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Utah Grizzlies Information

For the first time in the three-year Grizzlies' ECHL history, and the first time since the 1996-97 IHL season, there's a playoff series victory and advancement to the second round for the Utah team.

The sixth-seeded Grizzlies eliminated the higher-seeded Fresno Falcons from the Kelly Cup playoffs Monday night at Fresno's SavMart Center — the last hockey game in that arena as Fresno moves back downtown to Selland Arena next season — in a 4-2 victory that gave Utah the 4-games-to-2 series win.

Rookie Keith Johnson got his third goal of the playoffs into an empty net with 39.3 seconds left to seal Utah's first-round series victory after Utah had nursed a one-goal lead from 10:10 of the second period into the final minute of play. Johnson has two game-winning goals and this insurance goal in his first five playoff games.

Utah must now await the outcome of the Bakersfield/Victoria series. If Victoria wins Game 6 at home tonight, it would advance and host Game 1 of the National Conference semifinals against the Grizzlies on Friday night. If Bakersfield can prolong the series to Game 7 on Wednesday night and win it, Utah would have home advantage against the Condors, and that series would start Friday night in the E Center.
Utah held a 2-0 lead in the first period, Rob Sirianni kicking if off and defenseman Andrew MacDonald adding an unassisted power-play goal at 18:55 of the first. Fresno's Kenny MacAulay scored 4-on-4 at 2:01 of the second period, but Utah's Ryan Kinasewich quickly made it two goals again at 2:21.

It was the first goal of these playoffs for Kinasewich, who missed the first three games with injury, and it was the game-winner.

Utah again played without regular-season scoring co-leader Scott Burt, who took a puck to the face Wednesday and hasn't played since.