WEST VALLEY CITY — If a product is only as good as the guarantee it offers, the Utah Grizzlies are worth watching.
Opening their seventh season in Utah with a "Guaranteed Win Night" promotion, the Grizz delivered with a 4-1 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals.
For Grizz fans, who were treated to free tickets to Monday's rematch anyway, the contest marked a return to normalcy after an eventful offseason for the franchise. A sellout crowd of 10,213 attended Utah's first home game in a different league with a revised affiliation agreement and a new coaching staff.
Besides departing the now-defunct IHL for an expanded 27-team AHL, the Grizzlies have turned over all hockey operations to the parent Dallas Stars and welcomed Don Hay as their new coach.
And though the changes are only four games old, they've already shown promise. With the win, Utah improves to 3-1 overall — a mark more reminiscent of the glory days when the Grizz claimed back-to-back Turner Cups rather than recent times when they missed the playoffs twice in three years.
With eight games remaining in this homestand, Utah has a golden opportunity to re-establish itself.
Hay, however, is taking a cautious approach. His theme for the homestand is to stay focused and take things one game at a time.
On Saturday, the Grizz performed as Hay had hoped they would. Instead of getting caught up in the pomp, circumstance and emotion of a home opener, Utah channeled its energy into success on the ice.
"I like the way we competed and I like the way we battled." said Hay. "I thought it was a real gritty effort."
Though it took the offense a while to get going, goaltender Chad Alban made sure the defense did its part. He saved 30 shots over the first two periods while holding Milwaukee scoreless.
"We got off to a slow start, but Chad kept us in there with some big saves early in the game," said Hay, who was pleased Utah survived a couple of 5-3 situations.
Alban, who inherited top goaltending duties for the Grizz when Wade Flaherty was called up by the Florida Panthers earlier in the week, was equally satisfied.
"It was just a great opportunity for me to get in there," said Alban. "I just want to win and play well. That's the bottom line."
Utah eventually backed his efforts with scores late in the first and second periods. The first came exactly 18 minutes into the contest when Jon Sim slipped a shot past Chris Mason of the Admirals. Jeff MacMillan and Eric Beudoin assisted on the play for the Grizzlies.
Leading 1-0, the Grizz doubled their advantage at 14:32 of the second period when Steve Gainey netted a power-play goal off assists by Justin Cox and Mark Wotton.
After watching Alban stop its first 31 shots-on-goal, Milwaukee finally managed to put the puck in the net when right wing David Gosselin found the mark at 18:48.
With its lead cut in half, Utah took offense. The Grizz responded by getting downright offensive over the next 7 1/2 minutes. Wotton and Jim Montgomery each scored goals as Utah put the game out of reach.
The former IHL rivals will meet again Monday and Wednesday at the E Center.
SLAP SHOTS: Representatives of the West Valley City Fire Department dropped the ceremonial first puck following a moment of silence to honor victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks . . . Milwaukee is the top affiliate of the NHL's Nashville Predators . . . Goaltender Brent Belecki has joined the Grizz from San Antonio of the CHL. He replaces Flaherty on the roster . . . Utah has won three consecutive home openers.