The Utah Grizzlies host two games this week — Las Vegas on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. and San Francisco on Friday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. All games are broadcast live on 1320 KFAN, 1320KFAN.com, iHeart Radio by searching 1320 KFAN and on the Utah Grizzlies website for $9 PPV.
The Grizzlies started their new era as an Anaheim Ducks affiliate and with Tim Branham behind the bench Friday in a 4-2 win over rival and powerhouse Idaho. Jamie MacQueen scored all four Utah goals, and Igor Bobkov stopped 34 of 36 shots.
MacQueen added a goal Saturday and leads the ECHL with five goals, two power-play goals and 15 shots after recording seven shots Friday and eight Saturday.
MacQueen’s linemates David Vallorani, who had four assists, and Adam Pineault, who had two assists, also had productive scoring weekends. Vallorani is tied for second in the league in scoring, and Pineault is tied for the league lead with power-play assists.
The Grizzlies outshot the opposition, 33-16, in the first periods this weekend, with 21 shots recorded in their start Friday as they jumped to an early 2-0 lead over Idaho.
Despite the Grizzlies 4-1 loss in Las Vegas on Saturday, no ground was lost in the Western Conference standings over the opening weekend. In the Mountain Division, Idaho, Alaska and Colorado each have one loss. No team in the conference is 2-0, and two of the projected top teams out west went winless in Idaho and Bakersfield.
Igor Bobkov started both games this past weekend, with Ben Meisner dressing as the backup. Aaron Dell was loaned to Utah and Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in Norfolk on Friday.
Prior to Friday’s home opener, head coach and general manager Branham named Derick Martin captain and Pineault and Channing Boe alternate captains. Martin has played nearly 600 professional games and was Utah’s captain during the 2011-2012 season. Pineault has played nearly 350 games, 201 of which have been in the AHL and in the NHL with Columbus. Boe played the first two seasons of his pro career in Las Vegas, where he advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2012. He played four years of college hockey at Minnesota State-Mankato.