Oilers @ Utah Grizzlies Tonight

(Photo by Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com) 

TONIGHT’S MATCHUPTulsa Oilers @ Utah Grizzlies – 7:05 p.m. MST Maverick CenterWatch on ECHL-TVListen on Ustream

PREVIOUS MEETINGS1-0-0-0

TEAM CAPSULESTulsa OilersOverall: 16-11-2-2 (36 points)Home: 9-6-2-1Road: 7-5-0-1Rank: 3rd in Central Division

Utah GrizzliesOverall: 19-13-2-0 (40 points)Home: 10-7-1-0Road: 9-6-1-0Rank: 1st in West Division

OILERS LEADERSGoals: Adam Pleskach – 12Assists: Dennis Brown, Dan DeSalvo – 15Points: Adam Pleskach – 25+/-: Dennis Brown +16PIM: Mathieu Gagnon – 92

GRIZZLIES LEADERSGoals: Ryan Walters – 13Assists: Charles Sarault – 21Points: Ryan Walters, Charles Sarault – 28+/-: Cory Fienhage, +8PIM: Jon Puskar – 40

TULSA VS. GRIZZLIES ALL-TIMEOverall: 1-0-0Home: 1-0-0Road: 0-0-0

TONIGHT’S MATCHUPFor the first time in franchise history, the Oilers will head to Utah. Tulsa has welcomed the Grizzlies to the BOK Center this season but has yet to travel to their barn. Earlier in December (12/3) when the Grizzlies payed a visit to Tulsa, the Oilers sent them back to West Valley City, Utah with a 5-1 loss.

LIT LINEThe line of Dan DeSalvo, Phil Brewer and Emerson Clark has continued to prove plentiful. On Saturday’s contest against the Thunder, this line produced a combination of 11 points.

FORTUNE OF 500Not long after becoming the most winning coach in the ECHL, Oilers’ leader Jason Christie is with 499 victories. Christie’s next win will be his 500th and could potentially be in his former rink and against his former team, the Utah Grizzlies.

TIME OUTOn Saturday, January 2, Tulsa participated in a battle against the Rapid City Rush that resulted in a total of 216 penalty minutes (109 Oilers, 107 Rush). Of these Oiler minutes, seven were majors and six were game misconducts. See Final Box Score.As a result of this scrap against the Rush, three Oilers skaters were suspended. Kevin Carr and Emerson Clark will return to the lineup against the Grizzlies, however, Mathieu Gagnon still has five more games to serve.

Forward Mathieu Gagnon:Tulsa’s Mathieu Gagnon has been suspended for eight games – five games for leaving the players’ bench under Rules 70.3 /70.10 to begin an altercation at the conclusion of the game and an additional three games under Rule 28 – Supplemental Discipline for continuing an altercation at the conclusion of the game. He will miss Tulsa’s games vs. Missouri (Jan. 5), at Wichita (Jan. 8), vs. Wichita (Jan. 9), at Utah (Jan. 13), at Idaho (Jan. 15 and Jan. 16) and at Missouri (Jan. 22 and Jan. 23).

EXTRA DROPSChristophe Lalancette is on a five-game point streak (1 goal, 7 assists)…Mathieu Gagnon’s individual game penalty minute high is 30… Tulsa is 11-3-1 when scoring first…Tulsa is third in penalty minutes at 543…The Oilers do not return to the BOK Center until January 26th…

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Below is an Excerpt from a Tulsa Oilers Game

Jeff: 14:31 to go. First period of play, no score here as the Oilers and the Thunder get it going in this one in Wichita here tonight. Face off in the Tulsa zone. It goes over to the far side. Phil Brewer will pick of the puck there. Sends it ahead into the Wichita zone. After it for the Thunder is Harris. Donny Harris takes it behind the goal to the far side. Martel. Now cross ranked pass, slapped ahead into the Tulsa end. The Oilers get it into the corner. Brown sends it around to the near side. Out for Clark. Clark sends it ahead to DeSalvo. He has the puck, skates it over to the left line into the circle now is DeSalvo. He’s bumped down in the corner. Still with it is DeSalvo. He gets bumped into the boards on the near side. Getting a lot of pushing and shoving from behind. It comes out to the point, kept in by Clark. Now we got a late penalty. A lot of pushing and shoving from behind. Finally, Wichita’s going to get called for the cross-checking on DeSalvo there.

That was obvious as I was describing for you how Harris was just pushing into the back of DeSalvo with his stick. Finally, Harris goes to the penalty box for the cross check penalty. We’ve got a stoppage of play here. It’s going to be Donny Harris. 2 minutes for cross-checking. The time of this penalty at 6:19 of the penalty. 6:19 into the first penalty. The Tulsa Oilers will have their first power play opportunity of the night.

Speaker 11: Major Ruttledge continues to serve his great nation as the operations officer for 891st Engineer Battalion. His wife Jamie and family are very proud of him and are glad to have him home. Let’s hear it tonight for [inaudible 00:19:19].

Jeff: Tulsa this season, 15 percent on the power play. Oilers have scored 13 power play goals in 86 chances. Wichita on the penalty kill, 83.2 percent on their penalty kills so far this year. Tulsa having scored 13 power play goals this season. Looking to pick up their 14th man advantage goal right here. As the Oilers will now have the man advantage. 14:31 now remaining first period of play. No score. Face off will be in the Wichita zone to the right of the goaltender, Shantz … I got to get the binoculars out. It’s way at the other end of the rink from where I am. On the draw is going to be Brandon Wong against Ian Lowe it looks like. Ian Lowe, number 13 for Wichita against Tulsa’s number 10 Brandon Lowe on the draw. Boy, the linesman just needs to drop the puck. My goodness. Now they do, finally, and we’re back under way.

Here’s a shot toward the goal by the Oilers’ Konan. Kicked away by the goaltender Shantz. Back out to the blue line. Konan keeps it in at the blue line. It didn’t come over the blue line. Good play there by Konan. Now it’s flipped out of the zone by the Thunder all the way back to the Tulsa zone. They’re just trying to kill some of this penalty time here to Donny Harris, who is in the penalty box for the Thunder. Konan with it on the left side. Over the red line. Sends it ahead. Now it goes into the corner boards around behind the goal. Slapped around to the far side and back out to the blue line. Kept in at the point by Brisebois. He gets bumped. Gets rid of the puck. On the right wing is Wong out to Brisbois. Cross-ranked pass to Konan. In the slot a pass there for Lalancette. Now to Brisebois. Wong on the right circle with the shot goes wide. Back out on the right wing to Lalancette. Lalancette with it sends it down to Wong. Wong on the side of the goal puts it back out to Konan on the point.