2-1. Most important, he didn't allow either John Purves or David Ling to score in the shootout.
Tabaracci took the loss for Utah, finishing with 23 saves. However, he couldn't stop two of the three Cyclones — Brian Felsner and Dionne — in the shootout.
After playing the last seven games at home, going 3-2-2, the Grizzlies now embark on a four-game road swing. They play in Kansas City next Tuesday and Wednesday before heading off to Manitoba for a pair against the first-place Moose.
SLAP SHOTS: Defenseman Mark Wotton was back in the lineup for the two games against the Cyclones. Wotton, one of the Grizz's alternate captains, hadn't played since the second game of the season due to a hernia surgery . . . Attendance was 8,241 — more than 1,200 over the average for the Grizz, who draw the third-highest crowds in the IHL . . . Goalie Chad Alban was recalled by the Dallas Stars this week.
E-mail: jody@desnews.com