WEST VALLEY CITY — On paper, clinching a playoff berth seemed like as good of incentive as any for the Utah Grizzlies to break a home ice jinx.
A win over Fresno on Friday night, coupled with a Las Vegas victory over Bakersfield, promised to secure a second postseason appearance in three seasons for Utah.
It sounded like a good idea — except Utah couldn't stop the Falcons when it needed to do so.
Fresno scored a pair of goals in each of the final two periods to coast to an easy 4-1 victory over the Grizzlies at the E-Center. The Falcons controlled the tempo offensively from start to finish, accumulating 48 shots on goal compared to only 24 for Utah.
The Grizzlies have now lost three straight to Fresno.
Things began unraveling in the second period after a pair of Grizzlies' penalties essentially handed the Falcons an easy goal. Scott Burt got sent to the penalty box for four minutes for interference and unsportsmanlike conduct. He was followed a minute later by teammate Andrew MacDonald, who was called for high-sticking.
Fresno exploited its subsequent two-man advantage when Oren Eizenman punched in a chip shot goal in front of the net to put the Falcons up 2-0.
It was the second such easy point for Fresno after it got on the scoreboard earlier in the period when Spencer Carbury scored an unassisted goal following a faceoff.
"If you look at it, the discipline was probably the biggest factor," said Grizzlies right wing Travis Rycroft. "We were in the box for over half the game. When you're undisciplined with a team like this, they're going to (make it) count on the scoreboard."
It appeared Utah might rally in the third period when Burt and Evan Kostopoulos kicked the puck out to Jeff Dwyer and he boomeranged it into the net to make it 2-1. But Fresno answered right back with another pair of goals.
Matt Stefanishion threaded the needle, feeding the puck between goalkeeper Mike Mole's legs, to put the Falcons up two again. Then Mike Ramsay provided the final dagger when he dropped the puck in behind Mole, after sneaking up on Mole's blindside.
"That was the back breaker — the third goal," Dwyer said. "It kind of took all the air out of the bench, which can't happen in a game like this when you're trying to come back."
The Grizzlies conclude their three-game series against Fresno on Sunday afternoon.
Utah wore special jerseys adorned with Harley-Davidson logos as part of the team's annual MDA night. Each jersey was auctioned off following the game, with all the proceeds from the auction going to fight muscular dystrophy.
Rycroft's jersey fetched the most money, earning $2600 in the auction.
E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com